Brett's A Jet!
It was a bittersweet and surreal day today for Jets fans. Late last night, the New York Jets acquired future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre from the Green Bay Packers. Instantly, the Jets have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time on the team. Instantly, the Jets have credibility. These are things this Jets fan is not used saying about his team! Let’s face it, the Jets haven’t had the most riveting history! In the blink of an eye, the also-ran Jets, coming off a miserable season in which they won only 4 games and lost 12, find themselves the talk of the NFL, with many experts saying they may now be a playoff team.
Despite being one of the great days in Jets history, it is also bittersweet. With the acquisition of Brett Favre, the Jets no longer need the services of their veteran quarterback, Chad Pennington. Today, the Jets said farewell to their beleaguered warrior (and dumped his salary) by releasing him, ending Pennington’s 8 year career in New York. Chad, who was drafted by the Jets in 2000, was a tough, intelligent and fearless leader for the Jets, but he was also plagued by a weak throwing arm, made weaker and less dependable by injuries. He lost his job as the starting quarterback last year to the younger Kellen Clemens, who is potentially the Jets quarterback of the future. With Favre on board, their was no place on the Jets for the 32 year old Pennington, who is now free to sign with another team, possibly as a backup (Clemens will remain with the Jets as Favre’s backup). Saying goodbye to Chad Pennington will be hard. He was a great Jet, even though he was unable to achieve success on a consistent basis. He played through injuries and pain, never complaining. When fans and so-called experts criticized Pennington over his arm strength, he never complained. He just worked harder. Farewell Chad. You are an all time Jet! Oh yeah, please don’t sign with the hated Miami Dolphins...or the evil New England Patriots...or the rival Buffalo Bills!
As for Brett Favre, the New York Jets starting quarterback, it’s his team now. He first played briefly for the Atlanta Falcons in 1991. He joined the Green Bay Packers in 1992, starting a 16 year run with the Packers. Along the way, he won a Super Bowl, was selected to 9 Pro Bowls, was an All-Pro 7 times, was an MVP numerous times and holds many of the NFL’s all time passing records. Sure, there are negatives to the Jets bringing Favre in. He’s 38 years old - he’ll turn 39 in October. He may only play another year or so. He joins a new team with just a month before the start of the season, forcing him to get in shape and learn a whole new system in a matter of weeks. After playing the past 16 seasons in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Favre will now find himself in the mega-market of New York and New Jersey. Can he handle the pressures of playing in New York? Can he handle the scrutiny of the intense media? Can he handle the pressure that Jets fans will put on him to win and win now? We will find out.
It is the start of what should be an exciting, thrilling and hopefully successful period for the Jets, a team that won their only Super Bowl championship 39 years ago under the leadership of the all time greatest Jet, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath.
J - E - T - S Jets Jets Jets!!!
