Favre Shines Even Without Star Receivers : Pro football: Spreading his passes to the likes of Robert Brooks, Edgar Bennett and Mark Chmura, the Green Bay quarterback leads the NFL with 3,519 passing yards and 31 touchdowns.

You don’t see Brett Favre pitching collector cups like Dan Marino and Daffy Duck.

“I’m not high-profile enough,” smirks Favre, who, aside from a pregame lockerroom visit from an autograph-seeking referee, has had to settle for Sunday night highlight clips.

The Green Bay quarterback’s daring play has led to an NFL-best 31 touchdown passes and league-leading 3,519 yards. And that’s publicity enough.

Here’s Favre tossing a career-high five touchdowns against Chicago after spending the week on crutches.

There’s Favre completing 23 of 29 passes at Cleveland and exchanging barbs with former teammate Andre Rison, who called him a touchdown-throwing hillbilly.

Here’s Favre, who grew up in Mississippi near the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, routing Tampa Bay to run his record to 11-0 in freezing weather.

And here’s Favre completing 31 of 43 passes, three for touchdowns, in a victory last week against Cincinnati.

All of this has come in the last four weeks, with Favre throwing to the likes of Robert Brooks, Mark Chmura and Edgar Bennett--instead of Sterling Sharpe.

And all on a bum ankle he sprained at Minnesota on Nov. 5.

As he sagged into his locker after beating the Buccaneers and telling head linesman Jerry Bergman that he wanted his signatures back after a holding call, week, Favre said he didn’t feel so hot.

“I guess it’s those three beers last night,” cracked Favre, “which came after the first 18 that I drank.”

Actually, it’s the noggin-rattling shot he took from Warren Sapp.

“I can’t hardly move my damn neck,” Favre said. “I’ll catch hell for that, too. That was pretty stupid to try to run over a linebacker.

“The older I get, I think the less of those I’ll do. I got chewed out more by players than coaches after that: ‘What are you doing? Are you an idiot?’ Apparently so.”

Favre’s stiff neck took his mind off his loose jaw, courtesy of Pittsburgh linebacker Greg Lloyd’s $12,000 preseason hit, and his sprained left ankle, purple and puffy since 310-pound guard Aaron Taylor rolled over it.

Favre shrugs it off, just like he did Sharpe’s release in January following neck surgery and the team’s failure to lure a free-agent like Rison, who signed with the Browns after Favre suggested Packers general manager Ron Wolf could make a wiser investment.

Rison said Favre, whom he played with in Atlanta in 1991 and who is in his second season of a five-year, $19 million deal, was jealous of the $17 million he got from Art Modell.

Rison even called the quarterback a hillbilly, which didn’t faze Favre.

“No,” Favre said. “I am.”

In which case, he’s as big as Jed Clampett ever was.

Terry Bradshaw likes to call Favre the best-throwing linebacker in the NFL.

Favre leads quarterbacks with 58 consecutive starts, is 15-1 in his last 15 games at Lambeau Field, and is unbeaten in temperatures near or below freezing.

Two weeks ago, Favre became the only quarterback in the Packers’ 77-year history to throw for 3,000 yards four times.

Favre can’t remember the last time he made a bad decision--save for trying to return against the Vikings after hurting his ankle and then throwing two interceptions.

“I don’t think I have any (bad decisions) in the last three weeks,” Favre said. “In Minnesota . . . I’m 15-of-19, 170 yards before I get hurt. Then to come back, which was stupid, I was thinking more about the injury than anything else.”

Since then Favre’s completed 93 of 121 passes, a remarkable 77%, for 1,152 yards, 14 touchdowns and just one interception.

At first, the injury limited Favre, who couldn’t execute his favorite rollouts and bootlegs.

“That showed me I can be a pocket passer like Marino,” Favre laughed. “The things I do well are improvise, make things happen. I’ve never really had to play a game where I had to just sit in there and play a controlled game. I was kind of excited by it.”

But as his ankle improved and his mobility returned, Favre reverted to his freewheeling ways.

Against Tampa, Favre did a 360-degree spin in the pocket and somehow delivered a perfect touch pass across his body in the other direction. It dropped over a linebacker, then a defensive back and into the hands of Brooks in the back of the end zone.

“That was a miraculous thing,” said Coach Mike Holmgren.

Earlier, Favre hit Bennett, a decoy on the play behind five receivers, with a 31-yard pass that set up a score.

“Subconsciously, I guess I knew he was there,” Favre said. “He wasn’t even in a route. In our progression he’s not even numbered.”

“I really admire his maturity, particularly this year,” said defensive end Reggie White, who came to Green Bay in 1993 because of Favre’s tendency to pull out games and his tenacity to stay in them.

On Nov. 15, 1992, White, then with Philadelphia, slammed Favre into the frozen field at Milwaukee, separating his left shoulder.

Favre refused to come out and then led Green Bay to victory, something White will never forget. When the NFL career sacks leader signed with the Packers, he mentioned that moment as the reason.

“Brett realizes this is his team. I think it boils down to everybody realizing this is his team and we need to play a supporting role,” White said.

“There’s no better way to earn respect in this league than to play hurt,” said Favre, who has a well-chronicled history of playing with pain.

In college, he had surgery to remove part of his intestines following a car accident, then led Southern Mississippi to an upset of Alabama a month later.

Quarterbacks coach Steve Mariucci said Favre’s ankle injury was more severe than his separated left shoulder in ‘92, his bruised thigh in ’93 and his bruised hip in ’94.

“But he is a tough son of a gun,” Mariucci said. “And maybe lucky, too. Our line and backs protect him. We don’t go back seven steps a lot. We throw the ball quickly.”

Favre hasn’t missed a start since taking over for an injured Don Majkowski in Week 4 of the 1992 season.

“That’s not a statistical record like throwing touchdowns or winning games, but more of longevity, durability and hard work,” Favre said.

“He’s such a competitor that I think it would hurt him more to sit out than to play hurt,” Chmura said.

After Lloyd was fined for hitting Favre with the crown of his helmet, Favre called it “a great hit. If he was on my team and put a hit on the quarterback like that, I’d be over there high-fiving him.”

Favre said his threshold for pain is high because his goals are.

“This game is simple. All you do is make plays and win. That’s all that matters. Nothing else. Third-down efficiency, how far you run, none of that stuff matters, how many yards you throw for. Just win, no matter what it takes to win,” Favre said.

Favre also doesn’t mind the bitter cold “for the three hours I’m out there. The rest of the time, I’m cussing like everybody else.”

Favre is actually at his best when the weather’s at its worst. In wintry climes, he has 29 TDs and seven interceptions.

Behind Favre’s spectacular season, the Packers (9-4) are on track to win their first NFC Central title since 1972 and make their third straight trip to the playoffs.

But Favre, whose endorsement potential is limited by playing in the NFL’s smallest market, will have to get to the Super Bowl to become a hit on Madison Avenue, said his agent, James “Bus” Cook.

Since Oct. 3, 1993, the Packers have lost once at Lambeau and five times at Dallas, including the last two years in the playoffs.

Favre, the 1995 spokesman for SkyBox Sports Cards, has a contract with Nike but hasn’t done any national commercials for the shoe giant, unlike another young quarterback, New England’s Drew Bledsoe, who’s also done spots for McDonald’s.

“I guess I’m going to have to win the big one to get the big bucks,” Favre said.

Until then, highlights on millions of TV sets, autograph-seeking refs, and maybe an MVP award will just have to do.