Favre Makes Jets Matter Again

by: Joe McDonald | Publisher and Editor-in-Chief | Thursday, August 7, 2008



On Aug. 6, 2008, the New York Jets were an irrelevant team. Coming off a 4-12 season, Gang Green was in a precarious position competing with the Super Bowl champs in their same market while both baseball teams get the back pages during their offseason, when the hot stove league gets fired up. Let’s not forget the Knicks will also command some attention with Mike D’Antoni taking over that franchise.

So, even with a good start, the Jets were bound for the land of hockey and the Nets in the competitive New York media market. And with no new major skill players coming on board for the season, it was going to be a silent season for the club, even if they improved on the four win record.

That all changed early this morning when the Jets acquired quarterback Brett Farve. Although he’s 38, the future Hall of Famer gives Gang Green instant credibility and makes Sunday a two game must see for the New York sports fan.

“I am looking forward to seeing Brett Favre in a New York Jets uniform,” said Jets Chairman & CEO Woody Johnson in a statement. “He represents a significant addition to this franchise, and reflects our commitment to putting the best possible product on the field.”

Every Jet fan is feeling like Johnson right now. It would be a tough pill to swallow if the Pats go on to repeat in the AFC East, while the Giants dominate the NFC. Farve changes that. With a last place schedule, the Jets now not only have the chance to make the playoffs, but also can become an elite team in the NFL.

And that’s what No. 4 gives the Jets – respectability. With Farve the Jets become better than the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. With NFL bottom feeders like Arizona, Cincinnati, Oakland and St. Louis on the venue, Gang Green has a chance to pile up the wins. As for the Pats, the Jets now have a complete team which can compete with the almost perfect franchise.

All of this comes for the incredible low price of a conditional draft pick, which only become a No. 1 if the Jets make the Super Bowl.

That’s something each and every Jet fan will take.

In 2008, the Jets will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Broadway Joe’s miracle run in Super Bowl III. Since then the franchise has seen nothing but heartache. Even the near misses ended in spectacular fashion. In 1982, they ran into a muddy field in Miami, losing their best shot for the Super Bowl. And if they played to win in the second half of the 1998 AFC Championship Game, their success would be credited to the former Giants coach Bill Parcells.

So the Jets can’t seem to catch a break. Remember, they still play in a stadium named for an opposing team, which ends in 2010, but the New Meadowlands, for some reason, will still have a Giants feel to it.

With Farve, the team has a chance to erase it’s checkered past. It’s a chance to become a player in the New York landscape. Sure, it can backfire and the new quarterback can flop, but it’s a risk the Jets need to take.

The first step was getting him here and Gang Green passed that with flying colors.