Pipp Pipp, Hooray! for these backups

By Lou DiPietro  |   Thursday, June 04, 2009  |  Comments( 4 )

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Because I’ve been dwelling on the negative more often than not recently, I thought I’d switch it up a bit…sort of. And to do so, I’m also going to switch sports. Go figure.

Those who know of the legend of Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig know that June was a big month in his illustrious baseball career. The “Iron Horse” made his major league debut in June 1923, and two years later – June 2, 1925, to be exact – his epic streak of games played began. New York Yankees manager Miller Huggins benched first baseman Wally Pipp in favor of Gehrig, who didn’t come out of the lineup for the next 2,130 games.

The benching was attributed to everything from a headache to a fractured skull that actually happened a couple months later. But it happened nonetheless, the Yankees won seven World Series titles during streak years, and everyone lived happily ever after – well, except for Pipp, who was traded to Cincinnati in 1926 and played three years in obscurity before retiring.

So, to commemorate the 94th anniversary of the beginning of one of sports’ best-ever streaks – in the year where Brett Favre’s consecutive starts streak may come to an end, to boot – I present to you an NFL original: The Top 3 “Wally Pipp” moments in recent league history.

Honorable mention: Matt Cassel, New England Patriots, 2008

Honorable mention because Cassel still hasn’t done much, even though 2009 expectations are high.

But you all know the drill: Just seven months after having the best season of any quarterback in NFL history and nearly leading the Patriots to perfection, Tom Brady’s 2008 was ended less than halfway into the first game. Brady’s torn knee gave Cassel his first chance to start since high school, and he responded perhaps even beyond the Pats’ brass could have expected. He stepped in to finish a victory over the Chiefs, his new team, and nearly 3,700 yards, 21 TDs and an 11-5 record later, he fetched a second-round draft pick from Kansas City.

Give me five years, and we’ll see how Cassel stacks up against these three titans.

No. 3: Tom Brady, New England Patriots, 2001

And we start with the man Cassel replaced. Circle of life, eh?

Flash back to 2001. Two weeks into the season – and a gigantic 10-year contract – Drew Bledsoe suffered a crushing hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis that caused internal bleeding. In stepped Tom Brady, a second-year player with all of three career NFL passing attempts. He was shaky at first, but got better and went 11-3 as the starter, keeping his job even when Bledsoe was healthy and eventually capturing Super Bowl XXXVI.

Despite being an integral part of their AFC championship game victory in relief of a hobbled Brady, Bledsoe never again started a game for the Pats. In fact, he was traded to Buffalo and played five more seasons with the Bills and Dallas Cowboys. Brady, meanwhile, became the poster boy for the Patriots’ decade of dominance, earning four Pro Bowl berths, three Super Bowl rings, two Super Bowl MVPs and one huge record – throwing 50 TD passes in 2008.

No. 2: Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams, 1999

Heading into the 1999 season, the Rams were set to start Trent Green as their quarterback until a brutal preseason hit by Rodney Harrison caused a severe knee injury to Green. That opened the door for Warner – an undrafted, Arena League reclamation project who promptly slammed it shut back in Trent’s face.

Leading an offense known as “The Greatest Show on Turf,” Warner threw for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns, earning himself the MVP award and the first of four Pro Bowl berths. To cap it off, he threw for a Super Bowl-record 414 yards en route to leading the Rams to their only NFL title to date, perfectly capping off his breakout season.

Since then, Warner has been nearly as good. Although his Rams tenure ended in 2004 without another championship, Warner continued to establish himself as an elite quarterback. After one season as Eli Manning’s mentor/backup in New York, Warner relocated to Arizona – where he wrestled the starting job from first-round draft pick Matt Leinart and led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl at age 37.
Green, meanwhile, was traded to Kansas City in 2001. After six tenuous years as a Chief, one as a Dolphin and a final stint in St. Louis in 2008, Green was released in February 2009 and is likely to retire after suffering numerous concussions throughout his career. While he was a capable and serviceable NFL quarterback, he never came close to having Warner’s success – and given the talent of the 1999 Rams, perhaps missed out on a Hall of Fame career.

No. 1: Brett Favre, 1992, Green Bay Packers

Of course Favre is going to top the list. What would an offseason be without BRETTAMANIA running wild? Well, at least in this case, it was justified.

Halfway through the second game of the 1992 season, Packers head coach Mike Holmgren benched struggling starter Don Majkowski and gave Favre a chance. The following week, when “Majik” tore a ligament in his ankle, Favre stepped in for good – as in the next 15-plus seasons.

While he wasn’t quite elite yet in 1992 – some folks in Green Bay didn’t even know how to pronounce his name – Favre held his own. A six-game winning streak ensured Favre kept his job when Majkowski returned, and the rest is, as they say, history.

Over the next 15 years, Favre became a legend in NFL history and an icon in Green Bay. But more than 60,000 passing yards, 450 or so TD tosses, 250 consecutive starts, three MVP Awards, a Super Bowl championship and 19 retirements later, he was jettisoned to New York – where he played what at the moment is his final season as a member of the Jets.

Majkowski, meanwhile, became a nobody just as fast. After leaving Green Bay following the 1992 season, “Majik” played parts of four seasons with Indianapolis and Detroit, racking up only eight starts and approximately 2,000 more passing yards. His final hurrah came in 1996, as he finally started against his former team…and was sacked five times in a 28-18 loss. At least he made it into the Packers Hall of Fame.

And now, we come full circle: It appears Favre’s streak of 269 consecutive games will come to an end. While that number may seem unreachable – the next-longest streak is Peyton Manning’s currently active 176 – just remember that all it takes is one injury, one bad game or one “Wally Pipp Moment” to begin what could be the streak that finally does topple No. 4’s.
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About Lou DiPietro

Lou DiPietro is an accomplished freelance writer who is fascinated with all things sports. In addition to his duties at RealFootball365.com, Lou contributes to TheBleacherReport.com and Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, and has been featured on "The Sports Buffet with Matt West" on 1080-AM ESPN...
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