The 2001 NFL MVP.....YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST FOLKS
Favre feeling good about himself and Packers
June 6, 2001
SportsLine.com wire reports
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Brett Favre is feeling good again -- and not just about his health and his wealth.
Over the winter, Favre restructured his contract and became the first NFL player with a deal that topped $100 million.
The elbow tendinitis that bothered him last summer is gone, and for the first time in several seasons he can speak with genuine optimism about a Packers powerhouse.
Favre isn't pushing it at Green Bay's final minicamp because of his past elbow troubles.
"I think we're being more aware of how many reps I get. I'm trying to be much more aware of it," Favre said. "But it feels fine."
Doug Pederson and Henry Burris have been sharing snaps with Favre, who said he'll begin throwing two weeks before training camp starts next month.
"And then when I get here, I don't have to take 200, 300 reps a day. That's where I think we need to be smarter," Favre said.
Nobody knows for sure what caused Favre's elbow pain, but he has a hunch it all started innocently enough with a blister on one of his fingers.
"It sounds like such a minor thing, but for a quarterback or a pitcher, a blister on your finger, it could sit you down for a while or it could lead you to throw a different type of way," Favre said.
"Some people think I did too much weed-eating back home," Favre added. "I don't think that's true. Who knows?"
Favre has spent plenty of time this offseason doing repairs to his home and property in Mississippi that was struck by a tornado earlier this year.
But Favre is all grins now, and most of that has to do with the patching the Packers did over the winter.
Every season since they won the Super Bowl in 1996, the three-time MVP has returned to Green Bay to find a roster gutted of veterans and filled with replacements.
This time, Favre doesn't have to introduce himself to quite so many new teammates. Dorsey Levens, Earl Dotson, Darren Sharper, Ryan Longwell, Frank Winters and Marco Rivera all decided to stay in Green Bay, although they could have made more money elsewhere.
The reversal of the mass exodus of talent, along with a 4-0 December that produced a 9-7 record despite the worst spate of injuries in franchise history, gives Favre reason to declare the Pack is back.
"I'm not going to make any predictions," Favre said. "But I think our team is close to where it needs to be."
Favre admits he's usually the eternal optimist.
"We could have been the worst team in football last year and I would step up here and say I like our chances. I always feel like we got a chance," he said. "But I'm going to sit here and say it again: I do feel like we have a legitimate chance."
He rattles off the reasons: returning veterans, an offensive line that's as deep as ever, a solid group of draft picks, including receiver Robert Ferguson of Texas A&M.
Plus, Antonio Freeman acknowledged publicly this week he needs to regain the trust of his teammates' after an embarrassing ending to 2000, when he was suspended for the final game after showing up late for practice.
But the biggest reason for Favre's optimism is the return of Levens from another knee operation. Levens has practiced all three days of this minicamp, and the Packers are practically salivating over the chance to team him with Ahman Green, the team's leading rusher and receiver last season.
"To have Dorsey and Ahman in the same backfield, who knows how productive we can be?" Favre said.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2001, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved |
