Here's to NOT Being "Broadway" Brett

So this whole Favre saga ended about two weeks ago with him being traded to the Jets and as a big Brett Favre and Packers fan, I don't know what to think about it. I think the Jets have actually added a lot of talent this offseason and should be able to compete for a playoff spot, although the AFC if stacked. The Packers also have a lot of talent and assuming Aaron Rodgers pans out, should be very good too. I guess I'll just root for them both this season, luckily they don't play each other.

But I must get one thing off my chest. In Jets fans mad search for a nickname for the newest Jet quarterback, "Broadway" Brett seems to have surfaced as the favorite (just ahead of Jet Favre). This is an obvious reference to "Broadway" Joe Namath. Now at first, this seems like an obvious compliment. Joe Namath was a rock star in New York, famous for his grandiose persona and of course the guarantee and upset victory over Baltimore in Super Bowl III. In a recent ESPN poll, he was voted the greatest New York Jet of all time.

However, why it's meant as a compliment, I for one hope Brett is nothing like Joe on the field. Winning a Super Bowl would be great, which Joe did, don't get me wrong. But Joe Namath, put simply was not a great quarterback, not even a good one. In fact, I would say he wasn't even OK, he was below average at best! His off the field persona and longing to kiss Suzy Kolber seem to have made up for his awfully mediocre play on it.

Don't believe me, well let's look at the numbers. For his career he threw 173 touchdowns vrs 220 interceptions. Yes, he threw 47 more interceptions than touchdowns! He threw more touchdowns than interceptions in only 2 of 13 seasons and lead the league in interceptions four times! He completed but 50.1% of his passes with a career passer rating of 65.5. These numbers are simply awful. Going through each season one by one, I count a total of four in which he might not be benched today, although none of those are guaranteed. His best pass rating for a season was 74.3, which would have been good enough for 25th place out of 34 in 2007. His career rating would have placed him 33rd.

In comparison, Brett Favre has thrown 442 touchdowns vs. 288 interceptions. He's completed 61.4% of his passes and has a 85.7 pass rating. Now, I know stats aren't everything and passing has gotten easier with the rules and strategies these days. But come on, the difference is ridiculous! And even compared to contemporary elite quarterbacks, Joe Namath is garbage. Johnny Unitas had 290 td's to 253 ints, completed 54.6% of his passes and had a rating of 78.2. Earl Morall had 161 td's to 148 int's, completed 51.3% of his passes and had a pass rating of 81.6. Bart Starr had 152 Td's to 138 int's, completed 57.4% of his passes and had a rating of 80.5. Johnny Unitas won three championships, Earl Morall won one and Bart Starr won five.

Ok well maybe "Broadway" Joe was a good runner. Well no, he ran for only 140 yards in 13 seasons. OK not a good runner. But he was a winner right? Well kind of, but not really. His career record was 63-63-4. He was .500! Aside from one game he was completely mediocre. A game that was won by the defense 16-7, Joe Namath didn't even throw a touchdown. How this guy got in the Hall of Fame is simply a mystery.

So you know what, I'll go with Jet Favre, because calling him "Broadway" Brett is simply an insult.

Madden Curse Strikes Again

At the risk of reducing the creditability of my blog, writing about this whole Brett Favre debacle is simply irresistible. I myself am a huge Favre and Green Bay Packers fan. I started watching them back in 1995, the first year he won the MVP. The second season was even better as the Packers beat New England 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI. Since then I have watched him put up great numbers, the Packers win a lot of games and both of them combine to rip my heart out in the playoffs year after year. Overtime interceptions are totally weak.

However, despite being a big fan, I have to remain objective. Lately he has been exerting what can only be referred to as diva like tendencies. I remember reading in a Sports Illustrated in 2001 that there were rumors next season (2002) might be Favre's last. Well seven years of fence sitting went by before he finally retired in March of this year and now guess what, he is unretiring. How could a guy who is so decisive on the field (even when that involves throwing the ball to the other team) be so indecisive off it? I mean, I can kind of understand waiting months into the offseason before deciding to come back, but unretiring and even being willing to play for another team after 16 seasons in green and gold; say it isn’t so Brett. How could this be?

The answer may lie with Shaun Alexander in 2007 who had a poor, injury riddled season after winning league MVP and leading the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Two years later he’s not even a Seahawk. The answer may lie with Michael Vick who spent almost the entire 2004 season injured after going to the pro bowl the previous year and is now in prison. It may lie with Marshall Faulk in 2003, the year he fell off the map. It may lie with the piss poor season Daunte Culpepper had in 2002 after throwing and running for 40 TD's in 2001. What did these poor fools all have in common? They all graced the cover of Madden's career ruining video game the previous year.

When it was announced this year that a then retired Brett Favre would be on the cover of Madden 09, speculation ran wild (well not really) that Favre may actually avoid the Madden curse. Others predicted that perhaps Aaron Rodgers would lead the Packers to a 19-0 Super Bowl win or maybe the tractor the media tells me Brett spends his entire offseason on would break down, but few could have predicted this mess. The Madden curse has struck again in its most creative guise yet!

The whole thing looks like a no win situation. The Packers said Favre could come back as the highest paid backup in sports history, which is ridiculous. He wants to be released, but the Packers don’t want him in the NFC. And since the only teams interested are probably Minnesota, Tampa Bay and maybe Chicago there’s no simple solution. Even if the Packers honored Brett’s request, could you imagine him in one of those fruity, purple Viking uniforms? Ughh! So while I'd love for them to resolve this and Favre to come back and win the Packers a fourth Super Bowl, hopefully if that doesn’t work he’ll just stay retired. That way at least John Madden won't be able to gush about how much fun Brett Favre is having.