Favre may go on forever

If Brett Favre and the Packers keep playing the way they have this year, the 37-year-old quarterback will never quit -- which is bad news for the Bears, since he has beaten them 22 times in 30 games.

And why would Favre consider quitting?

The Packers are 4-0, and the three-time MVP is playing better than he has in years, with 8 touchdowns, just 2 interceptions and a 97.3 passer rating, the second best of his 16-year career.

"People say, 'You make it look like you're having so much fun now,' " Favre said. "Well, we're winning and we're scoring points. If we're losing, I'm not going to be out there smiling and slapping guys on the butt and telling them, 'Good job.'

"Winning, scoring points and being up in the game definitely make my job a lot easier."

The Packers already have scored 105 points, 45 more than the Bears. Favre is throwing for an average of 289 yards per game, 126 more than the Bears have managed.

Brian Griese is the 21st quarterback to start for the Bears since Favre took the reins of the Packers' offense in the fourth game of the 1992 season.

"People bring that to my attention," Favre said, "or (they say) 'I was in the third grade when you played your first game.' It's a testament to my longevity."

It's a testament to Favre's durability that he has started 241 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in NFL history behind Jim Marshall's 270. The game, he says, is the easy part. A week short of his 38th birthday, Favre says the preparation can be tedious.

"I love it today like I did 10 years ago," Favre said. "I love to play for those three hours on Sunday, and I try my best to have fun during the course of the week. But practice is tougher, meetings become tougher."

According to his archrivals, none of it looks like much of a struggle for Favre. Against the Bears, he has completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 7,185 yards and thrown 52 TD passes and 34 interceptions for a passer rating of 86.4.

"He's an amazing quarterback," said Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris. "He's playing great football -- the best I've seen him play since I've been on the Bears. To me, he's like the godfather of the league right now."

Favre bottomed out in 2005, when he launched an NFL-worst 29 interceptions, including 6 against the Bears and 4 in one game. With a weak supporting cast, Favre kept playing his gambling style and chucking it up, but he didn't have much help. That gunslinger attitude makes it challenging to play him -- but enjoyable, too.

"I think it's fun," linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said. "You have to beat the best to be the best. He's been doing it for so long, and he's such a competitor. Just the way he plays the game makes everybody respect him."

Much of Favre's resurgence has been attributed to a more conservative approach on his part. He hasn't forced the ball deep into coverage as frequently as in recent years.

He said that's a result of having a better team, including a better defense, which has allowed him to play with a lead rather than constantly chasing a couple of touchdowns. But he hasn't become a dink-and-dunk-type passer.

"I'm still … I don't want to say a gambler, but I'm willing to make certain throws (that) I've gotten away with in the past because of my ability," he said. "For us (this year), it's been move the chains. How do you do that? Short passes, and yards after the catch are a bonus."

In the off-season, Favre campaigned heavily for the Packers to go after talented but inconsistent wide receiver Randy Moss.

The New England Patriots stepped up and got a deal done, much to the Green Bay quarterback's chagrin. He was publicly critical and disappointed, but he's not apologizing for any of it. He since has been appeased and encouraged by the improved performance of his own receivers.

"It's hard to not notice what he's doing (an NFL-best 505 receiving yards for Moss), but it's also hard to not notice what our guys have been doing," Favre said. "I was trying to get a veteran guy in here to help us out.

"That was the first time, and it's not my nature," Favre said of his outspokenness. "It was my opinion, right or wrong. I've always considered myself a good leader by example on the field.

"I don't regret any of the things I said then or in the past because they know what they're going to get out of me. My job has never changed. It's to win football games here."

So far he has won 151 of them, more than any quarterback in league history.