City of Lights

In the song LA Woman, Jim Morrison howls the question “are you a lucky little lady in the city of lights?” Well, a plane ride later, and a lyrical revision on the way and one can easily come up with “you are a lucky veteran now playing in the city of lights”. In a late night transaction that saw Favre’s career officially come to a conclusion in Green Bay, The New York Jets salvaged the veteran from the retirement yard by offering up a 4th round draft pick which is the school yard equivalent of a pudding snack for an apple.

So, for the first time in months or basically since Favre announced his retirement, the focus will move from a small mid-western town to the capital of the world. New York is probably one of the last huge media magnets that will not tire of this melodrama. In a city that publicly embraces all the nuances and idiosyncrasies of their sport stars, the straight shootin’, Mississippi slangin’ Favre will find himself with the most intense vocal workout of his career. Furthermore, with ESPN headquarters located in Bristol, CT, I am certain that the “Sunday Night Conversation” segment will be overhauled to accommodate Favre-mania that is sure to follow. Instead of watching Ed Sullivan and the Beatles, it will be Boomer and Tom Jackson with Favre on NFL Countdown.

But, the trade causes my football conscious to be disturbed. After all, wasn’t the rumoring to be surrounding 2 teams? What happen to the Buc’s in the trade equation? Did 5th Avenue flex its strength? Since this was a deal of discard and move on, I believe that the 4th Round Draft Pick given to the Packers for Favre is a steal. Therefore, a competitive compensation package that enticed the Packers Organization from the Jets is highly unlikely. I believe that the Jet’s were the first to act. Recognizing the uncomfortable shifts in Coach McCarthy’s bear sized frame when having to speak to this issue daily, the Jets capitalized on a mentally fatigued organization, and provided the Packer front office with an exit strategy that would accommodate the timeliness that was needed for closure. Now, the only way that the deal will turn sour in Packerland is if the Jets do start Favre, and the Jet’s records bests the Packers.

Sadly, I was pulling for Favre to end up with the Buccaneers. This would have kept him in the same conference, in a similar system, and best of all he would have followed a lot of other American’s retirement plans by migrating to Florida. After all, since the Buccaneer facility has been coined “One Buccaneer Palace” what better of a retirement home can you conjure up than that. Additionally, had Favre joined the Buc’s roster, we would have been competing against a guy who is nearly his own age. The current starter of the Buc’s is Jeff Garcia, a nomadic veteran of 38 who always plays just well enough to keep desperate teams interested. I don’t question his talent or passion, but he is in an elite group of 2 of quarterbacks pass the age of 37 who still feel like they can start (the other QB just signed with the Jets).

Therefore, had quarterback happy coach Gruden dealt a hand to land Favre, it would have been a like winning the bingo tournament every night at One Buccaneer Retirement Center. In fact, the only championship in Buccaneer history was done with a veteran QB under center in Brad Johnson in 2003. Finally, had Gruden been able to land Favre and convince Jake Plummer to lace up the spikes, he would have been the first coach in NFL history to beckon 2 players from the throws of AARP and Social Security benefits.

Regardless, Favre is now a Jet. And for those who remember Namath running off the field in Super Bowl 3 are just young enough to be able to understand the caliber of talent that has landed. Though it is not probable that Favre will be jogging off the Super Bowl field any time soon, at least the Jet fan base has a good month of day dreaming until reality sets in. New Yorkers can also take solace in the notion that another hall of famer is going to spend some time in their backyard before the sun goes down. In recent memory, players like Wayne Gretzky, Roger Clemen’s (his finale), and Pedro Martinez have filled the void of an established star that wasn’t raised in one of the boroughs. And though the Favre packaging is stamped “Made in Wisconsin,” it is safe to bet you won’t experience a recall on the product. If I remember correctly, the Number 4 Packer edition had a pretty high Consumer Report Rating.

Now sit back and relax. Favre just got into town about an hour ago. It’s time for him to take a look around and see which way the wind blows….