Favre goes hunting, recovering from groin strain

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For the first time since he signed with the Vikings in late August, Brett Favre was able to get away from football last week. The quarterback remained in town during the team's bye week -- he did spend part of a day watching film at Winter Park -- but Favre also was able to enjoy some time in the woods, hunting.

So what did he kill? "Time," Favre said during a news conference.

Favre wasn't complaining. The Vikings' break might have stifled a bit of the momentum for a team that will take a 7-1 record into Sunday's game against Detroit, but the 40-year-old Favre stands to benefit from the rest.

During the first half of the season, Favre dealt with ankle, knee, foot and hip issues. Actually, according to him, the hip problem is really a groin injury he suffered in practice before he threw a season-high four touchdown passes in a 38-26 victory on Nov. 1 in his return to Lambeau Field.

Favre has played through an assortment of injuries throughout his 19-year career -- Sunday will mark his 300th consecutive game, including playoffs -- but said this is the first time he has dealt with a groin strain.

"I think I'll be fine," said Favre, who was limited in practice because of what is now listed as a hip/groin injury by the Vikings. "That's something that, for me, I've always said you have to have muscles to pull them. Either that's a sign of old age or I'm developing muscles for the first time in my career.

"It was a concern for the (Packers) game. I made it through. With a week's rest I think I'll be fine, but I'm not going to make a bigger issue than it is. It's kind of a new thing for me. Play 18-some-odd years and not have anything like that. That probably worried me more than anything."

While Favre did not seem concerned, the Vikings can't be blamed for being extra-cautious with him. He struggled late last season with the New York Jets because of a partially torn biceps tendon, and there were many skeptics who were convinced that at his age he would struggle to get through this season without any setbacks.

But Favre said mentally and physically he feels "pretty good" halfway through his first season in Minnesota. His statistics reflect that, as he's ranked second in the NFL with a 106.0 passer rating. New Orleans' Drew Brees (106.1) is first. Favre also has 16 touchdown passes and only three interceptions, putting him among the league leaders on the good side in both those categories.

"It's hard for me to say what I thought I would feel like, but I know that if you had asked, 'What would our record be at this point?' Seven-and-one I think is definitely very acceptable," Favre said. "It seems like the better you do, the expectations even get higher. I'm very pleased with where we are but the expectations will continue to get higher. Not only from internally but from everyone else. I consider that a good thing but we have a lot of football left.

"Physically I've handled it ... I don't want to say better than I expected because I came in expecting to play every game. And when I addressed it at the start of the season saying, 'I have no idea what to expect.' I don't. But it's been a lot of fun. It's everything I thought it would be."

Favre and the Vikings' success figures to continue against the woeful Lions (1-7), a team that he has gone 24-9 against during the regular season in his career. That's his most victories against any opponent.

Favre threw for two touchdowns and 155 yards in the Vikings' 27-13 victory over Detroit at Ford Field in Week 2. He has not thrown for fewer than 232 yards in a game since then.

Favre's improvement in the Vikings' system hasn't been lost on Lions coach Jim Schwartz. "When we played them earlier in the season he was a little bit more game-managing," Schwartz said. "They were running the ball effectively like they do and they weren't leaning a whole lot on Brett Favre. "But as it's going, in every game, they've added a little bit more, and they've done a little bit more, put a little more on his shoulders, and he has put the team on his shoulders a couple of times."

That included against the Packers in Lambeau only days after Favre hurt his groin.

"I'd like to say it (happened) in a full-tackling drill but it was a lot less than that," Favre said of how he got hurt. "It was really just a half-walkthrough rolling out to the right. It's like when you wake up in the morning and you're putting your shoes on and your back gives out for no apparent reason."

The Vikings can only hope this injury was simply a one-time deal for Favre and not the beginning of any type of trend.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)

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