GLENDALE, ARIZ. – Former Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall traveled here to see quarterback Brett Favre break his NFL record for consecutive games played.
Favre will play in his 283rd consecutive game against the Arizona Cardinals, the most in league history by a position player. He had tied Marshall's record of 282 consecutive games against the Chicago Bears last week. "I admire him so much," Marshall said before the game. "He's done so much for this team. It's like having a coach out on the field coaching these young guys and helping them along. I think the team has developed so much just since he's been here. It's nice to honor him and I'm certainly glad that he's taking charge of that record." The Vikings invited Marshall to the game to help celebrate the event. Marshall spent some time with Favre at Winter Park on Saturday before the team traveled to Phoenix and they also talked briefly on the field during early warm-ups. "He's a great leader and I admire him so much," Marshall said. "I'm really happy about what he's done for the team and where the team is now." Marshall said he's amazed by Favre's accomplishment and the fact that he's playing at an MVP-caliber level at age 40. "I keep thinking back to when I played and the rules were a lot different," Marshall said. "Our mission was actually to put the quarterback out of the game. It's a little different now. You can't really touch him so it's a little different game now. But you just admire a guy who can do what he does. You have 350-pound linemen falling on you and then you have to get up and throw a touchdown pass. He's the guy that can do it. You have to admire that." Marshall said it's impossible to say whether Favre's record – whatever it ends up being – will ever be broken. "Who's to say what's going to happen in the future," he said. "It stood for 30 years with me. Hopefully Brett will set one that's high enough so it lasts for another 30 years."
