NFL : Late night miracles  keep Favre atop NFL QB list Article written by: Steven Schindler Couldn't stay awake Monday night to watch the dramatic ending of Green Bay's 28-21 comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars? Don't feel bad! Neither could Packer quarterback Brett Favre's dad! Favre said Tuesday "Just got off the phone with my mom. She said, "Man, that was a close one; the first half was rough. Your dad fell asleep watching the game." Brett told her it was OK. Most of the Packers had fallen asleep too. And if you nodded off, missing the end of this Monday night barnburner, you missed the best part of one of the most artful QB performances of this or any season. Being a Dallas native I hate to admit this, but a certain scruffy looking guy from Kiln, Mississippi virtually willed his team to a much-needed win, keeping the Pack within striking distance of the Chicago Bears for the NFC Central Division lead. Brett Favre was his name and top-level football was his game. With his O-line being destroyed in the first half by a withering rush from Jacksonville's Tony Brackens, Favre and the entire Green Bay offense was in total disarray and down 13-7 at halftime. But with the second half there began a new game, a game that Brett Favre was not going to lose. Nobody could have asked a quarterback to do more to lead his team to a victory. Favre led the Pack to 3 second-half touchdowns to overhaul the Jags. His first scoring toss in the third quarter was a simple 10-yard out toss that wide-out Bill Schroeder turned into a 43-yard scoring scamper. Less than three minutes later it was Favre sending the most beautiful touch toss into the corner of the end zone to a wide-open Bubba Franks for a 1-yard TD. And don't forget the frozen-rope toss Favre zipped to Antonio Freeman to set up that second score. The ABC field cameras showed that pass traveling about 25 yards or so, 10 feet off the ground from the hands of Favre to the hands of Freeman. That, ladies and germs, is the final lecture in this week's class, arm strength 101. With the Green Bay O-line rebounding as the game wore on, Favre engineered the 20th game-winning drive of his career that ended with his first rushing touchdown since October of '98. The play was a run-pass option with William Henderson moving from right to left. The Jags squeezed Henderson in and that allowed Favre to turn the corner for the score. Most didn't think he could make it. His coaches made him promise he'd throw it away to avoid a sack. He amazed everybody by scoring on the six-yard run and notching yet another come-from-behind victory in his jock strap. Throwing for 362 yards and three touches in this game, Favre has completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,892 yard with 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions thus far this season. He is on pace for 4,000 passing yards this season which would tie him with Warren Moon for second all-time with 4 such seasons. Sunday, against the Bears, Favre could become the first NFL quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards in 10 consecutive seasons. That, my friends, is consistency! Tied with the 49er's Jeff Garcia for the lead in TD passes at 24, Favre would become just the 4th quarterback in NFL history to lead the league in TD passes in four different seasons should he top the league this year. This guy's ability to score has been nothing short of phenomenal. If he keeps up his career pace of tossing a touchdown every 11.5 completions (279 career TDs so far) he'll soon bypass the likes of Elway, Moon and Unitas for third on the all-time list. Brett Favre just will not accept losing. He plays the game like the kid down the street. He plays for the fun of it. He plays to be the best damned quarterback the game's ever seen. He leads the Pack through word and deed and woe the guy that slacks up when Brett Favre wants to win a game. You can count on plenty of "not ready for Sunday church goin'" language on the bench after any selected failed Green Bay drive. Favre lights into his team because he wants them to succeed. So, who's playing better than Brett Favre in the NFL today? I put him right up there with Marshall Faulk, Rich Gannon and Jeff Garcia as favorites for league MVP this season. How many quarterbacks would you put ahead of Favre for their NFL careers? Unitas, Namath, Montana, Elway, Marino, Aikman, Meredith, Staubach, Quincy Carter? (Remember, I'm from Dallas!) Any of those? Anybody else? He's got the stats, but only one ring. Elway stole one from him when last they met in the big one. So he might have some more work to do there to cement his place as one of the greatest. I think he'll end in the top 6 or 7 all-time easy. Favre has made a legend for himself out on the NFL battlefield. He knows it won't last forever and he's determined to be the best there ever was. What does Packer headman Mike Sherman have to say about his 6' 2", 225-pound rifle-armed rabbit's foot? "Brett Favre means we have a chance to win." Sherman says. "I see a man with an undiminished desire to be the best player in the league and an ability to match that desire." Who wouldn't want this man to lead their NFL team on any given Sunday? Favre hasn't missed a start since 1992. He's getting older but he's improving with age and he still has the fire of that kid from Mississippi burning in his belly. And next time he's playing somewhere on Monday night I'm setting my alarm for the fourth quarter, because I don't want to miss another one of his late night miracles. Article provided courtesy of http://www.e-sports.com/ Home | Jim Rome Show | The Last Word | Gloss | Jim Rome World Tour Jungle Store | The Polls | Inside Jim Rome | The Clones | Jungle Chat Site Created by © Copyright 2001 Content provided by independent writers. 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