Ryan Longwell played nine seasons with Brett Favre in Green Bay and the two became friends. That friendship continued after Longwell joined the Vikings in 2006. The Vikings kicker was asked to compare the Favre personality he saw in the locker room with the Packers versus what he’s observing now at Winter Park.
“It’s exactly the same,” Longwell said. “Not one ounce of difference except he’s got more gray hair. But personality wise, the same guy.
“He’s just a fun guy. He’s always making jokes. Making fun of guys just like everyone does in the locker room. He just has a better way of doing it. When he gets comfortable, like he was in Green Bay, everybody is fair game.
“And he was like that two weeks into being…here, so you knew he was comfortable and you knew he was getting along with the guys. We have a good locker room of guys here and he complements that.”
An unknown prankster placed a rocking chair in front of Favre’s locker at Winter Park last week. Earlier this week it was still in place.
Favre’s age (he turns 40 in October) is an easy target for joking around. He’s the only player on the team roster born in the 1960s. But how do you NOT respect a guy who holds most of the NFL’s major passing records, quarterbacked the team impressively last Sunday in a regular season opening win against Cleveland and sometimes behaves like a man half his age, making jokes, piling on a teammate with congratulations after a touchdown and dressing in jeans and t-shirts.
On Sunday in Detroit, Favre will break the NFL record for consecutive starts. He’s tied right now with former Viking Jim Marshall at 270 each.
If Favre plays a season or two longer here, perhaps his teammates need to bring in a pillow for that rocker. Maybe a footstool, too.