Like all his teammates after Sunday's 13-3 loss at Seattle, Jets quarterback Brett Favre was unable to narrow down why his team couldn't execute.
"Just like last week really, we got a good start. We obviously scored more points last week, but it was a good start today," Favre said. "I felt comfortable, really never felt uncomfortable. We just were never able to get it going.
"Three points. I don't care how well you're moving it between the two goal lines, but the bottom line is getting it in the end zone. We moved the ball. We did some things well, but ultimately it's about scoring points and that's what we didn't do well."
None of the players could pinpoint why the Jets couldn't maintain momentum, but it wasn't a function of the team overlooking the Seahawks.
"I think one thing for sure is this team is well aware of what opportunities have been in front of us," said Favre. "I think we felt that from day one. I think that's what is disappointing is that our guys know what's at stake, have worked extremely hard, have said the right things, have been good teammates. It just didn't work today."
"If we could play like we did against New England and Tennessee every week we'd be hard to beat. I don't have all the answers and after those two games it would be easy to say 'Boy, yeah, we're good' and all that stuff. We're the same team, same guys, same guys at practice."
Favre went 5-for-6 on the game's opening drive, which ended with a 20-yard field goal on fourth-and-1 from the 2.
"I felt like we had good momentum, but I understand the decision on that and I think it was a good decision," Favre said on the call to kick the field goal. "I felt like had we gone for it, we'd get it, but that's the competitive nature in me. I thought we'd moved the ball well on that drive.
"But being as bad as the conditions were, points always are valuable. The first drive of the game, put three up, and there's no sense of thinking we wouldn't be back there. In hindsight it is three points, so there's no guarantee we would have gotten it had we gone for it, but I think it was a good decision."
"Well, we had an opportunity to get it done on third down," said WR Jerricho Cotchery, who had the Jets' first reception for 21 yards, their last for 30, and six catches in all for 81 yards. "Third down has been killing us over the past few weeks. We just haven't been getting it done on third down and today was another case of that."
Favre was up and down throughout the game, as was nearly every other player on the team. He completed 18 or 31 passes for 187 yards and two interceptions.
"I think there were some things that were positive," Mangini said of Favre's performance. "There were some throws that weren't great and some chances to hit those receivers, but there were some throws that he got there and we didn't convert on, weren't able to bring in. That's going to happen in this type of weather, but it's not going to come down to Brett or the receivers. It's all of us, it's just all of us."
"We knew what was at stake," said Favre. "We didn't take advantage of it. It's not good enough. It's not good enough up to this point and that's the bottom line. We had an opportunity – had opportunities. Some we capitalized on. There have been obviously some bright spots, but here the last several weeks have not been up to par, so it is what it is. It's disappointing.
"Believe me, every guy in that locker room is disappointed. And if we didn't know any better, if we were naïve to what we've had in our grasp and let go, then it wouldn't really matter. You see players come and go all the time that don't realize, or didn't realize that opportunity. I think this team really does realize it and that's what is disappointing about it. We'll stick together and see what happens."
