Favre article

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tromadz

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JASON WILDE 608-252-6176
December 30, 2006

GREEN BAY - Leaning against the hood of his oversized white pickup truck as it sat Friday in the bowels of Lambeau Field, Brett Favre went through it all again.

All the possibilities.

All the pros and cons.

All the outside opinions.

"I'm well aware of all the scenarios or what-ifs, and the this-could-happens and that-could-happens," the Green Bay Packers quarterback said, two days before what would be his final NFL game - Sunday night against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field - if his team misses the playoffs and he decides to retire after the season. "(But) I don't know exactly what will be the determining factor."

Bottom line? He's made up his mind not to make up his mind. That might not seem like much, but it's a different attitude than he had last year, when he entered the season finale against Seattle having decided he wasn't coming back.

He never told anyone, but that was his plan. Only after then-coach Mike Sherman told him after that game to take some time to think about it did Favre arrive at his late-April decision to return for his 16th NFL season.

"I really thought last year was going to be it. So I was more ready for it last year," said Favre, who has completed 322 of 571 passes (56.4 percent) for 3,600 yards and 17 touchdowns with 17 interceptions this season. "But I'm not going to have my mind made up one way or another."•

Favre sees potential The prevailing opinion is Favre owes it to himself to come back.

He's spent most of the year playing behind three rookie offensive linemen - part of a roster with 19 rookies and first-year players - and while the playoffs are no sure thing, at least there's been marked improvement.

"I see a lot of potential here. I've said that. But there's always, 'What if?' " Favre said. "What if we're in this situation again? (When) I say 'this situation,' we have a chance at the playoffs, as crazy as that may sound, because we're not playing great. ... We can't score a touchdown, (but) we've won a couple games (anyway). Go figure.

"In some ways, I've felt like, 'Yeah, why not give it another shot?' In other ways, most ways, (I've felt like), 'I've done a lot in this game, had a lot of success individually and as a team, that there's nothing left really out there for me.'

"I know sometimes people say, 'Come back and go out on top.' But what if you don't? There's always that chance. So I don't know."

What Favre does know is the Packers' record might belie just how much improvement they've made. True, a victory Sunday night would double their win total from a year ago, but they lost seven games by seven points or fewer last season and have won their last two games despite scoring just one offensive touchdown.

"Hey, we've got a long ways to go," Favre said. "And I don't have that much time." •

Play an issue Favre also acknowledges he has to play better than he has this season. In fact, for as repetitive as the retirement talk is for him, the only time Favre became agitated during the 12-minute conversation Friday was when he brought up his own play this season.

With a passer rating of 72.9, Favre ranks 25th in the NFL, behind such luminaries as Chicago's Rex Grossman, Detroit's Jon Kitna, Arizona's Matt Leinart, even San Francisco's Alex Smith. And like his young team, Favre's performance has fluctuated.

After tossing an NFL-high and career-worst 29 interceptions last year, he's played six full games in which he didn't throw an interception and the Packers are 5-1 in those games. At the same time, he's had seven games in which he's thrown multiple interceptions, including three on Dec. 17 against Detroit and two on Dec. 21 against Minnesota - games the Packers won almost in spite of him.

"I expect to be more productive, and I'm not, for whatever reason. I could point to a lot of those, but the bottom line is, I'm not as productive," said Favre, who needs offseason surgery - whether he plays next year or not - to clean out "pretty awful" calcium buildup and bone spurs in his left ankle. "Thank goodness our defense has pulled us through the last few games." •

Cost no issue Favre is signed through 2011 and is scheduled to earn an $11 million base salary in 2007.

The Packers have effectively managed their cap, so the cost of keeping him isn't an issue, and coach Mike McCarthy, who has been unwilling to discuss Favre's situation since telling two national NFL writers earlier this season he wants Favre to return, has repeatedly said, "Brett Favre is under contract. And that's the way we view it until we're told otherwise."

Favre needs offseason surgery to clean out "pretty awful" calcium buildup and bone spurs in his left ankle. But it's clear his teammates want him back.

"Purely in terms of football, there's no question he should be back," veteran right tackle Mark Tauscher said. "I don't think people realize how good he is. I really don't. Everybody looks at the mistakes that he makes, but they (don't look at) the situations we're in when the mistakes happen."

But Tauscher also admitted he's as clueless as everyone else as to what Favre will do.

All we know is this: Whether Favre returns won't hinge on whether the Packers beat the Bears and sneak into the playoffs.

It won't hinge on his family's input, because "it's easy to say, 'Aw, go back and play.' Because (they) only see the 3 hours of the game. You don't really see all the other stuff."

And it won't be for NFL career records, even as he stands seven TDs behind Dan Marino's record of 420 touchdowns.

"Am I having fun? I'm glad I came back. I really am," Favre said. "If I'm out there next year, throwing a touchdown pass and running down the field, (you'll say), 'Man, it looks like he's having a blast.' I know I will do that. And I will do that until they drag me off the field.

"But there's so much more to it than that. Do I have feelings going into this game? Until you get away from (the game), I don't know what it's like because I've never gotten away from it. I don't know what that feels like. So to me, (Sunday's game) is just another game. It may be the last, but to me, it's just another game."
 
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tromadz

tromadz

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yeah except that one is locked, and will be on page 2 in like an hour.
 
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