Reining in Favre no easy task
Brett Favre would love to throw fewer interceptions this season. He’s just not sure he can.
“It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks and that’s never more true than with me,” said Favre, who was picked off 21 times last season, one less than NFL co-leaders Joey Harrington and Marc Bulger. “When I roll out to pass, I feel like there’s a touchdown waiting.
“I just don’t have the discipline to pull it back,” he added as he prepared for Green Bay’s preseason opener tonight against Seattle. “I do a lot of good things, but I ain’t perfect. How do you correct that? Well, I don’t know that after 14 years that’s going to change a whole lot.”
Favre’s biggest blunder last season came in overtime in a playoff game at Philadelphia, when he threw the ball up to beat the blitz. But receiver Javon Walker stutter-stepped on his deep sideline route and Brian Dawkins cradled the interception, setting up David Akers’ field goal that ended Green Bay’s season.
“As long as I play, I will be aggressive,” Favre said. “That’s just my nature.”
Yet, Favre knows that “being aggressive and being wise can be two different things.”
So, he’s trying to limit his interceptions, somehow, some way.
“There’s no doubt that turnovers kill you. They killed us early in the season. You can’t take your team out of the game,” he said.
•Seahawks’ first-round draft choice Marcus Tubbs made the trip but his playing status is up in the air. Those who did not make the trip include Pro-Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson, who sat out the last three days of practice to rest a sore calf, and wide receiver Koren Robinson, who tweaked a quad muscle in practice on Saturday.
Also back in Cheney are quarterbacks Trent Dilfer and Brock Huard, wide receiver Taco Wallace, RB Clarence Farmer, DE Anton Palepoi, FS Arnold Parker, CB Kris Richard.
•Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said Seneca Wallace would play the majority of the game at quarterback after starter Matt Hasselbeck takes a predetermined number of plays, probably about a quarter of action. Recently signed Bryson Spinner could see a few minutes at the end.
•Orlando Huff will start at middle linebacker, but Solomon Bates and Niko Koutouvides should get equal time.
Bucs, Bengals adjust schedule
Hurricane Charley reminded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals of the importance of keeping football in perspective. It didn’t stop them from preparing to do their jobs.
The teams meet tonight in a preseason game delayed two days by the deadly storm that ripped through Florida, causing billions of dollars worth of damage and leaving thousands homeless.
“It’s been tough on us the past four or five days. We’ve been interrupted by the weather, in terms of our schedule. But you can’t make excuses, that’s part of training camp and part of life and part of football,” Bucs coach Jon Gruden said.
McGahee makes debut
This is what everyone was waiting for from Willis McGahee.
After 19 months of recuperation and countless questions about the strength of his left knee, the Buffalo Bills running back finally provided some answers. McGahee had the go-ahead score on a 1-yard run in his NFL preseason debut, helping the Bills to a 16-6 win over the Denver Broncos Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y.
McGahee finished with 13 carries for 58 yards and two catches for 25 yards, continuing to show that he’s ready to play after missing all of his rookie season recovering from knee surgery.