MINNEAPOLIS -- Ryan Longwell understands perhaps better than anyone the situation Brett Favre faces this week. Though it didn't receive the same scrutiny or fanfare, Longwell also has returned to his former home stadium -- Lambeau Field -- as a member of the hated enemy.
"It will be different for Brett, there's no way around it," Longwell said.
Longwell made his first trip to Lambeau as the Vikings' kicker in 2006 after spending his first nine NFL seasons with the Packers. Fans booed him mercilessly, even though Longwell is still the team's career scoring leader and the Packers did not offer him a contract when he became a free agent in 2006.
"It was bad," he said. "It was all 70,000 at the top of their lungs. It was full throttle."
Longwell is interested to see the reception Favre receives Sunday.
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"It's going to be different for him going into the visiting locker room," Longwell said. "I remember my first time, I had never even been in the visiting locker room. I don't know if Brett's ever been in there. The beauty of my first game, and it will be for Brett, is that once the game starts, it's just a game. But I'm as curious as the next guy to hear the crowd reaction to him."
Longwell joked that he probably "won't be the lone guy getting booed," but Sunday's game has special meaning for him, too. It is his 200th career game.
At age 35 and in his 13th season, Longwell remains reliable under pressure. He is tied for second in the NFL in scoring with 60 points this season. Longwell has made 59 of 61 field-goal attempts from inside 45 yards since joining the Vikings and has seven game-winning field goals.
Longwell set a team record last season with six field goals of at least 50 yards. He's tied with Fuad Reveiz for most 50-plus yard field goals in team history with eight.
Longwell credits the success to his teamwork with long snapper Cullen Loeffler and holder Chris Kluwe.
"It's the first time in my career that I've had the same snapper and holder for four years in a row," he said. "Cullen and Kluwe have been very consistent and are really good at what they do. So when we go out on the field there's not a lot of mystery involved. Cullen knows my rhythm just as well as I know his. And Kluwe hits the spot every time."
That consistency, Longwell said, is critical considering the parity around the league.
"There are certain positions where you can take a project on and kind of let the guy develop over the years," Longwell said. "The way the NFL is nowadays, the kicking position is just not one of those anymore. Statistically, they say four games a year are going to come down to a kick. So basically a quarter of your games. You just need that consistency and you need the guy that's going to be able to do it under the most pressure situations."
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Longwell still recalls the potential game-winning 28-yard field goal he missed against the Eagles in his second career game.
"I remember when I missed that game-winner, my goal became to do enough in that next game to get to the next game," he said. "It was kind of a weird mentality at the time but it's really worked. Just do enough to get to next week. Thirteen years later I still take the same approach. I certainly feel that I can still play for a lot of years and that I have a good approach fitness-wise and mentally. But I'm going to try and do enough in Lambeau (on Sunday) to get to the game after the bye week."
Longwell is 18th in NFL history with 1,430 points. He returns to where he started on Sunday, his fourth game at Lambeau Field as an opponent. Longwell said he's proud of what he accomplished in Green Bay, but appreciates his new home with the Vikings.
"We still pinch ourselves with what we've been able to experience here just with the city and this football team and the playoffs last year and being part of Brett coming back, and some of the kicks I've been able to make over the last four years," he said. "I feel very blessed to be here."
