One season in purple could bump Ironman reign

Brett Favre will play his first regular-season game as a member of the Vikings on Sunday in Cleveland already holding just about every significant NFL career passing record.

Most touchdown passes? Favre's got that one with 464. Yards? That belongs to Favre, too. Completions, attempts and yards? Check, check and check. Heck, Favre even has thrown the most interceptions.

But there is at least one record Favre stands to break this season -- and the guy he would surpass couldn't be happier about it. Favre will enter Sunday having played in 271 consecutive regular-season games, putting him 12 games from Jim Marshall's longstanding record for a non-kicker or punter. (Punter Jeff Feagles has appeared in 336 consecutive games.)

The fact Favre could set the mark while playing for the Vikings makes it all the better for Marshall, who spent 19 seasons as a member of the franchise and still lives in the Twin Cities.

"He's the one person that I would have a great deal of respect for in breaking that record," said Marshall, a defensive end for the Vikings from 1961-79.

If Favre remains healthy, he would move past Marshall when the Vikings play at Arizona on Dec. 6. While Favre's toughness is unquestioned -- the quarterback has played through numerous injuries to get to this point -- it's dangerous to assume he is a shoo-in to stay healthy. Favre will turn 40 on Oct. 10 and last year played despite a partially torn biceps tendon in his throwing arm that clearly affected his performance with the New York Jets. He had surgery on the tendon in May but is still dealing with a rotator cuff issue.

Vikings coach Brad Childress is very aware of Favre's streak but he is going to have to weigh the player's desire to break the record with what's best for the team. Childress refused to deal with the hypothetical of if he would be willing to sit Favre if something happened, saying, "We'll cross those bridges when we come to it."

But Childress does have an answer for trying to keep Favre healthy all season and it will involve resting him whenever possible. Childress has even researched how the Broncos handled John Elway when the quarterback tore the biceps tendon in his throwing arm in 1997. Elway led the team to two Super Bowls following the injury.

"I think that that's going to be managing him," Childress said of Favre. "I think that's the key. I've gone back and looked at that Elway thing when he had his biceps [injury]. If you can get him off the field, you get him off the field. If you can cut reps, you cut reps. Certainly we're going to have to do that."

Childress acknowledged he would definitely give thought to removing Favre from a game that has become one-sided.

Favre is actually chasing two longevity records this season. The consecutive games streak is the easiest to figure out; there is no question that Marshall played in 282 regular-season games in a row and that Favre has played in 271. But there also is the matter of consecutive starts -- and that is a bit more up for debate.

There is no doubt that Favre's starting streak is at 269 --he played in relief in the second and third games of the 1992 season before taking over as the starter -- but Marshall's starting streak ranges anywhere from 270 to 282 consecutive games. That's because Marshall spent his rookie season (1960) with the Cleveland Browns. While it's certain Marshall played in all 12 games there isn't any official documentation to show he started all of them.

Tom West, the Vikings' assistant director of public relations, said the team is attempting to research the subject but admits finding the answer might not be possible. The Browns have told the Vikings that Marshall started the first game in 1960 but then came off the bench for the final 11. Marshall said he thinks the correct information might be obtained from looking at old copies of the Cleveland paper, which he believes listed the starting lineups for each game.

While Favre and Marshall have come to be linked by the streak in recent years, Marshall said he has never discussed the subject with the future Hall of Fame quarterback. He said whether the Vikings decide to have some type of ceremony if and when the record falls is up to the franchise.

"I would love to," talk to Favre, Marshall said. "Just love to come up to him and congratulate him on a wonderful career and certainly congratulate him on breaking that record."

Marshall also made it clear that even though he's an old-time player, he holds no ill will that a guy the Vikings despised for so long is now on their side.

"I think it's a great thing to have him here and have him on our side now," Marshall said. "You know in baseball there wouldn't be this kind of controversy. Baseball players are traded all the time and there just wouldn't be this kind of controversy. I don't know, but it seems to be something in football with the rivalry that people have taken sides."