Brett Favre now understands why former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has been compared to him.
Favre told USA Today Sports that he hadn't watched the quarterback play much, but after he heard the comparisons, he watched three quarters of the Aggies' 41-38 win against Mississippi on Oct. 12. In that game, Manziel completed 31 of 39 passes for 346 yards and rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
"I almost thought I was watching film of a young Brett Favre," he told the newspaper. "I didn't think I did a lot of things well [in college at Southern Miss], but he did. And I liked the attitude of 'whatever it takes.' From that standpoint, I liked him."
Manziel, who is listed at 6 feet, isn't as tall as Favre, who is 6-2, but his improvisational skills have drawn comparisons to Favre's style of play.
In a December 2012 interview with "The Dan Patrick Show" just days before he would be named the Heisman Trophy winner, Manziel said he thought he was comparable to Favre.
"If I had to throw a comparison out there too, Brett Favre -- what a guy he was and a true gunslinger," Manziel said. "If I was throwing the ball in the backyard, with my Green Bay Packers' No. 4 jersey on, when I was a kid, that's who I was trying to be like."
Manziel is widely considered as one of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft and was projected as the No. 1 overall pick to the Houston Texans earlier this month in ESPN Insider Mel Kiper's latest mock draft.
Favre told USA Today that he believes Manziel is already a better passer than he was when he entered the draft in 1991.
"I didn't throw near as well as him," Favre said. "He may have that capability -- unbelievable throws and can make plays with his feet. I was impressed."