He may have been on the sidelines for the final possession of Sunday's game at Indianapolis, but fear not, Packer fans, Brett Favre will be in the lineup this week when the New York Giants come to town.
Favre's 192-game consecutive start streak is not in jeopardy, even after taking a knee from defensive end Dwight Freeney to the back of his leg in the fourth quarter of the Colts game.
What was at first considered to possibly be a hamstring injury was later diagnosed as a bruise, which limited his mobility due to a "charley horse" effect on his leg.
The quarterback finished the possession while hobbling before giving way to back-up Doug Pederson with the Packers trailing by 14 late in the game.
"It doesn't feel good right now, but I think it will be fine," Favre said after the game. "More of a charley horse or something like that."
GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman confirmed Favre's assessment in his Monday press conference.
"It was not a hamstring strain as much as, if you look at the tape, he got kicked in the back of his leg," said Sherman. "(Brett) has a bruise there about the size of a golf ball that probably caused a charley horse reaction where he really couldn't maneuver after that. We believe he'll be alright."
Another cause for concern, though, was that during the game, Favre appeared to favoring his left (non-throwing) shoulder, almost dragging his arm as he would move down the field following one of his season-high 30 completions on the day.
The iron-man quarterback revealed after the game that the shoulder ailment has been something that has been with him for about two years, and was something he considered having surgically repaired last offseason before deciding against it.
"Believe it or not, every day that passes it gets worse and worse," Favre said. "I thought about having surgery this past offseason and decided against it because I figured every other time I've had an injury, I've thought, 'I'll go this offseason and when I come back it will be fine.'"
The time the injury was most noticeable Sunday was when Favre had difficulty raising the arm over his head in a celebration after one of his four touchdown passes. He was only able to get the arm partially extended, giving a cock-eyed touchdown signal.
Favre acknowledged that if the pain he felt in his left shoulder, which regularly pops out of joint, was in his right one, he wouldn't be able to be on the field.
"When I started training camp it was worse than it was at the end of last season. But if the worst of it is doing a half-touchdown deal, I can live with that."
Sherman is concerned with the ailment, but with the performances he's seen Favre give through injury over the years, he knows that his quarterback will be able to play with the pain.
"Anytime #4 has an injury there's a level of concern," said the coach. "He's not overly concerned by it, but it's always been a concern of mine. I ask him about it, the doctor will check on it, but it doesn't detract from his performance.
"It's something he might have looked at when he retires someday, or if it causes him an issue, looked at sooner. It hasn't been an issue to point out yet."
Thankfully for the Packers, neither of his latest nicks appears serious enough to threaten Favre's illustrious streak.
Look for the ever-present gun-slinger to be out there on the field again Sunday, giving his all to get his team back in the win column.
