Excited But Skeptical

Today, I felt like I knew something about sports. Now, anyone that knows me understands that 90% of what is spewed from my mouth is contrived nonsense. Nonetheless, upon Brett Favre’s eminent arrival in the Big Apple, I was bombarded by texts and phone calls from friends and family members regarding the situation. Perhaps it’s because I call the fine city of New York home, and also because I do tend to watch some level of professional athletics from time to time, but in either case, I felt valued. I encourage you all to try this out, it’s a pretty kick-ass feeling. So, when faced with the pressing question of Favre’s partnership with Gang Green, I had to come up with a general statement to suppress the the dyer need for my opinion. (See title)…

That’s right, exited but skeptical is really the only way of summing up the emotions put forth by this transaction. There are a couple of ways to look at this situation. From a sports fan’s stand point, has there been anything more painstakingly heart wrenching over the past month than turning on ESPN and seeing Favre’s mug plastered on the screen? I’m pretty sure I’ve watched that same clip of him running around Super Bowl XXXI like a chicken with its head caught off more times than I saw Pedro Gomez during the Barry Bonds HR chase last summer. I was at the point where I’d rather watch a WNBA Exhibition game (maybe not).

So at first, when the Jets’ name came into contention for Favre’s services I was a bit miffed. The one thing I love more about the Jets than any of my other teams (Knicks, Yanks, Rangers, Titans, Red Bull, Liberty) is that they have this way about flying under the radar in a league that gets more media coverage than other in the world. Rarely do you hear about a Jets front office blunder (draft picks aside), team fight, or individual ego trips. For better or worse, the Jets take the field for 16 Sundays throughout the Fall and Winter and just play ball. As a sports fan living the New York Metropolitan area, there’s nothing more that you could ask for out of your team. That’s why Favre’s presence in and around the Jets organization brings the type of media attention that the team has been so happy to displace over the past decade.

The realist in me understands that despite my undying love for Kellen Clemons, Favre is a superior player and competitor than he or Chad Pennington will ever be. With #4 behind Center, the Jets are undeniably a better team and instantly garner respect as challengers in the AFC. Suddenly those two match-ups against New England aren’t immediately marked down as tallies in the loss column. Out of nowhere, a team that looked like an 8-8 squad at best, is in contention for a wild-card, if not a divisional playoff birth.

Brett Favre makes the Jets relevant on a national stage, which could go in a multitude of directions. Not only the New York papers, but now media outlets throughout the country will have their cameras, tape recorders, and notepads pointed squarely at the Jets. This increased attention makes the team’s triumphs seem more substantial, but also their failures appear more disastrous. If the Favre transaction pays off, and New York ends up making a playoff run, than Woody Johnson and company look like the smartest front office in football, but if Favre and all the attention he brings with him detract from the team’s ultimate success, than the season becomes a public and national joke.

I can’t remember the last time a trade carried such drastically different outcomes based on the performance of a single player. Hence my skepticism. But hey, I’ve been wrong before. That doesn’t mean you should stop calling and asking for my thoughts on stuff like this though.