How do you think Chad would have done last year had he been here? Would you rather have had KC start? I'm sure last year the bulk of us nearly pissed ourselves when we got Brett. We do this every year with players we get/lose/or don't draft. Since magic 8 balls don't work all we can do is judge a season after it is over and say what could have been. We had Favre and, in hind sight, it was pretty cool. We haven't been to a super bowl in 40 years and Brett wasn't the reason for all of those shitty seasons but was just another one of those "remember when" scenarios that we, as JETS fans, have gotten accustomed to having. Plus, he and our collapse are the reason we got Sanchez. Let's hope for the best instead of looking back in disgust.
We aren't sold out this year and you just made the argument that Favre was picked up for shirt sales by the last two clubs. The product is very mediocre until the second round of the playoffs and that impacts the value of the product. The fact that a 40 year old QB can get off the bench and be the starter on 2 playoff caliber teams says it all. Fact is Favre sucks but right now could start on at least half the NFL squads.
It's not unusual for an athlete to want to play the game, to not want to come out of the starting lineup, to go out there even if he isn't 100%. It's up- to the coach/manager (they get paid good money, too) to make decisions of who to play, whether it is in hoops, football or baseball. A coach who puts an individual consecutive game streak above the welfare of the entire team is one sucky coach- he's just not doing his job.
It's part of justifying the cost of getting him, yes. The fact that the Jets aren't sold out is again directly related to the impending stadium deal, evidenced by the fact that they had a waiting list for the past 30 years. That's your opinion. A lot of people don't agree with it. It says he's given the job because if who he is, not that he could actually win it. I'm sure there are a few places where he could but that's a statement that he's been a Hall of Fame QB for a long time, not that the whole league sucks.
I would suggest that if the team had a bonafide QB and a real shot to do something this year at the current prices they would be sold out. The future is a direct result of the NFL over reaching, over paying and over charging for their product. The fans have simply said the product doesn't justify the cost structure. If that continues the league is going to suffer greatly. I'm not a fan of Brett Favre but I suspect Favre could walk into most NFL training camps and with the exception of about 10 teams win the job outright if he came wearing a beard and mustache and nobody knew his name. The NFL is a QB driven league because the league has continued to modify the rules to make it so to drive fans into the seats. The fact is there aren't a lot of quality QB's in the league and that's why Favre still is getting a chance.
Its kind of hilarious to see Brett described as a "40 year old QB" he isn't just any old QB, he's not vinny. Brett happens to be one of the best QBs ever to play in the NFL. So yeah even at 40 Farvre is probably better than alot of other younger QBs b/c thats just how frikken good he is. That doesn't mean the NFL sucks. There have always been aging superstars in the league who hang on a bit longer than they should. There is nothing new in any of that. Its hard to quit/retire for alot of guys especially all time greats like Farvre. I really don't like the media fawning he gets but I also hope that he has a nice run and kicks the crap out of the packers. That would be fun.
I don't think Favre would be able to dink and dunk all through TC well enough to save his job against Chad. I think that's the real 'argument' that's going on.
Pretty much all of that I agree with. I think the level of play in the NFL is fine, it doesn't suck, Favre or no Favre. Certainly they will reach a ceiling on how much money people can and will lay out, until now it's gone up and up and they've continued to raise it, so maybe they've found or exceeded their ceiling, aided by the recession. Not just the Jets, most teams, DirecTV, all of them. They have a good product, people pay a lot of money for it, so they raise it thinking they can get more. That's the free market, when nobody buys it it will come back down to where they can.
I hope that's the result. Its going to be interesting to see how greedy the players and owners take the next level of bargaining when the networks may well be buying up tickets to keep games from being blacked out. I think some of the play is unbelivable but more and more there is a lot of lackluster play in the league. It's amazing to me they make the fans pay full bore for pre-season games that are almost unwatchable scrimages at best. The league has hit a home run with a watered down playoff system that creates a lot of interest across the league on the back half of the schedule but is that really a great product or is it hype? As a Jets fan I love that there is interest late in the season but as a football fan I honestly think the quality of play was better when there were fewer teams, and several really good teams rather than a pack of teams. I also think it's this ability to upgrade the QB and break out of the pack that gives a guy like Favre his value. That's just wrong.
one of the best QBs ever to play in the NFL That should have retired and kept his image (whats left) intact. The thing about age is that your meant to get wiser, not so in the case of Mr Favre. Until he writes his menoirs, we'll never really know his motives for coming back....again.But on the face of it , he looks like a selfish child, not a 40 year old man.
That goes back to the late 70s when they started emphasizing parity, having most teams hover around 8-8 and then free agency and the cap further level it out. To me it's a glass-half-full kind of thing. On one hand you're right, there aren't the great, dominating teams of the past, but as Jet fans that wasn't our team anyway, so I'd rather everyone be 8-8 and give us a shot. It's also helped ratings and kept more markets interested deeper into the season, so to me it works. I think with Favre you have a few teams thinking they just need a QB and hope they can somehow get the vintage Favre. We had Chad coming off his worst season and Favre coming off an unusually good one, compared with his last 7-8 years, so the Jets did it. Minnesota just won their division, has the RB and the D, so they are also taking a shot, on top of the PR boon Favre brings. We'll see how the whole thing plays out. I always think the marketplace determines what happens, like the Yankees slashing their prices 50% the first season in their new palace. If it gets to the point where the owners have to buy up tickets to avoid a blackout, all the numbers will change. It starts at the top, the TV money greases the wheel and it goes down from there.
Lots of great QB's in this leagues history, none of them at 40 ought to be able to get off their couch miss TC and be able to beat out 1 of the 32 best professional QB's currently in the game.
Who cares about Favre. He is only playing for one reason. To beat the Packers twice this year and that is all. No way this team goes deep into the playoffs. Lets put the whole Favre experiment behind us and move on to this years JETS team! GO JETS!
I'm not sure how the heck you can really believe that. First of all most super talented professional football players tend to be selfish - their world is full of people telling them how awesome they are all day long. Secondly you can argue that he should have retired all you want - the NFL clearly disagrees because he is a starting QB in the NFL and he is on a darned good team that he has improved since becoming the starting QB. As for his "image" you may think that he has suffered some major damage but it appears you are wrong since he continues to get endorsement deals and lucrative advertisements. He remains one of the best known stars in the NFL and when he is on TV people tune in to watch. Whenever he decides to call it quits he will have a major TV contract waiting for him and he will be lauded as he enters the HOF in his first yr of eligibility. Personally I hate all the media bs surrounding him but I actually like the guy. He is one tough SOB. Hate on him all you want but he is a HOFer and one of the best ever.
Closest would be Vinny, but that was a rare case. We lost our top 2 QBs early in the season and he knew the team and offense already. Still came in and beat a 4-0 Tampa Bay team in his first week, that was great. Highlight of an awful season.
I doubt Brett was just lying on the couch. Look there have been plenty of good QBs who played well even though they were older. There have been some good older QBs: Warren Moon, John Elway, Kurt Warner, Vinny T, Blanda, Unitas, Flutie. The fact that Brett is 40 doesn't mean he can't be a good QB for the vikes this season. Chances are that he will get hurt but you never know.
Belief is one thing, thinking the NFL owes you a living is another. I will . The NFL doesn't disagree, the Vikings do. Hes been awarded a team by reputation and reputation only, no TC , minicamps...nothing and after surgery (apparently successful). Has he improved the Vikings? Too early to tell. He puts bums on seats thats it. Whether his image is good or bad makes no difference. Hes on TV and courts a mass critical audience. Thats what advertsing and promotion is about. No doubts. But he'll retire from that, only to come out of retirement and oust Rich Eisen. Most people do, for different reasons. Mine is "the Brett favre circus". Yes hes tough, but also stubborn and selfish. We'll never know for sure, but possibly cost us a shot at the POs last season. We agree on one thing, hes a future HOFer. Done with BF.
In my perfect world this is what happens: The Packers dominate the Vikings in both matchups during the regular season, getting 3 or 4 INT's per game against Favre. Sacking him relentlessly, etc. By some divine intervention, both the Packers and Vikings make it to the playoffs (on the strength of the Vikings running game), where the Vikings have to visit Lambeau Field. The end result? Favre getting pummeled into submission, and throwing a pick 6 to end the game, and hopefully his career. That's my dream scenario anyway.
