New York Jets: Brett Favre Addition
August 7, 2008
From the tiny streets of Green Bay to the bright lights of Broadway. How’s that for a transition?
We’ve seen other NFL legends finish out their careers unceremoniously with different franchises. But given the folklore of Favre, the drama of this summer and the destination (again, Favre in the Big Apple!) that seems unlikely to be the case here.
Not to mention, the Jets were playoff contenders before acquiring Favre. They’re now playoff favorites. The AFC East division still belongs to New England (to keep it simple, is there anyone out there saying Favre is better than Tom Brady?) but players like Favre can bring magic…the type of magic that players like Chad Pennington never bring.
Favre’s arrival drastically changes the Jets 2008 preview report – never mind the stuff about the banal quarterback controversy – but it does not change the prediction: New York is still second best in the AFC East. And it doesn’t change the Jets’ offensive analysis a whole lot. Thomas Jones is still the same runner, the wideouts are still gritty but slow and the offensive line is still potentially first-rate.
Favre’s presence merely amplifies all these pieces. And it confirms New York’s stance on the ’08 season (it’s pretty clear that the Jets are definitely trying to win now, wouldn’t you agree?). This trade also injects some life into the program. Yes, the timeless veteran will have to learn a new system. But as Chris Mortensen pointed out, this could re-energize him.
There will be plenty of grand predictions about how No. 4 will do in his new shade of green. The fact of the matter is, nobody knows. Favre’s a Jet; the Jets are still the same Jets from before, only on an augmented scale. One thing is certain: the once-horrible-looking season opener at Miami just drew one of the better CBS announcing teams.
[...] ****Brett Favre was traded shortly after this report was published. Most of the Jets content, surprisingly, remains the same. But to read the Favre analysis, click here**** [...]
New York City is a tough venue for any elevated sports figure. It’s one of the few cities that expect, indeed demand, a winning season no matter what transitional phases their team may be going through.
Brett Favre has walked into the lions den. Not only does he have to worry about the Wisconsin tabloids hounding his post Packer career, and worry about friends and family second-guessing his decision to go to New York, now he has to worry about the back cover of the unrelenting NY Post. If the Jets start 0 & 2, guess who’ll get the blame. The smart move would have been Atlanta. He could have brought that program back into the lime-light, win or lose.
[...] ****Brett Favre was traded shortly after this report was published. Most of the Jets content, surprisingly, remains the same. But to read the Favre analysis, click here**** [...]
I find your concern with the money paid free agents has colored your perception of their skills. Three weeks into preseason it should be a lot clearer that the Jets made good decisions and that would cause you to recant your view of these acquisitions. Pace and Jenkins did not gain from Favre’s addition and they have given the Giants all they can handle. That game alone would have caused me to hold off on this article until a better one could be written.