Favre Says Sherman Shouldn’t Take Heat

First off, quarterback Brett Favre said, his elbow is fine.

Secondly, he would like fans to lay off Green Bay Packer Coach Mike Sherman for keeping him in the game for a final meaningless drive against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Favre was driven hard into the artificial turf by defensive end Talance Sawyer on a failed two-point pass with 48 seconds left in Green Bay’s 35-13 loss.

He got up slowly, holding his right elbow, leaving fans to question what Sherman was thinking by leaving him in the game.

Sherman said he just couldn’t bring himself to replace Favre because that would be conceding defeat.

But Favre said that Sherman approached him after the game and apologized for not sending in backup Doug Pederson.

“He felt bad afterward, saying, ‘I shouldn’t have put you in that situation,”’ Favre said. “But I said, ‘Mike, it would have been like pulling teeth to get me out of there.’

“I think that made him feel a little better, but he knows that’s the way I am.”

Favre was among 10 ailing Packers who missed practice Tuesday. He had dressings covering turf burns but said, “If I had to play this week, I could play.”

The Packers (4-2) are off this week.

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Dallas Cowboy linebacker Darren Hambrick and cornerback Kareem Larrimore, starters known as much for off-the-field problems as their play, were released.

Hambrick was upset during the off-season when the Cowboys offered him a minimum contract of $512,000.

Larrimore was suspended for the Cowboys’ final exhibition game and the regular-season opener because of a curfew violation while the team was in Mexico City. He had already been fined by the club at least 11 times.

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After watching his team blow a fourth-quarter lead and lose by a point for the second consecutive week, New York Giant Coach Jim Fassel refused to blame offensive coordinator Sean Payton or quarterback Kerry Collins, who has been inconsistent this season.

“I believe in Kerry,” said Fassel, whose team is 3-3 after Monday night’s 10-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “It’s my job to get him to play better. It’s Sean’s job to get him to play better, and I will do everything feasible.”

He ruled out calling the plays himself but said he might become more involved in the process.

“If there is something I don’t like, I change it, and I don’t care who likes it and who doesn’t. I’ll change it,” he said.

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The Denver Broncos waived safety Billy Jenkins and wide receiver Travis McGriff and replaced them with players from the practice squad--safety Darius Clark and wide receiver Scottie Montgomery.