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| New uniform, but the same old Favre |
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by Alex Marvez
Source: FOXSports.com
Sep. 7, 2008
MIAMI - None of Brett Favre's 18 other regular-season openers were like this.
The NFL's all-time leading passer was light years outside his comfort zone. His grasp of a new offense was so shaky that Favre sometimes told teammates in the huddle to run the "same play" as the previous snap. And never, ever during his Green Bay Packers heyday would Favre have considered himself a weak link, particularly against an opponent that finished with the league's worst record in 2007.
"I didn't want to lose the game for us," Favre said afterward.
Come on. This is Brett Favre.
A 20-14 road victory Sunday over the Miami Dolphins was more than a successful New York Jets debut. It also showed No. 4 is as dangerous as ever despite his new surroundings.
The deep ball? No problem. Favre froze Miami's defense with a brilliant first quarter play fake, then heaved a 56-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery.
"I tried to be aggressive on something that wasn't there and they burned me," Dolphins cornerback Andre' Goodman said.
Game management? Favre didn't commit a turnover. He connected on 15 of 24 passes with seven different receivers. That's particularly impressive considering Favre only knows 75 percent of New York's playbook.
"Our communication on the sideline was great," Cotchery said. "We just need to continue to build off that."
Making those around him better? Just ask Thomas Jones. With the Dolphins forced to respect Favre's arm, Jones had a clearer path to a 101-yard, one-touchdown rushing performance.
"Now you don't have to worry about having nine (defenders) in the box all the time," Jones said.
But what about vintage Favre? The risk-taker who could seemingly do the impossible with a flick of his wrist?
He's alive and well.
One of the game's key plays came on a fourth-and-13 from the Miami 22-yard line early in the second quarter. A field goal wasn't an option with kicker Mike Nugent temporarily sidelined by a thigh injury.
A less experienced quarterback would have gotten flustered by the heavy pressure Miami brought. A less confident quarterback wouldn't have thrown into an end zone crowded with Dolphins defensive backs.
Quickly pressured, Favre spun from a defensive tackle while switching the football from his left hand to the right. He then threw skyward as blitzing linebacker Joey Porter was taking him down.
"I didn't think he had a chance in hell of completing it," Jets coach Eric Mangini said.
Once again, come on. This is Brett Favre.
The pass fell safely into the hands of wide receiver Chansi Stuckey for a touchdown, giving New York a lead that was never relinquished.
"The ball looked like a shot put," a smiling Favre said. "I can't believe it went (22) yards."
That wasn't the only thing hard to fathom Sunday. Favre still looks unnatural in a Jets uniform, having joined the team via trade just one month ago after 16 years in Green Bay. The scene was made even more bizarre by his Jets predecessor Chad Pennington now starting in Miami.
Early in his career, Favre might have arrived at Dolphin Stadium with a hangover from a night of partying. Instead, Favre spent the eve of this game writing down the names of plays and then reading them aloud so they would sound natural in the huddle.
The crash course wasn't a cure-all. Favre took the blame for being sacked three times, saying he sometimes didn't call the proper blocking scheme. He misfired on what should have been a touchdown to wide receiver Laveranues Coles, which Favre blamed on a lack of practice time between the two. Favre also felt his age when "knocked silly for 30 seconds" by outside linebacker Matt Roth after a play-fake.
But being 38 years old has its benefits. Despite the hoopla surrounding his first Jets start, Favre was intentionally subdued during pregame warm-ups. He knew conserving energy on a sweltering day with a triple-digit heat index was vital.
The weather conditions were drastically different than during his Packers swansong last January in a frigid NFC Conference championship loss to the New York Giants.
"My last game was 120 degrees cooler," Favre said.
And to think the Packers wanted Favre to put his NFL career on ice by staying retired.
"I had a great career in Green Bay, but that's over and done with," Favre said. "It's what I do this year. It was shaky (Sunday), but it was a good start. You can never question a win."
Nor whether Favre still has some magic left. |
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