Top Ten All Time - Number 7

Since top ten lists are all the rage these days, the dog days til training camp starts, I thought it was time for one more! Since USA Today is counting down the top 25 players of the last 25 years til camp,(and we will keep you up to date on the Niner notables on that list), I will go one better. Here is number 7 on my list of top ten players of all time, regardless of era or position. And yeah, there might be a 49er or two in here!!

Number 7:

Brett Favre, Atlanta Falcons, 1991, Green Bay Packers, 1992 - present

Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round, 33rd overall in the 1991 NFL Draft. Atlanta coach Jerry Glanville did not approve of the drafting of Favre, saying it would take a plane crash for him to put Favre into the game. Favre's first pass in a NFL regular season game resulted in an interception returned for a touchdown. He only attempted four passes in his career at Atlanta, completing none of them.

The Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf traded a first round pick (19th overall, RB Tony Smith, Southern Miss) for Favre during the following offseason. Wolf, while previously the general manager of the New York Jets, had intended to take Favre in the 1991 NFL draft, but Favre was taken by the Falcons on the pick previous. In the third game of the 1992 season starting quarterback Don Majkowski injured a ligament in his ankle against the Cincinnati Bengals. Favre replaced Majkowski. He fumbled four times and was sacked six times during the course of the game. Down 23-17 with 1:07 left in the game, Favre completed a 42 yard pass to Sterling Sharpe. On the next play, Favre threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Kitrick Taylor with 13 seconds remaining. The next week's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers began the longest consecutive starts streak for a quarterback in NFL history. The game ended in a 17-3 victory and his passer rating was 144.6. During the season, Favre helped put together a six-game winning streak for the Packers, the longest winning streak for the club since 1965. They ended 9-7 that season, missing the playoffs on their last game. Favre finished his first season as a Packer with 3,227 yards and a quarterback rating of 85.3, helping him to his first Pro Bowl.

The following season Favre helped the Packers to their first playoff berth since 1982 and was named to his second pro bowl. After the season Favre became a free agent. General manager Ron Wolf negotiated Favre into a five-year, $19 million contract. Favre and the Packers finished the 1994 season 9-7, advancing them to the playoffs in back to back years, a feat the Packers had not done since the Vince Lombardi era.

In 1995, Favre won the first of his three MVP awards. Favre led the Packers to an 11-5 record, Green Bay's best record in nearly thirty years. Favre passed for a career high of 4,413 yards and 38 touchdowns, recording a quarterback rating of 99.5, the highest of his career to date. The Packers advanced to the NFC Championship Game after upsetting the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Game. The Packers lost the NFC Championship game to the Dallas Cowboys, marking the third year in a row the Packers season was ended by the Cowboys in the playoffs. Favre helped the Packers advanced farther in the playoffs than any other Packer team since 1967, the season the Packers won Super Bowl II. Favre led the Packers to their best season in 30-years in the 1996 season, winning his second consecutive MVP award in the process. The Packers led the NFL in points scored as well as fewest points scored against. Green Bay tied the Denver Broncos for the NFL's best regular season record, 13-3, defeated the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field in the playoffs. The Packers advanced to Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome, a short drive from Favre's hometown.

Favre and the Packers continued their dominance of the NFC during the next season. Favre was named co-MVP of the league along with Detroit Lions' running back Barry Sanders, his third straight award. Also, Green Bay advanced to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. After being heavily favored, the Packers lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. Favre completed 25 of 42 passes for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 1 interception in the losing effort. Favre and the Packers continued posting positive results through the next few seasons. Through the 2004 season, the Packers had the longest streak of non-losing seasons (13) in the NFL. However, the streak ended in 2005, with the Packers finishing 4-12 overall.

Favre has not had as much success in the postseason since Super Bowl XXXII; he is 2-5 in the playoffs since the 1998 season. Two of those losses were at home in the wild-card game, and they were the first postseason losses ever at Lambeau Field. Since 1998, he has recorded 149 completions on 249 attempts for 1,804 yards, with 11 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions, leaving him with a quarterback passer rating of 70.1 in the playoffs.

On February 2, 2007, Brett Favre announced that he will return for the 2007 season. He currently stands second all time in touchdown passes with 414, behind only Dan Marino's 420, and second in passing yards (57,500) behind Marino's 61,361. Favre's streak of 237 consecutive games played is a record and still active.