Stretching the Field
by Luke Paul Chandler
The Brett Favre saga concluded last Wednesday, August 6 when Favre was sent from Green Bay to the New York Jets for a conditional draft pick. Both sides had suffered from a pro-longed retirement flip flop by Favre and the drama that resulted from his reinstatement. Now, the repercussions of Favre’s trade are rippling around the league.
Favre’s trade to the Jets not only shook up the two teams involved, but the quarterback situations in New York and Green Bay, but on four other teams as well: Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Miami Dolphins.
Green Bay Packers
Obviously the Packers are now completely behind Aaron Rodgers. The fourth year quarterback is the unquestioned leader of the offense, and even he recognizes that he will always be following Favre’s legacy. Predicting Rodgers performance at this point would be hard to do given how little he has seen the field.
Behind Rodgers are rookies Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn, drafted in the second and sixth rounds, respectively. The team has invested heavily in youth at the position, and, if Favre would have remained a Packer, the team couldn’t have kept both Flynn and Brohm. Allowing Brohm to serve as the primary backup will help increase his reps in the preseason with receivers who will be making the team.
Also, keeping Flynn allows the team the benefit of an able an emergency quarterback who can be developed at the same pace as Rodgers and Brohm. Keeping Flynn allows the Packers to get back to their routes from the mid-90’s, where they consistently developed quality backups from low-round picks such as Aaron Brooks, Mark Brunell and Matt Hasselbeck.
New York Jets
Favre clearly is the team’s starter now, and he instantly upgrades the team’s overall quarterback situation. Last year, Pennington was ineffective and turnover-prone while Kellen Clemens was inconsistent. This year, both were looking rusty in camp.
The player most affected by the trade is Clemens. He went from the likely opening day starter to Favre’s backup for at least this season. Clemens, in his third year, was not ready to be the starter. He lacked accuracy after taking over for Pennington in the last half of 2007. He looked overwhelmed by the offense, but the team around him wasn’t very good last season either. The most important question is how the trade will effect Clemens’s confidence. He could have to wait until his fourth or fifth season in the league before he has an opportunity to start again. Clemens is due to hit free agency after the 2009 season, so the team might have to make the call on re-signing him without ever seeing him on the field for an entire season.
Rookie Erik Ainge may also be on the roster bubble now, but because of the performance of fellow quarterback Brent Ratliff. After Ratliff’s performance against the Browns in the first week of the preseason, which included two touchdowns, Ainge is no longer a guarantee to be the third quarterback.
Chicago Bears
It’s not known how serious a contender the Bears were for Favre, but because of the Packer’s insistence on Favre not being traded within the division, the Bears must have had some interest. With their quarterback situation already in disarray, getting Favre might not have helped much. The offense would have seen a boost under Favre, but the Bears are still below average at wide receiver and on the offensive line. Orton and Grossman will battle it out in preseason, but neither is much of a long-term option. Look for the Bears to be in the market for a young signal caller again after 2008.
Miami Dolphins
Bill Parcells didn’t waste any time in signing his former first-round pick with the Jets, Chad Pennington, after he was released. Parcells is notorious for bringing in his players from previous teams when he is attempting to rebuild a new team. In a year where the Dolphins were expected to struggle, adding Pennington gives them a shot to be at least manageable.
The Dolphins quarterback situation was full of uncertainties. The depth chart read: Josh McCown, second-year veteran John Beck and rookie Chad Henne. Right now, with Pennington expected to become the starter, one of these players will be cut.
The only one of the three remaining who has a guaranteed roster spot is Henne, and that is only because of his draft slot.
Beck has some upside as a potential starter, but he lacks the arm strength and moxie to excel in a down-field passing attack. His age is also a factor, as he will turn 27 later this month. The likely man out is McCown, who, at one point during the offseason, was labeled the starter. He has been unimpressive so far in camp and has never been able to hold down a starting job in the NFL for an extended period of time.
Minnesota Vikings
While Minnesota may have been Favre’s desired destination, they were never going to have an opportunity to acquire him. Packers general manager Ted Thompson had to know that in a weak NFC North, adding a veteran like Favre could swing the balance of power away from Green Bay. Minnesota has spent big money this offseason in a effort to become a playoff contender.
Adding Favre would have clearly sent Tarvaris Jackson to the bench. After spending parts of the his first two seasons as the starter, Jackson has been a mechanical and consistency mess in Minnesota. The team, however, has committed itself to him and his development this season. He looked crisp in the Vikings first preseason game, where they passed on their first eleven plays. The coaching staff scripted out the first eleven plays, and it benefited Jackson: he looked more comfortable.
Jackson’s ability to be a consistent NFL passer has been challenged here before, but this could be his blessing. Jackson will now get a full season to prove whether or not he can be an NFL starter. He will need a lot of hands-on work to help develop in the mental side of the game, but all signs are positive so far.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While it’s hard to say how much the Bucs bullpen of quarterbacks was damaged by the Favre trade talks, one person for sure will be feeling the heat: incumbent Jeff Garcia. Garcia is a volatile character who plays with high emotion. He was already in the midst of a contract dispute, and he certainly didn’t take too kindly to the team’s deep interest in Favre. Coach Jon Gruden is quick to change his mind on quarterbacks, and, after heavy flirtations with Garcia dating back to after the 2004 season, the tandem was looking powerful last season. Despite how well Garcia played, he was hurt last season, missing three games. Overall, Garcia hasn’t played in a full sixteen game season since 2002.
As for the rest of the Buccaneers quarterbacks, it remains to be seen how much the Favre talks had on impact on them. Chris Simms is not expected to be in Tampa much longer. Brian Griese could end up holding down a backup job, but then the competition for the third quarterback comes down to rookie Josh Johnson and Luke McCown. If Favre would have made the team, he likely would have pushed at least one, if not two, of the aforementioned quarterbacks out the door.
Contact Luke at Luke@newerascouting.com.