Freeman Says He’s Being Passed Over

Antonio Freeman acknowledged what many have suspected during a season in which the Green Bay Packer receiver has put up numbers among the best in football.

He’s not thrilled that nobody knows who he is.

“When you play with Brett Favre, you have to accept that it’s all about Brett Favre,” he said. “There are a lot of weapons on this team that nobody knows about because all the attention is on the quarterback, which you have to understand because he is so good.”

Freeman hopes that by winning a second consecutive Super Bowl, people might finally start mentioning his name in the same breath as the Herman Moores of the world.

Heck, he’d even settle for being considered as good as teammate Robert Brooks, even though Freeman has led the Packers in receiving the last two years, with 81 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns this year.

“If we win this game, they are going to have to put my name in the history books,” he said.

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The least-known injury on the Packers is shared by all their wide receivers.

Because Favre throws so hard, according to Freeman, they all have strained ligaments and tendons in their fingers.

“Downfield 30 yards, the ball comes at you like a bullet,” Freeman said. “You just put up your hands and try to take some of the fire off it.”

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Stat of the Day: Only two of 31 Super Bowls have been won by coaches who were not in their first head coaching job.

Weeb Ewbank with the New York Jets and Don Shula with the Miami Dolphins were the only “retreads” to win the big game.

This doesn’t bode well for the Buffalo Bills or Indianapolis Colts, who recently named retreads Wade Phillips and Jim Mora as their new bosses.

It also doesn’t bode well this week for former Raider coach Mike Shanahan.