While contemplating a possible return to the Minnesota Vikings, superstar quarterback Brett Favre continues to make an impact on the
Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.) football team.
The 40-year-old Favre has lived in the area for many years and one of his daughters graduated from Oak Grove. He has been working out with the players in the preseason for about five years, according to offensive coordinator Tim Heldt.
"He comes when he wants to, (usually) three days a week," Heldt said. "He’s just like another coach to us. He talks about drops and reads and jokes with the kids. He shows how to run a route and some little subtleties that they may not get somewhere else.
"It's always special. They definitely know who he is. I guess the awe is not there anymore. He's just coach Brett to them."
And Favre isn’t the only celebrity to attend an Oak Grove workout this summer. Jason Campbell of the Oakland Raiders stopped by while visiting his father, who lives in the area. Then there's Steve McNair Jr., who just graduated from Oak Grove.
Heldt pointed out that Favre takes much more than a passing interest in each player.
"We have a rather large squad; we dressed 93 last year," Heldt said. "When he meets you one time, he knows you. He slaps nicknames on kids. When someone is not there he notices when we might not. He cares about every kid on our roster. He could be a great coach some day.
"He doesn’t care if you’re a starter or someone who just jumps in line. They just want to say that they caught one (of his passes). He is going to make sure that he throws a catchable ball for all of them. We had a kid who was having trouble running a route. He had him run it time after time until he accomplished it."
Because Favre still has not announced a return – or retirement – from the NFL, he is being pursued by the media. On Monday an assistant coach had to bring his truck to the fieldhouse so he could escape several media members hoping to get an interview. He waved as he sped off toward home.
Favre had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle in May, but looks good during workouts, Heldt said.
"We don’t ever get into that (his decision)," Heldt stressed. "We’re just blessed that a future Hall of Famer comes and works out with our kids. We want people to respect his ground. He’s made wise decisions in the past and whatever he does will be a wise decision."
