Quarterback Brett Favre has thrown only one interception thus far for the Vikings, the fewest after four regular season games in his nearly two decades career.  His 68 percent completion percentage is close to the team record of 69.2 by Daunte Culpepper (2004).

There’s no question Favre has been fortunate not to have a few balls intercepted but he’s thrown accurately much of the time.  His minimal interception total is a result, too, of often featuring short, high percentage passes, and at times a preference to run the ball featuring Adrian Peterson.

Favre, who celebrates his 40^th birthday tomorrow, has made 273 consecutive career starts.  That’s a record and so, too, is being the first starting quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams.  That was accomplished on Monday night when the Vikings defeated Favre’s former team, the Packers, 30-23.

The Vikings-Packers Monday Night game broke a ratings record as the watched event in cable TV history. Favre drove those ratings just as he has other popularity numbers including NFL jersey sales where he ranks No. 1, according to figures on merchandising, amount of Web traffic and ticket sales released by the Vikings.  The Vikings’ Web site, www.vikings.com, is receiving four times the amount of traffic compared to recent years and he’s made ticket sales jump, too.

Favre signed a two-year contract with the Vikings on August 18 and his impact on business was immediate.  In the 72 hours following his signing the franchise sold over 4,000 season tickets and more than 15,000 individual game tickets.  The three Vikings Locker Room retail stores and Vikings.com sold more than 5,000 Favre jerseys. Vikings.com had over 1 million visitors. The Vikings had 800,000 page views in the first 24 hours after the signing (compared to an average of 100,000).

For Vikings fans the most important of all the numbers is the team record, 4-0.  If the Vikings win at St. Louis on Sunday, they will be off to their first 5-0 start since 2003.

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MarQueis Gray will emulate Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson in practice this week as the Gophers prepare for the academy’s much publicized triple option offense that produced the largest victory margin in school history last Saturday in a 72-0 Falcons win.

Minnesota coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners he will use Gray, the Gophers’ much publicized second team quarterback, to give his defense a feel for the run- oriented Air Force offense.  Jefferson completed five of seven passes for one touchdown against hapless Nicholls State but, as usual, it was the Air Force ground game that dazzled with the Falcons running for 474 yards while producing 576 yards in total offense.

Brewster said Gray won’t be tackled in practice this week but his athleticism figures to help the Gophers prepare for the unorthodox Air Force offense that features multiple runners and option decisions by the quarterback. The Gophers play their first game ever in TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday with kickoff at 6 p.m.

Gray, a freshman, was rated among the best dual threat quarterbacks in the country coming out of high school.  He played briefly last Saturday in the Gophers 23-20 overtime win at Syracuse, but didn’t attempt a pass or run.

Gray will play more in future games, giving the Gophers another playmaker along with quarterback Adam Weber, and wide receivers Eric Decker and Troy Stoudermire.  Brewster expects his offense, which struggled last Saturday with penalties and passing miscues, to play better against Air Force.

Brewster said a huge storyline coming out of the overtime win was the psychological element and the Gophers writing an ending to their liking in a raucous environment that forced Minnesota into mistakes.  “Syracuse had its first sellout in 10 years and the crowd was tremendous,” Brewster said.

The Gophers won their first road opener in 20 years against a BCS school by keeping their poise in the Carrier Dome against a Syracuse team that was trying to win a first game for new coach Doug Marrone and home town quarterback Greg Paulus who was making his college football debut. The Orange led 20-14 at halftime after the Gophers struggled on offense and defense in the first half.  “I told them at half time there was no reason to flinch,” Brewster said.  “There was a tremendous calmness among our players and coaches.”

Past Minnesota teams sometimes seemed to have a “woe is me” and the “sky is falling” attitude facing such adversity but Brewster said the Gophers made a statement on Saturday.  “This team found a way to win it with its chemistry and belief,” Brewster said.  “There’s been a hope for the best and expect the worst (approach in the past).  It felt good how we responded.”

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The Minnesota Wild opens its season next month with a new coach, 42-year-old Todd Richards.  He’s been a winner as a player and coach, and hopes to continue that experience with the Wild where he will be an NHL head coach for the first time. Although Richards is a Minnesota native and former second team All-American with the Gophers, his hockey career has taken him to other places and the public’s “learning curve” about him is just beginning.  Sports Headliners interviewed Richards last week, asking him both personal and hockey questions:

Best hockey advice: “Keep your head up when you’re coming across the middle.”

Favorite late night snack:  “When I came home after playing hockey games…I was big into Tombstone Pizzas.”

First hockey memory:  “I just remember skating outside (in Crystal)…and using the big steel cage nets with the fence in the back and lots of snow on the ice.”

What motivates me: “My competition level that I have.  That’s what’s always kept me motivated to try to be the best.  If there’s something out there that I haven’t mastered or I am not good at, I am very motivated to try to either acquire the skill or the talent of whatever it takes.”

All-time favorite song: “If I am allowed to pick two, I would probably say ‘Band on the Run’ and ‘Joy to the World’ just because of my getting the 45 (records) as a young kid and playing it on my little stereo.”

You can be certain the 2009 -2010 Wild will: “We’ll be prepared.  I’ve got a great staff here in Dave Barr, Bob Mason, Mike Ramsey and P.J. DeLuca, and we’ve got a great training staff.  I know that the guys will be prepared and ready to go.”

The best part of my job: “I get to be in hockey.  It’s a game.  I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, and it’s something that I love and I am still part of it.”

The most difficult thing as a coach: “There’s a lot of difficult things as a coach.  A lot of times there’s tough decisions that have to be made, and sometimes…certain situations happen where a guy doesn’t deserve the fate that he’s getting, but it’s just the set of circumstances that have come up.  It’s never an easy conversation.  It’s a difficult conversation because I used to sit in that chair across the desk from where I am sitting now.”

I can’t wait for:  “I can’t wait for the start of the year.  Game No. 1.”

Four historical figures I would love to spend a day with: “Obama.  I would love to sit and talk to him.  And I don’t want this to come across as a bad thing; I am fascinated by Adolph Hitler.  I am just amazed that he got a whole country, a population, to believe in his lunacy and his ridiculous thoughts.  Bobby Orr would be a great one, and…probably general (George) Patton.”

I get cranky when:  “When people don’t do, or live up to the things that they said they will do.”

I would pay money to watch:  “I would pay money to watch the Minnesota Wild play hockey.”

The next big thing in the NHL is:  “I have a couple ideas, but I can’t share them with you because I would be giving the competition my ideas.”

I am in bed and catching my beauty rest on most nights by: “Especially during hockey season it probably won’t be until midnight; 1 o’clock after games.”

My view on twitter is: “I don’t even know what twitter is.  Honest to God.  I know what I need to do on the computer and I stay in that realm.  I don’t get too far outside that.”

The media might be surprised that:  “That I have a sense of humor.”

My biggest concern about being confused with Todd Richards the snowboarder is: “That I can actually skate, or snowboard.  And I won’t be at the X Games.”

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