Backing Up Brett Favre

Brett Favre -- many writers in the sports media, as well as some Packer fans, have often complained about Brett trying too hard to make big plays and the number of interceptions that he throws. Other critics have said that he isn't what he used to be, is past his prime, or that he is growing too old to be an effective starting National Football League (NFL) quarterback. Still others clamored to have Matt Hasselbeck start after he performed very well in the 1999 and 2000 preseasons. The previous statements have all been used by fans and the sports media as evidence to show just why Favre is not that great, and why the Green Bay Packers have not been able to make it back to a Super Bowl since they lost to the Broncos in 1998.

The purpose of this paper will be to show you not just why it was a good idea to keep Favre at starting quarterback in Green Bay, but also why he is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL.

First, I will defend why Brett should stay at starting quarterback in Green Bay and why it was a good decision to keep him at quarterback even when Matt Hasselbeck was playing well in the 1999 and 2000 preseason. In the 1999 and 2000 preseasons, Matt Hasselbeck was very effective in running the Packer offense, and in both of those preseasons, he also ended up with a better passer rating (a measure of how efficiently the quarterback throws the ball) than did Favre. After seeing him perform much better, many fans called for Hasselbeck to start over Favre, who had not been playing well in the 1998 and 1999 regular seasons. What many did not take into account was that Hasselbeck was leading the Packers 2nd and 3rd team offenses against the 2nd team and 3rd team defenses of the opponents. He played a few plays against starting defenses, but the large majority of the time he was not playing against the opposing starting defense. Hasselbeck also had no experience playing in a regular season game. All NFL teams do not run their toughest defenses and most deceptive defensive plays in the preseason because they do not yet have a feel for what works. The starting players also do not exert themselves as much because preseason games are glorified practices and do not count towards the team's regular season record. During the regular season, players are excited, emotional, and ready to play. They have more practice, are well-conditioned, and are going to do their best to help their team win. Clearly, playing in a regular season game is much different and more pressure-packed than a preseason game. Favre already had eight years of experience as a starting quarterback, while Matt Hasselbeck had taken a few regular season snaps in situations where the Packers had the game already wrapped up. Favre had also already won three consecutive Most Valuable Player Awards (an award given to the NFL's top player each year), which is a feat that has not been matched by any other NFL athlete. Leaving Favre in as the starting quarterback was unquestionably the correct decision.

Now, I will go on to show why Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. As mentioned before, he has won three consecutive MVP awards. He won one of those MVP awards in 1997, when the Packers won the Super Bowl, and another one in 1998, when the Packers won the NFC championship. He ranks 5th among quarterbacks in all-time passing yards (46,041), 4th in career pass attempts (6,528), 3rd in career pass completions (3,999), 2nd in career touchdown passes (348), 3rd in career wins (126), 7th in passer rating (86.8), and 4th in consecutive games with a TD pass (27). Perhaps the most astonishing record of all is the one he holds for consecutive games started. Quarterback is the most dangerous position to play in the NFL because of how vulnerable the position is. An average quarterback weighs in the area of 220-240 pounds, and Favre is listed as 226. Quarterbacks take some of the biggest hits because they are often tackled from behind by defensive linemen who weigh 300-350 pounds. Other times they will have to step into a defensive lineman that is going to tackle them so that they can throw to an open receiver. It is quite rare to find a quarterback in the NFL who starts for a whole season (16 games), let alone one who has lasted as long as Favre. Favre's streak for games started is currently 191 (almost 12 full seasons), which is good for 10th among all NFL players. Ron Jaworski holds the next-best starting streak for quarterbacks, and that is 116 games straight, which is shattered by Favre. The previously mentioned records are all Green Bay Packer team records as well.

In conclusion, this information is presented not to show that it is one single record that makes Brett Favre the greatest quarterback of all-time, but the combination of all his records and rankings that tell why. There will always be debate among fans as to who the greatest quarterback is, but with all this evidence it can be argued that the greatest ever is Favre.