Quarterback Brett Favre was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
A 20-year veteran with 11 Pro Bowl selections, three NFL MVPs and a Super Bowl ring, Favre enters the Hall of Fame as one of the most productive and decorated quarterbacks in NFL history. He had a reputation of being a gunslinger and won and lost many games in the final seconds with miraculous throws or untimely interceptions. Perhaps no player in NFL history has done more to change the outcome of the spread at an online casino like Betfair than Brett Favre.
Here are the four stats that best describe the legendary career of Favre:
1. 297 consecutive starts
The ironman number is 321 if you count the postseason. It’s an NFL record that could realistically stand the test of time. Favre started his first game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 27, 1992; he didn’t miss another start until Dec. 5, 2010, marking an incredible, almost unthinkable, span of 18 and a half years.
There’s no active player even close to Favre’s number, with Eli Manning—at 183 consecutive starts—still over seven straight years of playing all 16 games away from breaking the record. Favre has consistently said he’s most proud of his consecutive starts streak, especially given all the various ailments he fought through to get on the field every Sunday. There’s never been a quarterback more physically and mentally tough than Favre, the game’s ultimate gladiator.
2. 176 touchdowns
Favre threw 508 touchdowns during his illustrious career, retiring as the NFL’s all-time leader (Peyton Manning eventually broke his mark). But 176 of those scores came during a five-year period when Favre was in his absolute prime. From 1994 to 1998, Favre was the NFL’s premier quarterback and player, and a man amongst men. He won three straight NFL MVPs (becoming the first and last to accomplish the feat), led the Packers to an 57-23 regular season record and brought the first Super Bowl title home to Green Bay since 1967.
Favre’s 176 touchdowns were 52 more than the next best quarterback from 1994-98 (Steve Young, 124), and the Packers won more regular season games during that stretch than any team in the NFL. There are few players in the history of the game that can match Favre’s five-year stretch of unquestioned dominance at the quarterback position.
3. 45 game-winning drives
Favre threw his share of game-changing interceptions (see below), but few had more flair for the dramatic late in games. Many of his iconic moments came as he was leading his team back from a deficit in the fourth quarter.
The list is a long one. He threw a laser beam touchdown to Kittrick Taylor during his first game as a Packer to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in 1992; his roll-left, throw-right touchdown to Sterling Sharpe late in the fourth quarter led Green Bay over the Detroit Lions in the 1993 NFC playoffs; his daring scramble to beat the Atlanta Falcons propelled the Packers into the postseason in 1994; in 1999, he led the Packers to three come-from-behind victories in the first four games; his heave to Antonio Freeman (the “He did what?! catch) gave the Packers a walkoff win over the Vikings in 2000; he engineered four game-winning drives during the magical 2007 season, including an 80-yard touchdown to Greg Jennings on the first play of overtime to beat the Denver Broncos; and he endured himself to Vikings fans immediately when he found Greg Lewis for an impossible game-winning touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in 2009. Favre was a quarterback you wanted with the football late in a game. Regardless of whether he’d win it with his arm or lose it, Favre was going to make it as entertaining as humanely possible.
4. 336 interceptions
Favre’s other potentially unbreakable record is not a proud one. His 336 interceptions finished with 59 more than the former leader, George Blanda, who had 277. The active leader in interceptions is Drew Brees, but he’s still 131 behind Favre. Eli Manning has 199, but he’d need to throw at least 20 interceptions per season for the next seven seasons to beat Favre. No other active quarterbacks appears to have a realistic chance.
In some ways, the interception record highlights Favre’s greatness; despite making so many mistakes over the years, the Ol’ Gunslinger persevered. He was too good, too tough and too respected amongst his teammates and coaches for his occasionally erratic decision-making to make a difference. Twenty years in the NFL, and throwing the ball to the other team couldn’t kill off Brett Favre. It will take another special quarterback—with the rare combination of unquestionable toughness and overriding talent of Favre—to ever threaten his NFL record.