Cimini gives his opinion of the Jets so far. Enjoy. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...ett_favre_looks_ready_but_jets_teammat-2.html Brett Favre looks ready, but Jets teammates not ready to take off BY RICH CIMINI/DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Sunday, August 24th 2008, 8:55 PM Brett Favre looks ready for the regular season. His teammates, not so much. Thomas Jones? Invisible. Laveranues Coles? Hurt. The mega-million offensive line? No oomph. It wasn't supposed to start out this way - the Jets should be carrying Favre until he gets acclimated - but things have gone in reverse. In three preseason games, the starting offense has produced only seven points in nine possessions (six with Favre at quarterback), showing a glaring inability to run the ball. Jones, so happy with the offensive-line improvements that he welcomed Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca with a big hug on Day1, still hasn't clicked with his new blockers. Appearing a bit sluggish at times, Jones has rushed for only 29 yards on 12 carries. Favre's presence was supposed to prevent defenses from overplaying the run, but the Jets have yet to see that benefit. "I'm not concerned about Thomas and our running game," Favre said after Saturday night's penalty-marred 10-7 win over the Giants. "I'm concerned about the big plays that got called back. I've seen Thomas run against us in Green Bay many times, and he's a heck of a running back. "Thomas Jones, he's a load," he continued. "... I think we have a great combination with our two backs. I think we have an outstanding line; it's just how quickly our chemistry can come together." Jones, 30, hasn't managed a run longer than four yards. His sidekick, Leon Washington, has rushed for only 16 yards on seven attempts. Mind you, the Jets went into training camp intent on developing a hard-nosed, run-oriented offense. They tried hard against the Giants, using a mix of two-back and two-tight end formations, but there wasn't much push. And Saturday's performance was sloppy, too, with five penalties by the starting offense, including two that nullified completions that covered 78 yards. Clearly, Favre still isn't in sync with the rest of the group. Which raises a hot-button question: Should Favre & Co. play in Thursday night's finale in Philadelphia? Ordinarily, Eric Mangini doesn't play his veteran starters in the last preseason game, but this is hardly an ordinary situation. A 38-year-old future Hall of Fame quarterback parachuted into Jets camp 18 days ago - okay, he arrived in a private jet - and he is dropping hints. Favre has played the equivalent of three quarters in two starts, only 38 plays. He is still learning the offense, still getting into shape. Mangini said he's open to the possibility of using Favre in the finale, but he must weigh risk vs. reward. Imagine the outcry if a backup defensive lineman, trying to make his name, wipes out Favre. Eagles coach Andy Reid never plays his starters in the final tuneup. "I just want to see how practice goes," Mangini said. "We have a short week." In his previous life, Favre was a fourth-game fixture. From 2004 to 2007, he played in every finale for the Packers. His play totals in those games: 35, 11, 2 and 12, respectively. "That was probably me staying in Mike McCarthy's ear," Favre said. "(Coaches may say), 'Okay, guys, I'm not going to let you sit out this game, but I want you to practice.' I say, 'Heck, if I'm going to practice, I'm going to play, at least a series.' ... Otherwise, it's really a long time until you play another game." So far, Favre believes his arm "feels great." Indeed, he is throwing with accuracy (14-for-18 in two games) and power (10.3 yards per completion). This week, he intends to lobby Mangini for playing time. "I'll present my side," Favre said. "I'll say that I'd love to play one series, two series. He may say it's not worth it, and so be it."
Pretty fair article and the comments about Jones are all true. If we don't get a running game we will get Favre killed. Hardly what anybody expected when he was brought in.
What Cimini failed to point out is the Giants may be the best Defensive team we face this year. Favre with a handful of practices needed to be protected and he was. Outside of a few dumb penalties which are easily correctable we held our own on both sides of the ball. At best we have two games this year with a team as complete as the Giants and I believe the Pats are old on D and have a big time hangover. They certainly don't look like the same team in big games in 08 as they did in 07.:gpc:
I think that's true. Their offense is intact but their defense is dead. It was approaching that last year before they lost their two starting corners.
A few dumb penalties? 12 penatlies is a freaking debacle, not just a few "correctable dumb penalties". THat had better get that shit straightened out quick. THose penalties cost field postion, and even worse, took points off the board.
That's what preseason is for. We didn't get a dumb guy who can actually throw the ball because we want to be a smart team. This is going to be a physical team and physical teams win SB. The penalties will be reduced they won't end.
As has been pointed out, that was 12 penalties through whole game, including scrubs playing at the end. Although yes there are too many penalties from first string, and yes, it costs field position and are unacceptable, we can quibble over the meaning of "few" if you insist but otherwise those are obvious points. I think this article draws extreme conclusions on both sides (that Favre is ready, that everyone else is not) -- what, sports writers exaggerate things? Say it ain't so! :smile: -- but I think whatever you conclude about where the problems are and how bad they are, you still end up at the same point -- the offense needs to operate as a unit, and the first team just isn't there yet. So to not play them at all Thursday just because "that's the way it's always been done" is silly. IMO
??? Were the penalties that the first team offense got caused by "being physical" ??? I remember false starts, I remember the wrong number of men on the line when ball was snapped, I remember motion penalties, but I don't remember ANYTHING having to do with "being physical" (and anyway if thre were that would ususlaly be on the defense side of the ball?) And Favre is a "dumb guy"? Huh? Have you ever heard him analyze a play? Do you know how often he calls audibles and makes adjustments at line when he's familiar with an offense. Your post doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
That's because you are not a regular here. In Jets Ville we have had an ongoing eugenics argument. The basic theory is after measuring arm strength and cranium size there seems to be a direct evolutionary link that increased arm strength equals decreased cranium size and over all mental acuity.
would this article still have been written if that favre to cotchery TD wasn't wiped out by penalty? im not worried.
LOL. Must be a Jersey thing Nice comeback on that one BTW :up: Though I can't resist being the pendant: technically, it's totally backwards; don't they say that the complexity of being able to throw things once we started walking upright was what lead us to develop larger brains in the first place? :wink:
No comment on that, but have to ask about you're avatar -- is that really actually Favre in that picture? Something doesn't look right about his body ...
I am so tired of Cimini, even if he is somewhat right. I guess he has been covering the team too long. Everything comes out negative and depressing. They should switch these writers around every couple of years.
If Cimini had any idea what he was talking about he would be working for a team not covering them for the media. I look at his articles for information not opinion. The only beat writer who brings anything to the table right now is Boland.
I agree with this post 100%. Most of the penalties had nothing to do with being aggressive. They were mental mistakes (false starts, not enough guys on the line of scrimmage, etc). And also just plain stupidity like Mosley's sack dance. As for Favre, I always thought he was a dumb country boy. But every interview I read or see about the guy shows how astute he is. He definitely has a high football IQ (if not just a high IQ). He definitely looks good commanding the offense.
I don't think he's splitting atoms on his day off, but I don't think he's dumb in a football sense. He's survived as an NFL starter for all these years, he must know something. Regarding the offense, it seems to me they haven't really tried to establish the run much with the first team. There's only so many plays these guys are in there and job #1 has been to get Favre comfortable with what he's doing. So we're throwing the ball mostly with the first team, which is fine, but then the run game isn't going to bowl anyone over unless somebody breaks one. I'm not too worried yet, overall Saturday was the most encouraging effort I've seen, except for the penalties.
With Favre as your QB you will never spend a lot of time trying to establish the run. Even if the coaches try he will audible out of it. The problem is they must have a running game for him to do what he does best. They did in GB and we need one here too. Right now we don't have it and that will effect everything else we do.
Especially in a pre-season game where he knows he's only getting 10-15 plays and he'd rather have more, he doesn't want to go out there to hand off three times and punt.
