Brett Favre warns Eagles against letting up vs. Patriots

Brett Favre's lighthearted speech to the Philadelphia Eagles took on a more serious tone when he discussed the team's Super Bowl LII opponent: the New England Patriots.

"We know the Patriots. They're a tremendous team. Their quarterback (NFL MVP Tom Brady) is the greatest to ever play. Bill Belichick is the greatest coach to ever coach. You know what they're about," Favre told NBC Sports Philadelphia of his speech on Saturday to the Eagles.

"They're going to play the whole game. Don't ever say -- kinda like last year, 'We have it won and we're going to go to the drive-thru.' That's not a good idea."

Favre, of course, was referring to the Atlanta Falcons' collapse in Super Bowl LI, as the Patriots overcame a 28-3 deficit to post a 34-28 victory in overtime.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback was speaking to the Eagles on the request of former Green Bay Packers teammate and current Eagles coach Doug Pederson.

"Doug and I go way back. Dear friends, hunting buddies, golfing buddies; we were teammates for almost 10 years," Favre said. "My success as an NFL player is in part because of our connection and friendship. He was kind of like my second eyes, and I trusted him tremendously. So when Doug asked me, I sorta laughed. But when I realized he was serious, I was honored. And like I told the guys today, I said, 'Look, I'm not gonna tell you anything you don't know, you haven't already heard.

"I congratulated them on the year they've had; it's a wonderful year. And just encouraged them to enjoy the moment. You think you're always going to come back after you've gotten a chance to go, but it's such an honor to play in the Super Bowl. And to just embrace that. And I said to them, 'This is probably something I should have told you two weeks ago, but this is the longest two weeks of your life, and this is going to be the longest 24 hours-plus of your life. The game, at this point, cannot get here quick enough. But it's going to slow down even more."

Pederson served as Favre's backup as the Packers posted a 35-21 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. Favre and company weren't as fortunate in the following season's Super Bowl, as Green Bay dropped a 31-24 decision to the Denver Broncos.