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Brett Favre

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Brett Lorenzo Favre (rhymes with 'starve', IPA: /fɑːɹv/) (born October 10, 1969, in Gulfport, Mississippi) is the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He has been their starting quarterback since 1992. He is of French and Choctaw ancestry; one of his paternal grandparents was a Native American affiliated with the Choctaw.[1]

As the only three time MVP winner (1995-97) in the history of the NFL, Favre has led the Packers to two Super Bowls, with a victory against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. Currently in his sixteenth season in the NFL, Favre holds the NFL quarterback record for consecutive starts with 234 (254 total starts including playoffs), and ranks second behind Dan Marino for total touchdowns thrown (413), completions (4,954), career passing attempts (8,095), and career passing yards (56,756). With 144 victories, Favre ranks third in total career wins as a starting quarterback, trailing John Elway (148) and Dan Marino (147).[2]

Early years

Favre was raised in Kiln, Mississippi, and also attended Hancock North Central High School there. He played quarterback, lineman, strong safety, placekicker and punter in a primarily option, run-oriented offense coached by his father, Irvin Favre. Irvin Favre said he knew his son had a great arm but also knew that the school was blessed with good running backs. As a result, the three years Brett was on the team his father ran a run-oriented offense called the wishbone.

College

Favre received only one scholarship offer after high school. It was from nearby Southern Mississippi—which wanted him to play defensive back. Favre wanted to play quarterback instead and clawed his way up from the seventh string to the backup job and then to the starting position just three games into his freshman year. He took over in the second half against Tulane on September 19, 1987 and led USM to a comeback victory with two touchdown passes. Favre led the Golden Eagles to a big upset of Florida State, then ranked sixth in the nation, September 2, 1989. Favre capped off a six-and-a-half-minute drive with the game-winning touchdown pass with 23 seconds remaining.

Favre's college career was turned upside down on July 14, 1990, when he was in a near-fatal car accident. When going around a bend a few tenths of a mile from his parents' house, Favre lost control of his car. It flipped three times in the air, crashed into a tree and got stuck there. Only after his brother smashed the window with a golf club could he be evacuated to the hospital. On the way there, inside of the ambulance, his mother was sitting with him. “All I kept asking [her] was ‘Will I be able to play football again?’” Favre recalled later. Doctors would later remove 30 inches of Favre's small intestine. On September 8, Favre led Southern Miss to a comeback victory over Alabama. Alabama coach Gene Stallings said, “You can call it a miracle or a legend or whatever you want to. I just know that on that day, Brett Favre was larger than life.”[3]

Favre earned a Teaching Degree from Southern Mississippi with an emphasis in special education. [4]

Atlanta

Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round, 33rd overall in the 1991 NFL Draft. In Atlanta, he was a third-string quarterback with unremarkable numbers and an affinity for partying. He got into repeated clashes with head coach Jerry Glanville. Favre's very first pass in the NFL resulted in a interception returned for a touchdown. His most notable accomplishments, aside from going 0 for 5 passing with two interceptions that year, were missing the team photo (he'd been out the night before), for which he was fined, and making a $100 bet with Jerry Glanville that he could throw the ball into the upper deck of Fulton County Stadium. Favre won the bet and Glanville paid him the money. The Packers general manager Ron Wolf traded a first round pick (17th overall, which Atlanta would use to trade down to #19 to take Favre's former USM teammate, RB Tony Smith, who was described in ESPN's Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame the Falcons for Trading Brett Favre as "a physical coward") for Favre during the following offseason. (Wolf, while general manager of the New York Jets, had intended to take Favre in the 1991 NFL draft, but Favre was taken by the Falcons on the pick previous to the Jets.)

The trade is regarded as one of the most lopsided in NFL history, but nearly didn't happen. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and other sources, during the physical after the trade, Favre was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, the same degenerative hip condition that ended Bo Jackson's career, and doctors recommended he be failed. Wolf overruled them and the Packers would never be the same.

Green Bay

He has started every Green Bay Packers game since September 20, 1992, when Don Majkowski went down injured against the Cincinnati Bengals. Favre did not play well during most of the game, prompting the fans to chant "Put Ty in!", referring to Ty Detmer who was also on the Packers at the time. His first completion was to himself, and his second went the other way for a TD. He came to the sideline and said to Holmgren, "Not many guys can say their second completion went for a touchdown."[citation needed] Favre, however, proceeded to lead the team to a comeback victory, throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Kitrick Taylor with 13 seconds remaining. Favre was so thrilled that he nearly forgot that he was supposed to be the holder on the extra point try. Favre never liked having to hold the ball for the kicker, and when he had to do it in this instance he let go of the ball a second before Packer kicker Chris Jacke could kick it. Fortunately, the ball stood up on its own tip long enough for Jacke to convert the extra point.[citation needed]

The next week's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers began the longest consecutive starts streak for a quarterback in NFL history. In the early years under head coach Mike Holmgren, Favre struggled to keep his game under control, often making high-risk throws that resulted in many interceptions. Eventually he learned Holmgren's system and became one of the league's top quarterbacks, winning the first of three MVP awards in 1995, a season in which the Packers made it to the NFC Championship Game by upsetting the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC semi finals. The 1995 Packers went further in the playoffs than any Packer team since the Vince Lombardi era.

While being treated for various injuries, Brett Favre developed an addiction to painkillers. This became known when he suffered a seizure during a hospital visit.[citation needed] While the NFL investigated, he went public to beat the rumor mill. In May 1996 he was immediately forced into treatment by the NFL. He remained in rehab for 46 days.[5]

Super Bowl years

Favre led the Packers to their best season in 30 years in the 1996-97 season, winning his second consecutive MVP award in the process. Green Bay compiled an NFL-best regular season record of 13-3, defeated the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field in the playoffs, and advanced to Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome, a short drive from Favre's hometown.

Favre completed 14 of 27 passes for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns in Super Bowl XXXI. Favre opened up the scoring with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Andre Rison on the Packers' second offensive play of the game. Favre also completed an 81-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman in the second quarter (then a Super Bowl record). Favre rushed for 12 yards and another touchdown, as the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots, 35-21.

Favre and the Packers continued their dominance of the NFC the next season. Favre was named co-MVP of the league with Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, his third straight award. Green Bay lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII by the score of 31-24 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Favre completed 25 of 42 passes for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 1 interception in the losing effort.

Favre holds the record for most consecutive games starting at quarterback, with 232 not counting playoff games. Favres record is still rising, and will most likely keep going up until his retirement.

Post Super Bowl years

Favre and the Packers continued posting positive results through the next few seasons. Through the 2004 season, the Packers had the longest streak of non-losing seasons (13) in the NFL, despite an 8-8 record under coach Ray Rhodes, a 9-7 season under coach Mike Sherman, and no playoff berths in either 1999 or 2000. The streak ended in 2005, with the Packers finishing 4-12 overall.

Favre has not had as much success in the postseason since Super Bowl XXXII. He is 2-5 in the playoffs since the 1998 season.[6] Two of those losses were at home in the first round (or wild-card game), and they were the first postseason losses ever at Lambeau Field. Since 1998, he has recorded 149 completions on 249 attempts for 1,804 yards, with 11 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions, leaving him with a QB passer rating of 70.1[7] in the playoffs.

In March 2001, Favre signed to a "lifetime" contract with the Packers, the first in team history. The deal made Favre the first $100 million player in NFL history.

Strahan controversy

Favre was the target of controversy at the end of 2001 when, in the regular-season finale against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Favre rolled to his right and slid down at the feet of hard-charging Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. It was Strahan's lone sack of the game and gave him the NFL's single-season sack record of 22.5, which topped Mark Gastineau's record of 22 set in 1984.[8] Favre claimed he'd changed the play at the line of scrimmage, but the rest of the team appeared to run a different play than Favre's. The Packers were winning the game handily—and did win 34-25—and Favre's offensive line had relegated Strahan to a non-factor for most of the game. Players and fans from around the league were highly critical of the play. Mike Freeman of the New York Times wrote: "Yes, Mr. Favre, Strahan deserves the record, but please, handing it to him the way you did, as if you were throwing change into a Salvation Army bucket, is the kind of mistake Favre may never live down".[9]

2003 Oakland Raiders performance

One of the defining moments of Favre's career, and arguably his greatest game ever, took place on December 22, 2003, in a Monday Night Football game against the Oakland Raiders, the day after his father, Irvin Favre, died suddenly of a heart attack while driving his car. Favre elected to play and passed for four touchdowns in the first half, and 399 yards in a 41-7 victory over the Raiders on international television (receiving applause from the highly partisan "Raider Nation"). Afterwards, Favre said, "I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much and I love this game. It's meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family, and I didn't expect this kind of performance. But I know he was watching tonight."[10] He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.[11] He then went to his father's funeral in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Favre won an ESPY Award for his Monday Night Football performance.[12]

Final years

In the 2005 Green Bay Packers season, despite throwing for over 3,000 yards for a record fourteenth consecutive time, Favre had a below average season with only 20 touchdown passes and a league-leading 29 interceptions. His passer rating was 70.9, 31st in the NFL and the worst single season rating of his career.[13] After the disappointing 2005 season, many speculated that Favre would retire.[14] However, on April 26 2006, Favre announced that he would remain with the team for the 2006 season. Despite earlier comments that the 2006 season would be his last, Favre announced in a press conference on May 6, 2006 that he has not ruled out the possibility of returning beyond the 2006 season.[15]

In the 2006 Green Bay Packers season, Favre suffered his first career shutout against the Chicago Bears. Later in the season the New England Patriots shut out the Packers in a game where Favre was injured before half time and could not complete the game.[16][17] On September 24, 2006, Favre became just the second quarterback in NFL history to record 400 touchdown passes (Dan Marino being the first). He connected with rookie wide receiver Greg Jennings on a 5-yard pass that Jennings turned into a 75-yard touchdown play in a win against the Detroit Lions.[18]

Family tragedies

File:FavreKatrina.jpg
Brett Favre, third from the left, and First Lady Laura Bush, third from the right, attend a ribbon cutting ceremony in Kiln, MS after Hurricane Katrina

On Sunday, December 21, 2003, Irvin Favre ran into a ditch near Kiln, where years earlier Brett Favre had nearly died. Said Sgt. Joe Gazzo of the Mississippi State Highway Patrol: "It didn't appear that the accident was serious enough to cause him to be unconscious, so that leads us to believe that a medical condition was what caused him to go off the road." Irvin Favre went off the road at 5:23 p.m., according to eye-witness reports, and was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. An autopsy done the following day showed that Irvin Favre died of a sudden heart attack.[19]

Ten months after the death of his father, Favre's brother-in-law, Casey Tynes, was killed in an all-terrain vehicle accident on Favre's Mississippi property.[20]

Soon after in 2004, Brett's wife, Deanna Favre, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following aggressive treatment, she made progress and appears to be recovering well. (She is expected to make a complete recovery.) She created The Deanna Favre Hope Foundation which supports breast cancer education, women's breast imaging and diagnosis services for all women, including those who are medically underserved.[21][20]

More recently, in late August 2005, Favre's family suffered another setback. Hurricane Katrina blew through Mississippi, destroying his family's home there. However, none of his family members were injured. Brett and Deanna's home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi was also damaged by the storm.[22]

On December 13, 2005, Brett's grandmother, Izella French, suffered a stroke.[23]

Honors and awards

  • Favre has won the National Football League's Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award three times, all in consecutive years (1995, 1996, and 1997; the last shared with Barry Sanders).
  • According to Sports Illustrated, he was named a sports enemy of four states: North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota (each of them home mainly to Minnesota Vikings fans), and Illinois (home mainly to Chicago Bears fans).[citation needed]
  • Men's Health Magazine voted Favre the "Toughest Person in America" in 2003.[25]
  • His high school, Hancock North Central (Kiln, Miss.), honored him in May 2004 by renaming its field, ‘Brett Favre Field,’ and unveiling a life-sized statue of the quarterback at the stadium’s entrance. The school previously had retired his jersey (No. 10) in 1993.[citation needed]
  • Established the 'Brett Favre Fourward Foundation’ in 1996; in conjunction with his annual golf tournament, celebrity softball game and fundraising dinners, foundation has donated more than $2 million to charities in his home state of Mississippi as well as to those in his adopted state of Wisconsin.[26]
  • He won the NFL's sexiest man competition run by Fox Sports on January 22, 2006.[28]

Records and milestones

Favre currently possesses a number of NFL records:

  • Most seasons with 20 or more touchdown passes: 12 (1994-2005)
  • Most seasons with 30 or more touchdown passes: 8 (1994-1998, 2001, 2003-2004)
  • Most consecutive seasons with 30 or more touchdown passes: 5 (1994-1998)
  • Most consecutive seasons with 20 or more touchdown passes: 12 (1994-2005)
  • Most seasons leading the league in touchdown passes: 4
  • Most consecutive 3,000+ yards passing seasons: 15 (1992-2006)
  • Most consecutive 300+ completion seasons: 14 (1992-2005)
  • Most consecutive NFL MVP awards: 3 (1995, 1996, 1997)
  • Most NFL MVP awards: 3 (all in a row)[29]
  • Most consecutive starts by a quarterback: 234 (254 including playoffs)
  • Longest touchdown pass: 99 yards (to Robert Brooks, 1995)[30](tied with several others)

Only five other quarterbacks in NFL history have recorded at least two consecutive 30-touchdown passing seasons in their careers: Steve Bartkowski,[31] Dan Fouts,[32] Dan Marino,[33] Jeff Garcia,[34] Y.A. Tittle.[35]

From 2002 to 2004, Favre threw a touchdown pass in 36 consecutive games,[36] the second longest streak ever behind Johnny Unitas' 47.[37]

Favre continues to close in on several NFL career records.[2] As of the twelfth week of the 2006 NFL season, Favre stands at:

  • Second all-time in career passing touchdowns, with 413 (Marino, 420)[38]
  • Second all-time in career passing yards, with 56,756 (Marino, 61,361)
  • Second all-time in career pass completions, with 4,954 (Marino, 4,967)
  • Second all-time in career pass attempts, with 8,095 (Marino, 8,358)
  • Second all-time in single stadium passing yards, with 25,306 (Elway, 27,889)
  • Second all-time in career points by a quarterback, with 2,556 (Marino, 2,574)
  • Second all-time in career record and wins by a staring quarterback regular season and playoffs combined, with 155-99 (Elway, 162-90-1; Marino, 155-103)
  • Third all-time in career starts by a NFL quarterback, with 234 (Marino, 147-93; Tarkenton, 125-109-6 Both had 240)
  • Third all-time in career record by a starting quarterback, at 144-90 (Elway, 148-82-1; Marino, 147-93)
  • Third all-time in career wins by starting quarterback, with 144 (Elway, 148; Marino, 147)
  • Third all-time in career consecutive STARTS by a NFL player, with 234 (Mick Tingelhoff, 240; Jim Marshall, 270)
  • Third all-time in career games by a quarterback, with 238 (Marino, 242; Tarkenton, 246) (Earl Morrall, 255 and George Blanda, 340 played more games, but most of their games were as kickers)
  • Third all-time in interceptions thrown, with 267 (John Hadl, 268; George Blanda, 277)

In addition, Favre owns a number of team records, having printed his name into almost every passing category in the annals of Green Bay Packers history.

Only one player has caught a Brett Favre pass in both college and NFL play. The passes were interceptions, caught by cornerback Deion Sanders - as a Seminole at Florida State in college; then as a Dallas Cowboy and as a Baltimore Raven in the NFL.

Consecutive starts

Considered the Iron Man of the NFL, Favre is the only NFL player to have started every game his team has played over the past 14-year period.[39] Brett Favre is currently in first place for consecutive NFL games started by a quarterback. During the first 200 straight games started by Favre, 178 other quarterbacks started in the NFL. In that time, the St. Louis Rams alone have started 13 different quarterbacks.

Career stats

Regular season

Year Passing Rushing
Comp Att Yds TD Int Att Yds Avg TD
1991 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 0.0 0
1992 302 471 3227 18 13 47 198 4.2 1
1993 318 522 3303 19 24 58 216 3.7 1
1994 363 582 3882 33 14 42 202 4.8 2
1995 359 570 4413 38 13 39 181 4.6 3
1996 325 543 3899 39 13 49 136 2.8 2
1997 304 513 3867 35 16 58 187 3.2 1
1998 347 551 4212 31 23 40 133 3.3 1
1999 341 595 4091 22 23 28 142 5.1 0
2000 338 580 3812 20 16 27 108 4.0 0
2001 314 510 3921 32 15 38 56 1.5 1
2002 341 551 3658 27 16 25 73 2.9 0
2003 308 471 3361 32 21 18 15 0.8 0
2004 346 540 4088 30 17 16 36 2.3 0
2005 372 607 3881 20 29 18 62 3.4 0
2006 276 484 3141 17 12 20 31 1.5 1
Total 4,954 8,095 56,756 413 267 523 1,776 3.4 13

He also has one reception for -7 yard, which was his first ever completion. It was to himself.

Playoff records

  • Career Playoff Record: 11-9 (20 Career Playoff Games - Dan Marino had 18; Elway, 22; Montana, 23)
  • First all-time in career playoff interceptions thrown with 26
  • Second all-time in career playoff pass completions with 401 (Montana, 463)
  • Second all-time in career playoff passing touchdowns with 34 (Montana, 45)
  • Third all-time in career playoff pass attempts with 663 (Marino, 687; Montana, 732)
  • Third all-time in career playoff passing yards with 4902 (Elway, 4964; Montana, 5772)

Notes and references

  1. ^ Mississippi Choctaw chief to speak at Brett Favre Day, 7 May 2004.
  2. ^ a b Favre Watch from Packers.com, obtained 13 December, 2006.
  3. ^ Brett Favre Timeline. Posted 5 September, 2002.
  4. ^ Biography at wireimage.com
  5. ^ The NFL's Punitive Substance Abuse Policy. Posted 19 October, 2006.
  6. ^ Green Bay Packers, 1919-Present.
  7. ^ NFL, NCAA, AFL Quarterback Rating Calculator. Accessed 15 November, 2006.
  8. ^ Record and Fact Book: The Definintive Source for NFL Information. Individual Records: Sacks. Accessed 15 November, 2006.
  9. ^ Freeman, Mike. "PRO FOOTBALL: INSIDE THE N.F.L.; Favre Was Not First To Grant Special Favor." New York Times, January 13, 2002.
  10. ^ Packers-Raiders Recap from Packers.com, posted 24 December, 2003.
  11. ^ Favre, Parrish, Cundiff earn NFC awards from NFL.com, posted 25 December, 2003.
  12. ^ The 2004 ESPY Awards winners from espn.com, retrieved 12 December, 2006.
  13. ^ NFL Passing Stats 2005 statistics from espn.com obtained 12 December, 2006
  14. ^ Favre says he's leaning toward retirement. Posted 30 January 2006.
  15. ^ Favre to play '06 season for Packers from AP, posted 26 April, 2006.
  16. ^ Favre, Packers shut out by Bears 26-0 from NFL.com, posted 10 September 2006.
  17. ^ A painful lesson from JSonline, posted 12 November, 2006.
  18. ^ The 400 Club: Favre joins Marino's class. 27 September, 2006.
  19. ^ Favre's Father Dies At 58 AP story
  20. ^ a b Deanna Favre gives Green Bay another reason to cheer from USA Today posted 19 October, 2005
  21. ^ Cancer taught Favre value of life. Posted 14 October, 2006.
  22. ^ Packers feel the effects of Katrina from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted 13 August, 2005.
  23. ^ Favre Deals With More Heartache from Packers.com posted 14 December, 2005.
  24. ^ Every Day is Brett Favre Day in Cheeseland. Posted 1 December, 2004.
  25. ^ Bringing Social Justice Through Sports. Posted 27 October, 2006.
  26. ^ The Brett Favre Fourward Foundation.
  27. ^ Brett Favre's IMDb page
  28. ^ Who is the NFL's Sexiest Man?
  29. ^ AP MVP winners at databaseFootball.com
  30. ^ Favre extends domination of Bears. Posted 9 October 2002.
  31. ^ Steve Bartkowski's page at profootballreference.com
  32. ^ Dan Fouts's page at profootballreference.com
  33. ^ Dan Marino's page at profootballreference.com
  34. ^ Jeff Garcia's page at profootballreference.com
  35. ^ Y.A. Tittle's page at profootballreference.com
  36. ^ NFL Game Summary - Green Bay at Philadelphia.
  37. ^ Favre from finished. Accessed 13 November, 2006.
  38. ^ Brett Favre Stats at Pro Football Reference
  39. ^ Favre's statistics at www.packers.com.
Preceded by Green Bay Packers Starting Quarterbacks
1992- 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by NFL Most Valuable Player
1995, 1996 & 1997 seasons
(Co-MVP Barry Sanders in 1997) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year
1995 		Succeeded by
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