Pennington mightier than the adored Favre -- except in Pro Bowl voting
Well, another season, another joke of a Pro Bowl.
The Pro Bowl has become such a blatant sham, such a flabbergasting piece of antiquated beauty-pageant nonsense, that if they could, Iraqi journalists would throw their shoes at it.
Every season it seems there's a legacy pick. Your legacy winner this year: Brett Favre.
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| Brett Favre has thrown an NFL-high 17 interceptions. Brandon Flowers returned this one 91 yards for a score. (US Presswire) |
They know that Favre, once a great, is now all hat and no cattle.
Happy holidays, Favre fanatics -- Christmas arrived early for you.
Sure, Pro Bowl malfeasance has occurred for decades and each season a deserving player gets left off and a non-deserving one gets in. There are plenty of egregious cases, but I submit that Favre beating out Pennington is one of the most blatant examples of Pro Bowl beauty pageantry we've ever seen.
And it'll barely raise a peep out of most fans because it's Favre getting in. The fact Pennington has outplayed Favre and embarrassed the New York Jets for letting him go and signing The Brettster will be ignored by fans and the media because of both groups' eternal, never-ending love affair with Favre.
Fans love them some Brettster, even when that love comes at the expense of a good player like Pennington.
The reason the Miami Dolphins are among the best stories in all of sports is because of Pennington. His elegant play and precision passing are a sharp contrast to Favre's sloppiness. If the government got cash for each bad throw Favre has tossed this season, the recession would end.
Favre has 17 interceptions. That's almost three times Pennington's six. The only starting quarterbacks with fewer interceptions than Pennington are Jeff Garcia (three) and Shaun Hill (four), and Pennington has played 14 games while Garcia has played 10 and Hill only seven. Pennington's passer rating is 95.1; Favre's is 86.5.
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Sker: I don't know of a quarterback who needs the right coach more than Brett Favre. Under McCarthey and Holmgren, Favre was kept under control and was brilliant. Under ALL other coaches - most notably Sherman - Favre has been like a blindfolded gunslinger.
As a Packer fan, I wondered if Mangini would be the right guy for Favre and it looks like he can't reign in the wild-wild Brett enough to get enough out of him. Too bad. Brett and the Jets could be a great team if they get it together. |
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| Mike Freeman: I couldn't agree with you more that Favre needs a QB coach. The problem is that Favre has had great coaches before, and he hasn't listened. Favre does what Favre wants. Sometimes that works, sometimes it's a disaster. |
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And here's a great statistic: The average fan -- who doesn't really study the sport beyond the limited confines of his or her own fandom -- probably believes Favre throws it downfield more than Pennington. But they both have seven completions of 40 yards or greater. Pennington's longest is 80 yards while Favre's is 56.
So Pennington has fewer interceptions and a better passer rating, is as accurate and goes downfield as much as Favre, and is the biggest reason the Dolphins have turned their franchise around.
The most important player on the Jets isn't Favre. It's Thomas Jones.
Not only is Pennington playing better than Favre, but so is San Diego's Philip Rivers.
And Matt Cassel.
Much of this is lost on the average fan. They're so busy slobbering whenever they hear Favre's name, they don't bother to look at actual stats.
The fact a rebuilding Miami could beat out the Jets for the AFC East title says everything you need to know about Favre and Pennington.
And the fact fans likely voted Favre in large numbers says everything you need to know about some of them, as well.
