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FAVRE CRITICIZED BY JETS’ MVP

Posted by Aaron Wilson on January 1, 2009, 11:15 a.m.

New York Jets star quarterback Brett Favre recently caught some not-so-friendly fire from Jets running back Thomas Jones, who sharply criticized the veteran signal caller and suggested that Favre should have been benched during a three-interception meltdown against the Miami Dolphins to close the season.

During an interview with New York radio station Hot 97 FM, Jones took some shots at Favre, breaking the silence from a normally supportive locker room.

“We’re a team and we win together . . . but at the same time, you can’t turn the ball over and expect to win,” Jones said, via Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News. “The other day, the three interceptions really hurt us. I mean, that’s just reality. If I were to sit here and say, ‘Oh, man, it’s okay,’ that’s not reality.

“The reality is, you throw interceptions, I’m [ticked] off, I don’t like it. You know what I’m saying? I don’t like it, I know everybody else on the team doesn’t like it. . . .

“If somebody is not playing well, they need to come out of the game. You’re jeopardizing the whole team because you’re having a bad day. To me, that’s not fair to everybody else. You’re not the only one on the team.”

Jones, who later accused Favre indirectly of “giving the game up,” became the first member of the organization to publicly criticize Favre. (Earlier this week, one teammate made critical comments about Favre without permitting the player’s name to be disclosed. For all we or anyone else knows, the player was Jones.)

It’s not known whether other players in the locker room share Jones’ feelings. But since the players voted Jones (and not Favre) the team’s MVP for 2008, anyone who previously had been on the fence might now feel the same way as Jones.

Obviously, it sets the stage for dysfunction next season, if Favre returns. But the wisdom (intentional or otherwise) of Jones’ words is that, if they spark an anti-Favre sentiment in the locker room, the prideful Lord Favre will surely not want to play for the team again in 2009.