Mark Schlereth references Methuselah

In this article at ESPN.com Mark Schlereth made reference to a very old Biblical character: Methuselah. Schlereth was answering a question about Brett Favre, sarcastically claiming that he was 'older than Methuselah.'

My question is: Does Schereth really know who Methuselah is? (and therefore have some Biblical knowledge?) Or was he just referencing a well-known idiom as he tried to capture how far over-the-hill Favre is? (Isn't it ironic that at 38 Favre is a REALLY old football player? If he were to enter any other workforce after he retires, he would not be considered old at all.)

According to phrases.org, "As old as Methuselah" is a term which has been around since the 1300s as a way to refer to someone as being really, really old. Is Schlereth a student of English idioms dating back to the 14th century? Or did he know the following:

Methuselah was born in the eighth generation after Adam, the first man. You can read through the whole Biblical genealogy here. Prior to the flood (as recorded in Genesis 8-10) individuals lived a lot longer than they do today. According to the Bible, someone who died at 200 years old during this time was still one young buck. (Imagine Favre's career if it continues another 150 years! Holy Smokes!) Anyway, in the midst of all of these ancients, one man stood taller than the rest.

Actually, he just remained standing longer. (The Bible doesn't make any reference to how tall he was.) Methuselah lived 969 years. He was just 31 years shy of living through through a millennium. He was an ancient among ancients, someone about whom you can rightfully coin the phrase: "As old as Methuselah."

Whatever the background that lead Mark Schlereth to reference a Biblical character, I'm all for it!

For a discussion of how people could really live that long (and why we no longer live that long today), visit Answers in Genesis and check out the article: Living for 900 Years.