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Tuesday, September 14
 
Only emotion can beat Favre

Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- When the Green Bay Packers' emotional leader got emotional, it was only out of happiness.

Brett Favre
Brett Favre was overcome with relief after rallying the Packers past the Raiders.
Brett Favre said he cried tears of joy on the podium Sunday at a news conference after engineering the game-winning drive in Green Bay's 28-24 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

"I'm emotional anyway," Favre said. "It wasn't that my arm was broken or my thumb. I don't know what it was."

Favre and coach Ray Rhodes also said the hand injuries the quarterback suffered in the game likely won't keep him out of next Sunday's meeting with the Detroit Lions.

With a thick bandage on his throwing hand and a smile on his face, Favre said Monday that an emotional catharsis was what brought tears to his eyes. The final drive, the 14th game-winner of Favre's career, was accomplished in exactly 100 seconds and covered 82 yards -- with no timeouts.

Rhodes said Favre has a sprained thumb and a bruised muscle in his hand.

"That was just how strongly I felt about the game," Favre said of his emotional reaction. "People can read whatever they want into that, but that's all it was."

Rhodes said he also expects Favre to play against Detroit, though the three-time MVP will likely skip "a couple of days" of practice.

"He'll be awful sore ... but knowing Brett, he's going to be back and ready to go Sunday," Rhodes said. "This man is a very tough, prideful football player."

Many wondered if Favre would be the same player this season after Mike Holmgren, his only coach in seven years in Green Bay, left for the Seattle Seahawks. Holmgren called most of the plays in the West Coast offense as Favre ascended to the game's upper echelon of quarterbacks.

Though Favre didn't admit it, Sunday's game undoubtedly assumed additional importance when the Packers looked to him to replace Holmgren as their emotional leader.

When Favre threw three interceptions and the Packers were behind 24-14 with four minutes to play, Green Bay put its fate in his hands, and he responded remarkably.

The injury is similar to the one he first had three weeks ago in an exhibition game against Denver. Though he said he could barely grip a football on the final drive against the Raiders, he completed six of the seven passes that weren't spikes to stop the clock.

Favre has started 110 consecutive games for the Packers and is six starts away from matching Ron Jaworski's record for a quarterback.

"He's played banged up before," tight end Mark Chmura said. "I think we've all come to expect it."

Chmura's sparing appearances in the second half of the game also raised eyebrows in Green Bay. Chmura sat out all of the Packers' preseason schedule resting a bulging disk in his neck, but Rhodes said his Pro Bowl tight end just wasn't in the game shape necessary to play the full afternoon.

"He gave us a lot of downs, probably a lot more than he should have given us," Rhodes said. "Hey, the man was winded and tired."

Chmura, one of Favre's closest friends, caught four passes in the first half, but none in the second. Favre adjusted, throwing to backups Tyrone Davis and Jeff Thomason, who caught the game-winner with 11 seconds remaining.

"Brett will play through anything," said receiver Bill Schroeder, who on Sunday hinted to reporters that Favre's injury could be more serious than first thought.

"I just knew he could barely grip a football. It was just amazing he could do what he did."





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