Favre Update: No on IR just yet

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- In the wake of two embarrassingly lopsided losses, interim coach Leslie Frazier isn't giving up on Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings.

Frazier said he would not put Favre on season-ending injured reserve with a concussion and wouldn't rule out a return to the field before the season is over.

"He's proven time and time again that he's capable of coming back and playing," Frazier said Tuesday.

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AP Photo/Andy KingVikings coach Leslie Frazier will not place Brett Favre on IR even after a concussion that will almost assuredly him sideline him Sunday vs. the Eagles.

Favre made a surprise start against Chicago on Monday night after being ruled out on Saturday with a sprained right throwing shoulder. He threw for 63 yards with one touchdown and an interception before getting knocked out of the game in the second quarter on a sack by Bears defensive end Corey Wootton.

Frazier said it was unlikely the 41-year-old quarterback could recover from the concussion in time to play Sunday at Philadelphia, but wouldn't rule out a return for the season finale at Detroit on Jan. 2.

Favre has said several times this will be his last season, and Frazier said the veteran doesn't want to go out watching from the bench.

"He doesn't want to let his teammates down," Frazier said. "He really wanted to play in front of the home fans last night for maybe the last time. That was important to him. I think more than anything he likes to compete and the fact that we've got two ballgames left, he's a guy who loves his teammates and loves to play. I think that's what motivates him more than anything."

If Favre cannot play, rookie Joe Webb will be the starter with recently signed veteranPatrick Ramsey as the backup. The Vikings were also considering signing Rhett Bomar off the Giants practice squad as insurance.

Coming in for Favre against the Bears, Webb went 15-for-26 for 129 yards with two interceptions and a 13-yard touchdown run. The Vikings turned the ball over five times in the 40-14 loss that dropped the Vikings to 5-9, assuring them of their first losing season since 2006.

It's been an epic fall for the Vikings, who were one play away from going to the Super Bowl last season and brought everyone back for one more run.

But everything that could go wrong has gone wrong in 2010. Favre has been injured, ineffective and the subject of a scandalous NFL investigation. Randy Moss returned and left in less than a month. Brad Childress was fired midseason. The veteran team has been ravaged by injuries to stars like Sidney Rice, Adrian Peterson, Steve Hutchinson and Percy Harvin.

Oh, and the Metrodome's roof collapsed, forcing them to move one home game to Detroit (a loss to the Giants) and another one outside at the University of Minnesota on a cold, snowy evening.

"I don't know what else could happen this year," rookie running back Toby Gerhart said. "It's been a crazy year. You've just got to push through it and keep playing."

Perhaps worn down by all the drama, the Vikings have been outscored 61-17 in their last two games as they stagger toward the finish of this monumentally disappointing season.

"I experienced the best of football last year and the worst of it this year," Harvin said after the loss to the Bears. "It'll definitely be a year to chalk up not as something to remember, but to remind us how quickly things can turn south if we don't continue to stay focused. It's a great lesson for us and I'm going to keep working hard and give it everything I've got."

Frazier and most players insist they haven't given up this season, that their effort in practice and in the games has been satisfactory, but the results have not.

The simple truth is that jobs are on the line. Frazier is auditioning to become the permanent head coach and the Vikings could have as many as 17 players become free agents at the end of the season, including Rice, Chad Greenway, Ray Edwards and Ryan Longwell.

The Vikings finish the season at Detroit (4-10) and could wind up last in the NFC North for the first time in 20 years.

"We all have jobs we're fighting for. That's just the business of the NFL," Greenway said. "Coach Frazier certainly is in that position. The whole coaching staff. We have a ton of free agents. We don't want this to happen like this. We're working as hard as we can. Obviously we want to play better and that's just the facts."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Brett Favre staying mum about meeting with NFL

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Brett Favre doesn't want to talk about any subject but the Green Bay Packers, while the NFL is seeking more information about allegations he sent suggestive messages and lewd photos in 2008 to a woman who worked for the New York Jets.

Speaking on a conference call with reporters in Green Bay ahead of Sunday night's Vikings-Packers game, Favre called the NFL's investigation into his alleged behavior a "league matter." Minutes later, he also declined to answer a series of questions about the situation in his weekly Wednesday news conference with Minnesota media.

"That's a league issue," Favre said, "that I just have to leave at that."

The Vikings quarterback met with NFL vice president for security Milt Ahlerich on Tuesday about his alleged advances toward then-Jets game emcee Jenn Sterger two years ago, when Favre played for New York.

Favre brushed off a question about whether the situation has weighed on him, insisting it was instead the "front five for Dallas" that weighed on him last week. He said this week his "focus is solely on Green Bay."

Asked why he hasn't denied the allegations, Favre said: "The one thing I'm going to say is that's something that's within the league, and I'll just have to leave it at that -- let that process work itself out."

Sterger has hired lawyers but has not commented on the allegations, which were posted on Deadspin.com without her cooperation. The website paid a third party for the texts, voicemails and graphic photos, said to be of Favre, that it posted in a video. Sterger has not commented on the website's report.

Attorney Joseph Conway said Wednesday his firm will advise Sterger "and pursue any potential remedies that may exist." He confirmed being contacted by the NFL but said nothing had been decided on a possible meeting between Sterger and the league.

Sterger is now a TV personality for the Versus network. Her manager, Phil Reese, said she's had no discussions with Favre representatives about a possible financial settlement stemming from the allegations.

Deadspin posted an e-mail Wednesday that it said it received from Ahlerich, asking to set up a meeting with the editor to talk about "sharing any and all details you ... may have on this matter."

Favre appeared relaxed at the podium inside Minnesota's practice facility. While refusing to acknowledge concern about the investigation and insisting he's only worried about the Packers, Favre took time to mention their multiple-formation defense, the pressure of facing his old team and the magnitude of the game given a tight NFC North race.

Then, with a touch of self-deprecating humor, he poked fun at his age and questioned his ability to hold up in Green Bay.

"I look old, gray and weary, with crows feeding on me and that stuff," Favre said.

Asked about the reaction he's expecting from the Packers fans, Favre cracked a slight smile.

"I'd like for it to be a better reaction than last year, but I can't be concerned about that," he said. "I know what I did there, the legacy that I left behind, the commitment I had to that team, the way I played. And it was a long, long time. So I'm proud of that. And I'm not going to really think about it."

The Vikings played one of their best all-around games of the 2009 season while beating the Packers 38-26 at Lambeau Field last Nov. 1, and Favre's current teammates are eager to again lend their support.

Kicker Ryan Longwell, one of his closest friends, said he's spoken to Favre in the last few weeks even more extensively than usual.

"I can tell by looking at him. I can tell by what he's talking about and his words and what he's feeling," Longwell said, adding: "I think Brett's in a really good place right now. If anybody can compartmentalize over the years, he's certainly one that can do it with the best of them."

This wouldn't be a Packers-Vikings week without at least one reference to Favre's retirement plan. The 41-year-old was asked by the Green Bay media on his conference call why people should believe this will be his last season, as he declared upon reporting to the Vikings in mid-August.

Favre said yes, that's still his plan, though he stopped short of making it official.

"Just hold your pen. We'll see what happens," he said. "Let's get through this game, and we'll figure out what happens the rest of the year. But I plan on ending it."

Favre also took one more opportunity to praise the place where he became a star.

"Not once did I ever step in that stadium -- it was obviously different last year -- that I did not respect and feel very privileged to be on Lambeau Field," he said. "Every touchdown I've thrown in that stadium was as joyous as the next. So I've always savored the moment. I never took it for granted. This will be no exception. But, yes, unless we were to go back in the playoffs, this will be it."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Brett Favre test out ankle while working out with HS players

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Brett Favre looks like he's getting along just fine on that surgically repaired ankle.


Favre worked out with some youngsters at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Monday, then eluded reporters looking to ask him about his future by running to his truck and driving away.

The 40-year-old quarterback has yet to tell the Minnesota Vikings if he will return for a 20th season in the NFL, but many expect him to be back. He had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle in May and has been throwing to receivers at the high school for a few weeks.

Favre worked out for about an hour, then grinned and waved at reporters as he drove off.





Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press