GoPackGo
08-06-2008, 11:45 PM
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=442999
Brett Favre won't have huge impact with Jets
Posted: August 6, 2008
Brett Favre has been finally traded. What does it mean going from Green Bay to Gang Green? While this is the best possible scenario for the Packers other than him re-retiring, the Jets go from a messy quarterback competition to welcoming a legend that can help them compete for a playoff spot.
To the Packers, it will feel just like Favre had retired. He will have no effect on their playoff aspirations this season -- the Jets just face the weak NFC West in interconference play.
The Jets last made the AFC championship game a decade ago with another wily old quarterback, Vinny Testaverde. Though they've had a few playoff teams with Chad Pennington, Favre gives the Jets a passer who will put more fear in opponents. Throughout his time in New York, Pennington has been knocked for the limitations of his arm strength. Favre has none of that -- he can still make any throw.
Playing in the Big Apple is a lot different, though, from playing just northeast of Appleton, Wis. In Green Bay, Favre was embraced as the small-town hero of the only game in town. In New York, he will come in with great expectations from a testier fan base. If Favre comes out firing TDs to Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery early, he will earn rave reviews as Broadway Brett. But once he makes one of those patented "what was he thinking?" downfield interceptions -- something Pennington rarely has done -- the media and the Jets' faithful will be all over him.
Considering the Jets' aggressive offseason, if it's anything less than getting them to the playoffs, Favre will be seen as bust. And as only a short-term solution at quarterback, if he doesn't work out, he would throw the Jets further backward in finding a long-term answer at the position.
With Favre, the Jets are at best AFC wild-card contenders. In the AFC East, the move makes the Jets slightly better than the Bills, but the Patriots are still much better and the Dolphins are still much worse. Favre can't put the Jets near the class of Tom Brady and New England -- New York has too many other issues preventing that. More realistically, the Jets can jump over teams such as Buffalo, Tennessee, Cleveland, Denver and Houston as favorites to become the AFC's No. 6 seed.
Without Favre in Green Bay, the beginning of the Aaron Rodgers era can continue as planned. Of course, it's natural that skepticism comes with an unproven quarterback, but after all, when the Packers used a 2005 first-rounder on Rodgers, they had in mind they would need Rodgers to replace Favre down the line.
Eventually, the Packers needed to see what Rodgers could do, and this is the best time for it. The team is deep at running back, wide receiver and tight end, giving Rodgers plenty of good options in Mike McCarthy's passing offense. To protect Rodgers, the team has two fine tackles in Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher. It also has a solid defense to both support and take pressure off Rodgers from winning games by needing to throw 30-plus times every week.
Sure, Favre inherits good receivers in Coles and Cotchery, has decent tight ends and a young line that should get a big boost from Alan Faneca. But the Jets still enter the season with limited pop in the running game. Although they retooled their defense, it struggled mightily to stop the run, rush the passer and force takeaways last season. You can bet Favre will be put in many more situations where he's trailing and needs to throw often.
The Packers' upper management, responsible for building a team that was an overtime field goal away from playing in Super Bowl 42, has become unpopular for not welcoming Favre back, trying to convince him to retire again and eventually trading him. But based on last season's success, GM Ted Thompson knows a little bit about making personnel decisions.
Just as they've been responsible for what has happened for Favre, they're also responsible for creating the best possible solution for the rest of their team going forward. When the Packers get back to the playoffs as a much stronger team than the Jets, they might be forgiven.
Brett Favre won't have huge impact with Jets
Posted: August 6, 2008
Brett Favre has been finally traded. What does it mean going from Green Bay to Gang Green? While this is the best possible scenario for the Packers other than him re-retiring, the Jets go from a messy quarterback competition to welcoming a legend that can help them compete for a playoff spot.
To the Packers, it will feel just like Favre had retired. He will have no effect on their playoff aspirations this season -- the Jets just face the weak NFC West in interconference play.
The Jets last made the AFC championship game a decade ago with another wily old quarterback, Vinny Testaverde. Though they've had a few playoff teams with Chad Pennington, Favre gives the Jets a passer who will put more fear in opponents. Throughout his time in New York, Pennington has been knocked for the limitations of his arm strength. Favre has none of that -- he can still make any throw.
Playing in the Big Apple is a lot different, though, from playing just northeast of Appleton, Wis. In Green Bay, Favre was embraced as the small-town hero of the only game in town. In New York, he will come in with great expectations from a testier fan base. If Favre comes out firing TDs to Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery early, he will earn rave reviews as Broadway Brett. But once he makes one of those patented "what was he thinking?" downfield interceptions -- something Pennington rarely has done -- the media and the Jets' faithful will be all over him.
Considering the Jets' aggressive offseason, if it's anything less than getting them to the playoffs, Favre will be seen as bust. And as only a short-term solution at quarterback, if he doesn't work out, he would throw the Jets further backward in finding a long-term answer at the position.
With Favre, the Jets are at best AFC wild-card contenders. In the AFC East, the move makes the Jets slightly better than the Bills, but the Patriots are still much better and the Dolphins are still much worse. Favre can't put the Jets near the class of Tom Brady and New England -- New York has too many other issues preventing that. More realistically, the Jets can jump over teams such as Buffalo, Tennessee, Cleveland, Denver and Houston as favorites to become the AFC's No. 6 seed.
Without Favre in Green Bay, the beginning of the Aaron Rodgers era can continue as planned. Of course, it's natural that skepticism comes with an unproven quarterback, but after all, when the Packers used a 2005 first-rounder on Rodgers, they had in mind they would need Rodgers to replace Favre down the line.
Eventually, the Packers needed to see what Rodgers could do, and this is the best time for it. The team is deep at running back, wide receiver and tight end, giving Rodgers plenty of good options in Mike McCarthy's passing offense. To protect Rodgers, the team has two fine tackles in Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher. It also has a solid defense to both support and take pressure off Rodgers from winning games by needing to throw 30-plus times every week.
Sure, Favre inherits good receivers in Coles and Cotchery, has decent tight ends and a young line that should get a big boost from Alan Faneca. But the Jets still enter the season with limited pop in the running game. Although they retooled their defense, it struggled mightily to stop the run, rush the passer and force takeaways last season. You can bet Favre will be put in many more situations where he's trailing and needs to throw often.
The Packers' upper management, responsible for building a team that was an overtime field goal away from playing in Super Bowl 42, has become unpopular for not welcoming Favre back, trying to convince him to retire again and eventually trading him. But based on last season's success, GM Ted Thompson knows a little bit about making personnel decisions.
Just as they've been responsible for what has happened for Favre, they're also responsible for creating the best possible solution for the rest of their team going forward. When the Packers get back to the playoffs as a much stronger team than the Jets, they might be forgiven.