Transcript of QB Brett Favre's news conference before Tuesday's midday practice:
On what spurred him to express his excitement of being a Jet to Damien Woody during the Arizona game…
I think the fact that we were winning. You know how it goes. Sometimes when things are going well, we have a tendency, all of us, to say the right things and do the right things. It just struck me at that time to say that. But also say that I would have said that last week, as I have.
The week before, I said that up in front of you guys. It works both ways. It's not just when we're winning and playing well. I just want guys to know that. Not that they wouldn't anyway. I enjoy being here. It obviously is different, but different in a good way. A good group of guys. The coaches have been great. I don't know where we go from here. I hope we continue to go up. But it's been fun.
On if there was a point where he knew it was the right decision to be a Jet…
I don't know exactly. I'd like to say when I first got here, but that would probably be a lie. It took a little while. I knew I was going to be here when I accepted that trade. When did I feel comfortable and felt like it was the right move? I don't know the exact time. To me, the most important aspect of the whole transition was liking the group of guys I was going to be working with and the coaches.
There are no guarantees after that how you'll play, how the team will play and how we will jell together. I knew that if we get along well and enjoy working together, I knew there was a good group of guys from a talent standpoint. When people at home ask me, either when they come up or on the phone, "What do you think?", my response has always been, "It's really a good group of guys that I enjoy working with."
Practice is tough. Meetings are tough. It's just like anywhere else. It's been fun to work with them, it really has. I'm at a stage in my career where practice and meetings and things can be tedious, but a change of pace and enjoying the guys you work with — which I enjoyed the guys I worked with in the past, but it's been different in a good way — that has made this whole transition much easier.
On the mix of guys and description of the chemistry…
It's older. As far as the talent is concerned, I really think that the talent pool is about the same. There are a lot more veterans here, but we're all new to each other. That's a big difference. I think when I say that this team has a lot of potential, I really believe it. The question is can the chemistry come together pretty quickly? I think you're seeing flashes of it. It took a couple years for that to happen in Green Bay. Last year we kind of exploded, but we had been playing together for a couple years. There were a few new faces.
It's like with the Giants last year, something clicked. What that was, I don't know. I wasn't in their locker room. This team, I don't want to say we can be the Giants, we have a long ways to go, but we have the makeup that can be pretty good. I compare it in some ways to the locker room last year, the difference being there are more veterans and more experienced guys who have been around. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen.
On his six career touchdowns against Arizona and where being ranked with Joe Namath falls on his list of accolades…
It's the first time I ever did it. The most important part of that is we won. I've had some pretty good accolades come my way and we've lost, which doesn't carry as much weight. Joe Namath, it goes without saying how great he was, not only for the league but for this organization. It just goes to show you how hard it is to do certain things. It's been that long since it was done. That's not a bad one to be ranked up there with.
As sweet as it feels to do that, it would feel a lot better if we just continue to win. One of the things I said in the press conference the other day was don't expect this every week, don't. I mean, it would be great, but don't [smiles]. I just hope we win football games. Whatever happens after that happens. That was a first, and I've played in a lot of games. Nothing ceases to amaze me.
On his approach to the bye week…
This is a little bit different only because in the past, when we had meetings during the bye week, my eyes were open, but they were closed, if that makes any sense [smiles]. "Oh, yeah, I heard you, Coach." Yeah, right. Then I needed to look over: "What did he say?"
Here, it's a little bit different. Not that that would surprise any of the coaches watching this now: "We knew, Brett." This is obviously different because I'm still learning. Watching film just now, I really kind of went back over plays that we've run this year and some of the concepts we've run. There were obviously some good things, a lot of production, but there were a lot of things I could have done better.
There were two plays, two concepts in particular that we ran numerous times. That tells me that Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer] likes to call them. When I go back and look at film last year and the year before, he called them a lot last year as well. They were open, and I read it differently. I have continued to read it differently. One of the things we discussed in there was either not calling the play or obviously reading it the way they read it here.
We had a play somewhat similar in Green Bay. There was a little subtle difference, which made a huge difference here. And I'm wrong, they're right. That play, as subtle as it is, I don't want to say it cost us, but it could have put us in a much better position to win. Fourth down last week against San Diego, twice — wide open, once to Jerricho [Cotchery], actually twice to Jerricho in the game. Actually, one was on fourth down, one was early in the game, maybe the first drive. I read it differently. He was wide open.
Bye week, there's a little bit of relief. You don't have to think about playing and stressing over that, which in some ways is good. For me right now, I have to find a way to clean that up. As a unit we have to go to bat with things we feel comfortable with and try to get on the same page. I think the production is obvious.
There are some things that people really don't see. If you really got in there and broke the film down, you'd go, "Man, I see what you're talking about." I don't want to look back at the end of this season, like I did after San Diego, and say either I didn't feel comfortable with it or there were plays to be made, because there were plays to be made. Sometimes a 2-yard pass is the most important pass you throw all game. I missed it. So we're trying to clean that up.
On his relationship with QBs coach Brian Daboll…
It's been great. It's a little bit strange being that the GM [Mike Tannenbaum] and I are the same age, the head coach [Eric Mangini] is younger, the quarterback coach is younger, the offensive coordinator is younger, every player is younger [laughs]. Woody [Johnson], he's a little bit older than me. I think that's the only one.
I think when you're committed to what you're doing, and I've always considered myself coachable, I would hope that every coach that's ever coached me would agree to that. It doesn't really matter. Our relationship has been great. First of all, he knows that I'll make mistakes. I know that as well. Second of all, he knows I'm willing to do whatever it takes to correct those mistakes. As much as I've played, as much as I've seen, as much success as I've had, it doesn't really matter. What matters is what I do this year. He knows that. He knows from just the small amount of time he's been with me, he has no reservations in saying, "Brett, you need to do this, you need to read that this way."
But in a way that is good for both of us, and vice versa, I think if I see something differently than maybe he sees it, and that goes for Schotty and Eric. I'm here for one reason, to help this team win. It's not about me. I think they know that. I'm sure when I was traded here, there may have been some people, as we sat down, over at Hofstra, people's opinions of me, for whatever reason, may have been different. I haven't forgotten that [laughter].
I appreciate your question or your observations, whatever you want to call it. I knew when I came here that there would be some questions: "OK, we have a guy with a lot of experience, but is he going to want to do it his way or our way?" Understandably so. I think they all would tell you, "He's here as a Jet. He's willing to do whatever it takes to win." That's true. Am I going to make mistakes? Sure. I hope with each week there's less and less and more production. We'll see what happens.
On if he will cram learning plays during the bye week or take some time off and go home to Mississippi…
I'm hoping to go back maybe later in the week. We have practice today and tomorrow. Thursday, I may come over and watch a little film or something. We're not cramming really. That's whether I was here 10 years or a month and a half. We're kind of going back. As I talked about, we're rehashing some of the things we've done well, some of the things that could have been done well, really narrowing down and not so much adding. Maybe adding something off of a play that worked well, with a different formation, personnel group, or something like that.
As the season progresses, maybe we do add some things. We have enough really right now to go into the rest of the season and have success. I think that's one of the things that we talked about today that kept coming up over and over. It's clean up the things that we have right here in front of us. As we go along, maybe there's something game-plan-wise we can change or add, but let's get good at what we're doing because we're pretty good to begin with. Just see what happens from that point forward. I don't think we need to add stuff. If one play was successful and we only ran it one time, why go and add a new play?
On if he needs the bye week to recharge…
Every year, regardless of whatever team it is, they always seem like they say the bye week came at a good time. I'm used to the bye week actually being a little bit later. As far as physically, I could play this week. Everyone says, "How do you feel?" I don't know if I know what feeling good feels like any more, but I can still go out and play, drag myself out there and be productive.
Mentally, sometimes as you get older, you need to, as you say, recycle and recharge the batteries. Young guys, they just follow along. If the old guys complain, they complain. They don't know any different. Sometimes it's good to just get away. I mean, it's going to be a long 12-week run as opposed to breaking it up halfway. You know, it is what it is. It came this week, so it's at a good time.
On the level of production related to the level of team chemistry, specifically with Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery…
There's no doubt about it. The only way you get that to take place or to happen, or to find that production is to not only do it in practice but do it in games. There's no substitute for physically doing something. We can talk about it in meetings and watch it on film, which is important. For Laveranues and me, we got a few days of work in training camp, and that was it. Then everything I had heard or seen was from coaches and players.
Laveranues didn't really go out of his way to come over and say, "Hey, I can make plays for you." I know that. I know. I didn't need to be told that. Regardless of what people think or had thought, our relationship was fine. I mean, we don't go out and eat, go play golf together or go hunt or anything like that. I have a lot of respect for him as well as the other guys. When a guy has played as long as Laveranues, guys have to earn that right to be looked at like Laveranues is looked at, be respected by defensive players like he's respected. He has earned that right.
Once again, there's no substitute for us physically working together. The guy, he made some catches the other day that were better than outstanding, and not completely healthy. We have a really good group of receivers — how they run routes, how they carry themselves, how smart they are. As we continue to grow, the sky is the limit.
I don't want people to start thinking we're going to throw for 6,000 yards. All that stuff is great, but I think there's really a lot of potential here. I really enjoy working with them because they seem to get it right away and it's easy to work with them.
