Favre primed to lead Jets
CLEVELAND (AP) - August 8, 2008
Before the door to New York's locker room was shut, the Jets'
new quarterback was asked one final question.
"Brett, is this a one-year commitment?" he was asked.
"We'll see," Favre said.
Goodbye, Green Bay. Hello, Gotham.
Favre closed a summer of discontent and opened a new chapter in
his Hall of Fame career on Thursday by joining the New York Jets,
who stunned the NFL by outbidding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and
trading a future draft pick to the Packers for the 38-year-old
superstar.
One of the toughest to ever line up under center, Favre showed
the slightest bit of anxiety about leaving the Pack after 16
seasons.
"To a certain degree, I don't know what I'm getting into," he
said.
Favre brings instant relevance to the Jets, who went 4-12 last
season and haven't had a quarterback of his stature since Joe
Namath ruled Manhattan more than 30 years ago.
Favre, though, isn't trying to match Joe Willie.
"I'm here for one reason. Not to do commercials, Broadway all
those things," Favre said before the Jets rallied to beat the
Browns 24-20 in their exhibition opener. "I'm here to help the
Jets win."
The three-time league MVP is expected to practice with his new
teammates for the first time on Saturday, but there's plenty to do
before taking the field.
On Friday, Favre will be welcomed to New York by Mayor Michael
Bloomberg during a morning ceremony at City Hall. Then, he'll begin
devouring the Jets' playbook, which will have different terminology
than the one in Green Bay he knew so well. Favre even joked that
he's looking forward to his first conditioning test after being
away from football longer than he has since high school.
"I'm a little out of shape, compared to the other guys," he
said. "The last 24 hours have been crazy. This offseason has been
bizarre. But I'm excited by this opportunity."
As for New York and all its trappings, Favre says bring it on.
"I know how tough it can be," he said. "And I know how great
it can be in this city. Am I ready to face it, handle it, deal with
it? I think so. I think it's a great opportunity. It can be as good
as you want to make it."
Five months after a tearful goodbye, Favre, who won a Super Bowl
title and set all sorts of records before his acrimonious split
with the Packers, is starting over. He's now part of a rebuilding
Jets team which has been reduced to second-stringer status in New
York behind the Super Bowl champion Giants.
Dressed casually in cargo shorts, a gray T-shirt and new white
baseball cap bearing a green "NY" logo, Favre capped a whirlwind
day and arrived at Browns Stadium a little after 6 p.m. On his way
to the Jets locker room, he recalled a few previous visits to
Cleveland with the Packers before meeting with New York coach Eric
Mangini, who is a year younger than his new QB.
Favre was then joined by Jets chairman and CEO Woody Johnson and
general manager Mike Tannenbaum. During his drawn-out divorce with
the Packers, Favre said he had been reluctant to speak with
Tannenbaum because he was certain the GM would be able to sell him
on joining the Jets.
"He's convincing," Favre said, drawing a smile from
Tannenbaum. "I know this team had a lot of talent."
Before the Jets received the opening kickoff, Favre and his new
backup, Kellen Clemens, talked briefly on the sideline. Favre
clutched a card containing New York's offensive sets and after each
snap, he discussed what transpired with quarterback Brett Ratliff,
who in an instant went from raw rookie to teaching one of the
game's greats.
Following a delay for lightning, Favre and Clemens played catch.
He's eager to put his messy breakup with Green Bay behind him
and so, too, are the Packers.
"It's like a marriage that ends," Green Bay president Mark
Murphy said. "It happens. Neither party is at fault."
That was Favre's read as well.
"I think we're probably both at fault," he said. "I'm not
going to blame one side or the other. A lot of things happened this
season, a lot of shocking things. But at this point it's
irrelevant."
For the moment, Favre brings the Jets publicity and perhaps a
better chance to compete in the AFC East. His preference was to be
traded inside the NFC North to Minnesota. But the Packers didn't
want to send him to a division rival, and instead began talks with
Tampa Bay and the Jets, who didn't give in until they got their
man.
"I woke up this morning and the trigger was pulled," Favre
said.
Already, his jersey is being scooped up by Jets fans who
awakened to the news that the Mississippi country boy with the
cannon right arm is on his way to the big city and its bright
lights.
Told that 3,000 new jerseys had been sold online, he joked,
"That's all?"
Not long after the trade was finalized, the Jets released former
starter Chad Pennington, who could wind up with Miami.
New York gave up a conditional pick for Favre. According to
NFL.com, the selection would turn into a third-rounder if Favre
plays in 50 percent of the plays this season, a second-rounder if
he plays in 70 percent and the Jets make the playoffs, or a
first-round pick if he plays in 80 percent and the Jets make it to
the Super Bowl.
Favre is coming off one of his most productive seasons, one
during which he answered any doubts about whether he still had
game. He passed for 4,155 yards, his most since 1998, and had 28
TDs with 15 interceptions. The arm strength was still there, and so
was his ability to improvise and make something of nothing.
"I hope I can play at the level that I've always played at,"
he said. "There's no guarantees. There have never been any
guarantees for me. It's football and anything can happen."
Favre's first objective is to bond with his new teammates.
"Were up against the clock," he said. "I want these guys to
know me, know what Im about, how I play, what type of leadership I
have. Im not going to call team meetings, Im not going to be
rah-rah, Im going to do what I have to do, pat guys on my back,
hug them, pick them up off the ground and hope they do the same for
me and hope thats enough to win."