Jets see Favre's enthusiam- Newsday
Jets players see Brett Favres enthusiasm
By Erik Boland / Newsday
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - Added 17m ago
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In the mostly empty visiting teams locker room at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Aug. 7, Jets receiver Jerricho Cotchery reflected on what he and his fellow players had heard from their newest teammate about five hours earlier.
"It was very interesting to hear him say, Lets have a lot of fun," Cotchery said after the Jets 24-20 victory. "A guy whos been in the league that long, won a championship and all that, and the first thing that came out of his mouth was, Lets have a lot of fun."
In a lot of ways, it has been exactly that for the Jets since Brett Favre came to the franchise as a result of that late-night trade Aug. 6 and was introduced, first to his teammates, then to the media, Aug. 7 in Cleveland.
Of course, the full Favre Effect on the Jets couldnt quite be gleaned from the quarterbacks brief appearances in the preseason and it wont be known in its entirety for some time. Still, in his first regular-season game as a Jet last Sunday, Cotcherys comment from a month before seemed prescient enough.
Every Favre touchdown pass touches off a Jim Valvano, hug-the-nearest-human moment, which isnt a surprise. This, after all, is a quarterback who low-fived referee Pete Morelli after throwing a touchdown pass to current teammate Bubba Franks against Detroit last season.
"I was looking for someone to celebrate with," Favre said at the time. "He just happened to have stripes on."
But to many of his new teammates, the kid-in-the-candy-store routine is a surprise. And a welcome one.
Tight end Chris Baker, in his seventh season with the Jets, said Monday that Favres enthusiasm is something ratcheted up from the preseason, something hes never experienced on a football field.
"Some of the excitement that he shows," Baker said. "Youre used to seeing it on TV, but to be on the field with him and being able to see some of the things that he does some of the reads. His actual in-game operation is unlike anything that Ive been around."
Bakers answer strayed a bit but it seemed fitting for the player he was discussing because Favres "in-game operation" encompasses so much. It ranges from Favre gunning the ball 50 yards in the air to Cotchery for a 56-yard touchdown, high-fiving whomever he could find; the javelin-like touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey, and his fail-safe method of calling out plays from a playbook he hasnt quite mastered.
"A couple of times, I just winged it and told the guys, Same play," Favre said Sunday.
Typical Favre self-deprecation?
"He actually did that," Baker said. "He wasnt joking when he said that."
Many have predicted some friction between Favre and Jets coach Eric Mangini because of that kind of "winging it" philosophy, but Mangini, above all else, is a pragmatist. He knew Favres history coming in and wouldnt have signed off and really, pushed for the deal in the first place if it scared him.
In Manginis eyes, the good (getting the playmaker his team needed) outweighed the bad the ill-advised decisions that havent happened yet, but inevitably will, leading to some turnovers.
Asked Monday about Favres "same play" calls, Mangini smiled.
("You know, a couple times I wish he had called same play and vetoed the stuff we sent him," Mangini said. "You know, any port in a storm."
Translation: In the organized chaos that is an NFL game, teams that win have the ability to score in ways both predictable and unpredictable.
But the Favre Effect goes beyond just fun and improvisation, and in the case of the Jets, it was Cotchery, yet again, who gave to this point the best summation, and most important aspect, of it.
In another mostly empty locker room this time in the Meadowlands after a 13-10 preseason defeat to the Redskins on Aug. 16 Cotchery took stock of Favres first game after only one week of practice. Favre went 5-for-6 that night for 48 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller.
"We felt like everything that we were going to run was going to work," Cotchery said.
The last recent time anyone expressed such unbridled confidence in a Jets quarterback?
Times up.
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Today, 08:23 AM #2
rmagedon6
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I'm all for Favre 'winging it' and improvising whenever and however he wants.
This will put a lot of pressure on the OL to give him more than enough to pull these plays off, but u know what? I expect this line to step up, play their hearts out, and give this man the kind of protection he needs to win us some ball games.
Go Favre!
Go Jets!
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Today, 08:27 AM #3
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This article best describes why I've been so excited for this season...... no matter what happens it should be fun!
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Today, 11:43 AM #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmagedon6
I'm all for Favre 'winging it' and improvising whenever and however he wants.
This will put a lot of pressure on the OL to give him more than enough to pull these plays off, but u know what? I expect this line to step up, play their hearts out, and give this man the kind of protection he needs to win us some ball games.
FYI this has been a common comment from Favrte's GB offensive teammates over the years (not just OL, but receivers, backs doing blocking, etc), something to the effect of: "He's not like other QBs, where you know the play won't be coming your way sometimes. With Brett there's a chance ANY play could end up coming your way, so you goat keep looking for it, be prepared for anything" regarding OLine, it's a frequent comment (at least once a year) in media that they really feel a lot of pressure to keep their blocks as long as possible, because Brett will keep trying to make a play happen long after other QBs chuck it out or go down (just like the 4th and 13 play Sunday).
Translation: his flexibility and improv skills force his teammates to keep up their intensity, a self-feeding cycle that in turn improves his ability to improv.
Now you know why we GB carpetbaggers are here 😉 This is the first time in my 30+ years of watching games that I've ever cared about a NFL team other than the Packers.
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Today, 01:52 PM #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by puddnhead
FYI this has been a common comment from Favrte's GB offensive teammates over the years (not just OL, but receivers, backs doing blocking, etc), something to the effect of: "He's not like other QBs, where you know the play won't be coming your way sometimes. With Brett there's a chance ANY play could end up coming your way, so you goat keep looking for it, be prepared for anything" regarding OLine, it's a frequent comment (at least once a year) in media that they really feel a lot of pressure to keep their blocks as long as possible, because Brett will keep trying to make a play happen long after other QBs chuck it out or go down (just like the 4th and 13 play Sunday).
Translation: his flexibility and improv skills force his teammates to keep up their intensity, a self-feeding cycle that in turn improves his ability to improv.
Now you know why we GB carpetbaggers are here 😉 This is the first time in my 30+ years of watching games that I've ever cared about a NFL team other than the Packers.
Its the same reason why a life long jet fan such as myself would cheer for the Pack in the NFC. Favre is not just a great QB, but one who is extremely fun to watch. Good or bad, he always makes something happen and is a great person. A very easy guy to cheer for.
That said, I'm glad the Aaron Rodger's era started off as well as it did for you up in Green Bay. I hope this kid is able to pull through the pressure and get the fan base behind him.
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Today, 05:44 PM #6
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This will definitely be one fun season!
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