YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
vikings/nfl
Before joining our Access Vikings team, Dan Wiederer covered Atlantic Coast Conference basketball for the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer and was named North Carolina's top sports columnist in 2010. His previous reporting experience includes covering the Chicago Bears. Follow him on Twitter @StribDW.
Mark Craig has covered football and the NFL the past 20 years, including the Browns from 1991-95 and the Vikings and the NFL since 2003. Since 2008, Craig has served as one of the 44 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors. He can be followed on Twitter at @markcraignfl.
Favre talks about turning 40
Posted by: under Vikings, NFC, Packers, Vikings players, Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre, John Sullivan Updated: October 7, 2009 - 8:57 PM
Brett Favre held his weekly press conference Wednesday and naturally he was asked about turning 40 on Saturday.
“I was thinking coming out to practice today, ‘You know, I’m about to turn 40, I don’t need to be out here practicing today,” he said, laughing. “Of course I was out here practicing. I’m just thankful that I am still able to do it and up to this point do it at a high-level. I think that is a pretty good testament.”
Favre said he doesn’t have any special birthday plans.
“For the most part, for the past 19 years, all of the holidays, including my birthday, I’m either playing or getting ready to play,” he said. “It’s no different this week… unless Brad [Childress] is going to throw me a big party. I think it deserves something. I really do. I am going to throw that out there. Forty. [laughs]”
Favre will become only the 17th quarterback in league history to play after turning 40. Only one quarterback in NFL history has made the Pro Bowl at age 40 or older (Warren Moon in 1997). None has started a playoff game.
Favre obviously is still playing at a high level. He ranks third in the NFL in passer rating after four games.
“I don’t know if there is any added feeling on my part that, ‘Hey, look at me. I’m playing,’ ” Favre said. “It’s what I’ve always expected to do. If I’m going to play, I want to play well. You can’t use age as an excuse, although people want to do that good or bad. It is what it is. I just hope I continue to play and lead at a level that I have up to this point.”
Favre’s impact on the Vikings and his level of play through four games already have caused some to speculate about whether he will return next season. He was asked about that today.
“I haven’t even thought about it,” he said. “I just want to get through practice [today]. In all reality, that’s all that matters -- the next game, the next practice, getting better. As I told you at the start, there was a time when I looked past and beyond and [now] I just want to beat St. Louis.”
Other notes from today’s access:
Battling the nerves
Favre earned NFC offensive player of the week honors after completing 24 of 31 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns against the Packers on Monday. Favre, however, said the fact that his performance came against his former team probably swung the vote.
“I think had those same statistics been against someone else other guys probably would have won it because there were some guys with better statistics,” he said. “I also know that who I was playing against had to do with the results a little bit.”
Even so, Favre was happy with his performance given the circumstances.
“Considering how nervous I was before the game or the anxiousness or whatever, I would have guessed that it would have gone differently because of the way I felt,” he said. “It’s just hard to focus and make good decisions and good throws and things like that. It’s like clamming up before a golf shot. I hate to use that as an example, but you hear people say that all the time. You are going to hit a bad shot that way. I felt the same way, but I am pretty satisfied with the result.”
Vote of confidence
The offensive line heard some criticism for protection problems in the first three games, but the Vikings did not allow a sack Monday. Favre said he believes the protection has been “very good” all four games
“Physically speaking our guys have blocked extremely well,” he said. “I really feel like they have done (a good job), even though I have been sacked – wasn’t sacked the other night – but have been sacked a pretty good bit this year. Some of it is me holding the ball. Others were just protection issues as far as who we are going to and things like that. Phil (Loadholt), I told him at the end of the game I was extremely proud of him because I know how good [Packers linebacker] Aaron Kampman is and to hold your own against him is pretty impressive. I could say that about all our guys this year. I was scared to death before we played Cleveland because [center John Sullivan] had to go against Shaun Rogers. That’s a tough task for anyone (and) he held his own.”
Etc.
With the Vikings having played on Monday night, Childress got his players some extra rest Wednesday by not conducting practice until later in the afternoon. "[It was] a little bit sluggish but we got the things done that we needed to get done and we will be right back at it with the regular Thursday schedule," Childress said.
Adrian Peterson when asked by the St. Louis media on a teleconference if he considers himself the best running back in the NFL: "I play this game to be the best. Not only the best back but the best player and that’s how I look at it. If I looked at it any other way, I’d be cheating myself. Not only to narrow it down to running backs, but I feel like I’m the best player."
ADVERTISEMENT
recent posts
- Is Leslie Frazier the 27th best coach in the NFL?
- Wiederer: NFLPA not thrilled with league's thigh and knee pad mandate
- Access Vikings blog: Goodell addresses the media
- Update: Vikings agree to terms with seven draft picks
- NFL owners voting on rules changes today
- Vikings sign former Bears offensive tackle Levi Horn
- Feeling defamed and slandered, Jonathan Vilma sues Roger Goodell
- Vikings' Kevin Murphy era ends before it began
- Vikings training camp schedule will include three weeks in Mankato
- Vikings sign defensive end Nick Reed, tackle Kevin Murphy
- Ex-Viking Kramer joins college Hall
- Vikings sign Tulsa's Tyler Holmes, waive Kris Adams
- Stadium deal done. Now what?
- Peterson: 'Stay away from the negative because the devil is at work'
- Youth is served: Spielman explains decision to release Ryan Longwell
- Adrian Peterson: `I plan on being back' on Week 1
- Vikings playing the odds by cutting ties with Longwell now
- Vikings send kicker Ryan Longwell on his way
- Longwell cut by Vikings
Post By Category
- Is Leslie Frazier the 27th best coach in the NFL?
- Wiederer: NFLPA not thrilled with league's thigh and knee pad mandate
- Vikings' 6th round pick: A kicker out of Georgia
- Stadium deal done. Now what?
- Holmgren says Browns weren't duped by Vikings
- Vikings use seventh-round picks on Audie Cole, Trevor Guyton
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2012 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters