Garrett commends Favre’s toughness as QB enters Hall of Fame
Brett Favre will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Canton, Ohio.
He’ll be joined by Edward “Eddie” DeBartolo Jr., Tony Dungy, Kevin Greene, Marvin Harrison, Orlando Pace, Ken Stabler, and Dick Stanfel.
Favre’s statistics are overwhelming.
He played 20 seasons with four teams — Atlanta, Green Bay, New York Jets and Minnesota — and retired as the NFL’s all-time leading passer with 6,300 completions, 10,169 attempts, 71,838 yards and 508 touchdowns.
Yet, there’s another stat that jumps out to Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett.
Favre started an NFL record 321 consecutive games, 297 regular-season games and 24 playoff games. The streak began on Sept. 27, 1992 and ended on Dec. 5, 2010 with a shoulder injury.
“Incredible football player — just an incredible player. So talented physically, just a great athlete, could throw the ball anywhere on the field,” said Garrett, who outdueled Favre in a Thanksgiving game in 1994 won by Dallas 42-31. “But for me, the intangible qualities that he had are what separated him. You think about all the records he has — the one that stands out, the longest shot for me — is the consecutive starts. The toughness that he played with, the competitive spirit that he played with, how that pervaded their whole team — he just played with a great spirit.
“You can like football, you can not like football, you can like the Packers, you can not like the Packers — if you watch that guy play, nothing but unbelievable admiration for him and how he went about it for a long, long time. Great football player.”
Here’s a snapshot of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2016:
Eddie Debartolo Jr.
Position/contributor: Owner
College: Notre Dame
NFL: 1977-2000 San Francisco
Presenter: Lisa DeBartolo, Edward’s daughter
Notable: Purchased 49ers in 1977. ... In 1979, hired Bill Walsh as team’s head coach and drafted quarterback Joe Montana. ... Team averaged 13 wins a season, including playoffs, during a span from 1981 to 1998 (not including strike-shortened 1982 season).
Tony Dungy
Position/contributor: Coach
College: Minnesota
NFL: 1996-2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2002-08 Indianapolis Colts
Presenter: Donnie Shell, Tony’s teammate
Notable: Took over Bucs team in 1996 that had suffered 12 double-digit loss seasons in previous 13 years. ... In six seasons in Tampa Bay, team made four trips to the playoffs. ... During seven years in Indianapolis, Colts posted 12 or more wins in every season except his first when they finished 10-6, claimed five divisional titles, and beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
Brett Favre
Position/contributor: Quarterback
College: Southern Miss
NFL: 1991 Atlanta Falcons, 1992-2007 Green Bay Packers, 2008 New York Jets, 2009-2010 Minnesota Vikings
Presenter: Deanna Favre, Brett’s wife
Notable: Played 20 seasons and 302 games ... Drafted in second round of 1991 draft by Falcons then traded to Green Bay following rookie season. … Played 16 seasons in Green Bay ... Retired as the NFL’s all-time leading passer with 6,300 completions, 10,169 attempts, 71,838 yards and 508 touchdowns … First-team All-Pro three consecutive seasons and second-team All-Pro twice
Kevin Greene
Position/contributor: Linebacker/defensive end
College: Auburn
NFL: 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers
Presenter: Dom Capers, Kevin’s coach with the Steelers and Panthers
Notable: Played 15 seasons and 228 games. … Selected by Rams in fifth round (113th player overall) in 1985 draft. ... Had double-digit sack totals 10 times in career, second in record book at the time. … Named to Pro Bowl five times (once with the Rams, twice with Steelers and Panthers).
Marvin Harrison
Position: Wide receiver
College: Syracuse
NFL: 1996-2008 Indianapolis Colts
Presenter: Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts owner
Notable: Played 13 seasons and 190 games. … Selected in first round (19th player overall) in 1996. … Colts obtained pick in trade with Falcons in exchange for quarterback Jeff George. … Had eight consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving, 10 or more touchdowns. … Set NFL single-season record for receptions (143) and had career-high 1,722 yards and 11 TDs in 2002. ... Led Colts to Super Bowl XLI win over Chicago.
Orlando Pace
Position/contributor: offensive tackle
College: Ohio State
NFL: 1997-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Chicago Bears
Presenter: Justin Pace, Orlando’s son
Notable: Played 13 seasons and 169 games. … Selected by St. Louis in the first round (first player overall) of 1997 NFL Draft. … First offensive lineman selected first overall since 1968. … Started all 16 games seven times during his 13-season career. … Started 165 of 169 games played. … Blocked for three consecutive NFL MVPs (QB Kurt Warner, 1999, 2001 and RB Marshall Faulk in 2000).
Ken Stabler
Position: Quarterback
College: Alabama
NFL: 1970-79 Oakland Raiders, 1980-81 Houston Oilers, 1982-84 New Orleans Saints
Presenter: John Madden, Hall of Fame coach
Notable: Played 15 seasons and 184 games. … Left-handed passer drafted in second round of the 1968 draft by Raiders. … Joined team in 1970 and guided Oakland to winning records in each of his nine seasons as a starter including five consecutive division crowns. … Traded to Houston and led Oilers to 11-5 mark, 1980. Stabler died of colon cancer on July 8, 2015 at 69.
Dick Stanfel
Position: Guard
College: San Francisco
NFL: 1952-55 Detroit Lions, 1956-58 Washington Redskins
Presenter: Marv Levy, Hall of Fame coach
Notable: Played seven seasons and 73 games. … Selected by Detroit in second round (19th player overall) of 1951 draft. … Lions advanced to the NFL championship game in first three seasons. … Won back-to-back world titles 1952-53. … Team’s Most Valuable Player in 1953 championship season, an honor rarely bestowed to an offensive lineman. … Played three seasons in Washington and continued to be regarded among NFL’s elite players. … Died in June of 2015 at 87.
Source: Pro Football Hall of Fame
This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 10:50 AM with the headline "Garrett commends Favre’s toughness as QB enters Hall of Fame."