Partial
08-27-2007, 11:00 PM
Another Chemistry Lesson
JASON WILDE
Surrounded by still-learning, mistake-making youngsters, the Green Bay Packers veteran quarterback now knows why former coach Mike Holmgren had to start using Rogaine (and probably Grecian Formula, too) in the mid-1990s: Talented but unpredictable young players will make you pull your hair out, and turn what you have left gray.
"My patience is a lot thinner now than it used to be," Favre said Monday afternoon as he prepared for Thursday night's preseason finale at Tennessee. "Now I see what my coaches went through early in my career. Especially a guy like Mike Holmgren, who'd coached (Hall of Fame quarterbacks) Steve Young and Joe Montana (in San Francisco) and seen it done over and over again the right way — and then all of a sudden he gets Brett Favre, who's a gunslinger and all this stuff, and he had to be patient.
"Now, he wasn't very patient. He allowed me to continue to play, but he was not very patient. And I find myself sometimes preaching some of the things he taught me. Some of the things that were said to me throughout my career by other coaches, I find myself using."
Like in last week's loss to Jacksonville, for example, when rookie wide receiver James Jones made two route-running mistakes and ended up on the receiving end of what Favre called "constructive" on-field criticism. Second-year receiver Greg Jennings also drew Favre's ire.
On one play, Favre was sacked because Jones ran a "go" when he should have broken off the route because of the coverage. Later, Jones stopped on a route across the middle, leading to an incompletion. Another Favre pass fell incomplete when Jennings turned one way and Favre threw the other.
Jones' mistakes sullied another otherwise impressive night. He caught six passes for 80 yards and leads the team with 16 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
The miscommunication with Jennings came after he had caught his first two passes of the preseason.
"It was a mistake on my part. A bad play by me," Jones said. "You learn from it. That's why the chemistry you get with each other is so important. And we'll get that with each other."
To that end, Favre lobbied coach Mike McCarthy to let him play a few series against the Titans on Thursday night, especially with No. 1 receiver Donald Driver sidelined by a sprained right foot. With Driver out, Jennings and Jones will start and Ruvell Martin, Carlyle Holiday and late-blooming rookie fifth-round pick David Clowney all should see playing time with Favre.
"I know Mike initially was against it, but it gives me a chance to play with these younger guys because we're going to have to play together (during the regular season)," said Favre, who in three games has completed 23 of 39 passes for 211 yards, with one touchdown, no interceptions and an 82.3 quarterback rating. "There's still some things we have to work out, but the only way you work them out is you play together.
"To be honest with you, I'd prefer to play the whole game. Every bit of time on the field I can get is very valuable to me."
All three times Favre has spoken to reporters during training camp, he has brought up how critical chemistry is with his receivers, bemoaning the fact that Driver is the only receiver he feels he can trust completely.
Given Jones' impressive camp, it's vital the two get on the same page with the regular-season opener Sept. 9 against Philadelphia.
"I don't know if it's just isolated to James Jones. There's times when a veteran receiver, when you're running a read-route and you're giving guys options to do different things, is going to make mistakes, too," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "To sit here and say we're going to have flawless execution from a rookie from Week 1, I don't know that we get flawless execution out of anybody."
Which means Favre has to be careful showing his on-field frustration — he snapped off his chinstrap in disgust after the sack, and demonstratively chewed out Jones after the aborted route — and deal with it the right way.
"I have to enjoy the game (and) understand that some of these guys will make mistakes," Favre admitted. "I know there's a correct way and I know there's an incorrect way (to deal with those mistakes), but it's kind of fuzzy in between. I don't want to be a coach on the field, because it's hard enough to play, and I don't want to show frustration, but there's only 16 games. And one play can determine not only a game, but it could determine a season.
"Unlike baseball and basketball, where you can be in a slump for a 10-game stretch and come out of it and you're fine, you can't do that in football. That's where I'm coming from."
JASON WILDE
Surrounded by still-learning, mistake-making youngsters, the Green Bay Packers veteran quarterback now knows why former coach Mike Holmgren had to start using Rogaine (and probably Grecian Formula, too) in the mid-1990s: Talented but unpredictable young players will make you pull your hair out, and turn what you have left gray.
"My patience is a lot thinner now than it used to be," Favre said Monday afternoon as he prepared for Thursday night's preseason finale at Tennessee. "Now I see what my coaches went through early in my career. Especially a guy like Mike Holmgren, who'd coached (Hall of Fame quarterbacks) Steve Young and Joe Montana (in San Francisco) and seen it done over and over again the right way — and then all of a sudden he gets Brett Favre, who's a gunslinger and all this stuff, and he had to be patient.
"Now, he wasn't very patient. He allowed me to continue to play, but he was not very patient. And I find myself sometimes preaching some of the things he taught me. Some of the things that were said to me throughout my career by other coaches, I find myself using."
Like in last week's loss to Jacksonville, for example, when rookie wide receiver James Jones made two route-running mistakes and ended up on the receiving end of what Favre called "constructive" on-field criticism. Second-year receiver Greg Jennings also drew Favre's ire.
On one play, Favre was sacked because Jones ran a "go" when he should have broken off the route because of the coverage. Later, Jones stopped on a route across the middle, leading to an incompletion. Another Favre pass fell incomplete when Jennings turned one way and Favre threw the other.
Jones' mistakes sullied another otherwise impressive night. He caught six passes for 80 yards and leads the team with 16 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
The miscommunication with Jennings came after he had caught his first two passes of the preseason.
"It was a mistake on my part. A bad play by me," Jones said. "You learn from it. That's why the chemistry you get with each other is so important. And we'll get that with each other."
To that end, Favre lobbied coach Mike McCarthy to let him play a few series against the Titans on Thursday night, especially with No. 1 receiver Donald Driver sidelined by a sprained right foot. With Driver out, Jennings and Jones will start and Ruvell Martin, Carlyle Holiday and late-blooming rookie fifth-round pick David Clowney all should see playing time with Favre.
"I know Mike initially was against it, but it gives me a chance to play with these younger guys because we're going to have to play together (during the regular season)," said Favre, who in three games has completed 23 of 39 passes for 211 yards, with one touchdown, no interceptions and an 82.3 quarterback rating. "There's still some things we have to work out, but the only way you work them out is you play together.
"To be honest with you, I'd prefer to play the whole game. Every bit of time on the field I can get is very valuable to me."
All three times Favre has spoken to reporters during training camp, he has brought up how critical chemistry is with his receivers, bemoaning the fact that Driver is the only receiver he feels he can trust completely.
Given Jones' impressive camp, it's vital the two get on the same page with the regular-season opener Sept. 9 against Philadelphia.
"I don't know if it's just isolated to James Jones. There's times when a veteran receiver, when you're running a read-route and you're giving guys options to do different things, is going to make mistakes, too," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "To sit here and say we're going to have flawless execution from a rookie from Week 1, I don't know that we get flawless execution out of anybody."
Which means Favre has to be careful showing his on-field frustration — he snapped off his chinstrap in disgust after the sack, and demonstratively chewed out Jones after the aborted route — and deal with it the right way.
"I have to enjoy the game (and) understand that some of these guys will make mistakes," Favre admitted. "I know there's a correct way and I know there's an incorrect way (to deal with those mistakes), but it's kind of fuzzy in between. I don't want to be a coach on the field, because it's hard enough to play, and I don't want to show frustration, but there's only 16 games. And one play can determine not only a game, but it could determine a season.
"Unlike baseball and basketball, where you can be in a slump for a 10-game stretch and come out of it and you're fine, you can't do that in football. That's where I'm coming from."