Sixth in a series:

OnMilwaukee.com is publishing exclusive excerpts from the new book, "Brett Favre: A Packer Fan's Tribute." The book was written by lifelong Packers fan Tom Kertscher, a Milwaukee news reporter who authored "Cracked Sidewalks and French Pastry: The Wit and Wisdom of Al McGuire."

"Tribute" captures the highlights of Favre's career and features dozens of behind-the-scenes photos shot by Packers team photographer Jim Biever.

CHAPTER SIX – THE STREAK

"I am going to lay my body on that field for that team." – Brett Favre, after being traded to the Packers in February, 1992.

WILL THE NFL EVER SEE A PLAYER WHO IS AS TOUGH – and as talented – as Brett Favre?

Favre didn't play his final game until after he turned 36. But he had taken terrible pounding even before he turned 26.

"When he gets up every Monday," his wife Deanna said in 1995, "he looks like such an old man."

And yet he played on, and on.

Even for the most ardent Packers fan, Favre's signature record – starting more than 220 games in a row -- is hard to fathom.

And he not only eclipsed the previous consecutive-starts record for quarterbacks, he set a mark that is nearly twice as long.

He simply would not let his teammates down.

"Brett prides himself on showing up every Sunday and knowing deep down inside that, 'Hey, these guys depend on me, and I'm going to be there,'" said Packer safety LeRoy Butler.

"Ask people who know him," Butler added with a smile. "He's not human."

Remember these moments?

In 1995, a blood vessel broke in Favre's esophagus after he was hit by three Pittsburgh Steeler defenders at Lambeau Field. He came to the sidelines coughing up blood, but coach Mike Holmgren – after asking, How much blood? -- sent him back in. On the next play, Favre threw the winning touchdown pass, clinching a division title for the Packers for the first time in 23 years. (Footnote: the Packers did get a little help from Steelers receiver Yancey Thigpen, who dropped a pass in the end zone with 11 seconds remaining, preserving their 24-19 win.

How did it feel to win the title? ``Painful,'' Favre said with a smile, downplaying his injury. ``There's something bleeding. `That's all I know. I'm not a doctor. Something's probably jarred loose.''

Nearly nine years later, a week shy of his 35th birthday, Favre suffered a concussion against the New York Giants in another game at Lambeau. His head was driven into the turf on a tackle and he left the game. But two downs later, before the coaches realized it was unsafe for Favre to continue, he put himself back in. On 4th-and-5, with a scared-to-death home crowd suddenly cheering again, Favre threw a 28-yard pass into an 18-mile-an-hour wind. Wide receiver Javon Walker leaped between two defenders to catch it for a touchdown.

"It was like Superman just stepped back into the building," running back Tony Fisher said.

Over the years, Favre's toughness became legendary – and not only among fans and teammates.

"Most quarterbacks you hit in the head a few times, and they get kind of queasy," said San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ken Norton. "This guy, it turns him on."

Favre said he thought his all-out style helped him, that you only get hurt when you play "tenderfoot."

"I always figured if the bone wasn't sticking out of the skin, you could play. That's what they made tape for," he said. "But maybe I'm different."

Favre's father, Irvin Favre -- a man whose very appearance said toughness -- loved that quality in his son.

"That's what I admire most about Brett: He's a gutty kid, hard-nosed as heck," he once said. "He's a quarterback who loves to hit."

Courage was part of the training the father imparted as the son's coach. He had told Brett as a kid: "If you get hurt, you crawl off the field. When you can't crawl off the field, I'll come get you."

Two games stand out for the way Favre recovered from injuries and carried the Packers to victory. Both times, he tossed aside crutches to play.

It was another game, however -- when Favre performed through wrenching emotional anguish -- that must have made his father the most proud.

A cast, crutches and talk of a wheelchair led at least one newspaper to declare that, "barring a medical miracle," Favre would miss the home game against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 19, 2000.

Favre had gotten knocked out of the previous game, a 20-15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. Defensive lineman Warren Sapp sacked him in the third quarter, driving him into the grass, grabbing his left foot and tearing off his left shoe. Favre could barely limp to the sideline.

Head Coach Mike Sherman said after the game: "He cannot walk at the present time. It's too early to tell, but I anticipate that he'll miss next week's game and maybe longer."

Favre emerged from the stadium on crutches. Backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said he heard Favre had also been given a wheelchair.

But on Tuesday, the day after the Buccaneers game, Favre was walking around on a removable cast. And by Thursday, he had the foot specially taped and was practicing. All he needed for the Colts was a size-larger cleat to stuff his swollen and purple foot into.

That Lambeau Field was 27 degrees, with a 16-degree wind chill, probably motivated Favre all the more.

To erase any doubt about his mobility, Favre rolled out on the first play of the game. Then he rolled over the Colts. In the first half, Favre led three consecutive scoring marches, including two 87-yard drives for touchdowns, staking his team to a 19-0 lead.

''It's important to play if you can play,'' he said. ''It hurt, but the guys were counting on me. It's part of the job. It's another day at the office.''

Favre racked up 301 yards passing, hitting eight different receivers and connecting at a 63.9% clip.

Crutches? Wheelchair?

"One thing you can't tell Brett Favre is that he can't do something," Sherman said. "As I told him a few minutes ago, he actually relished the fact that he had a bad foot going into the game. It was just another challenge for him. You can't tell him he can't do something. It's amazing."

Harder to measure than a victory was the lasting effect Favre's courage had on his teammates.

When your leader plays hurt – and gives an MVP-like performance – you're bound to give a little extra yourself.

"The guy is a superstar, he's a true champion," guard Ross Verba said after the Colts game. "I love playing for that guy."

Favre left another game on crutches, this time due to a severe ankle sprain, six days before the Packers faced the Chicago Bears on Nov. 12, 1995. For two days, Favre had the injury iced and, by the third day, he was also receiving heat treatments. All week the injured area was electronically stimulated.

The most Favre could muster was taking six snaps in a passing drill on Friday and 10 snaps on Saturday. His status was so uncertain that the Packers signed as a backup Bob Gagliano, a 37-year-old quarterback who hadn't played in three years.

But come game day, with first place in the NFC Central Division on the line, Favre ran through the Lambeau Field tunnel, a cast-like accumulation of tape wrapped around his ankle.

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