Tag: Brett Favre

Brett Favre thinks Tom Brady’s game is still elite: ‘Cast around him was not up to par’

“I hear a lot of so-called experts say his age is catching up with him. I don’t see that.”

Brett Favre believes in New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Favre doesn’t see what so many are seeing: a decline in Brady’s game.

On paper, it’s obvious. Brady had one of his worst statistical seasons of his career in 2019, with a 60.8 completion %, 4,057 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Favre doesn’t think the blame falls on a 42-year-old Brady, however.

“Tom and I have had conversations over the last two or three years, after the season was over, where I felt the need to tell him my opinion, and I felt like his game had not declined one bit, and I feel the same way this year,” Favre told TMZ.com on Wednesday. “I hear a lot of so-called experts say his age is catching up with him. I don’t see that. I saw a quarterback still doing what he does but the cast around him was not up to par.”

Over the last few seasons, the Patriots have traded away Brandin Cooks and watched Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan depart in free agency. They have also seen Gronk retire. All the while, the Patriots have tried and failed to add players like Josh Gordon and Antonio Brown as replacements. That has left the Patriots with an aging but impressive Julian Edelman and then a cast of under-performers: Mohamed Sanu, N’Keal Harry and Phillip Dorsett. Still, Brady has built his career upon helping elevate the play of a subpar supporting cast. Why was this season different?

“His game is as good as it’s ever been. His cast is — I don’t want to say is not good — is inexperienced,” Favre said.

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Jets great Mark Gastineau says he’s NFL’s sack champ: ‘It’s my record’

Jets legend Mark Gastineau believes he holds the NFL single-season sack record.

Jets great Mark Gastineau believes he holds the NFL’s single-season sack record, not Michael Strahan.

Gastineau recorded 22 sacks for the Jets in 1984, setting the single-season record, which he held for 17 years. Then, in 2001, Strahan recorded 22.5 sacks for the Giants. Strahan’s last sack, however, was marred by controversy, and now Gastineau is making his true feelings over the record known.

“It’s my record, and I want it to be known that it’s my record,” Gastineau told ESPN. “I’m not going to say, ‘I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.’ It’s my record.”

Gastineau — and many others — think Strahan’s final sack in the final game of the 2001 season was a gimme. The Giants played the Packers that day, and some thought Brett Favre intentionally went down on the play to give Strahan the record-breaking sack.

Gastineau has had no public qualms about the record in the past. However, his health has declined in recent years due to colon cancer and now he wants to set the record straight.

“Being nice and being a good sport, that’s good, but it’s not real,” Gastineau said. “In fact, I’m kind of a liar in a way. I feel like there’s just something wrong.

“This is on my head all the time. It goes through my head all the time. I want to clear things up.”

Gastineau has every right to believe he should still be the record-holder, but the stats are what they are. Quarterbacks in today’s game are giving themselves up so they don’t have to take a hit, especially the older ones.

Regardless of who the history books recognize, Gastineau had a historic 1984 season. It’s not the end of the world that he doesn’t have the single-season sack record, but he clearly feels he is the deserving holder.

“It’s a good record and it took me a long time to get that,” he said. “It took a lot of work, a lot of work to get that record. So many years I worked my butt off to get it, and I finally got it, and it shouldn’t have been cheapened like it was. It’s like a tarnished record.”

Former Jets GM used hunting, fishing to bring Brett Favre to New York

Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum convinced Brett Favre to play for the Jets after telling him to go fishing and hunting.

With the NFL offseason underway, player movement is around the corner. As that process unfolds, details as to how teams courted their top targets are sure to emerge.

Sometimes, that just means fancy visits, lengthy talks and offering the most money. But, often teams go the extra mile to get their guy. That was the case with the Jets in 2008 when they convinced Brett Favre to come out of retirement and play for them.

After Favre came out of retirement, he and the Packers talked about a possible return. However, they ultimately agreed that it was time to part ways, but Green Bay wasn’t going to just release the Hall of Fame quarterback. So they put him on the trade market and received calls from the Buccaneers and Jets, among other teams. Of course, there was no guarantee Favre would play for just any team he was traded to.

Jon Gruden was the coach of the Bucs and was once Favre’s offensive coordinator in Green Bay. Gruden told Favre that Tampa Bay wasn’t a far flight from his hometown in Mississippi and that New York City wouldn’t fit his lifestyle.

That led former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum to take a deep dive into Favre’s hobbies. The exec assured the gunslinger that he would still be able to do some of his favorite outdoor activities.

“We’re going to make it mandatory on Monday afternoon and Tuesday hunt and fish at our owner’s farm 20 minutes away,” Tannenbaum, now with ESPN, said on Get Up. “He didn’t believe us; we actually sent Google satellite imaging of the farms.”

Once Favre heard those words, he approved a trade to the Jets. New York sent the Packers a mid-round pick in exchange.

Luckily for the Jets, they moved their training facility from Long Island to North Jersey that season. It was more of a rural area than urban, so it had plenty of spots for Favre to fish and hunt.

In Favre’s only season with the Jets, he led them to a 9-7 record, but they missed the playoffs. It was Eric Mangini’s last season as head coach.

If it wasn’t for Tannenbaum’s clever convincing, Favre may have never been a Jet. Make what you will of the quarterback’s lone season with Gang Green, but you have to give Tannenbaum credit for getting creative.

Tom Brady shares epic Instagram photo with almost all of his ‘idols’

Tom Brady experienced a moment he’ll never forget before Super Bowl LIV. 

Tom Brady experienced a moment he’ll never forget before Super Bowl LIV.

Brady, along with the rest of the NFL 100 All-Time Team, was celebrated before the game. He took a photo alongside Brett Favre, John Elway, Roger Staubach, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana and Dan Marino — all of which are legends in their own rights.

“It’s not often you get to meet your idols. In this picture, I was lucky enough to be with almost all of them. I am so thankful for them inspiring me to be the best I could be! This is truly my dream, coming true,” Brady said in an Instagram post.

Brady joined Jim Gray on Westwood One Radio during halftime of the game and reflected on the moment.

“That (photo) is being hung up in my office because I said it is not often that you get to meet your idol and I happened to be around just about every one of them there at one time, in one picture,” Brady said. “Steve Young was another one that could just as easily been up there with us. That would have kind of made it all complete, but just again, very, very cool moment for me in my life. I have been a part of some really great ones, and to stand there with all the other incredible athletes, players who have performed so well for such long periods of time in the NFL, is one of the coolest moments I have ever experienced.”

It was a pretty cool day for me personally, just to be there and take in the energy of the stadium, but to see the guys who I have looked up to for so long. In the pregame, it was very surreal standing in a room with the greatest players in the history of the NFL. It was a great celebration and obviously when the game kicked off, I think it has lived up to its billing.”

Brady, 42, is preparing for his first stint in free agency and his future team is still up in the air for 2020.

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Drew Brees will stream Super Bowl LIV with Brett Favre and Joe Montana

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is taking a momentous step towards the broadcaster’s booth, starting with Super Bowl LIV.

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Here’s a curve ball for your Super Bowl viewing plans: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be commentating on the game alongside two other legendary NFL quarterbacks in Joe Montana and Brett Favre, in a special broadcast streaming on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The panel will be joined by FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt.

FOX executive vice president for digital David Katz explained the unique approach to the Washington Post’s Ben Strauss: “The whole goal is a second-screen experience. [Viewers] aren’t locked away staring at a television intently. People have their phones next to them, and we believe something like this is a ‘timeline stopper.’”

It’s an interesting approach to say the least. The star-studded crew will watch Super Bowl LIV from a suite at Hard Rock Stadium, with various other big-name personalities from around the league visiting in at times to join the conversation.

“The idea here is it’s a hang,” Katz told Strauss, stressing how casual the discourse expects to be. This stream will not feature game footage, with the idea being that fans can view it on their phones, tablets, or other devices while the Super Bowl is played on their televisions. “It’s almost like you’re in the living room with these three legends while they’re having a conversation among themselves.” Fans will be able to submit questions to the crew on Twitter with the hashtag #AskTheLegends.

While this is surely a fun opportunity for Brees, it’s a little disquieting given his professed interest in broadcasting gigs once he’s finished playing football. Hopefully he won’t enjoy it enough to leave the Saints too soon, with his contract expiring in March.

“I actually get to watch the game with Joe Montana and Brett Favre. It’s part of a cool piece we’re doing, we’ll be commenting on the game.” Brees said on The Rich Eisen Show. “We’re gonna analyze the game and talk through it as three QB’s just hanging out on the couch.”

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Brett Favre thinks Steve Hutchinson belongs in the Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre endorsed former Seattle Seahawks guard Steve Hutchinson for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

On February 1, 2020, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will choose five modern-era players from the 15-man ballot to elect into the class of 2020.

Of those 15 remaining players, two of them – running back Edgerrin James and guard Steve Hutchinson – played with the Seattle Seahawks.

Hutchinson has been a finalist a handful of times, and most believe this is the year he will finally get his bust in Canton.

Among those believers is Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, who played with Hutchinson for two years in Minnesota from 2009-2010.

Favre jumped on Twitter to voice his support for Hutch, calling him the best guard he’s ever played with and stating that he never gave up a sack or a pressure during their time as teammates.

Hutchinson was a seven time Pro Bowler and a five time All-Pro in a career that spanned from 2001-2012. He spent the first five seasons of his career in a Seahawks uniform, helping to form one of the best left sides of an offensive line in NFL history alongside Hall of Famer Walter Jones.

With a strong group of finalists, including James, Troy Polamalu, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Leroy Butler, it will be hard to limit the group to just five. However, Hutchinson’s career accolades are enough for him to reach the Hall, and 2020 might be his year.

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The NFL’s 25 best postseason players from the Super Bowl era

The NFL’s 25 best postseason players from the Super Bowl era

 

The biggest conference championship upsets in NFL history

Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL — not even a trip to the Super Bowl. Here are the most shocking upsets in conference championship history.

Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL — not even a trip to the Super Bowl despite a team’s status as the best in the conference or the league. Balls take funny bounces, established teams can be taken apart by upstarts, and individual performances can usurp the efforts of others. As such, there have been several surprise results in conference championship games. Here are the biggest such upsets in NFL history.

January 10, 1982: San Francisco 49ers 28, Dallas Cowboys 27

(Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports)

Was the game that gave us “The Catch” and marked the beginning of Bill Walsh’s 49ers dynasty an upset? Based on past performance, it would appear to be so. Tom Landry’s team hadn’t missed the playoffs since 1974, and the 49ers hadn’t made the playoffs since 1972, with only one winning season in that time before their surprising 13-3 campaign in 1981. Dallas came into the game as three-point road favorites, and they had a 27-21 lead before Joe Montana found Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone with 51 seconds left in the game. Walsh beat Paul Brown, his former mentor, in Super Bowl XVI two weeks later, 26-21. It was the first of three Lombardi Trophies for Walsh, perhaps the greatest offensive mind in NFL history.

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The NFL’s 25 best postseason players from the Super Bowl era

Maybe one day Patrick Mahomes or, who knows who else (Joe Burrows even? Heh. Too soon? Too soon?) might join this list, but for now, let’s go with these 25. Some were clear choices while others you might dispute for someone else, but it’s obviously …

Maybe one day Patrick Mahomes or, who knows who else (Joe Burrows even? Heh. Too soon? Too soon?) might join this list, but for now, let’s go with these 25. Some were clear choices while others you might dispute for someone else, but it’s obviously a list full of Super Bowl MVP QBs, so guessing the top 10 or 12 should be easy. The rest are guys you sometimes forget about. With research, marginal recall and experts’ input, here’s the final call.

(Editor’s note: These are not ranked, although the first few are the ones that quickly became clear.)

Tom Brady

(Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

He’s at the top of the list for reasons: He’s guided the Patriots to nine (!) Super Bowls and six titles and he has four Super Bowl MVP trophies, all NFL records.

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