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The Falcons were coming off a playoff year in ‘91 led by their Pro Bowl quarterback Chris Miller. So, when Packers GM Ron Wolf called Atlanta offering a first round pick for third string backup quarterback Brett Favre, the Falcons salivated at the swap.
Favre was a nobody out of Southern Mississippi who was stuck behind two other signal callers. He had an amazing arm, but no one in the Falcons organization knew if the ball was going to land in the receiver’s hands or some guy’s lap in the stands.
Favre played only a few snaps his rookie year in Atlanta and his first pass as a professional was thrown for a touchdown... to the other team. On top of his poor play, he also liked to party nightly and often would show up to meetings late or hung over. He even missed a team photo shoot, because he had been drinking the whole night before and often got into sparring matches with then head coach Jerry Glanville.
A first round pick for a third-stringer who loved to party and wasn’t going to see the field in anyway? Done deal.
The Falcons would eventually live to regret the move and the Packers reaped all the benefits in what turned out to be one of the most lopsided trades in the history of the NFL.
Atlanta used its newly acquired first round pick on Favre’s teammate at Southern Miss, Tony Smith, a running back who often went down after first contact and never panned out.
Ironically, Miller got hurt the next season and the Falcons didn’t have a decent quarterback until they traded for Jeff George in ‘94.
When Favre got to Green Bay, the organization was going through some down years and in major need of a hero. In ‘02, starting quarterback Don Majkowski went down with an injury to the Cincinnati Bengals and Favre was inserted into the game
Despite a poor performance statistically, Favre led a Packers comeback that featured a game-winning touchdown pass to Kitrick Taylor with 13 seconds remaining in the contest.
Favre started the very next game and is now the only professional athlete in any sport to have started every game for his team over the past 15-year period.
He has led Green Bay to two Super Bowl appearances and won one (‘96-97 vs. New England Patriots). Favre has also won a record three MVP trophies, all in consecutive years (‘95, ‘96, ‘97).
Favre has been selected to eight Pro Bowls and has shattered almost every Green Bay record for passing. He has the most seasons with 30 or more touchdown passes (8) and has led the league in touchdown passes a record four times.
He holds Green Bay’s career passing yards record with 57,500, its career passing touchdown mark with 414 and its career completions stat with 5,021. Favre also holds the Packers’ record for career passing attempts (8,233), consecutive games started (237) and career wins as a quarterback (147).
The only other players to have more passing touchdowns, yards, completions and attempts in a career than Favre is Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino. Favre finishes second in every single one of the aforementioned categories.
To list every one of Favre’s accomplishments would take up an entire 120-page book and what he has meant to the NFL and the Green Bay Packers organization could never be put into words.
Favre is the Green Bay Packers and in most cases, is the consummate NFL quarterback. He is tough as nails playing through injuries and more heartbreaking, deaths of his father, brother-in-law and the diagnosis of breast cancer to his wife, Deanna.
Despite all of the trials and tribulations, Favre always comes to work and fights to keep the Packers in playoff contention virtually every year. The Packers have reached the playoffs nearly every year Favre has quarterbacked.
Although in the past couple of years he has battled age and a pending retirement, Favre still continues to be one of the greatest quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen.
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