From Rich Cimini of The New York Daily News:
Brett Favre is worshipped by owner Woody Johnson and widely respected in the Jets locker room, but that doesn't mean he is immune to criticism. The first dose comes from an unlikely source - Thomas Jones.
Appearing as a guest Tuesday on New York's Hot 97 FM, Jones sacked his quarterback, hinting that Favre should have been benched during his three-interception nightmare in the season-ending loss to the Dolphins. That defeat, the final insult in an epic late-season collapse, may have sealed Eric Mangini's fate
"We're a team and we win together ... but at the same time, you can't turn the ball over and expect to win," Jones said in a videotaped studio interview. "The other day, the three interceptions really hurt us. I mean, that's just reality. If I were to sit here and say, 'Oh, man, it's okay,' that's not reality.
"The reality is, you throw interceptions, I'm (ticked) off, I don't like it. You know what I'm saying? I don't like it, I know everybody else on the team doesn't like it."
At that point, the show's host, Angie Martinez, asked the AFC's leading rusher if teammates start to look "funny style" at a player that makes that many mistakes.
"If somebody is not playing well, they need to come out of the game," Jones replied. "You're jeopardizing the whole team because you're having a bad day. To me, that's not fair to everybody else. You're not the only one on the team."
"So it gets like that?" Martinez interjected.
"It definitely gets like that," Jones said. "You're playing to win, you're playing for the Super Bowl. That's what you do all this work for ... So when you get to the wire and somebody is just giving the game up, I mean, it's just not (fair)."
Ouch.
Throughout his up-and-down season, Favre never was ripped by Mangini or any of the players, at least not publicly. That the first shot was fired by Jones is a surprise, because Jones isn't a big talker. There might not be a more respected player in the locker room than Jones, whose teammates voted him the Jets' MVP.
For Jones to make those comments means that Favre's late-season slump chafed players more than they were willing to admit. During the Jets' 1-4 slide, Favre threw nine interceptions, finishing with a league-high 22 - the most by a Jets quarterback since Vinny Testaverde's 25 in 2000.
In fairness to Favre, he did play hurt over the final month of the season. A few days before the final game, he finally acknowledged what had been speculated for weeks, that his throwing shoulder was sore. On Tuesday, Favre had an MRI exam that revealed a torn biceps tendon that may require arthroscopic surgery, but not major surgery, ESPN reported.
Favre's December slump - perhaps the worst of his legendary career - played a huge role in the team's downfall. Nevertheless, Johnson has made it clear that he wants the 39-year-old to return in 2009.
Several players said they'd like him back, too, but they want him to participate in the offseason program with the rest of the team - in other words, no preferential treatment. But now, with a torn biceps, Favre has a medical reason to stay away as he contemplates his future.
As a Packers fan it was a joy to see Favre play all those years and I will never forget sitting in the stands in the playoff game vs. the Seahawks last year.
I really hoped he would retire but knew he wouldn't and I am glad he is someone else's problem now.
One day I know he'll be back in GB to retire his number, be inducted into the Packers HoF as time heals all wounds.
All Thomas Jones comments mean to me is that Eric Mangini deserved to be fired. You'd think Mangini was sitting a bar watching the last 5 games instead of coaching the Jets. It was obvious Brett wasn't 100% healthy. Why not put in Clemons when Brett was struggling? Brett could have started each game and if/when he struggled he could have been replaced by Clemons. Also,the Jets could have ran the ball more than they passed the ball. I also wonder how many snaps did Brett take during practice the last 5 weeks of the season?
Thomas Jones, in the future, keep your mouth shut before you throw another teammate under the bus.
Mary, I see your point. But on the other hand, you don't just bench Brett Favre. I don't care who you are. There's no way in hell the guys in suits sitting upstairs would have stood there and watched Mangini send the old man to the bench. They were going to sink or swim with Favre as there quarterback this year, and Mangini, the guy who wasn't crazy about getting Favre in the first place, got the axe in the end. And, it wasn't Mangini who was throwing all those interceptions.
From my standpoint, I'm glad Jones called out Brett. I think a lot of guys on that team would have rather seen the quarterback leave town than the head coach.
Jones was the leading rusher in the AFC, so you can't sit there and tell me they weren't running the ball. You have to execute the offense.
Perhaps if Thomas Jones would have run for a couple more touchdowns when he was on the field- the Jets might have won the games? Thomas Jones shows what kind of team player he is by his actions.
At the start of the season he was not happy thining they were going to pass the ball all the time till a reasonable person pointed out to him that the passing game will open up the running game. As we see by Thomas Jones numbers-it has this year.
Perhaps if the play calling was better during the early part of the year, the Jets might have won more games which would have had them running the ball more during the end of the season.
Brett should have been in a camp early to be in better shape as the season came to an end. He had in previous years worked out with a coach to be in shape. The drama which played out in Green Bay by their terrible management played out on the field as well.
Hopefully, Brett will return (in shape) & show what he can do (in the most positive ways)on & off the field. He was a big part of the change for the Jets in 2008.
Happy New Year To Everyone!
Favre wanted one more chance to make people forget all his late-season melt-downs in GB... Thomas Jones is just pointing out the obvious truth that it didn't exactly work out that way.
At his age, there will always be a shoulder tendon or a knee or an ankle bruise or something. He should've retired last year. He should for sure get out now.
Andrew, do you have any insights into Brett's unwillingness to "do what's best for the team" by sitting out and allowing injuries to heal when you were both with the packers? I mean, i'm a huge GB fan, and i love Favre, but with his actions this past offseason, I am now beginning to see where Vikings/Bears fans are coming from when they say how selfish he is... I still believe he meant what he said last year when he announced his retirement; that he had nothing left to give. I believe he wanted to retire, but was basically unable to remove himself from the game.
Craig, I'm not sure if you are a naive Jets fan or a bitter Packer fan, but I'm sure that Favre's on again off again retirement talk is not due to mismanagement on Green Bay's end. The real issue is that Brett Favre is not just a legend in his own time, but he's also a legend in his own mind. When one player transcends the normal 53 and becomes something else problems can occur. Brett has been that way since Mike Sherman's tenure, and with the exception of last year he's not been the elite QB he used to be.
Mary,
Why should Jones shut up? Favre is a stranger in a strange land. The Players there are not used to putting anyone up on a pedastal.
You say, that Mangini could have pulled Favre for Clemons? He should have, at least once but you are suggesting that Mangini take a team that had eight wins and just toss it to Clemons? Seriously?
By that arguement, Mike Sherman should have benched Favre in the 2005 season when he was tossing INTs by the bucketfull.
If Favre was hurt, he should have told the coach that he could not play and not just say so after the season.
As for running the ball, Thomas Jones was one of the most productive backs in the game this year. He did his part in those nine wins and even in those loses. He doesn't have to shut up for anyone. He is a team leader. His team mates said that they would like Favre back but only if he goes through all off season camps together with them.
The point is that while people around the league admire Favre, he isn't going to get God-like status anywhere outside of Green Bay, namely a selection of fans to whom he can do no wrong. Woody Johnson may worship Favre but if he wants a top class coach, he maybe told to by that coach that a 40 year old QB is not how he wants to proceed.
@mturner: Still biting my tongue but it's getting harder...
How does Thomas Jones get away with this? I mean while Favre was "having a bad game" and "hurting the team," Jones was rushing for a grand total of 23 yards on 10 carries. I guess that is all the weight Jones has to pull, huh?
Jones was right to some degree, Favre would not reveal an injury until the last week so he could keep his streak alive.
He hurt his team by trying to compete while knowing he couldn't throw with a 100% and his incompletions stopped drives, thus limiting Jones' carries. If the offense is moving the ball with the pass, it opens up the run. It is not Jones fault that he only got 10 carries. What if he gets 1 more and goes for 80 yards.
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Jan 01, 2009
01:10 PM
Really liked watching Favre play in GB for all of these seasons, but do not miss his Decembers through Aprils since about 2003/04. It seemed for every game like 2007 playoffs v. SEA you'd get 2 or 3 games like the last two Jets games... and then came the post-season.