Tag: Brett Favre

Ranking the top 20 Bears games of the decade

On the eve of a new decade, we’re counting down the Bears’ best games of this past decade — including some real blasts from the past.

Between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019, the Chicago Bears played 164 games, including three playoff games, compiling a record of 78-86. Surprising playoff runs in 2010 and 2018 were sandwiched around lengthy stretches of mediocrity from 2013-2017, and fans were treated to a below-average product for much of the decade.

Still, there were quite a few bright spots for the NFL’s charter franchise during the last 10 years, including memorable games that provided thrilling victories. As a disappointing 2019 season concludes, let’s look back on some of the better games and moments the ’10s had to offer.

To kick off the next decade as we enter 2020, here are my top 20 Bears games from the 2010s.

20. 2019, Week 14, Cowboys at Bears

Bears 31 – Cowboys 24: Easily the best game of an otherwise disappointing season, the Bears offense came alive in primetime against the Cowboys, with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky accounting for all four touchdowns with his arm and legs in arguably his best game as a Bear. On defense, despite not creating a turnover, the unit frustrated the Cowboys offense all evening with QB pressures and excellent play from their secondary. The matchup was a pseudo-playoff game, with the Bears keeping their hopes alive for one more week in a complete-team win.

19. 2018, Week 8, Bears at Bills

Bears 41 – Bills 9: While the Buffalo Bills weren’t a powerhouse in 2018, the Bears defense still made their offense look completely inept in a blowout. Forcing four turnovers, including three interceptions from quarterback Nathan Peterman, the Bears scored twice on defense thanks to outside linebacker Leonard Floyd’s pick six and safety Eddie Jackson’s fumble recovery, and limited the Bills’ offense to just 264 yards. The reason this game isn’t higher on the list is due to the Bears offensive performance, as they gained just 190 yards.

 

18. 2011, Week 1, Falcons at Bears

Bears 30 – Falcons 12: No, this wasn’t the Bears-Falcons matchup that saw the debut of quarterback Mike Glennon, this was the first game following the Bears heartbreaking loss to the Packers in the NFC Championship game. Led by quarterback Jay Cutler, who threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, the Bears won convincingly against the reigning NFC South champions and held the Falcon offense to just six points. This game also featured an impressive performance from Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who had an interception and a fumble recovery for a score. The defense had a total of three takeaways and started the 2011 season with a bang.

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Favre among 10 QBs on NFL’s all-time team

Favre played two seasons with the Vikings in 2009 and 2010

The NFL announced the 10 quarterbacks that will be on its all-time team to celebrate 100 seasons.

The only quarterback with ties to the Vikings to make the team was Brett Favre, which means Fran Tarkenton, who was a finalist, did not make the team.

But Favre played two seasons with the Vikings and gosh darnit, we will claim him!

The other quarterbacks to make the team were Sammy Baugh, Tom Brady, John Elway, Otto Graham, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Roger Staubach and Johnny Unitas.

Favre played two seasons with the Vikings in 2009 and 2010. His 2009 season was magical as he threw for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns while leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship.

Favre led the NFL in passing yards twice and touchdowns four times. With that, Favre also led the NFL in interceptions three seasons and his 336 career interceptions are first in NFL history by a wide margin (69).

Favre made it over players like Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. Personally, I think Brees probably has more of a case than Rodgers, but it really doesn’t matter, does it?

Players to spend time with the Vikings to make the all-time team include Favre, Jan Stenerud, Alan Page, John Randle, Randall McDaniel and Randy Moss.

NFL 100 All-Time Team discredits itself by snubbing Drew Brees

Saints QB Drew Brees joined LaDainian Tomlinson, Darrelle Revis, and Julio Jones on the list of players snubbed by the NFL 100 All-Time Team

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Well, they did it. The NFL 100 All-Time Team “blue ribbon panel” threw an interception late in the fourth quarter, condemning the product it put out to be remembered as something only worth laughing at.

It’s because they left off Drew Brees. The best player in New Orleans Saints history is also one of the greatest players in the NFL’s history. He’s breaking everyone else’s records each week after a career spent beating his peers head-to-head.

Among his generation of quarterbacks, he trails only Tom Brady in prestige, and that’s because Brady was fortunate enough to play with a defense that carried him to several championships early in his career. Now that they’re both on the back nine, there’s no comparing who plays at a higher level.

In addition to Brady, here are the quarterbacks who did make the cut on the NFL 100 All-Time Team (listed in alphabetical order):

  • Sammy Baugh
  • John Elway
  • Brett Favre
  • Otto Graham
  • Peyton Manning
  • Dan Marino
  • Joe Montana
  • Roger Staubach
  • Johnny Unitas

Most of those names are no-brainers; Brady, Favre, Manning, Marino, and Montana among them. The others are shamelessly catering to nostalgia, hyping up an era of football that wasn’t as impressive as some want to remember it. In the case of Baugh, the voters used his stats on defense and special teams to justify his inclusion, which is hilariously awkward.

Let’s be clear: nobody in the history of the NFL has done more with less than Brees, including everyone on this list. Until Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas rose to prominence in 2017, Brees had set the league on fire in New Orleans despite having shared the field with just one pass-catcher who earned a spot in the Pro Bowl (tight end Jimmy Graham). The Saints’ defensive personnel during Brees’ career is laughable, especially compared to the Hall of Fame-stocked units players like Brady, Manning, and Montana were able to lean on.

No, football was not better in the 1940’s — it was a sloppy, poorly-executed sport that hadn’t figured out important things like efficiency of movement or player safety just yet. Yes, it’s easier to pass in today’s game; that’s because decades of trail-and-error taught athletes the best ways to win. But those realities shouldn’t disqualify the best to ever do it from getting recognized for his accomplishments.

Overlooking the league’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns thrown in favor of quarterbacks who played in an era where most players (offensive linemen and defenders included) weighed 230 pounds or less is ridiculous. Are we really going to look back fondly on an era that predated desegregation?

This exercise has been lambasted before, for making head-scratching decisions like leaving off the NFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards per game (Julio Jones), or the best running back of the 2000’s (LaDainian Tomlinson), or the best cover corner in NFL history (Darrelle Revis). But Brees’ exclusion stands out even more glaring than the rest, because there are too many facts, stats, and other quantifiable values to argue against it.

If the voters wanted to highlight an often-forgotten era of the game and remember some of its most talented players, then fine, do that. But be honest about it. In this case, the selection panel let their feelings get in the way of the facts, and it led to Brees getting disrespected yet again in his storied NFL career. Here’s hoping they come to their senses when their votes really mean something, like induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Shelby Harris on Drew Lock: ‘He reminds me of Brett Favre’

“I grew up a Packer fan and he just reminds me of a gunslinger,” Broncos defensive lineman Shelby Harris said of quarterback Drew Lock.

Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock has been dubbed a “gunslinger” by many fans and pundits in Denver. The QB has an exciting style — he’ll run around and then bullet a pass to a receiver, bringing back memories of a legend to Packers fans.

“Drew is going out there and proving himself every week,” nose tackle Shelby Harris said after Sunday’s win over the Lions. “He has the whole locker room behind him, everyone loves him here.

“I swear, he reminds me of Brett Favre. I grew up a Packer fan and he just reminds me of a gunslinger. But we all love Drew and we’re all behind him. We just can’t wait to see his progression.”

Favre was a Super Bowl champion, 11-time Pro Bowler and three-time league MVP during his time in the NFL. Broncos fans would love to see Lock have that kind of success. The rookie’s off to a pretty good start.

Lock is 3-1 as a starter and will look to improve that record against the Raiders on Sunday. Denver is considered a 3.5-point favorite.

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Brett Favre has high praise for Sean Payton-Drew Brees duo

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre commended New Orleans Saints passer Drew Brees for what he and coach Sean Payton have accomplished.

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Brett Favre may have went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a storied career with the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and briefly the New York Jets, but his heart has always been with the team he grew up cheering for: the New Orleans Saints. Favre grew up in nearby Kiln, Miss., where he and his family remain ardent supporters of the black and gold. He still keeps up with the Saints, and he and his young grandson called Drew Brees to congratulate him after the Saints’ dramatic Week 1 victory over the Houston Texans.

Favre was watching again when Brees shattered the NFL record for career passing touchdowns — a record he once held himself, before Peyton Manning surpassed him. In an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio, Favre credited Brees for his personal success, and what he and Saints coach Sean Payton have accomplished together. He puts them up there against any other coach-quarterback duo in the league.

As far as that goes, Favre argues that Payton and Brees deserve the respect given to the New England Patriots. “Whether you like it or not, you just kind of expect (opponents to say), ‘Well, we can’t beat the Patriots ’cause they have (Bill) Belichick and (Tom) Brady.’ You know, you feel that way about Drew Brees, and I always like to include Sean Payton in this because I think that duo itself is by far the most prolific in history. It’s still writing their own record books.”

That’s some seriously high praise, and it’s coming from someone who knows a thing or two about what it takes to win in the NFL. Favre’s comments just speak to the kind of respect Brees and Payton have earned around the league, and what kind of company they’ve joined after sustaining success for so long.

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Can you guess the NFL’s all-time top 10 for touchdown passes?

If you watched Drew Brees’ record-breaking performance on Monday Night Football – and, realistically, even if you didn’t – you know who the NFL’s top two (well, probably top three) quarterbacks are when it comes to all-time touchdown passes. But can …

If you watched Drew Brees’ record-breaking performance on Monday Night Football — and, realistically, even if you didn’t — you know who the NFL’s top two (well, probably top three) quarterbacks are when it comes to all-time touchdown passes.

But can you correctly name QBs No. 4 through No. 10?

Find out.

(Stats, as of Monday, Dec. 18, 2019, courtesy of Pro Football Reference)

(Photo by Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports)

1. Drew Brees (541)

(Photo by Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)
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Drew Brees in position to surpass Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and break TD record

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees can make football history on Monday Night Football, and surpass both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

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Fortune kept giving New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady opportunities, but he just couldn’t seize them. When New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees missed five games with an injury to his throwing hand, sidelining him from their race to unseat Peyton Manning as the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown passes, Brady failed to take control of the race and held the door open long enough for Brees to catch up to him.

Again, in Week 15, Brady had a shot at breaking the record before Brees. He was playing one of the NFL’s worst teams a day before Brees would take the “Monday Night Football” stage, and just needed rack up some scores on the lowly Cincinnati Bengals. But he couldn’t get it done.

Now, Brees is set to star in prime-time and surpass Brady and Manning both. Brees will take the field against the Indianapolis Colts with 537 career touchdown passes to his credit, trailing Brady (538) and Manning (539) for the record. A single passing touchdown will tie him with Brady. Two will match the mark with Manning. Three or more rewrites the NFL record books.

The enormity of this record can’t be summed up just by comparing Brees to those two all-time greats, though. Before Brett Favre broke the record Dan Marino set in 1999 (ending his career with 420 career passing touchdowns; Favre shattered that total with 508), the record stood for nearly a decade. When Marino broke it himself, he did so after Fran Tarkenton retired with 342 career touchdowns passes — back in 1978. It took 17 years for anyone to best the mark Tarkenton established.

And it might take that long for anyone to break the record Brees could set, once it’s all said and done. Though he’s tied with Brady for now, they could both retire in the next year or two and not shock anyone. Whoever ends up winning this record will hold onto it for a long, long time. Many of the active quarterbacks behind Brees and Brady are closer to retiring themselves than playing in their prime. Here’s how the standings shake out among them, with ages in parentheses:

  1.  Tom Brady (42), 538 touchdown passes
  2. Drew Brees (41 in January), 537 touchdown passes
  3. Philip Rivers (38), 395 touchdown passes
  4. Eli Manning (39 in January), 366 touchdown passes
  5. Ben Roethlisberger (37), 363 touchdown passes
  6. Aaron Rodgers (36), 362 touchdown passes
  7. Matt Ryan (34), 319 touchdown passes
  8. Matthew Stafford (31), 256 touchdown passes
  9. Russell Wilson (31), 224 touchdown passes
  10. Joe Flacco (35 in January), 218 touchdown passes

Of the names on that list, only Rodgers, Ryan, Stafford, and Wilson feel like they may have the staying power (and secure starting jobs) to challenge Brees (or Brady) someday. But even that’s pushing it; if each of them averaged 30 touchdown passes a year (a tall order considering only two quarterbacks have done so this year, with two games remaining), here’s how old they would be when they get to 540 or more career passing touchdowns:

  • Aaron Rodgers (42, six years)
  • Matt Ryan (42, eight years)
  • Matthew Stafford (41, ten years)
  • Russell Wilson (42, eleven years)

So, yeah: if there’s any realistic challengers to the throne Brees (or Brady) will one day sit on, it will take them almost a decade or more to close the gap, and that’s with them playing at a sustained, high level. That isn’t a guarantee especially for players with frequent injury issues (Stafford), or who are stuck in run-first offenses (Wilson), or who are simply cursed to never win anything due to playing for the Atlanta Falcons (Ryan). Maybe Rodgers catches up, but he doesn’t feel like the type of fanatical competitor who will want to continue playing football deep into his forties.

That’s just added motivation for Brees to go out and break Manning’s record (which was Favre’s record, and Marino’s record, and Tarkenton’s record), and cement himself among the greatest quarterbacks to ever spin a football. Sure, it’s not something that will be actively on his mind during the game, but this record and the implications it carries have to be something Brees is aware of. As his career continues winding down and becoming the stuff of legend, it’s records like this that will pad out his Hall of Fame-worthy resume. Saints fans should take every opportunity to enjoy Brees and what he’s done while he’s still wearing shoulderpads.

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Brett Favre believes Eli Manning can be ‘huge’ for another team

Brett Favre believes New York Giants QB Eli Manning can be a “huge” asset for another team in 2020 and beyond.

No one knows what the future holds for New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning past this season. He is in the final year of his contract and with the Giants turning the keys over to rookie Daniel Jones, if Manning wants to continue his career, he’ll likely have to do it elsewhere.

After watching Manning toss two touchdowns on Monday night against the Eagles, there are some who think Eli can help a team become a winner next year should he decide to play on.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre thinks Manning can definitely put the right team over the top. Favre came out of retirement after his career with the Packers to play with the Jets and then the Vikings so he knows there is life after 40 in the NFL.

Eli chose not to waive his no-trade clause in his contract this past October so he can stay close to his family and the Giants, should they have needed him, which turned out to be the case.

In March, he’ll be a free agent and if he gets signed by a team, will count towards the compensatory draft pick formula for 2021.

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