| | GREEN BAY, Wis. -- An examination of quarterback Brett
Favre's injured right thumb shows such obvious damage that it is surprising he can throw a football, according to a newspaper report.
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| Favre |
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in Saturday's editions that Favre, while "in a reflective mood in the Packers' locker room this week," allowed a reporter to examine his throwing hand and also revealed some of his frustrations this season.
"There's so many things I've had to be conscious about, two
hands on the ball, stuff I've never had to be conscious about,"
Favre said. "Now I go to throw it and it might come out. I just
don't have the grip I had."
Favre injured his thumb when he hit his hand on the helmet of Denver linebacker John Mobley in an exhibition game Aug. 23.
He has attempted to play despite the injury, setting an NFL record last weekend for the most consecutive starts by a quarterback. The Packers have a 4-4 record after Sunday's 14-13
loss to the Chicago Bears.
In describing Favre's throwing hand, the newspaper said the knuckle on his right thumb appeared dramatically larger than the knuckle on his left thumb, and the area near the joint, where the
right thumb joins his hand, also was swollen.
When Favre extended both thumbs out with his fingers clenched,
he showed that he can't bend the right thumb back as far as the
left one. On the top of the hand, Favre has several healing cuts
and scrapes, the largest over the knuckle below the index finger.
Favre said he figures it would take a full month of rest to return the thumb to its normal state.
Packer quarterbacks coach Mike McCarthy said it was evident the injury affected the way Favre has been throwing the ball, "but we're not going to make excuses.
"It's our decision to play him. It's his decision also -- he has
the responsibility to say, 'Hey, I can't go, I can't go.' That's
where we're at. He has to learn to play with it, that's our
approach."
Favre said his throwing hand gets hit nearly every game, which causes the swelling that has been reduced during the week to start over again.
"It's like the Seattle game," he said. "On the first play, I hit my hand right on a guy's arm. What am I going to do, come over to the bench and say, 'I hit my thumb again'? I just have to deal with it."
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