A Week in the Life of Brett Favre

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jun 30, 2015

A Week in the Life of Brett Favre

MONDAY: THE AFTERMATH

Favre cannot bear the thought of getting out of the four-poster bed he shares with his girlfriend of 10 years, Deanna Tynes. This has nothing to do with the previous night's celebration of his artistic 342-yard passing performance against Detroit, which consisted of a single light beer. This has everything to do with the throbbing turf toe on his right foot. And the right shoulder he had heard go snap-crackle-pop when it was jammed into the turf 20 hours before. And the lower-back pain he feels every Monday, the lingering result of a lumbar fracture suffered in a 1990 car accident. And the arthritis that he knows is advancing in both hips. And his aching right side, which is the worst of all his ailments.

MONDAY

Favre, still in bed, rests after polishing off some fast-food breakfast Deanna picked up. Eating triggers more pain. When he chews, his jaw aches from the brutal helmet-to-helmet hit he took from Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker Greg Lloyd in the preseason.

MONDAY

At 11 a.m. Favre leaves his house for the two-mile drive to the Packer training complex at Lambeau Field. There, strength-and-conditioning coach Kent Johnston sets to work on Favre's aching body, guiding him through exercises that include sit-ups and a medicine-ball drill designed to loosen his stiff joints and muscles.

MONDAY

"I'm a new man!" Favre announces as he pulls out a plastic bottle from behind Johnston's counter. The label reads musashi. "It's branched-chain amino acids from Australia," Johnston says. "It helps with recovery after a workout." Favre puts two teaspoons of the white powder on his tongue and washes it down with spring water.

TUESDAY: FREE TIME

At a private 200-acre hunting and fishing preserve, Favre goes in search of grouse, though not exactly by the book. "Here, grousie! Come on out, grousie!" he calls. The only fauna that respond to Favre's call are a couple of garter snakes.

TUESDAY

1995-1017-Brett-Favre-Mark-Chmura-Frank-Winters-fishing-05232706.jpg — Rich Frishman for Sports Illustrated

Favre has better luck hooking rainbow trout in the stocked lake, alongside his two best friends on the team, tight end Mark Chmura and center Frank Winters.

WEDNESDAY: THE PACK'S PLAN

Favre raises his hand during a meeting with head coach Mike Holmgren and his offensive assistants. Each coach has spent two days watching tape of the Vikings. Now they report on each Minnesota defensive player.

WEDNESDAY

Favre works out in the gym at Don Hutson Center in Green Bay.

WEDNESDAY

Back home Favre cooks dinner...

WEDNESDAY

...the spiciest batch of shrimp etouffee and rice north of New Orleans

WEDNESDAY

Favre then carves a pumpkin with his six-year-old daughter, Brittany...

WEDNESDAY

...before putting her to bed with a kiss goodnight.

WEDNESDAY

1995-1018-Brett-Favre-Gail-Mariucci-baby-girl-05279962.jpg — Rich Frishman for Sports Illustrated

Favre makes a 10 p.m. run to quarterbacks coach Steve Mariucci's house to give his four-week-old daughter, Brielle, a birth gift. He takes the sleeping child from her mother, Gail, cradling her and cooing at her. "Hey, Brielle," he says in his best high-pitched daddy voice. "Horse walks into a bar. Bartender says, 'Hey, why the long face?'"

THURSDAY: ONE WORD: ATTACK

Before lunch Favre hits the treadmill.

THURSDAY

1995-1018-Brett-Favre-trainer-Kent-Johnston-05232853.jpg — Rich Frishman for Sports Illustrated

Favre takes more Musashi and downs two megavitamins (with a total of 12,000% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C), two flax-seed capsules and two fish-oil capsules.

THURSDAY

1995-1018-Brett-Favre-trainer-Kurt-Fielding-079012133.jpg — Rich Frishman for Sports Illustrated

Favre gets his ankles taped by trainer Kurt Fielding.

THURSDAY

Favre snuggles into bed alongside daughter Brittany, reading a Berenstain Bears story.

FRIDAY: A CHILLY WELCOME

At practice, new arrival Keith Jackson (88) drops in line with the other tight ends in passing drills. Holmgren wanted Favre to help smooth over any anti-Jackson sentiment on the team, since he had been traded to the Packers by the Miami Dolphins in March but refused to report, citing Green Bay's brutal winters.

FRIDAY

1995-1017-Brett-Favre-Steve-Mariucci-Ty-Detmer-005534951.jpg — Rich Frishman for Sports Illustrated

Mariucci goes over a play with his quarterbacks, Favre and Ty Detmer. Before the quarterbacks leave for the day, Mariucci hands them their weekly five-page test in which a single element has been omitted from each of 74 different plays. The quarterbacks must fill in the missing information. Then there's a page of "Draw this play" questions, with six drawings required. Favre is correct on 70 of 74 formations—Detmer, the Packers' Einstein, misses three—and draws all his plays right except for a sloppily sketched split-end route.

FRIDAY

Favre and teammate Reggie White enjoy some popcorn while giving an interview.

FRIDAY

Before he leaves for the day, Favre hosts a surprise 41st birthday party for Green Bay's mail clerk, Leo Yelle, who is developmentally disabled. The party stuns Yelle, who gets a game jersey from Favre and a duffel bag full of gifts from the team. Favre, the only player at the party, gives Yelle a hug and eats some cake with him. In one corner, two secretaries dab at their eyes.