Iron Manning continues to impress Favre
As Eli Manning rises in the all-time passing charts and moves ahead of quarterback after quarterback on top-10 career lists, he has attracted the attention of Brett Favre, the most durable quarterback the NFL ever has seen.
Favre holds the record with 297 consecutive games started in the regular season, a total that may be unbreakable. Newly retired Peyton Manning is next with 208 consecutive starts and his younger brother Eli is third on the list, with 192.
Count Favre as among those impressed.
“All the other records [I set], good or bad, the ones that have fallen and the ones that still stand, would not be possible if not for playing and playing consistently week in and week out,’’ Favre said Wednesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I take a tremendous amount of pride in being there every week and being accountable and leading my team. And I’m sure Eli and any other player would say the same thing.
“You know, with Eli, who else would you rather have if you’re a Giants fan? You take the good with the bad. I know that myself, and with Packer fans, throughout my career. You’ve got to be willing to accept both. The bottom line is they’ve won two Super Bowls and he’s played very well. I’d say much more, ‘He’s our guy,’ than, ‘Oh, gosh, Eli’s killing us.’ If I was a Giants fan, I’d take him any day of the week.”
Evaluating the NFC East race, Favre acknowledged the Cowboys (8-1) are playing the best of any team, but said he believes the second- place Giants (6-3) have greater room for improvement.
“First of all, [the Giants] find a way to get it done, and I think when you watch them, whether you like the Giants or not, you have to believe that there’s still a lot left to achieve for them. In other words, the Cowboys playing outstanding, everybody’s like, ‘You gotta be kidding me,’ ” Favre said. “And I don’t know if they can reach another level, if that makes any sense. Where the Giants on the other hand, I could see Ben McAdoo, who I know and was a coach in Green Bay while I was there and I think a lot of him, he’s got to be saying, ‘Guys, we’re finding a way to get it done. Yeah, we’ve lost a few games but there’s so much left for us to achieve. We’re so much better. That being said, we’re not playing bad.’ So there’s a lot of room for improvement which is kind of scary for everyone else.
“You can say that for the Packers as well and several other teams. That’s what I take from [them]. Of course, you’ve got Eli, an outstanding player, great skill guys. So I’d be a little bit scared of them.” paul.schwartz@nypost.com