Super Bowl Champion Mark Rypien Shares the Advice He Gave His Nephew Brett Rypien For His First NFL Start

Super Bowl Champion Mark Rypien Shares the Advice He Gave His Nephew Brett Rypien For His First NFL Start

On October 1, Denver Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien took the field for his first start as a professional quarterback. And if that last name sounds familiar to you, it’s because you probably heard it before.

Brett is the nephew of retired quarterback Mark Rypien. During his 14 years in the NFL, Mark played for the Washington Redskins. And while he wasn’t a star at the very beginning of his professional career, he eventually became a Super Bowl MVP.

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Now, Mark hopes his nephew has a similar journey in his career, which will begin tonight if all goes well as the Broncos take on the New York Jets. Both teams are currently 0-3, meaning either the Broncos or the Jets will get their first win of the season.

Now, in an interview with ESPN prior to Brett Rypien’s first start, Mark shared some of the advice he would give his nephew.

“One of the things he needs to do, or to be asked to do, is manage the game and make decisions—quick decisions. I’ve always been a huge advocate of when you’re in the scoring territory, you have to be able to secure the ball and get points. I think he understands.”

Mark continued to say his nephew is “not a guy who will take a lot of sacks, so he’ll get the ball out and make quick decisions and do what he’s coached to do. He’s very cerebral. I talked to him about this in the past, when he first started as a young kid in college [at Boise State] as a freshman. The good ones are the ones who make plays and slow the game down.”

And having the ability to slow down the game is very important, Mark said, especially when it comes to your ego as a player, who up until now, spent all of his professional career on the sidelines. “One thing you really think watching from the sideline, ‘The game is way too fast. I can’t do it.'”

“So when you get in you feel you have to make quick, fast decisions that get you in more trouble. But I was amazed when I first played that it didn’t look as fast on the field when I’m playing as it did when I was watching from the sideline. He understands that and he knows he has to play well.”

And while Mark hopes Brett’s career evolves into what his did, we’re going to assume he’s rooting for Brett Rypien to get the “W” against the Jets unlike Mark did against the Arizona Cardinals in his first start 29 years ago.

Sara Vallone

Sara Vallone has been a writer and editor for the last four and a half years. A graduate of Ohio University, she enjoys celebrity news, sports, and articles that enhance people's lives.