Favre trade is twice as nice for Bills
Team gets two cracks at new Jets quarterback
PITTSFORD — When the Buffalo Bills woke up Thursday morning they found out the AFC East is a whole lot different than it was when they went to bed.
The late-night trade that sent quarterback Brett Favre to the New York Jets has changed the dynamics of the division. At the very least, the arrival of the former Green Bay Packers legend will make games against the Bills a lot more interesting.
“It’s going to be fun,” Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel said after a brief morning practice. “I’m sure the Jets are excited about it.”
So are the Bills. They haven’t faced Favre since 2006 (a 24-10 win). Now they get to do it twice this season.
“I’m definitely glad for him,” said wide receiver Lee Evans. “I think it’s good for the game, good for him, and I’m excited to see him play. It doesn’t make it any easier on us, but I think it’s a great opportunity for our defense to play against one of the best. We do that in our division anyway.”
Indeed, the Bills have been competing against New England’s Tom Brady for several years, with not much success. Just as Brady’s play elevates the Patriots, the Bills expect Favre to do the same for the Jets.
“Great quarterbacks make everyone around them better, and Favre will make the Jets a better football team,” linebacker Angelo Crowell said.
“He’s one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, so he’s going to make the Jets that much tougher,” added cornerback Terrence McGee.
“I thought I was done with him,” said defensive tackle Spencer Johnson, who faced Favre many times while playing for Minnesota. “He’s a great player and he makes the Jets a lot more challenging for us.”
Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell hasn’t spent much time contemplating ways to stop Favre. But after facing him twice in 2005 as an assistant in Chicago and during his first season in Buffalo, Fewell has a good idea what to expect.
“He’s fun to coach against,” Fewell said. “He has a lot of fun out on the football field. He adds some excitement to the game as a quarterback. He’s different in that he talks to you as a coach, he talks to the different players on the field. He’s an exciting guy. It’s just going to add a little bit more excitement, a little more oomph to the game. I just think it’s good for football.”
The big mystery is what kind of player the Jets are getting. Favre is coming off a season in which he completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. His 95.7 passer rating was the third best of his career and his highest since 1996. But he struggled during the previous two seasons as his 38 touchdowns in that span were overshadowed by his 47 interceptions, including a career-high 29 in 2005.
There’s also the matter of Favre’s age — he’ll be 39 in October — and his trying to learn a new offensive system. But the Bills won’t see Favre until the Jets visit Ralph Wilson Stadium on Nov. 2. By that time they expect to see the old gunslinger at his best.
“He’s going to stretch their offense in ways they couldn’t before,” strong safety Donte Whitner said. “With what he brings they can throw a lot more deep passes. When [Chad] Pennington and [Kellen] Clemens were in there, they threw a lot of timing routes and curls, but not too many deep balls.
“Now they can do whatever Brett wants to do because he can throw the ball wherever. He’ll take some chances, but he also will make some plays. We’ll have to do a little more study on them because they’re going to do some different things with Brett in there.”
The Bills have respect for Favre but that doesn’t mean they are in awe of him. So when the Jets come to Buffalo, Favre won’t get a warm and fuzzy reception.
“When that game comes we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to slow him down,” Schobel said. “But until then, I’m a fan of him. I’m happy for him. But when we’ve got to play them, it’s just different.”
