SANTA CLARA – Mike Singletary played against Brett Favre only once, but the memory – or rather the sound – is etched in Singletary's brain.
"He had an arm, and you could literally hear the ball in the air passing by over your head," he said of the 1992 encounter, Singletary's last NFL season and Favre's second. "Pretty amazing, the speed on that ball. He had a cannon for an arm. He really did."
Since then, Favre's hair has turned from brown to gray and you don't see him scrambling from sideline to sideline the way he once did. But Singletary insists the quarterback is slinging the ball with the same startling velocity 16 years later.
"He can throw it wherever he wants to throw it," Singletary said. "It's just a matter of us trying to eliminate the ball getting over our heads."
Favre, who looked so odd in a Jets uniform early in the season, now seems like a perfect fit as the season enters its fourth month.
The Jets, 4-12 last year, are 8-4 and trying to hold off the Patriots, Dolphins and Bills in the ultra-tight AFC East. Favre has thrown 20 touchdown passes against 14 interceptions, and his 68.7 completion percentage is the highest of his 18-year career.
Not bad for a guy who, after spending 16 years with one franchise, had to adjust to new receivers, new coaches, a new offensive system and a drastically different city Aug. 7.
"We've got two new starters on the offensive line," said coach Eric Mangini, noting that Favre didn't exactly land in a stable situation. "We've got a young tight end that's playing quite a bit. Really, our slot receiver is new as well. There are a lot of guys that are new, and it takes some time for that to grow."
San Francisco safety Mark Roman spent two seasons with Favre in Green Bay, Wis. The lesson Roman imparted on his defensive teammates is this: Never give up on a play because Favre never will.
Roman said Favre is unafraid to attempt any throw, and he has reels of film to bolster his argument.
"We've seen him make a play where (his body) was literally two inches off the ground and he throws the ball and makes the play," Roman said. "I mean, with some zip, too."
Last season, Favre set the NFL record for career touchdown passes. But Roman also knows Favre's risks sometimes backfire. No one in the NFL has thrown more interceptions than Favre – 302 – and Roman says he watched a number of those miscues in person.
"I can remember when I was playing in Green Bay and some days you'd be thinking, 'Man, I wish I was playing against Brett right now,' because sometimes he has those kind of games," said Roman, who is still looking for his first interception of the season. "He could be either really good, or he could throw you a few."
Read Matthew Barrows' 49ers blog at www.sacbee.com/ninersblog.
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