Brett Favre's 40-year-old arm holding up just fine

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Sports Writer

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.(AP) — When Brett Favre walks into the
Minnesota Vikings’ headquarters the day after a game, there is
no magic potion or cutting-edge treatment there waiting to get
the 40-year-old quarterback ready to play the next week.

It’s not like the opening to the 1970s television show “The Six
Million Dollar Man,” with team athletic trainer Eric Sugarman
telling his staff that “we can rebuild him” as a broken-down
Favre lays on an examination table.

For a middle-aged man coming off of surgery, playing the most
violent sport around and throwing the ball more than 40 times in
some games, it appears that Favre doesn’t do anything special to
get from one game to the next. Favre said he puts ice on his
shoulder occasionally and does extra stretching “every once in a
blue moon.”

Other than that, Bionic Brett is keeping up just fine with
teammates half his age.

Three times this year, Favre has attempted at least 46 passes in
a game, including the victory on Sunday over Chicago when he
completed 32 of 48 passes for 392 yards and three touchdowns.

“Not one throw,” Favre said Wednesday, knocking on the wooden
podium in front of him, “this year where I felt, either after or
before, that I went ‘oww.’ I’m probably as surprised as anyone.”

Much of that credit goes to Dr. James Andrews, who performed
surgery to alleviate the pain on Favre’s injured biceps tendon
this summer. But Favre is also playing with a torn rotator cuff
in his throwing shoulder, and the Vikings have abandoned their
initial plan of running the ball more to keep the pressure off
of Favre’s arm.

Favre threw 46 passes in a win over San Francisco in Week 3, 50
in a loss at Pittsburgh three weeks later and 48 against the
Bears on Sunday. Opposing defenses continue to load up against
Adrian Peterson and the running game, so the Vikings are
throwing the ball more than they ever have under coach Brad
Childress.

Despite Favre’s advanced age, Childress said there is no special
regimen for him to follow.

“He goes through the same strength program everybody else goes
through,” Childress said. “I think that he is pretty well in
tune with his body. … He is in good enough shape to do it and
he’s got the physical movements to be able to do it, and he’s
got the arm strength to be able to (throw) a bunch of them.”

Favre is second in the league with a 112.1 rating with 24
touchdowns and just three interceptions for the Vikings (10-1),
who are right on the heels of the undefeated New Orleans Saints
for the best record in the NFC. When he takes the first snap
against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night, Favre will break
former Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall’s NFL record of 282
consecutive games played by a position player.

“To be mentioned and to be up there with him is pretty
impressive,” Favre said. “It’s hard to do. I think that his
position is harder because you are hit every time. There are
some times where I can hand off and watch.”

Marshall appeared at the Vikings’ practice facility in
September, a few days after Favre broke his record of
consecutive starts (270). Marshall said he is a great admirer of
Favre and was happy to see his record in good hands.

“Every defensive lineman that he plays against is trying to hurt
him,” Marshall said. “That’s a tough way to earn a living.”

Not that Favre doesn’t feel the effects of playing more than 300
career games, including the playoffs.

“Legs, back, hips, knees, ankles, other than that, nothing seems
to bother me,” he deadpanned.

As long as that ageless right arm continues to hold up, that’s
all that matters. Favre got off to a great start last year with
New York, but the torn biceps tendon contributed to a horrendous
finish of nine interceptions and just two touchdowns in the
final five games as the Jets tumbled from playoff contention.

“I was going my whole career without anything. Then all of a
sudden, just about every throw bothered me,” Favre said. “Just
coming off biceps surgery, I’m almost 40 years old, I’ve heard,
‘Aw, he won’t hold up.’ But it feels great.”

NOTES: RG Anthony Herrera (concussion) and CB Benny Sapp (thumb)
did not practice on Wednesday. Sapp said he expects to be ready
this week. Herrera missed last week’s game.