Transcript of Jets QB Brett Favre's news conference before Wednesday's midday practice:
On his impact on the Jets…
I don't know. I think you'd have to ask everyone else. I think from a leadership standpoint, obviously I wasn't here with Chad [Pennington], but everything I hear and what I know about him, he did everything right. He's doing the same thing for Miami.
I'd like to think I'm doing the same thing here I've done in Green Bay, whatever that may be, or whatever is asked of me to do. Sometimes a change of scenery is good for everyone. At least up to this point it is. I think that's probably a question better suited for the other guys.
On saying that beating the Bills was one of the most impactful wins after the game…
I still think it is. Time will tell where we end up and what will become of this team. It's no different than how tough the Oakland loss was at that time. You can always go back and say that was a game we should've won, or that's a game we got lucky and pulled out. There are so many of those, especially for me throughout my career.
That was really a perfect example of "team" the other day and how important team is. If you do all phases well enough, you can win. In all phases we gave up a little bit, but for the most part we were very sound. We won the game against a very sound Buffalo football team. You watch them on film and they don't make a lot of mistakes, not to mention how tough it is to play there.
The fact it's a division game and once again, we have a lot of games left to play, but it was one that we really felt like we had to win. I know coaches and players say that, but really where we were and where we are at this stage in the season, it was a game that we really needed to win, no matter how.
On the Jets defense…
The defense is playing outstanding. I've played against Kris Jenkins. A lot of people here are not very familiar with Kris, but I played against him a lot of years. I knew he stopped the run. I just never wanted him to fall on me [smiles]. What a dominant player he is. He's not known as a pass rusher, but I think he showed the other day he could do that as well.
It always starts, when you look at defense, to me, right down the middle, whether it be nose tackle, middle linebacker, safety or all of the above. I think we're very solid and very good right down the middle. Our defense, of course going against them every day, they present a lot of problems. That style of defense is in some ways a lot like St. Louis. They'll give you a lot of different blitzes and a lot of different looks. One guy can be the difference in a big play or not. If one guy is out of place, it can really hurt you.
I've heard Eric [Mangini] stress that and Bob [Sutton] stress that everyone has to be sound and in the right place. I've been really impressed with the way guys have played on defense. They play with a lot of energy and a lot of communication. They've given up some plays, but it's no different than us on the offense. It all starts stopping the run.
Kris Jenkins has obviously helped with that, but I think he's made the guys around him better, as we would all assume he would. It just kind of filters down from there. I've had a chance to play against Kerry Rhodes over the years. I think he's an outstanding safety. He's the quarterback of that defense.
Darrelle Revis, I told him from day one, he can be as good as he wants to be. He can shut down whoever he wants to. It starts in practice. I've seen that, his development, in practice each week. I said I had a chance to play with Deion Sanders in Atlanta. He not only was great in games but he never let anyone catch a pass on him in practice. He's taken that to heart. Those guys will continue to get better and this defense will continue to get better.
On if he is comfortable running a low-risk offense…
That's funny. I joked with Phil Simms before the game, the day before, about managing the game. I kind of joked, I said I never really believed in that. I think you play the game. Whatever is asked of you, you do. I don't manage [laughing]. But I managed the game the other day, as bad as I hate to say that [smiles].
I've got no problems doing whatever it takes to win, believe me. I'm not going to leave this room and walk out and say "I lied to them again." All I want to do is win. That felt really good the other day. As I said the other day, I'd love to throw 70-yard touchdowns and love to throw six [touchdowns] every day game, but I'd much rather win.
Believe me — I tell people this all the time — for me, at this stage in my career, there's not one thing left out there for me to achieve, not one thing that I set as far as goals, other than if I'm going to come here and play for the Jets, and that's to win here. That's it.
On David Clowney…
He's fast, very fast, probably our fastest guy on the team. I don't know that for sure. That in itself is not enough to put him on the field. I had a chance, at least in training camp, to play with David a couple years ago. His development from that time, actually it was last training camp in Green Bay, his development from that point to now is totally different. I've told him that.
I didn't think he'd make it three weeks in Green Bay last year, and he didn't. Maybe he made it four. It was more his — I shouldn't say attitude, I think he really wanted to be a good player — it was more his actions and stuff. He was acting like a young player, not that that's uncommon. This year it seems like every time Eric [Mangini] or Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer] or whoever asks him a question, he knows the answer. That's the first step. The guys have to trust you to be in the game.
I think he'll get his chance. The other day, walking out to our cars after practice, he said, "Am I ever going to get a chance to catch a touchdown from you?" I said, "You'd better hurry up. You've got a lot of time left, I don't [laughter]." I think, at some point, we'll probably see.
On executing a game-plan-specific offensive scheme…
I think nowadays it has to be, to be totally honest with you. Defenses, for the most part, are sort of that way, too. You probably have heard, most teams have a four-game breakdown prior to their game. We'll look back at the last four games St. Louis has played, but you can still go back and look at whatever.
For the most part, say you're studying us or whoever on offense, you're going to see a coach will say, "Don't really pay attention what they did this past week because they're going to do something different based on what we do." It makes sense.
My first few years in Green Bay, I think back, you saw Cover-3, you saw Cover-2, and straight, as I call one, man-to-man with a safety in the middle and everyone else is man. There was no disguise. If they were pressed, it was man. If you saw two-deep, it was two-deep. If you saw off and a single safety in the middle, it was three. You could kind of do what you wanted offensively. It was just a matter of execution. From a protection standpoint, it was simple. It was just "OK, block the guy across from you."
Nowadays, you're seeing so many different looks, disguises and stuff like that, it's hard. You almost have to break it down — "They slant their front this way and they scrape their 'backers this way. These runs, as good as they may look, there's going to be an unblocked guy just out of the movement they give you, so keep it simple and we'll do this. We'll do a quick hitter up the middle." Or "Our passes are going to be specific to what they do."
I really think that's the way to go nowadays. Of course, if you win, it always looks like the right move. I think more teams are going to that, not only offensively but defensively.
On if the Jets are in a good position being tied for first place…
Yes, we are. New England is saying that. Miami, for the most part, is saying that. Buffalo is saying that. In that regard, it's a really good division. All the teams are right there. All teams still have to play each other. No doubt that we're still trying to lock in on our identity and what we're trying to do.
The one thing that is obvious is what's in front of us and what we have to do to get to it. It's a good position. It obviously is fun for everyone. There are a lot of teams that are out of it at this point and there's no fun in that. There's a big challenge in front of us, one that maybe they haven't felt here in quite a while. There are eight games left, and it's what we do with it from here on. There are four teams in this division and all four control their own destiny. It's pretty good.
On talking to Simms and who brought up being a game-managing quarterback…
I did. He was asking about the transition here. I was talking to him on the phone [Saturday before the Buffalo game, in lieu of the production meeting] and he was driving to see his son play [for Louisville] in Syracuse. We more or less [talked] for 20 or 25 minutes. He was just asking me about the transition, how I felt like I was playing and things like that. I said, "It's been exactly what I thought it would be."
I don't know how we got on the subject of managing the game or whatever, but I think we were talking about my arm bothering me or whatever. He was not asking me that. He was asking me if I've gotten a lot of questions about that. I told him yes. I said, "Everyone thinks that my arm is bothering me so I'm managing the game, or whatever." He knows better than that. Last thing he said: "Whatever it takes to win.' That's true. Whatever it takes. Who knows? From week to week that changes.
On keeping the younger Jets focused on the Rams and not looking ahead to the Patriots...
I honestly haven't heard a lot of guys talking about it. I didn't realize we played on Thursday against New England next week until last night. I would assume most guys are pretty much that way. I don't know that for sure. There's not a whole lot you can say. I think as you get older, you realize that the only game that's important, the only play that's important is the next one.
We do a good job here. Eric does a good job, and this whole organization, of concentrating on now. We're all trying to achieve the same goal, but what's most important is right now. To be honest with you, we don't really spend a whole lot of time on who may be hurt, what's left out there in front of us, just little things. It's more your job this week. Nothing more.
On what he would say to people who think he should be a game manager…
To be honest with you, I don't really pay a whole lot of attention to what people are saying. I've had so much advice throughout my career, good and bad, some directly and some indirectly. All I know is this is 18 years, I'm still playing. This team is tied for first place. That's not too shabby.
It could be better. I could be better. But in my 17 years of playing, 17½, I could have always been a little better. I'm always trying to achieve being perfect. That's never going to happen. I don't know of anyone who has been completely perfect, but I'm still trying to achieve it.
