packers11
01-18-2007, 11:33 AM
Aikman has heard this one before
Posted: Jan. 17, 2007
SportsDay
When you ask Troy Aikman if he thinks Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre will return to play another season in the National Football League, he chuckles.
He chuckles not because the issue is trivial or irrelevant, but because it has become an annual ritual in pro football for so many years.
"Brett is a friend of mine," Aikman said during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. "We have had great competitions over the years back when I was playing. We have had conversations since I got into being an analyst with Fox about some of the things he has gone through as a quarterback and when you start winding down your career."
Aikman recalls retirement talk attaching itself to Favre as far back as the 1996 Super Bowl in New Orleans.
"Going into that game that he was getting ready to play against New England, he had commented at that time if he won that game he may in fact retire. So we have been talking about Brett's retirement for a decade now."
It doesn't make sense to Aikman for anyone to offer an opinion about whether another player should retire or not.
"It really comes down to what he wants to do," Aikman said. "If he can be productive and play at the level he wants to be able to play at, and he still loves doing it, why would he not do it? I don't know why it is when a player gets to a certain age, everybody is quick to say this guy should retire."
Aikman, who will call the NFC Championship game telecast between the New Orleans Saints and host Chicago Bears on Sunday, personally thinks Favre will return.
"But it's not something I've given a lot of consideration to simply because we have talked so much about it," Aikman said.
Aikman, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer, said as far as he is concerned, Favre's skills are at a high enough level to help his team win games.
"It wasn't that long ago he was throwing for 4,000 yards," Aikman said, referring to Favre's 2004 season. "I've always believed that various weaknesses within teams get exposed through the quarterback position. If your defense isn't playing well, then you are constantly playing from behind as an offense, forcing throws and doing things you might not otherwise do. If you are not running the ball particularly well, then you have to throw the ball all the time and that's not good overall for a quarterback."
Aikman said the Packers' weaknesses as a team in the 2005 season resulted in Favre's ineffectiveness.
"If he was 25 years old they'd be saying, 'Hey, he had a tough season but he's shown us in previous years how great a player he can be.' But when you get to a certain age, immediately down years start being construed as 'This guy can no longer do it.' I believe he still can be a productive quarterback, as I believe he was this year. But it's true of all quarterbacks, regardless of age, you have to have good players around you. That's even more true when you start getting older, because you cannot carry a team like you could when you were younger."
For Aikman, by no means would Favre be holding the Packers back if he decided to return.
"If the question is simply can Brett be a productive player and be a key factor in bringing this Green Bay Packer team back and help make them a playoff team, I would answer that by saying yes."
Aiming to develop
Going into Wednesday night, Houston Rockets rookie Steve Novak was averaging 5.4 minutes a game in 22 games.
The Brown Deer native has made just 29.2% (7 for 24) of his three-point attempts.
Novak's performance in pre-season was encouraging and seemed to indicate he would be playing more when the regular season started, but that was not the case. The Rockets are 25-14 in the competitive Western Conference.
"If you have a guy like Steve who's a second-round pick and you're trying to win and you have guys that I feel give us a better chance to win that are in front of him, then he doesn't get as many chances," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy told ESPN.com.
Novak has to develop more game than shooting, namely rebounding and defense.
"He has one great skill," Van Gundy said. "He's trying to add dimensions to his game. Over time, we'll find out if he can do that. He had a very good pre-season, (but) as we all know, pre-season and regular season are different just as regular season and post-season are different. I think at times people can get carried away with their expectations of young players based on pre-season."
Novak told ESPN.com he understands he needs to develop.
"We've got a great group of veterans and we're winning," Novak said. "I'm just taking it all in and learning and trying to do whatever I've got to do to get on the floor."
Novak said Marquette coach Tom Crean told him how it would go with Van Gundy.
"I knew it was going to be a defensive mind-set and that it's going to be about perfection when you're out there. He told me, 'You're going to get what you deserve (in minutes).' He was right about everything he told me."
Call SportsDay at (414) 223-5531 or send e-mail to bwolfley@journalsentinel.com
__________________________________________________ _____________________
SINCE 1996?!?!?! hmmm.... So if he delayed that 10 years... According to my calculations.... 2006 + 10 more years = 2016.... WAHOOO!!!! :lol:
Hop fully the apocalypse comes soon because ever since I watched the packers #4 has been the qb (94/95ish)... Hopefully Aikman is right and he returns :mrgreen:
Posted: Jan. 17, 2007
SportsDay
When you ask Troy Aikman if he thinks Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre will return to play another season in the National Football League, he chuckles.
He chuckles not because the issue is trivial or irrelevant, but because it has become an annual ritual in pro football for so many years.
"Brett is a friend of mine," Aikman said during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. "We have had great competitions over the years back when I was playing. We have had conversations since I got into being an analyst with Fox about some of the things he has gone through as a quarterback and when you start winding down your career."
Aikman recalls retirement talk attaching itself to Favre as far back as the 1996 Super Bowl in New Orleans.
"Going into that game that he was getting ready to play against New England, he had commented at that time if he won that game he may in fact retire. So we have been talking about Brett's retirement for a decade now."
It doesn't make sense to Aikman for anyone to offer an opinion about whether another player should retire or not.
"It really comes down to what he wants to do," Aikman said. "If he can be productive and play at the level he wants to be able to play at, and he still loves doing it, why would he not do it? I don't know why it is when a player gets to a certain age, everybody is quick to say this guy should retire."
Aikman, who will call the NFC Championship game telecast between the New Orleans Saints and host Chicago Bears on Sunday, personally thinks Favre will return.
"But it's not something I've given a lot of consideration to simply because we have talked so much about it," Aikman said.
Aikman, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer, said as far as he is concerned, Favre's skills are at a high enough level to help his team win games.
"It wasn't that long ago he was throwing for 4,000 yards," Aikman said, referring to Favre's 2004 season. "I've always believed that various weaknesses within teams get exposed through the quarterback position. If your defense isn't playing well, then you are constantly playing from behind as an offense, forcing throws and doing things you might not otherwise do. If you are not running the ball particularly well, then you have to throw the ball all the time and that's not good overall for a quarterback."
Aikman said the Packers' weaknesses as a team in the 2005 season resulted in Favre's ineffectiveness.
"If he was 25 years old they'd be saying, 'Hey, he had a tough season but he's shown us in previous years how great a player he can be.' But when you get to a certain age, immediately down years start being construed as 'This guy can no longer do it.' I believe he still can be a productive quarterback, as I believe he was this year. But it's true of all quarterbacks, regardless of age, you have to have good players around you. That's even more true when you start getting older, because you cannot carry a team like you could when you were younger."
For Aikman, by no means would Favre be holding the Packers back if he decided to return.
"If the question is simply can Brett be a productive player and be a key factor in bringing this Green Bay Packer team back and help make them a playoff team, I would answer that by saying yes."
Aiming to develop
Going into Wednesday night, Houston Rockets rookie Steve Novak was averaging 5.4 minutes a game in 22 games.
The Brown Deer native has made just 29.2% (7 for 24) of his three-point attempts.
Novak's performance in pre-season was encouraging and seemed to indicate he would be playing more when the regular season started, but that was not the case. The Rockets are 25-14 in the competitive Western Conference.
"If you have a guy like Steve who's a second-round pick and you're trying to win and you have guys that I feel give us a better chance to win that are in front of him, then he doesn't get as many chances," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy told ESPN.com.
Novak has to develop more game than shooting, namely rebounding and defense.
"He has one great skill," Van Gundy said. "He's trying to add dimensions to his game. Over time, we'll find out if he can do that. He had a very good pre-season, (but) as we all know, pre-season and regular season are different just as regular season and post-season are different. I think at times people can get carried away with their expectations of young players based on pre-season."
Novak told ESPN.com he understands he needs to develop.
"We've got a great group of veterans and we're winning," Novak said. "I'm just taking it all in and learning and trying to do whatever I've got to do to get on the floor."
Novak said Marquette coach Tom Crean told him how it would go with Van Gundy.
"I knew it was going to be a defensive mind-set and that it's going to be about perfection when you're out there. He told me, 'You're going to get what you deserve (in minutes).' He was right about everything he told me."
Call SportsDay at (414) 223-5531 or send e-mail to bwolfley@journalsentinel.com
__________________________________________________ _____________________
SINCE 1996?!?!?! hmmm.... So if he delayed that 10 years... According to my calculations.... 2006 + 10 more years = 2016.... WAHOOO!!!! :lol:
Hop fully the apocalypse comes soon because ever since I watched the packers #4 has been the qb (94/95ish)... Hopefully Aikman is right and he returns :mrgreen: