With Brett Favre or without Brett Favre, all Brennen Carvalho cares about right now is practicing hard and showing the coaches he belongs with the Green Bay Packers. Acquired by the Packers in April via free agency, the Kamehameha Schools
With Brett Favre or without Brett Favre, all Brennen Carvalho cares about right now is practicing hard and showing the coaches he belongs with the Green Bay Packers.
Acquired by the Packers in April via free agency, the Kamehameha Schools graduate of Kapa‘a has been in Wisconsin practicing with the Packers for training camp.
“The media is all over the place,” Carvalho said. “But I think the organization is handling them real well.”
Carvalho had a rough start as soon as he landed in the Midwest. Problems with his flight leaving Hawai‘i caused him to show up later than expected.
“I got there the morning we started. I didn’t even check in at my dorm room, I just went straight to camp. We had a running test, too. I passed it, but I was so tired at the end of the day,” he said.
Yesterday, though, he got a day of rest because there were no practices, only weight training.
“It’s hard, but it’s fun at the same time,” he said. “Things just move faster than what I’m used to.”
But all the buzz surrounding Favre’s possibility of reinstatement — Favre is expected to be with the team today — hasn’t phased the 6-foot-1, 300 pound third string center.
“I just have to focus on what I’m doing. We’re the offensive line, whoever’s back there, we have to protect him no matter what,” Carvalho said.
Coming up for the Packers is the annual family night on Sunday at Lambeau Field where there will be a picnic in the parking lot and a scrimmage within the team. This is the fifth time they have sold every available seat in the stadium.
Approximately 60,000 fans are expected.
Carvalho graduated from Kamehameha Schools in 2004 and from Portland State earlier this year. While at Portland State, Carvalho started in all games from his sophomore to senior year.
During his final two seasons, he was a two-time Associated Press, Sports Network, and Walter Camp first-team All-American and part of College Sports News “Fabulous 50.”
• Lanaly Cabalo, sports editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com
