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NFL Monday Night Capsules: Favre-less Vikings dominated by Giants
DETROIT (AP) — Brett Favre's streak is over. His career might be, too.
Favre stood on the sideline for the start of a game for the first time since 1992, rubbing his salt-and-pepper beard in frustration because his body couldn't take another pounding. The New York Giants made sure his replacement struggled early and often in a 21-3 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
"I am not going to play again if I can't feel my hand," the 41-year-old Favre said after sitting out with a right shoulder injury that has made his hand numb. His NFL record streak of 297 straight starts was finished, and Favre couldn't say if he would suit up again.
"That's questions I haven't thought about, to be quite honest with you," he said. "I've always assumed I'd play every game, today was no exception. I enjoy playing.
"I don't want to say I'm shocked by the events of today. I guess in some way I expected it ... but I have no idea. It's unfortunate we're out of this playoff race. I'll just see how I feel this week and go from there."
Vikings interim coach Leslie Frazier acknowledged that putting Favre on injured reserve, ending his season and possibly his career is possible.
"But I'm hoping not," Frazier said.
Favre previously has said he will indeed retire for good after this season.
"At least I won't look back and say, 'I wonder if I played could we have done this or that,'" he said Monday night. "We know now."
Brandon Jacobs ran for a go-ahead touchdown midway through the second quarter, Eli Manning threw a lead-padding TD just before halftime and Ahmad Bradshaw added a 48-yard run for the Giants. The game was moved from Minneapolis to the Motor City because the Metrodome roof collapsed under heavy snow early Sunday.
Manning, whose brother, Peyton, now has the longest starting streak for a QB at 205 games, said he was shocked when he found out Favre was inactive.
"You don't know if this is the end for a guy who has done so much for the NFL," Manning said.
The Giants sacked Favre replacement Tarvaris Jackson four times, knocking him out of the game late in the third period and again in the final seconds.
New York (9-4) moved back into a first-place tie with Philadelphia in the NFC East. The Giants have won three straight and eight of 10 games, improving their chances for a wild card if they doesn't finish ahead of the Eagles, who they host Sunday.
"We're going to have to be resilient again this week because we've got a short week before a big game against the Eagles," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "They had a nice win yesterday, and we had to match them."
The Vikings (5-8) were eliminated from the playoff race after entering the game with a two-game winning streak and flickering hopes of salvaging what has been a miserable season that started with high hopes after Favre led them to the NFC title game.
"It's embarrassing," defensive end Jared Allen said.
The game was switched from Sunday afternoon when the Giants couldn't get to Minneapolis because of the severe weather, then was pushed back another day and moved to the Detroit Lions' indoor stadium with a steel roof. The Vikings were technically the home team at Ford Field — which was adorned with their logo at midfield and "VIKINGS" in the end zones — but they didn't have much of an edge.
"The whole thing is bizarre," Vikings radio analyst Pete Bercich said.
Nothing, though, was more odd than seeing Favre watch a game.
He stood on the sideline, trying to tutor Jackson at times, and sported a purple knit hat, short-sleeved black shirt with a long-sleeved white shirt underneath and black warmup pants.
"It's been a great run, I will not hang my head one bit because it ended today," Favre said. "I think about as a kid goals and dreams, I have far exceeded all of those. I never dreamed of playing 300-plus straight games (including playoffs). I dreamed of playing in the NFL."
The game drew an announced crowd of 45,910 — there seemed to be at least 10,000 more people in the 65,000-seat stadium late in the first half — and some fans made the trek to specifically see Favre.
"I'm devastated," said 20-year-old fan James Burton, who left his home in Ohio at 3 a.m. ET Monday to get one of the 30,000 free tickets that were distributed.
Even though most got in for free, they left disappointed, especially if they were rooting for the Vikings.
Jackson got off to a good start, completing his first two passes for 8 yards each, but didn't do much to help his team for the rest of the night.
"I was very pleased with the way the defense bailed us out after two early turnovers," Coughlin said.
Jackson wasted an opportunity to show his coaches and teammates he can be counted on to fill in for Favre for a game and perhaps in the future.
He completed just 12 of 22 passes, threw an interception directly to linebacker Keith Bulluck, and fumbled a shotgun snap he was able to recover. Another shotgun snap got away and he recovered it near the goal line, seemingly getting a break from the officials on what appeared to be a safety.
Jackson limped off the field with 16 seconds left in the game, giving rookie Joe Webb another opportunity to take snaps after getting drafted in the sixth round to play wide receiver. Jackson leaned heavily on a railing to get up steps toward the locker room.
While Jackson didn't have the benefit of a running game — Adrian Peterson was held to 26 yards on 14 carries — Manning relied on a one-two punch that pounded the Vikings all night.
Jacobs ran for a season-high 116 yards — including a career-high 73-yard run — and a score. Bradshaw had 103 yards rushing, including the 48-yarder that was his longest run in two years, before leaving the game with a wrist injury in the fourth quarter.
Manning bounced back from throwing a second interception in the opening minute of the second quarter by completing 22 of 37 passes for 187 yards and a TD on a perfectly threaded pass to Kevin Boss. That put the Giants ahead 14-3 with 3 seconds left in the third quarter.
NOTES: The Vikings were also missing WR Percy Harvin (migraines) and OG Steve Hutchinson (broken right thumb). ... The Vikings had a kickoff return for a score in the third quarter negated by a penalty. ... Manning, who was sacked for the first time in six games, became the first Giant to throw for 3,000-plus yards in six straight seasons. He had lost all four of his starts against Minnesota, throwing for two touchdowns and nine interceptions. ... Minnesota's finale is Jan. 2 in Detroit.
Favre inactive, streak ends at 297
DETROIT (AP) — An unexpected postponement gave Brett Favre one more chance. A little extra time for his right shoulder to heal, another day for him to show he was healthy enough to start.
So many times in the past, he had defied expectations and played on. This time, he was having trouble feeling his hand, which was an ugly shade of purple. And with that, the streak was over.
"I've always assumed I'd play every game," Favre said.
After 297 consecutive regular-season starts over 19 years, one of the greatest individual streaks in all of sports, Favre ran into an injury he couldn't beat and sat down Monday night. The 41-year-old quarterback, who fought through broken bones, aches, pains and personal grief to play week after week, couldn't make it for the Vikings in their 21-3 loss to the New York Giants.
Favre was sidelined by a throwing shoulder too damaged for even him to overcome and a hand too numb to take the field with.
"I've played through a lot of stuff," Favre said. "This is something different that I've got to be more cautious of."
The Vikings hoped Favre, who has started despite a broken foot and elbow tendinitis this season, could do it again when the game against the Giants was delayed from Sunday after the Metrodome roof collapsed. That forced the game to be moved to Ford Field, but it was not enough time for Favre to get healthy enough to play.
Minnesota interim coach Leslie Frazier said the plan was for Favre to go through a pregame throwing routine to try and determine if he could play, but the three-time MVP wasn't on the field about 90 minutes before kickoff, and the Vikings announced moments later he was inactive.
Frazier said Favre wasn't even able to try throwing Monday.
"He was having trouble with numbness down through his shoulder and into his hand," Frazier said. "It was a no-brainer. We couldn't put him out there. He couldn't function as a quarterback."
Favre finally came out about 35 minutes before the game started, wearing a T-shirt and warmup pants. He hugged a teammate while receiving a few cheers from the crowd, then stood at the 15-yard line and chatted with Tarvaris Jackson, the new Minnesota starter.
After Minnesota's first drive, Favre looked at photo printouts with Jackson as the Vikings went over strategy. For the rest of the game, he remained near midfield, standing calmly much of the time while Minnesota's offense sputtered without him.
"Relief, in one sense. There wasn't a whole lot of pressure on me today," Favre said in an emotional news conference after the game. "It's been a long time. I'd much rather be playing, that's just my nature. I don't want to say it was time, but it's probably been long overdue. There's probably been a lot of times the streak should have ended."
It's uncertain if Favre will play again in this, his third comeback season from a brief retirement. Neither he nor Frazier would rule it out, but this injury is obviously serious if it was enough to keep him out of even one game.
"I think it would be foolish to even consider playing if you don't have total feeling in five fingers," Favre said.
The crowd in Detroit, where tickets were given out for free, had a chance to witness a bit of history.
"Ahhh, I feel bad for him," said Vikings season-ticket holder JoAnn Brown, who drove 12 hours to see the game in Detroit. "I wish he could've just got out there for the first play and just tossed the ball once to keep the streak."
Both Favre and Frazier had made it clear he would not be given a ceremonial start like that. Minnesota still had a slim chance to make the playoffs before the game, although that ended with the loss to the Giants.
Favre was injured when Buffalo's Arthur Moats hit him square in the back and sent him to the turf on the third play from scrimmage last weekend.
Ron Jaworski previously held the consecutive starts record for a quarterback, but Favre passed him all the way back in 1999.
"I knew when my streak ended, it was because of a broken leg," Jaworski said. "I knew it was over. It was just kind of interesting following Brett this week. Now that we know it's over, we can kind of look back on it and marvel. I don't know if I can even put words on it."
Lions coach Jim Schwartz compared Favre's run to another athlete with a famous streak.
"I grew up in Baltimore and witnessed the Cal Ripken streak, but football is a completely different sport," Schwartz said. "At quarterback, you have a target on you. It's a tough, physical job and you aren't ever delivering the blow. It takes a self-sacrifice to stand in there and take a blow to make a play for the team."
As for Ripken, he took a moment to congratulate Favre as well.
"Brett has had an incredible career and his consecutive games streak is remarkable," he said through a spokesman. "As a football fan I cannot fathom his accomplishment and I appreciate his dedication to and passion for the game. He is a true gamer and has provided us all with a lot of wonderful memories."
Season No. 20, though, has been one of Favre's toughest. He's taken a beating on the field and played not only through two fractures in his left foot and elbow tendinitis but 10 stitches in his chin along with aches in his neck, back and calf before he was crunched by Moats.
He's also been the subject of an NFL investigation into allegations he sent inappropriate messages and photos to a game-day hostess when both worked for the New York Jets in 2008. The investigation has lasted for more than two months now, and the lawyer for Jenn Sterger was vocal last week in trying to get a ruling announced.
Through it all, Favre has led his team on the field, extending his streak further and further. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning now holds the longest streak at 205 games. He would need to keep it going for another 5½ years to surpass Favre.
It's a record that Favre cherishes. Over the years, he has played through a separated shoulder, concussions, a sprained knee and a broken thumb — and he also took the field following the sudden death of his father and his wife being diagnosed with breast cancer.
"It's been a great run. I would not hang my head one bit," he said. "When I think about, as a kid, goals, dreams, I've far exceeded all of those."
-- Noah Trister
Streak ends; shoulder injury stops Brett Favre
Every Sunday he was there, starting on Sept. 27, 1992. Freezing rain, sleet, blowing snow. Nothing stopped Brett Favre. Through separated shoulders, concussions and sprained knees, broken thumbs, torn biceps and twisted ankles, he played.
He began as the fresh-faced hero of the Cheeseheads, then became their Super Bowl champion and MVP, until the Green Bay Packers wearied of his on-and-off retirement and cut him loose. He has worn two different uniforms since then — Jets and now Vikings — and he's had surgery after the last two seasons.
Still, he's been there, on the field, for every game. Until now.
A stretch of 297 straight starts, 321 counting playoffs, ended Monday because of a shoulder injury that not even the indestructible one could overcome. It goes down as one of the most incredible streaks in all of sports — one that began back when Peyton Manning was in high school, when Steve Young was the league's best quarterback and when only the most die-hard of fans had ever heard of the second-year quarterback from Southern Mississippi.
"I'd much rather be playing — that's just my nature," Favre said. "I don't want to say it was time but it's probably been long overdue."
And so now, the question becomes: With only three games left and Minnesota out of the playoff race have we seen the last of No. 4? Favre, who earlier in the season said 2010 would be his last, will have the shoulder examined when the Vikings return to Minneapolis and, as always, will have his sights set on next week.
But, he said, "I won't play again if I can't feel my hand. I think it would be foolish to even consider playing if you don't have total feeling in five fingers."
For 18-plus seasons, though, with the game and the position he plays getting more dangerous by the year, nothing could keep Favre out. Every week. Injuries couldn't slow him; neither could a broken heart. He played one game in 2003 after the sudden death of his father and again the next year after his wife, Deanna, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The toll it has taken has shown, and not only through the growing palette of gray beneath the 41-year-old quarterback's helmet.
Passes that once found the hands of receivers were getting picked off more and more. Seasons that ended at the Super Bowl were coming up an agonizing game or two short — sometimes ending, literally, with an interception, as they did last season in Minnesota and in 2008 with Green Bay, both in the NFC championship game.
Meanwhile, a body that could bounce back from almost any beating was taking longer to shake off the blows. This week, he couldn't heal in time to beat the clock.
Regardless, the man known as much for his skill as his stubbornness, as much for his greatness as his grit, will always have his special place in history, even if he's reluctant to think about that right now.
"It's not like today was a flood of emotions or memories," Favre said. "I'm sure that'll come more after I go home. All the young people who forget you, you start reminiscing and telling them how good you are. That's probably when I'll do it. But not right now."
When the reminiscing begins, Favre will be right alongside Cal Ripken, perhaps the ultimate modern-day sports iron man, who played 2,632 straight games for the Baltimore Orioles, a record that spanned 17 seasons — one fewer than Favre's. But Ripken, of course, never had a 270-pound opponent stick a helmet in his ribs from the blind side.
"Brett has had an incredible career and his consecutive games streak is remarkable," Ripken said in a statement through his spokesman, John Maroon. "As a football fan I cannot fathom his accomplishment and I appreciate his dedication to and passion for the game. He is a true gamer and has provided us all with a lot of wonderful memories."
Ricky Rudd started 788 straight races in NASCAR. A.C. Green played in a record 1,192 straight NBA games with four teams over 15 seasons. Doug Jarvis played in 964 straight hockey games for the Canadiens, Capitals and Whalers.
Then there are the wondrous streaks that have less to do with longevity: Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak and Byron Nelson's 11 straight PGA Tour wins come to mind. Favre's "297" belongs on that list — maybe at the top.
"There's no comparison in my mind," said Titans quarterback Kerry Collins, a 16-year veteran himself. "Just the physical abuse a starting quarterback takes over the course of a season and the course of a career is just beyond comprehension."
Before Favre, the record for most consecutive games started by a quarterback belonged to Ron Jaworski, set in 1984. Favre surpassed that record in 1999 and doubled it seven years later.
"I think about my streak of 116 games, and all the injuries I had to play through," Jaworski said. "To go to 297, with the players now, bigger and stronger and faster, what he's had to play through during that streak has been just unfathomable."
Manning holds the second-longest streak at 205 games. He would need to keep it going for another 5½ years to surpass Favre.
"There's no human explanation for it," Collins said. "It'll never be done again."
After Favre and Manning, the next two longest current streaks belong to Manning's brother Eli (100) and Philip Rivers (77).
Since Favre's streak began, 239 other quarterbacks have started in the NFL, according to STATS LLC. That's an average of 7.4 per team — if you count all 32 teams; back when Favre's streak started, there were only 28.
His longevity, to say nothing of his skill, has put him at the top of the NFL record book for almost all of the most highly regarded passing stats: 71,775 yards, 507 touchdowns, 6,295 completions. He also threw 335 interceptions during the regular season, the most of any quarterback.
Still, his consecutive starts are what stand out.
"It may be the most impressive streak in all of team sports in terms of durability and making it to game day," said Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio, who was playing linebacker for the Vikings when Favre's streak began. "This game, the physical toll it can take on you, and to do that over time is something else."
Indeed, almost every great quarterback — from Unitas to Elway to Marino to Montana — has come down with the flu, or taken a big hit, or broken a bone, or dinged a thumb or sprained a knee and had to sit out a game. Or more. John Elway missed four starts in his final season, 1998, when the Broncos won their second straight Super Bowl and sent the old QB out on a winning note.
He didn't want to retire, he said, because he still loved Sundays. But it was the Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays he couldn't deal with anymore. His body simply didn't recover fast enough and the three-hour high of playing was no longer worth the week-long agony of recovering and getting ready all over again.
Favre is well past that point, too, which could very well explain his dramatic, repetitive and, yes, annoying late-career habit of retiring and unretiring, switching teams, dragging out his offseasons of indecision to the point of distraction for everyone involved.
But he kept coming back.
It would take more than two hands to count the number of times he should have sat but didn't.
In his Green Bay days alone, there were no fewer than nine times when he was hurt so badly one week that his availability for the next game was in question. But he played, and on almost all occasions, he did more than merely show up.
He threw for 402 yards in a 1993 game against Chicago with a severely bruised left thigh.
He threw five touchdowns in a 1995 game against Chicago with an ankle taped so heavily he could barely move.
He threw for 288 yards in a 1999 game against Detroit with a lacerated right thumb.
After his first "unretirement," Favre played every game of the 2008 season for the New York Jets, then revealed he had played the last several weeks with a torn biceps.
Just last month in beating the Cardinals, Favre threw for a career-best 446 yards in rallying the Vikings from a 14-point deficit with less than five minutes left in regulation.
His signature game might have come in 2003, when he threw for 399 yards and four TDs in a Monday night win at Oakland — the day after his father died of a heart attack.
"I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play," Favre explained that night.
Ripken can relate to that work ethic.
"My dad always taught me that as a ballplayer, you have a responsibility to come to the ballpark every day prepared to play," he said, "and if the manager decides you can help him win that day you will be in the lineup."
For more than 18 years, Favre was in that lineup.
His streak ends short of the NFL record of consecutive games played — 352, by Jeff Feagles, a punter.
"I look at what I did, and it was pretty remarkable in its own right, just to play as long as I did and never miss a game," Feagles said. "But for him, at the quarterback position, we all know he gets hit a lot."
Indeed, some might say Favre has treated his body with the same respect as he does the football, throwing it willy-nilly into impossible situations, unconcerned about consequences.
For most of his career, the gambling paid off. Favre won three MVPs, made two trips to the Super Bowl and won one. He holds the record for wins by a quarterback with 186.
But the consecutive-starts streak is the kind of record that will take more than good teammates and mere talent to break. It's a testament to Favre's courage, persistence and toughness — and maybe a little bit of luck, too.
"I think there's a lot of factors that probably go into it, but you can't downplay how much hard work and how much he gutted through to keep it alive," said Patrick Mannelly, the long snapper for the Bears, who wouldn't dare compare his 134-game string of consecutive games to what Favre has accomplished.
The streak was a tribute to Favre's insistence on staying true to the code in football that no matter what happens today, there's always next week.
And then there wasn't.
-- Eddie Pells
Commentary: Streak ends, and nothing more for Favre to prove
The end came under bizarre circumstances, in front of fans who didn't have a dime invested in Brett Favre or his remarkable streak. The quarterback who always played simply couldn't play and, just like that, it was over.
No standing ovations. No lap around the field. No Lambeau leaps into the arms of adoring fans. Just a grizzled grandfather standing on the sidelines in sweats and a stocking cap, chatting with teammates who were still in grade school the first time he completed a pass in the NFL.
Fitting in a way, perhaps, because Favre long ago used up more than his share of tearful farewells. And this wasn't an official goodbye anyway, just the end of an ironman streak that began about the same time Bill Clinton's underdog campaign for the presidency was starting to heat up.
But it sure seemed like the end. More importantly, it should be the end.
There's nothing left to prove, nothing more to play for. Even the old gunslinger seems to finally understand that.
"I'm not going to play again if I can't feel my hand," Favre said. "I think it would be foolish to consider playing if you don't have total feeling in five fingers."
Not that Favre hasn't been foolish before. He played through broken thumbs, concussions, torn biceps and separated shoulders in running his consecutive game streak to 297 before Monday night.
But the right arm that threw a record 507 touchdown passes was hanging gingerly by his side in Detroit, and his hand was a strange shade of Vikings purple. He looked older, way older, than 41, much like a boxer who absorbed too many beatings in his career
Favre will always pay a physical price for hanging on too long. But there's no sense risking paying an even bigger price by trying to play the final three meaningless games of a season gone terribly awry.
Amazingly enough, his coach still wants him to play, even though the Vikings were officially eliminated from playoff contention with Favre on the sidelines. That could be because Leslie Frazier wants the interim part removed from his title, or that the dismal loss to the New York Giants showed the Vikings have no other real options beneath center.
Still, the numbness running from his shoulder to his hand worries a quarterback who never worried about injuries before. He wasn't able to really explain it after the game, but somehow he believes this injury is different — and this is a guy who knows every part of his body.
"It's probably a little too late to think how I'm going to feel a year from now, 10 years from now," Favre said. "Little did I know I'd play 20 years. Am I concerned? That's a big reason why I didn't play today ... I think I'll be OK, but I do have to be cautious about it."
It wasn't exactly a retirement speech, though Favre probably knows better than to give another one of those. After two decades in the NFL he still wants to compete and, in a perfect world, would want to end on a better note than a crushing tackle by Buffalo linebacker Arthur Moats that forced his 335th career interception.
But he was lured back for one final season to win a Super Bowl title, and the Vikings aren't even a .500 team. A season that began with such promise disintegrated as Favre kept playing worse and worse while becoming embroiled in a texting scandal that drew a league investigation and still isn't resolved.
It didn't have to end this way, yet it was probably inevitable that it would. Favre couldn't let go of the game he so loved, and couldn't stay away from the fans who loved him back.
He came agonizingly close to a Super Bowl last year and couldn't resist trying one more time. He understood that with age comes limitations, but those were for other people, not for him.
"I'll think more about last season than I will this season, but you take the good with the bad," Favre said. "At least I won't look back and say, 'I wonder if I played could we have done this or that.' We know now."
His dream wasn't to play 20 years in the NFL, set records that may never be broken and eventually be a unanimous pick for the Hall of Fame. His dream was simply to play in the NFL, and he kept playing even when he shouldn't have because there was always the fear in the back of his mind that someone would take his place.
Someone did Monday night, and it wasn't pretty. Replacing a legend is tough, but Tarvaris Jackson showed why the Vikings were so desperate to get Favre that former coach Brad Childress got on his knees and begged for him to play in Minnesota.
Favre played one season too many, and he'll probably live to regret it. His body and his reputation both took shots he could have easily avoided by staying down on the farm in Mississippi.
Favre seemed on the verge of tears after the game, though he insisted that he wasn't feeling emotional about having the streak broken. For the first time in 19 years he simply couldn't play, he said, and that was it.
It's possible he was fighting tears for another reason. It may be that he knows his career is finally over, too.
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org
What's being said about the end of Favre's streak
Comments on the end of Brett Favre's NFL-record consecutive starts streak:
_ "Brett has had an incredible career and his consecutive games streak is remarkable. As a football fan I cannot fathom his accomplishment and I appreciate his dedication to and passion for the game. He is a true gamer and has provided us all with a lot of wonderful memories." — Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., who played in a record 2,632 consecutive games over 17 years for the Baltimore Orioles.
_ "I think about my streak of 116 games, and all the injuries I had to play through. To go to 297, with the players now, bigger and stronger and faster. What he's had to play through during that streak has been just unfathomable." — former Philadelphia Eagles QB Ron Jaworski.
_ "Every player takes pride in his availability, particularly at the quarterback position. It is a demanding position, you're the face of the team, it's a position of leadership. The guys on the team expect you to be in that huddle. You do take pride in lining up every single week. The quarterback has to have that warrior mentality, that 'I'll be there for you, guys.' I think that's a lot of what Brett Favre signifies." — Jaworski.
_ "Even after the reports about Brett Favre being inactive I STILL won't believe that he's not playing until I see it w/ my own eyes!" — Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald tweet.
_ "Such a privilege to have seen one of the greatest accomplishments in sports history. Hats off to Brett." — Tiger Woods tweet.
_ "I grew up in Baltimore and witnessed the Cal Ripken streak, but football is a completely different sport. At quarterback, you have a target on you. It's a tough, physical job and you aren't ever delivering the blow. It takes a self-sacrifice to stand in there and take a blow to make a play for the team." — Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz.
_ "I was lucky enough to be around Steve McNair and I know there were a lot of times where he wasn't healthy, but he was able to play, and he was tough enough to do it. Brett's the same way. You don't even start 297 unless you are a really good player. You aren't just making token appearances." — Schwartz.
_ "We've been teasing (rookie LB Arthur) Moats about it. We're teasing him that he'll be in Sports Illustrated, and them calling him 'Arthur Meets,' they'll get his name wrong just because Brett Favre's in there. We're just giving him a hard time ... " — Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams, whose teammate, Arthur Moats, made the hit on Favre that injured the QB's shoulder on Dec. 5.
_ "Ahhh, I feel bad for him. I wish he could've just got out there for the first play and just tossed the ball once to keep the streak." — Vikings season-ticket holder JoAnn Brown, who drove 12 hours to see the game in Detroit.
_ "It's beyond reason. It's ridiculous. He's gotten lucky a little bit too, but he's just the toughest guy in the world." — Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who backed up Favre in Green Bay years ago.
Dome damage fitting during fallen season for Vikings
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings were already cracking under the weight of conflict, expectations and injuries this year before a snowstorm roared into town and the roof of their domed stadium literally collapsed.
The accident and the uproar over when and where to play their next game seem a fitting metaphor for a team with a 41-year-old wounded quarterback in Brett Favre, an interim head coach after the firing of Brad Childress and a losing record in a season that began with the Super Bowl as the only goal.
"I don't think there's anybody on our team that can stand back and say, 'You know what? I've done my part,'" said Leslie Frazier the day he took over for Childress with the Vikings at 3-7.
They won their first two since the coaching change, restoring some confidence and energy to the locker room. But there will be no reversing the disappointment, with their elimination from playoff contention official after Monday's 21-3 loss to the New York Giants. This talented, veteran group has gone from a dominant team that lost in the NFC championship game by three points a year ago to a dysfunctional squad that sputtered from the start.
The story of the 2010 Vikings hasn't simply been the loss of last year's winning touch. The entire season has been a can't-make-this-up drama that has managed to top itself each week.
"Just when you think you've seen it all, there's always tomorrow," quick-witted punter Chris Kluwe posted on Twitter this weekend.
Left tackle Bryant McKinnie, whose career in Minnesota started in 2002 with a three-month contract holdout and has been marked by the escapades of Randy Moss and the shenanigans of the bye-week boat party in 2005, summed it up on Twitter: "I promise this season has been the weirdest by far in my 9yrs here."
His comment came Sunday, after the Vikings learned their stadium was unusable for the weekend, sending them to Detroit for Monday night's game against the Giants. While Metrodome officials assessed the repair process, the goal was to fix the roof in time for next Monday night's game, the home finale, against Chicago.
Wherever the Vikings play their remaining games, there will be plenty of attention as Favre winds down his 20th season and likely his epic career. He remains under an NFL investigation over alleged inappropriate messages and photos sent to a Jets game hostess two years ago.
"Every time I come to work, I see the news trucks sitting out there," linebacker Ben Leber said last month. "I feel like something is going on. I roll in and keep my ears open."
Several star players, including running back Adrian Peterson and wide receiver Sidney Rice, decided to spend most of the offseason working out on their own rather than join the majority of the team at Winter Park, the team's suburban offices and practice facility. Childress wasn't pleased.
Then there was the summer-long wait for Favre, who for the second straight year was recovering from surgery and waited until the middle of training camp to commit to another season. This time, it took an in-home visit by three of his teammates to persuade him to come back.
Rice needed surgery on his hip, wide receiver Percy Harvin had another bad bout with migraine headaches and after Favre's late arrival the offense had trouble getting going.
The Vikings traded a third-round draft pick to New England for Moss, who didn't make much of an impact on the passing game and then was hastily dumped by Childress after deciding the team was better off without him. Childress was fired a few weeks later amid player grumbling.
"It's just a whirlwind," wide receiver Greg Camarillo said recently. "We've had highs. We've had lows. We've had crazy news. We've had regular news. Even when there's no news there always seems to be something to make the news."
Then Favre sprained his throwing shoulder after a jarring hit against Buffalo, threatening his NFL-record streak of 297 straight games started. And that was before last weekend's blizzard blew in.
"Our guys are resilient. They are professionals. This is what we do for a living. They will adjust," Frazier said Sunday. "We talk all of the time about being able to handle adversity and they will handle this."
Favre has insisted all along, despite all the setbacks, that he doesn't regret his decision to return.
"This team has had really good attitude. We've had great effort. We'll see where we fall here at the end of the year," Favre said. "I'm glad I came back. I wish at this point we were in better shape, but there's no guarantees. I enjoy working with these guys. It's been a struggle. Just the polar opposite of last year. But you know what? Again, I'm glad I'm here and hopefully we can finish this thing strong."
-- Dave Campbell
Free tix sold for Giants-Vikings game in Detroit
DETROIT (AP) — James Burton left home in Ohio at 3 a.m. Monday and drove to Detroit, hoping to score free tickets and watch Brett Favre, his favorite player.
He got two of the 30,000 tickets that were distributed by the Lions at Ford Field and scurried to a first-row seat near the 30-yard line behind Minnesota's bench.
Burton's mood took a hit about 90 minutes before the Vikings kicked off against the New York Giants as word spread that Favre was inactive because of his banged-up right shoulder.
"I'm devastated," said 20-year-old Burton, who was wearing a replica of Favre's Green Bay jersey and a cheesehead. "Well, I guess this is a historic game."
It was unique, too.
The Lions essentially loaned their indoor stadium to the NFC North rival Vikings for the night after heavy snow caved in the Metrodome's room back in the Twin Cities.
Ford Field's senior director of facility management Bob Gardner said the purple paint for the Vikings' logo at the 50-yard line — it was Vikings home game, after all — and for the "VIKINGS" lettering in the end zone didn't arrive until about six hours before kickoff.
"It's on there, but I don't know how long it's going to last," Gardner said.
When the Vikings took the field by position groups, they were greeted with the familiar blowing horn that has welcomed them at Metrodome for two decades. Those holding tickets to the Giants-Vikings game, originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon Minneapolis, were given preferred seating.
While some spectators watched the game for free, many paid cash on a secondary market that started seconds after the Lions stopped handing out free tickets after just two hours. Fans with tickets from the Packers-Lions game on Sunday in Detroit were told they'd get in free, with no reserved seating in the 65,000-seat indoor stadium with a steel roof.
Spencer Young said he bought one of those tickets for $75.
"I got it on the street and was the first in line 2 1/2 hours before the game started," Young said, sitting in the second row next to the tunnel used by the Vikings. "This is awesome."
NFL officials decided the rescheduled and relocated game would be broadcast in the teams' home markets and on the NFL's satellite TV package. A replay was scheduled to be shown at midnight on the NFL Network.
The Lions released a statement saying there was an "overwhelming response" to tickets for the game. Approximately 30,000 tickets were distributed, according to Lions spokesman Bill Keenist.
Walter Gaiter showed up at 10 a.m. ET and he and hundreds of people braved teeth-chattering cold weather were told the free tickets were no longer available.
"Within seconds, someone was trying to sell me four for $20," the 38-year-old Detroiter said. "Then, the prices shot up to $10 and $20 for one ticket before you could blink an eye. It's crazy."
Stacie Morris wasn't there in time to get the freebies, but the registered nurse from Simsbury, Conn., visiting a friend in the Detroit area said she paid $60 for four tickets.
"I hate football and I've never been to an NFL game," she said. "But I was like, 'They're giving away tickets, let's do it!"
-- Larry Lage
Lions halt distribution of free NFL tickets
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions have stopped distributing free tickets to Monday night's football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants.
The team said in a statement Monday there was an "overwhelming response" to tickets for the Vikings' home game that was moved to Monday at Ford Field in Detroit after the Metrodome's inflated roof collapsed under the weight of heavy snow a day earlier.
The Lions said those holding a ticket to the Giants-Vikings game scheduled in Minneapolis will be admitted and given preferred seating in Detroit. Fans with tickets from Sunday's Packers-Lions game in Detroit will be admitted free with no reserved seating.
Ford Field seats 64,500 people.
Shivering fans braving 12-degree temperatures lined up hours before free tickets became available at 9 a.m. at Ford Field.
Connecticut AG wants Giants game on television
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's attorney general wants football fans in his state to be able to watch the game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants.
Richard Blumenthal sent a letter Monday to the NFL asking it to lift a blackout of the game in Connecticut, which he said should be considered part of the Giant's home market.
The game was postponed from Sunday and moved to Detroit after snow collapsed the roof of the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
It is being shown on Fox affiliates in New York City and Minneapolis, as well as Mankato and Rochester in Minnesota and Albany in New York. The game will start at 7:20 p.m.
NFL spokesman Dan Masonson said the league could not get ESPN and FOX to agree to modify their contractual rights and make the game more broadly available.
