Okay, so now what?
After their 13-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks (another humiliating loss to a West Coast team), the New York Jets are currently 8-6 and no longer in control of their own playoff destiny. Even a win over the Dolphins next week wouldn’t be enough to clinch the AFC East if the Patriots beat the Bills in Buffalo.
So was this Brett Favre experiment a failure in New York? If they don’t make the playoffs, than hell yes it was. The Jets didn’t trade for Favre so they could go 9-7 or 8-8 and miss the playoffs. They traded for him to make a run at the postseason and possibly even the Super Bowl. And if they didn’t trade for Favre for those reasons, then why in God’s name would you trade for a 38-year old quarterback and only sign him to one year?
Think about it – Favre is probably done in New York after this season. He’ll do his retirement dance for another offseason and even if he does want to play again, there’s no guarantee he’ll go back to the Jets. So how did trading for him help New York? They didn’t make the playoffs and even worse, they didn’t develop anyone for the future. (They also allowed Chad Pennington to go to a division rival don’t forget.)
Everyone was so giddy when the Jets brought Favre in this offseason. Then when he helped them beat the previously unbeaten Titans in Tennessee a month ago, everyone was ready to hop on the Brett/Super Bowl bandwagon.
But the reality of the situation is that the Jets might have done more harm than good. Sure they were competitive this season, but what’s the point in being competitive if you’re not going to make the postseason? Furthermore, what’s the point in being competitive if you’re not going to make the postseason and not going to set yourself up for the future? You have to hand it to the Jets for trying to find the missing piece and taking a shot. But the bottom line is that this move could have cost them in the long run more than it helped.
So I am told, Sunday was a perfect “Brett Favre Day.” The weather was cold, snowy and for most of the game, Brett Favre’s team was behind. But when it came time for Brett to be Brett, he looked like a quarterback past his prime. Granted, his offensive line didn’t and receivers didn’t help him much, but were was all of that “Brett Magic” that Packer fans talk so much about?
And does Eric Mangini keep his job after this massive collapse over the past couple weeks? His decision to go for it on fourth down late in the game instead of punt and allow his defense to get the ball back was questionable at best. He and Brett might be looking for jobs outside of the Big Apple next year.
