PITTSBURGH (AP) -Nearly all the players in the Pittsburgh locker room can remember a Brett Favre highlight or big pass he completed when they were youngsters.
Some wore his No. 4 jersey. Some are so young they can’t remember him breaking into the NFL in 1991, when linebacker LaMarr Woodley was 6. Only one member of the Steelers defense was on the team the last time Favre played in Pittsburgh 11 years ago.
“I was a kid watching him,” Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Thursday. “I’ve always been a big fan.”
While Favre already has retired and returned a couple times, the Steelers are very aware the three-time NFL MVP can beat them if they let him on Sunday. Favre threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns as Minnesota beat Baltimore 33-31 last week, proving again that age is just a number.
Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau realized that when he flipped on a video and saw a Favre pass travel 63 yards.
little farther, but 63 yards in the air, that’s far enough.”
Enough for the Steelers (4-2) to know what they’re facing Sunday in the Vikings (6-0) and their 40-year-old quarterback.
“Whoever gave you that information (that Favre is done) is a doofus,” Steelers safety Ryan Clark said. “They weren’t watching this guy. He starts out 8-3 and is doing really well with the Jets last year and it’s documented now that he had arm problems. It wasn’t that he was old, the guy had an injury. He’s a Hall of Famer, and he’s playing like it.”
Favre had a torn biceps muscle last season and needed arthroscopic surgery in May on his throwing arm. So far it’s holding up, and the Steelers now find themselves going against a quarterback most have seen only on TV – and, for some of them, a long time ago.
“You don’t get in awe, but you know he’s capable of doing things other guys can’t do,” cornerback Deshea Townsend said. “When you’re out there playing against him, you better make sure you cover those traps because he can find it.”
The last time Favre played in Pittsburgh, cornerback Deshea Townsend, now 34, was a 23-year-old rookie.
k, go into his mental playbook a little deeper, but you’re not going to confuse him.”
The Steelers do that, Favre said, with the various blitzes LeBeau can throw at an offense. The Steelers haven’t blitzed as often this season, partly because safety Troy Polamalu (knee) was hurt for four games, but Favre said they’re as confusing as ever.
“They give you so many looks that it’s hard to pin down who’s coming,” Favre said. “Most of the guys have been in the scheme for a long time. Obviously, their defensive coordinator has been in it forever. He knows it all, he’s seen it all and he can dial up things. It’s just a lot of exotic looks. … Physically, you have to beat them. They get after you.”
The problem with gearing an offense to take away Favre’s deep throws – Sidney Rice had 176 yards receiving against Baltimore – is that Adrian Peterson leads the NFL with 624 yards rushing. He’s also scored seven touchdowns.
“It’s going to be a challenge, man, but it’s never about the other team, it’s always about us,” nose tackle Casey Hampton said. “If we do our thing and do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll be all right.”
In their last 26 regular season games, dating to a 29-22 loss to Jacksonville on Dec. 16, 2007, the Steelers haven’t allowed a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher or a 140-yard receiver. With Favre, Peterson and Rice, the Vikings have a chance to have all three.
“You like stopping guys and if he (Peterson) gets 150 and we win, who’s going to talk about it?” Hampton said. “It doesn’t matter. He got a lot of yards (143) on Baltimore and Baltimore had a chance to win in the end, so that really doesn’t matter.”
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