Brett Favre knows what it is like to be pushed aside for a younger QB. It took three years, but the Packers finally handed the keys to Aaron Rodgers after Favre’s Hall-of-Fame career.
Favre was replaced by Aaron Rodgers in 2008. The QB who sat behind the Hall of Famer was 6-10 as a rookie and was 18-of-22 for 178 yards and a TD in a loss to the Vikings in his first start. Favre by then had traded Green Bay for Gang Green, the New York Jets.
Now, Favre is weighing on in what he believes Eli Manning had to be thinking after Daniel Jones replaced the two-time Super Bowl winner and led the Giants to a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Tampa Bay Sunday. Jones scored a pair of rushing TDs, including the game-winner on a fourth-down play late and threw for 336 yards and two more TDs in the 32-31 win.
“You and I and anyone else can only speculate what Eli was thinking,” Favre said on his weekly Sirius XM NFL Radio show, “but you have to think that deep down inside a part of him, not wanted to see Daniel Jones fail but not play at the level he did.
” … “Not that Eli has to prove anything to anyone,” Favre said. “The short-term it really makes you look bad.And all the things that have been leading to the team’s losses falls back on you — and you know that’s not the case. It’s hard to say, ‘Heck, I guess it’s me. I guess the reason we are losing these games is because of me.’ You have to believe that at some point that crosses his mind.”
Favre took time to praise the Duke rookie’s poise.
“… the fact that he is replacing, I think, a future Hall of Famer in a hostile environment — and I’m talking about really from your own fans, the expectation level is always at an all-time high in New York. And the patience level is at a very low standard with the fans there. They expect it now. And he delivered.
“I think what really impressed me throughout the entire game was his poise. He played as if that was his 50th start, and just seemed calm and cool and collected in every phase and at every point during the game.”
