New York Jets Chairman & CEO Woody Johnson

I had a great conversation with Brett this morning. Considering that he came from a totally different environment and joined our team during training camp, his performance last season was extraordinary. As I spoke with people throughout the organization, they all told me how much they enjoyed working with him. Brett Favre is a Hall-of-Fame player, but he is also a Hall-of-Fame person. Brett, Deanna and his family will always be a part of the Jets family.

New York Jets Executive Vice President/General Manager Mike Tannenbaum

When we acquired Brett, we knew we would get everything he had. He took the time to mentor younger players and his competitiveness and enthusiasm at practice and during games was contagious. I spoke with him this morning and told him that he will be a friend of the Jets for years to come and it was an honor to work with him.

New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan

It was an honor to coach against Brett over the years. If he’s not the best quarterback ever, then he’s certainly in the conversation. I have great admiration for him as a player and a person. I wish him only the best in his life after football.

Jones Scores Three TDs to Pick Up a Listless Favre

Thomas Jones found the endzone on three separate occasions to lead the Jets to a 26-14 win at home versus the still-winless Cincinnati Bengals. On an unseasonably warm day at the Meadowlands, quarterback Brett Favre did not have his best outing (two interceptions, one fumble) and the Jets were still able to up their record to 3-2.

“Turnovers will come back and bite you but you have to be able to overcome the turnover,” said Favre after the game. The Jets were tested on that analogy early on when Atwan Odom sacked Favre on the Jets first drive and stripped the ball, which was picked up by safety Chinedum Ndukwe and returned 15 yards for a touchdown. (more…)

Losing Star QB for Season Will Effect Entire Conference

Where it used to be the New England Patriots and then everyone else in the AFC, the season-ending knee injury suffered by quarterback Tom Brady in the first quarter of the season opener has changed everything. The team that was the preseason favorite to win it all will have to defend their conference title without their field general.

No matter how good a head coach Bill Belichik may be, losing the reigning league MVP may be more than even he can overcome. No slight against Matt Cassel, but he will be making his first start since high school come this Sunday on the road against the Jets.

The former back-up nearly found himself on the unemployment line following a dismal performance in the Pats’ four exhibition losses. Now he is being asked to step in for a team that went 16-0 last season.

Cassel was able to lead the team to a 17-10 home win over the Kansas City Chiefs after taking over for Brady. Under normal circumstances, New England would have dominated a weaker opponent like the rebuilding Chiefs. They barely hung on and if that is any indication of what is in store, first place in the AFC East will not be for long.

“I would still consider them the favorite,” Jet linebacker Eric Barton said in response to a question posed to him about the Pats and the Super Bowl. “Absolutely. I think the last time they were in a situation like this they won the Super Bowl,” he continued, reflecting on the time Brady took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe on September 23, 2001 and promptly led 14-point underdog New England to a shocking victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Brett Favre agreed with Barton’s assessment. “I think the Patriots are the team to beat until proven otherwise,” the veteran quarterback said. “They have dominated this division as well as this league for a long time.”

From one QB to another, Favre isn’t buying into what people are saying about the Pats being lost without their marquee player in the lineup, but did acknowledge there will be a difference. “Matt Cassel played great the other day when he came in,” he said. “They assume he will do that. Tom Brady is Tom Brady. So that does give us a better chance.”

According to Jets head coach Eric Mangini, the new starter has enough weapons around him to carry the load. “It’s a very efficient offense,” he said. “Matt will do an excellent job for them. He’s been there a long time. I was there when he got there.

“He’s very similar to what I’ve experienced with a lot of the quarterbacks in terms of the way he approaches things, how disciplined he is and how much he studies. He’s got a strong arm. He can make plays with his feet. I think he’ll do a really, really good job.”

Heading into the season, most of the experts were putting New England, Indianapolis and San Diego at the top of the heap. Both the Colts and Chargers lost at home in Week 1 to underdog NFC teams.

An interesting campaign just got a lot more interesting. How all of this plays out is anyone’s guess at this early juncture, but no Brady can make for a very different season than what has been considered the ‘norm’ for New England.

Purple People Eaters Look to Take a Wide-Open Division in Transition

With the start of NFL training camps, Between the Uprights will bring you a team-by-team breakdown of all 32 clubs vying for the Lombardi Trophy on February 1, 2009 in Tampa Bay. We will start with the NFC East and work our way around the league.

The NFC North will be a very different looking division from only a year ago when the Green Bay Packers led the way with a 13-3 record. The 2007 Minnesota Vikings may have finished second at .500, but added the league’s sack leader and hope that quarterback Tarvaris Jackson will take the next step and lead the team to the playoffs, which they have missed since 200.

A strong backfield will go a long way in making that a reality, and adding wide receiver Bernard Berrian will make their offense well-rounded. On the other side of the ball, the Williamses and Jared Allen form a formidable group, which may be able to dominate the division. (more…)

While Trade was a No-Brainer, Let’s Not Anoint Him Broadway Just Yet

You can’t go home again. That old saying rang true when Brett Favre had the door to Green Bay slammed in his face. The same place where he used to walk on water – and the Frozen Tundra – at first tried to be subtle in telling the grizzled veteran quarterback that they were all better off if he stayed away. But Favre wouldn’t accept that and forced a trade, one that even he called “unique” and surprising.

Perhaps the most unlikely of suitors were the Jets, and that’s exactly how this thing played out. When Favre was introduced during a hurried press conference in Cleveland, he, general manager Mike Tannenbaum and team owner Woody Johnson all appeared as if they stayed at the biggest party of the summer too late – exhausted, but glad that they did it.

“Did I ever think that this scenario would present itself?” Favre asked himself. “No.” That may be attributed to the fact that the legendary signal-caller would have preferred staying a Packer or being dealt within the NFC North. Neither was in the cards, so he finds himself in New York…er, New Jersey. (more…)

Jets Should Forget About Green Bay QB

If your team had the opportunity to acquire a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who is also a nine-time Pro Bowler and sure first-ballot Hall of Famer, there wouldn’t be many scenarios where you would want to turn that offer down. Especially when heading into training camp, your quarterback situation is not settled, and the two battling it out for the job are not exactly headed to Canton unless they buy a ticket.

So what would make anyone say that Brett Favre to the Jets wouldn’t end in confetti being blown into the Tampa Bay night sky come February? Before we start booking the flight to Disneyland, it will make more sense once it is broken down. (more…)