Brett Favre after Daniel Jones' debut: 'Deep down' Eli Manning did not want him to 'play at the level he did'
By accounts, Eli Manning has been a good teammate in his transition from starter to backup, with rookie Daniel Jones now under center for the New York Giants.
Jones completed 23-for-36 passes with 336 yards and two scores on the ground during his debut. On the sideline, Manning offered a fist pump following Jones' first touchdown, and the two enthusiastically embraced on the field after Matt Gay's potential game-winning field goal veered right, giving the Giants the win.
But Brett Favre, speaking on his Sirius XM NFL Show, thinks that Manning has to be harboring some negative thoughts internally.
"You and I and anyone else can only speculate what Eli was thinking," the former Green Bay Packers quarterback said, according to NJ.com. "But you have to think that deep down inside a part of him, not wanted to see Daniel Jones fail, but not play at the level he did.
"Not that Eli has to prove anything to anyone. The short-term it really makes you look bad. And all the things that have been leading to the team’s losses falls back on you — and you know that’s not the case. It’s hard to say, ‘Heck, I guess it’s me. I guess the reason we are losing these games is because of me.’ You have to believe that at some point that crosses his mind."
Jones supplanted Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, by Week 3, while Aaron Rodgers waited three years to take over for Favre, who initially announced his retirement in 2008 before playing his final years with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.
In regards to Jones, count Favre as a fan so far.
"Daniel Jones did exactly what he needed to do," he said. "He did exactly what they had hoped he would do given that opportunity. … The kid played great and did a heck of a job in a lot of different ways. Really, from a debut standpoint, it couldn’t have gone any better."