Brett Favre arrives

September 20, 1992

The play: Brett Favre finds Kitrick Taylor for a legendary 35-yard touchdown

By just about any measure, Rod Jones had a successful NFL career.

He’s not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was never an All-Pro, and he never made the Pro Bowl, but he was undoubtedly successful.

A first round pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1986, Jones carved out an 11-year NFL career as a cornerback, first in Tampa and then with the Cincinnati Bengals. Along the way, he appeared in 145 games (starting 106, according to Pro Football Reference), securing 10 interceptions for his trouble. One of his picks came against future Hall of Famer Warren Moon, a small highlight in a losing effort by the Bengals against Moon’s Houston Oilers.

Of course, from Moon’s perspective, getting picked off by a player such as Jones was just a footnote in an otherwise brilliant career. Unfortunately for Jones, should have been used to being a footnote. He’d just ended up as one only a few weeks prior.

His interception against Moon came on October 11, 1992. But on September 20, Jones found himself in a much lonelier position — and again in the process of becoming a footnote to someone else’s glorious history. Because that day, Jones was the man in coverage on Kitrick Taylor as Brett Favre announced himself to the NFL, completing the first comeback of what would become a long and illustrious career.

Favre’s ascension is often painted as a true arrival out of nowhere, but that’s not quite the case. There was really never a question of whether or not he’d eventually get a shot to start for the Packers. The only question was when.

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