In a game highlighted by two risky play calls that paid off for the St. Louis Rams, one thing stood out to former quarterback Brett Favre about the Rams' 28-26 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday:
The play of Rams quarterback Austin Davis.
Davis completed 18 of 21 passes against Seattle for 152 yards. While that may not seem like much, his play won over Favre.
"Austin can definitely play at this level," Favre told ESPN's Ed Werder. "Not to sound off my rocker, but [Davis], in my mind, can be the next Tom Brady or Kurt Warner. [Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian] Hoyer as well.
"Austin, like those mentioned, just needed a legit opportunity."
Davis' completion percentage against the Seahawks (86 percent) set a record for accuracy in a game against a defending Super Bowl champion with a minimum of 20 attempts. He also produced the second-highest completion percentage ever posted against Seattle. The highest was by Favre, who went 22 of 25 (88 percent) for the Minnesota Vikings against Seattle in 2009.
Asked Wednesday about Favre's comments, Davis said he's not thinking along those lines.
"I don't really want to be the next anybody," Davis said. "I just want to be the first Austin Davis and just keep doing what we're doing and try to go on a winning streak here. It felt good to get one this past week. I think it was much needed for our football team. We're just going to try to keep it going."
Davis said Favre sends him encouraging text messages and the two spent time together as Davis prepared for the 2012 NFL Draft.
"I got a chance to throw with him and meet him," said Davis, who went undrafted. "I couldn't quite throw it like he could, so I don't know if any of his pointers helped me."
Short-order Clipper
The details were worked out, the contract was signed for one year at the veteran's minimum. Chris Douglas-Roberts had become a small forward for the Los Angeles Clippers.
When the equipment manager asked Douglas-Roberts for his uniform requirements, he requested a size in shorts that had to be specially ordered: medium. Thus, the short-shorts movement was reborn.
"They can't get any shorter," Douglas-Roberts told the Los Angeles Times. "This is the shortest they make these days."
Douglas-Roberts, 27, wants his fashion to make a statement about his role for the Clippers. He said the shorts will give him the freedom to be an elite perimeter defender.
"They want me to check the best guy and you have to have stamina, you have to be able to move," Douglas-Roberts said. "I'm not saying you can't move with bigger shorts, but I feel more comfortable in these."
The shorts have sparked admirers among the younger players on the team, and former Clipper Olden Polynice recently told Douglas-Roberts he liked the revival of the look made famous by Hall of Fame guard John Stockton.
"These are the modern-day Stocktons," Douglas-Roberts said. "We don't have the real Stocktons. They don't even make those anymore."
Sports quiz
Where did Austin Davis play college football?
Answer
Southern Mississippi. Davis and Brett Favre are the only Golden Eagles quarterbacks to start more than one NFL game.
Sports on 10/24/2014