Reggie White To Face Former Team

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) â€” Reggie White loved everything about being on the Green Bay Packers, especially his teammates. <br><br>During his one-year retirement last season, he said he missed joking around

Friday, November 24th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) â€” Reggie White loved everything about being on the Green Bay Packers, especially his teammates.

During his one-year retirement last season, he said he missed joking around in the locker room and hanging out with the guys more than he missed the actual games.

But when the NFL's career sacks leader decided to play again this year, salary cap issues prevented the Packers from signing him, and White couldn't rejoin his old friends.

He gets a chance to see them anyway on Monday night, when his new team, the Carolina Panthers, plays host to the Packers.

``It will feel kind of different playing against them because there was such a great admiration and emotion,'' White said. ``That's probably the thing I'm dealing with more than anything.

``But I'm approaching this like any other game even though there's a few more emotions involved. Those are the guys I spent the majority of my career with and an exciting part of my career with, so it will be strange.''

It will also be strange for his former teammates to see White on the other side of the field, especially Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre.

During their time together with the Packers, Favre said he and White forged a competitive friendship that pitted the two against each other in several areas, including work ethic.

``He and I were the ones in here first every morning on the treadmill running, and we were the last ones to leave,'' Favre said. ``Whatever he did, I tried to outdo him, and that's hard to do. All that is carried over for me, it made me more dedicated then I ever had been.''

Favre comes into the game as one of the few quarterbacks White has failed to sack in his career.

White, who has an NFL-best 198 career sacks, had a chance to bring down Favre in 1992, when he was playing with the Philadelphia Eagles. White got a hard hit on Favre and separated his throwing shoulder, but he wasn't credited with a sack and later claimed the grounds crew at Lambeau Field had something to do with it.

``After the game, he claimed that we wet the field down so he couldn't get good traction,'' Favre said. ``He just didn't know how elusive I really was.''

White joined Favre in Green Bay the next year, thus keeping him from adding Favre to his list of sack victims.

``I'm sure he's thinking I'm one of the few he hasn't sacked, so I'd better be elusive again this Monday night,'' Favre said.

Even though Favre has been bothered by a sprained foot the last few weeks, he doesn't need to be too quick to avoid White.

At 38, White isn't the dominating player he once was. He has only 5 1/2 sacks this season, and his playing time has steadily decreased all year.

But he certainly shouldn't be counted out, especially in a nationally televised game against the team he spent six seasons with and won a Super Bowl ring with in 1997.

``I think I can run Brett down,'' White said. ``Tell him, `Watch your ankle,' because I'm going to step on it. And I might smack him up side the head without the referee looking.''