I see alot of people complaining about the interceptions Favre used and is still throwing, often stating that he throws to much compared to his TDs. Also often stating that he takes to much risks for the rewards to compensate....

I know some of these are in different eras, but Brett played through the 90s aswell, keep that in mind.

Brett Favre - 1.50 TD to Int ratio
John Elway - 1.33
Joe Montana - 1.96
Steve Young - 2.17
Troy Aikman - 1.17
Roger Staubach - 1.40

Ok, some of these are maybe a bit of a longshot, but apart from the 49ers two greats, he seems to be doing quite well compared to the players he once played against (Aikman, Elway) who are still seen as some of the greatest ever.

Ofcourse this doesn't have any effect on his play of this season, and I don't want this to change into any kind of Jets, Favre, Keep him etc. topic. Its just that I got a little tired of always hearing how bad Brett was because he threw to many ints.

Especially in clutch moment they like to attack him (NFCCG), but he has made some amazing 4th quarter comebacks which tend to be forgotten quite easily.

Ok, I'm done, walk along people, just venting a bit. 😛

Well, one thing about life is you have to take risks to get rewards. The trick is finding the right ratio of risk to reward. Some years, Favre nailed it. Some years, he failed it.

Overall, I don't think anyone can argue that if there's one player that keeps you glued to the TV screen, it's Brett Favre.

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I find Aaron Rodgers much more watchable, actually. I don't have to cover my eyes, fearing that the worst is about to happen.

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[youtube]45mMioJ5szc[/youtube]

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[youtube]9zSVu76AX3I[/youtube]

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You can throw out Staubach because he played in a different era, when all QB's threw fewer TD's and more INT's. Aikman played in a throwback-style offense that was based on the running game and downfield passing. There were not all of the short West Coast Offense passes, and when they got into TD range, they usually gave the ball to Emmit Smith.

Elway played about half of his career in an archaic Dan Reeves offense and did not start putting up really impressive stats until Shanahan came along and he finally had good offensive talent around him.

So I take these comparisons with a grain of salt. I still think that Favre is one of the greatest QB's to ever play the game, but his Achilles heel for most of his career has been his tendency to throw the untimely interception.

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The more relevant number to use is Int% (Ints/Attempts). That number tells you the frequency with which they threw interceptions. Taking your same QBs and adding in a few more:
Favre - 3.3
Elway - 3.1
Montana - 2.6
Young - 2.6
Aikman - 3.0
Staubach - 3.7
Marino - 3.0
Unitas - 4.9
Starr - 4.4
Fouts - 4.3
Brady - 2.4
Manning -2.8
Blanda - 6.9

One thing you'll notice is over time the trend has been for the % to decrease. This is largely accounted for by the increasing sophistication of passing schemes (multiple 3+ receiver sets), and systems which emphasize shorter, higher percentage passes. Montana and Young really shine here because they outpace the trend. You'll also note that the next generation of elite QBs has that number under 3%. That number may be reaching a point where it's not going to get much lower. For those interested, Rodgers was at 2.4 this year. A very good number, but not yet in this discussion because it's based on only one year.

The next set of numbers I'll show are the top ten Intercepted QBs with their INT%:

Favre 310(3.3)
Blanda 277(6.9)
Hadl 268(5.7)
Testaverde 267(4.0)
Tarkenton 266(4.1)
Snead 257(5.9)
Unitas 253(4.9)
Marino 252(3.0)
Tittle 248(5.6)
Hart 247(4.9)

It becomes quite apparent that Favre isn't throwing INTs as often as any of the other men in the top ten save Marino, and his percentage is closer to Marino's than it is to the rest. Favre's total is because he has more attempts than anyone else ever. That's due to him not missing games, playing longer than most QBs do, and being asked to pass more than most QBs are. Frankly, the idea Favre is some kind of turnover machine is a myth, and it's not borne out by the data. (Interesting footnote, 5 of the top 10 are in the Hall of Fame, and Favre will likely be the 6th). Since 2000, Favre has been below his career INT% every year except 2003, 2005, and 2008.

Final comparison:
league average for the last 17 years 3.23 INT%
Favre 3.3%
league avg last 17 yrs TD% 3.97
Favre 5.0

Favre has been average at INT% compared to the rest of the league over his career. Where he has excelled has been in throwing TDs more often than the rest of the league.

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Interesting analysis. I would be curious to see you back up your last statement with some statistics. How does Favre's TD-pass percentage stack up against the all-time greats? It might be prudent to examine as well a couple of the current touchdown machines, most notably Peyton Manning.

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:icon_smile: :icon_smile: :icon_smile: :icon_smile: :icon_smile:

How many 6-10 season you gonna go through until you change your attitude?

Thanks, you made me laugh out loud with this post.

When Aaron Rodgers has played 10 or so years in the NFL, then start comparing him to BF, until then, he is just another GB QB with a losing record.

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Oh, come on.....you blame our record on Rodgers???
He did GREAT this year. The other parts of the team sucked.
28 TD's, 13 INT's in his 1st season.
Favre 22 TD's, 22INT's.
6 more TD's and 9 less INT's for AR.
It amazes me how some look at Favre's numbers, and say how great he still is. His time was in the mid 1990's. He's lost alot since then. Thats just fact. Did you see the game Sunday against Miami? In my view, he's average now at best.
He was GREAT at one time.

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