Packers: Aaron Rodgers vs. Brett Favre Comparison
By Tim Muma
One fundamental difference between the pair of Packers QBs was their willingness to concede a sack.
Both guys had the ability to maneuver in and out of the pocket to buy time for their receivers.
However, Favre was always ready to rifle a ball into a risky spot, while Rodgers is content to “live another day” and take a sack. Of course, that led to more interceptions for the gunslinger.
So how much impact do sacks have on a team? That can be a bit tougher to gauge.
Although Favre has been sacked more than anybody in history, it was clearly a matter of longevity than a perpetual problem.
During the ages of comparison (25-32 years old), Rodgers was sacked at about the league average rate. His percentage of times sacked when attempting a pass (i.e. sack percentage) was 6.23 percent.
That was 0.66 percent higher than the NFL norm. Rodgers has twice led the league in overall times sacked as well: 2009 (50) and 2012 (51).
Favre’s sack percentage at the ages of 25-32 was 5.46 percent. Thus, it was lower than Rodgers and 1.28 percent below the NFL average.
Although Favre has been sacked more than anybody in history, it was clearly a matter of longevity than a perpetual problem.
But aside from potential fumbles and injury, what hurts the most on sacks is the yardage lost.
Favre lost 206.88 yards per season due to sacks in that 8-year period, 40 yards fewer than the rest of the league on average. That amount to about 13 yards per contest.
Rodgers averaged 230.88 yards lost per season on sacks. That was just 5.36 yards less than the league, so he was middle-of-the-road in terms of yards lost.