*Landon Collins picked off Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre during the Giants safety's offseason training: *
It wasn't exactly Michael Strahan setting the single-season sack record on him or Corey Webster intercepting him in overtime of the 2007 NFC Championship Game. Nevertheless, you can add Landon Collins to the list of Giants defenders who have gotten to Brett Favre.
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The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback was recently with Collins at the All-Pro safety's offseason workout spot in Baton Rouge. During a drill, Collins, who was born more than two years after Favre played in his first NFL game, got his hands on one of the old gunslinger's fastballs.
During the Giants' playoff push last year, Favre -- the all-time leading passer at the time of his retirement -- had high praise for the 2016 team.
"First of all, they 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," Favre said during the season. "They're not, in other words, the Cowboys [are] playing outstanding. Everybody's like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' And I don't know if they can reach another level, if that makes any sense.
"Whereas 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. And you could say that for the Packers as well and several other teams. That's what I take from [them]. Of course, you've got Eli [Manning], an outstanding player, great skill guys. So I'd be a little bit scared of them."
Favre had more to say at the time about Manning, a fellow ironman. In 2016, Manning started all 16 regular-season games for the 12th consecutive season, increasing his streak to 199 starts. That is the third-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history, behind Favre (297 from 1992-2010) and Peyton Manning (208 from 1998-2010).
"That is the one [record] that means the most to me," Favre said. "And I say this all the time because it's true: all the other records, good or bad, the ones that have fallen, the ones that still stand, would not be possible if not for playing – and playing consistently, week in and week out. 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. I mean 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 [with] Packers fans throughout my career. You've got to be willing to accept both. The bottom line is they've won two Super Bowls."
Favre added, "I would take Eli, if I was a Giants fan, I'd take him any day of the week."
