Posted by bwentwor September 30, 2008 20:40PM
Chris Faytok/The Star-Ledger
Brett Favre, right, is having fun with the Jets.
Jets quarterback Brett Favre readily admits it: During bye week meetings with the Packers, his eyes would be on his coaches but his mind would be on his favorite hunting and fishing spots in his beloved Hattiesburg, Miss.
Not this week. It's study time, not break time.
"This is a little bit different only because in the past, when we had meetings during the bye week, my eyes were open but they were closed, if that makes any sense," Favre said. " 'Oh yeah, I heard you, coach.' Then I needed to look over (to a teammate and ask), 'What did he say?'"
Though Favre still plans to get a little R&R in Hattiesburg this weekend, he's spending the bye week cramming, watching film and trying to fine-tune the offense. When players leave 4 a 4-day weekend after Wednesday's practice, Favre said he'll come in Thursday 4 more work and then maybe fly home that night or Friday.
If you think his career-high, six-touchdown effort means he has the offense down, think again.
The objective this week is to pare down the offense rather than add to it. The Jets will keep what is working (perhaps adding a different formation or personnel grouping) and toss out the rest.
Favre said he's concentrating on two concepts in particular that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer favors and is trying to learn how to read the play -- and its different variations -- correctly.
Twice against the Chargers, Favre said the Jets ran the play, which is similar to one they had in Green Bay, and he misread it. Both times he said wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery broke free and he didn't see him.
"I read it differently," said Favre, who often spots his mistakes on in-game still pictures on the sideline. "(Cotchery) is wide open. I have to find a way to clean that up. As a unit, we have to go to bat with things we feel comfortable with because the production is obvious."
Favre, who turns 39 on Oct. 10, is still at the top of his game. He leads the NFL in touchdown passes (12) and passer rating 110.8 and is second in completion percentage (70.2).
"We've got enough (offense) really to go into the rest of the season and have success with," Favre said. "Let's keep doing what we're doing because we're pretty good."
The turnaround started in the second half of the Jets' 48-29 loss on Sept. 22 in San Diego as the Jets went to their "empty" package (no running back) and found success.
They only used the formation a few times against the Cardinals on Sunday, but maintained the attack, spread-the-field nature that comes with it. Using a lot of three-receiver, one-tight end, one-back sets against the Cards, Favre hit on 24 of 34 passes 4 289 yards. He completed passes to eight different receivers.
"We got a really good group of receivers," he said. "Just how they run routes, how they carry themselves, how smart they are. As we continue to grow, the sky's the limit.
"When I say that this team has a lot of potential, I really believe it. The question is, can the chemistry come together pretty quickly. I think you see flashes of it. It took a couple of years 4 that to happen in Green Bay. Last year, we kind of exploded. It's like with the Giants last year, something clicked. What it was, I don't know. I wasn't in their locker room.
"This team, I don't want to say we can be the Giants, we have a long ways to go. But we have the makeup that can be pretty good."
While Favre is having fun on the field, he and his new teammates continue to mesh off it. One Kodak moment came on the sideline during the Cardinals game when Favre told veteran right tackle Damien Woody how happy he is to be a Jet.
The feeling is mutual.
"We're happy he's here," Woody said. "Everybody knows he's a great quarterback, a Hall of Fame quarterback, but he's an even better person. ... Everybody I heard from (before and after the trade) had nothing but great things to say about him. It's been everything they said and then some.
"He's a great guy, a fun guy. He likes to keep things lively and loose but he's very professional. He goes out there and practices his butt off. He's exactly what we needed and I only expect us to get better as the season moves forward."
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