ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512180082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS
SOURCE: Associated Press
The crowd from nearby Kiln, Miss., came to cheer Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre. They stayed to cheer for Reggie White.
Favre is from Kiln and is a hero in the small town, so it's understandable that family and friends would be thrilled with the job he did Saturday in Green Bay's 34-23 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
The crowd appreciated the effort of White, the Packers' defensive end who shook off what appeared to be a season-ending injury to play, albeit sparingly.
``Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!'' the crowd chanted as White left the field.
``That was nice,'' said White, who played only in spots and had one tackle. ``I'm glad I could get in. It gave my team an emotional lift.''
At least 60 relatives and friends, plus about 3,000 members of his fan club from Southern Mississippi, where he played college ball, were on hand to watch Favre throw for 308 yards and four touchdowns as the Packers qualified for the NFL playoffs for a third straight year.
The victory also positioned the Packers (10-5) to clinch their first NFC Central championship since 1972.
White, the NFL's career leader with 157 sacks, was expected to miss the rest of the year with an injured left hamstring. But he entered the game on the Packers' third defensive play.
``We only played him in spots,'' said Green Bay coach Mike Holmgren. ``I was a little nervous about it, but he said he'd be honest with me if it was bothering him.
``It was a wonderful boost for the team.''
On Wednesday, the Packers said White would miss the final two games and the playoffs because of surgery scheduled for next week. But the following day, White returned to practice and showed he didn't need the surgery after all.
He injured the hamstring Dec.3 against Cincinnati and missed last Sunday's game at Tampa Bay. It was the first game he missed because of injury in his 11-year NFL career.
Favre, who completed the first six passes he threw, advanced his claim for the NFL's MVP award by completing 12 of 18 passes for 203 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.
``He sure looked like the MVP to me,'' said Saints safety J.J. McCleskey. ``He's the real deal, the way he adjusted to us, the way he knows who to go to.''
It was the second time this season Favre, who grew up about 60 miles from New Orleans, passed for four touchdowns in a game. He completed 21 of 30 passes on the day.
``It was like playing at home,'' Favre said.
Four minutes into the game, Favre hit Anthony Morgan with a 19-yard touchdown and added another first-quarter score on a 17-yard pass to Robert Brooks.
Six seconds into the second quarter, he found Brooks open again for a 40-yard touchdown, capping a 58-yard drive. Favre finished the first half with a 3-play scoring drive and an 11-yard touchdown pass to former Virginia Tech standout Antonio Freeman, his first NFL touchdown.
``I thought we could win,'' Favre said. ``But I didn't think it would be that easy.''
The loss guaranteed the Saints (6-9) a second straight losing season and a third straight non-winning year.
It may have been the final game in the Superdome for coach Jim Mora, who has been under fire this year after the Saints opened 0-5 and attendance fell sharply. The Saints failed to sell out a single home game this year. It's the first time that's happened since 1985, the year before Mora took over.
The Saints scored on a 2-yard run by Ray Zellars in the first quarter. They added a second touchdown with 19 seconds left in the half on a 4-yard pass from Jim Everett to Torrance Small, making it 28-14 Green Bay at the half.
In the first half, Favre became the third quarterback in Packers history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. Lynn Dickey had 4,458 in 1983 and former Virginia standout Don Majkowski 4,318 in 1989.
Favre was sacked twice in the first half by Wayne Martin, who has 13 sacks on the year.
Brooks caught five passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns for his eighth 100-yard game, breaking Sterling Sharpe's record of seven.
Edgar Bennett rushed for 80 yards on 26 carries, giving him 1,010 on the season. He is the first Packers running back to rush for 1,000 yards since Terdell Middleton gained 1,116 in 1978.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Green Bay's Reggie White made one tackle in theby CNBPackers' victory over New Orleans on Saturday in New Orleans.
Earlier in the week, it was reported that White would not play
against the Saints and might miss the rest of the season.