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Transcript - Brett Favre Conference Call With The National Media - Sept. 19
posted 09/19/2007
THE MODERATOR: We are pleased to have Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre on the call today. Thank you for joining us.
Q. Brett, which record is going to be more meaningful to you, the victories or this upcoming touchdown mark?
BRETT FAVRE: Well... (pauses)
Q. Too close to call?
BRETT FAVRE: I want to win. The pause was more or less because I just want to play in these games, and if the records happen, they happen. I mean, I'm not getting ahead of myself.
If I play the rest of the year, things should take care of themselves. The most important thing, and I don't ever want to lose sight of it because I haven't up to this point, is leading this team to victory.
So I guess the answer is wins. That's the most important thing. The other things will take care of themselves. I just want to lead this team to victory.
Q. Brett, this Chargers team got ambushed by New England on Sunday night. Does it make it a little bit more difficult to face a team like that or do you put that aside and just concentrate on the team and forget what happened last week?
BRETT FAVRE: Well, first of all, New England is an outstanding football team. They were before this year. They were the year before. I mean, they loaded up this off-season, so they're even better. Take that for what it's worth. And San Diego is an outstanding football team themselves.
Does it help? I think it hurts you, you know, because they're sitting there saying in San Diego, "Hey, we got to get back on track, we're a better football team than this. "
I know what kind of football team they are. Our team does. We played them in the preseason last year. It was preseason, but, I mean, they took it to us pretty good. They're an experienced team with a lot of talent. They've got some unbelievable skill players. Things that we all know, you know, everyone knows.
New England can make you look like that at times. For us, we have to play our best football week in and week out to give ourselves a chance. I think we're getting better. It's only two games. But just based on last year, I think we're getting better. With each team we play, it's going to become tougher and tougher. This is no exception. We have to play our best football to beat this football team.
Q. I know it's only the third week of the season, but do you have a game plan for the future? How do you feel as far as your health is concerned? Is it too early to say you could play beyond this year or do you assess it in the off-season?
BRETT FAVRE: Physically I feel okay. I think if I want to, I could play as long as I want, within reason. I don't see anything at this point physically that people are going to say, "Boy, he's hanging on by a thread." I mean, I feel fine. My feet bother me. I've had surgery on my left foot twice. I probably could have had it four times. I need it on my right ankle. But it's bearable. My arm feels great. Do I move around as well as I used to? Maybe not. But my legs haven't abandoned me yet.
So, you know, I mean, I think I'm in a good position, a great position, in that the game has been wonderful for me individually and from a team standpoint. It's been way more than I ever dreamed of. I don't feel like I have anything left to prove. I like to compete. I love to compete. I don't feel like there's any weight on my shoulders to do something I haven't done.
From that standpoint, I just -- you know, I enjoy playing on this team right now. There are a lot of young guys. It kind of keeps me young. There's a lot of enthusiasm and hope around here.
I would love to lead this team to another Super Bowl. But you know what, I'm going to do my best to do that, play it game by game, see what happens.
Q. Can you compare this Packers team to others you've been on? Do you get a sense this team has a special quality?
BRETT FAVRE: You know what, I think sometimes being an experienced player, a veteran player, which we don't have a lot of on this team, and I'm just speaking from experience, you look at things much differently obviously. But I kind of see things for what they are. I told people this at the start of last year. Of course, I got laughed at. I said, "This team is as talented a team as I've played on." Did I say they were the best? Absolutely not. I said talent alone will not win games. And I think I was right. We would not have won eight games had we not been talented. But our inexperience and youth kind of showed itself last year.
Now, coming into this year, I was more optimistic than last year. But I realize what we're up against. You know, when I first came to Green Bay, my first couple years, I didn't know what a good team was. I didn't know what I was capable of doing. I thought I did. And as I progressed along in my career, I started seeing what it would take to win - and not just win but win the big game. I saw the chemistry that we started gaining in '94, '95. We knew we were going to win it in '96.
As I look at this team, I still say we are talented. We're banged up and we're having to kind of slot some guys in there. But I'm not surprised that we're 2-0. I know it's a tough road ahead of us. As we gain chemistry and confidence, which as you're young, you get beat, something happens, it puts a dent in you, but we've got to be able to overcome that and continue to not only handle adversity but probably more importantly handle success. I think the good teams are the ones that are able to do that and go on to the next play. You've got to do it during the bad times, but in the good ones, too.
This team has some potential, very, very much so, and I hope I'm around when it happens. I mean, I'm having a lot of fun right now playing with these guys.
Q. How much did the accident in college and the Falcons experience shape you for what's come in the last 17 years?
BRETT FAVRE: Well, I'm sure it's helped. I don't know. It's kind of a tough question to answer. But I'm sure all the ups and downs throughout my career, dating back to even high school, has shaped me, as it does anyone. As you age, sometimes you don't realize it at that particular time, but something maybe you went through earlier in your life sort of shapes you. I always was to me a great competitor. I didn't know what to expect in myself. Once again, I thought I did. But I came from really a non-throwing background. Went to college, started four years. Had a lot of success, but didn't burn the woods up from a statistic standpoint. Was really behind when I got to Green Bay as far as passing was concerned.
Obviously, Atlanta didn't help. The only thing Atlanta helped me do was realize I was going in the wrong direction. I got kind of a second chance at my career, an opportunity that most guys will never get the chance to have. I knew that I was going to make the most of it. From that standpoint, it was great for my career.
Q. What do you enjoy most about playing the game now and has that changed over the years?
BRETT FAVRE: You know what, I don't think anything has changed really, aside from physical appearance and maybe mentally gaining experience from all the games I played.
You know what, the game itself is what it's all about. I tell guys, young guys, I tell people here all the time. People ask me all the time, "Why do you keep coming back? I bet you get tired of meetings. I bet you get tired. "
My response is, "Yes, I do. I get tired of sitting in meetings. I get tired of practicing sometimes. It is a grind. But for three hours during the week, right now when I decided to come back, you know, that was really the only thing that really mattered when I really got down to the meat of it. " I said, "I still love to play."
The downside of football, unlike baseball and basketball, is you spend all this time, and you guys cover football, you spend all this time in meetings, in preparation, practice, off-season, all this stuff, for only three hours a week. Unlike baseball and basketball, which they play every day. We practice, we meet, we practice, we meet. If you lose, you got to wait another week for three hours.
To me it easily outweighed the grind part of it. That's what I love about it. I love to compete. I love to try to beat the opponent. I think when people watch me play, they see that. I go down swinging. I still have that fire within me.
Q. You talked about competition and competing quite a bit today. Is there a point in time when the competitive will gets into the way of safety and well-being of a player? In the Jon Kitna situation last week, he was diagnosed with a concussion, yet he came back into the game.
BRETT FAVRE: I'm sure that does happen. I'm no doctor. I was not there. I'm aware of what happened in Detroit last week. I mean, I heard about it. Didn't see it. I have to admit I'm a little bit surprised in today's game, with the huge emphasis on concussions, that he was allowed to go back into the game. Now, maybe later on in the game they maybe determined it wasn't a concussion. I don't know. I'm not going to speculate. I'm sure you're aware of Commissioner Goodell's big push. I think there was something even on HBO about that.
Even if the player wanted to go back in -- I'm a perfect example. Several years ago we played the Giants here, I received a concussion I think in the second quarter. When the cobwebs started going away a little bit, I was on the sidelines and the offense was on the field. Two plays later, I ran on the field. It was fourth down, which I didn't know. Threw a pass, threw a touchdown. Never played the rest of the game.
I wanted to. Felt like I could have played. It started coming back to me. But our doctors refused to let me. They really had no choice. When I ran on the field, it was too late. After that, I couldn't play. I was mad at them. Wanted to play. Felt like I could have. The next day I argued with them, said, "You made a mistake, I should have played." But I understand where they're coming from.
In today's game, unlike maybe in years past, there's more of an emphasis on that. That surprised me a little bit. But I think at times it can and probably does interfere. But it really comes down to no one knows your body like you. I always tell people that. I played with a lot of things or a lot of injuries, broken thumb, bad ankle, had a tore knee ligament, and probably have played in games where I had concussions and never really knew it.
But I'm sure it happens.
Q. Regarding this upcoming touchdown record, do you feel like you might just be holding the title for Peyton Manning?
BRETT FAVRE: Well, I think every record, regardless of what it may be, you're just holding on to it for a brief time, if it's five years, if it's 20, if it's 30, whatever. That's the only reason they keep records anyway, so the next guy can break 'em.
You know what, I never was really that concerned about it before, especially when I started my career. That was not my intention. That was not my goal. I think when you approach things that way, I think you're approaching it, first of all, the right way, because it's not about that. But when they are broken in the future, you don't get your feelings hurt. I hate to use that term.
But to me my legacy is much more than the records. If I have to have records to continue my legacy, then somewhere along the way I did something wrong. I hope it's the way I played the game and the durability, the reliability means much more to me than that.
To answer your question, yeah, they're meant to be broken. By all accounts, Peyton should be the one to break them. But then someone else is going to break his. I'm not really concerned about it.
Q. With the constant talk of your retirement over the past so many years, does that wear at you or do you just get so tired of hearing about it?
BRETT FAVRE: You know what, I do get tired of hearing about it. To be honest with you, I don't bring it up. For whatever reason it took a life of its own several years ago. I know all these experts and people out there, they're saying, "Well, he keeps talking about it." No, I don't. And we're talking about it right now.
Watch me play. You'll see the passion. Once again, we talked about competition, passion for the game. I've always had that. And that hasn't changed. When it comes, it comes. People say, "What's going to be the deciding factor?" I don't know, I haven't retired yet.
They still want me to play. I want to play. I still feel I can play at a high level. Until they tell me otherwise or until I wake up and say, you know what, I'm done, then I'm going to continue to do that.
Q. You've been in the league long enough to have seen so many things, write many books about it. In light of the Bill Belichick situation in New England, where do you draw the line between being competition and cheating?
BRETT FAVRE: Well, I guess Commissioner Goodell is drawing that line. You know what, I mean, I don't know. I personally was shocked to hear about that. I'm sure everyone else was too. Because you're going, "He's a great coach." I think he's still a great coach. I think they're a great team. They don't need to do that. I really don't think it was making that much of a difference. I don't even know what he was doing it for.
I don't know. I mean, obviously you've got to draw the line there as opposed to leading off second base and trying to get the signals from the catcher. That's kind of within the competitive nature of the game. I mean, the Commissioner is going to take care of that or has taken care of that.
Are more things like that going on? I'm surprised guys get caught with steroids in football. I mean, the drug testing program to me, you can't beat it. It's just a matter of time before you get caught. I feel like that's the case for anything illegal in this game.
Q. In lieu of the Commissioner, the Players Association being represented by Gene Upshaw being at Capitol Hill yesterday speaking before the Senate committee, what is your feeling about how former players have been treated, the pension situation? You're friends with John Elway. You've had dealings with Gene Upshaw. What is your position on what's going on with the former players?
BRETT FAVRE: I'm still playing and try to focus on the present. I'll say this. Take it for what it's worth. I respect this game tremendously. I think people know that. I hope they know that. I respect the players that have played before me. Without them, first of all, I wouldn't be here. Without them, second of all, we would not make the money we're making today. I think 20, 30 years from now they will be making a lot more money than we're making now. But 20 years ago the money they were making is no comparison to what we're making now as compared to 20 years from now.
I think the medical care that we receive today, and all you have to do is look to Kevin Everett with Buffalo, is much better, much more aware. There's a much bigger, greater emphasis on healthcare and things now.
Unfortunately for those guys, you know, the guys who paved the way for us, that was not the case. I don't know what can be done. I think something should be done. Once again, those guys paved the way for us. That's going way back. I see some of those guys today, you go, "Man, I hope I don't walk like that someday." And I may. But our healthcare will be much better than those guys.
I don't know what or how, but something should be done.
Q. You mentioned you will play this game until your body says no more. You have the heart to keep playing football. How will the results of this 2007 Packers team affect your future to play two or three more years?
BRETT FAVRE: I think that is a factor. I know where you're going. First of all, we're 2-0 right now, but there are 14 games left. Who knows what happens. I do know this, you know, from some unforeseen reason we go 4-12 or whatever, they're going to go in a different direction anyway whether I like it or not. That's just the facts, especially at 17 years and my salary.
But if I play at a high enough level and we, meaning this team and organization, come close or get into the playoffs, have some success, but are just a little bit away, they still feel like I can play, want to pay me what they're paying me to lead this team, and I still felt like I have it left, yes, I see no reasons why.
But, you know, there are a lot of factors that go into it. We may struggle down the stretch. I might not play that well. The Team might not play that well. Whatever. They may want to go in a different direction. Okay, then maybe it's not meant to be.
So, yeah, there are a lot of contributing factors into that aside from physical abilities or how you feel day in and day out. But I'm taking it one game at a time. We'll see what happens.
courtesy NFL |
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