It's Time For A Little Post-Mortem

So Brett the Jet has hung up his helMET. I can't say I didn't see it coming, and I can't say I was wrong about the whole thing. I'm glad he had a decent season, though, and I wish him the best.

NFL Week 17: But There Are Only 16 Games!

Oh, HELL yes!

Wow, wow, wow. The playoff picture only became clear at the last minute! I love the suspense! This is the way football was meant to be! The 49ers won more than 5 games! The Dolphins took the AFC East! The Patriots didn't even make the playoffs! It's like the 1980s all over again!

I'm sure Brett fans were disappointed on Sunday, but how can you not love Chad Pennington's story? I couldn't have hoped for a better end to the regular season. Bring on the playoffs.

I'm sorry to see it turn out like this for Brett Favre, who had 1 TD and a devastating 3 INTs against the Dolphins. After 16 games, here are the results of the Brett Favre Interception Watch TD/INT Tally:

INTs: 22
TDs: 22

Complete QB stats for the NFL can be found here. Gratuitous shirtless Pennington shot can be found here:

They say looking good is the best revenge. But there's something off about this photo.

Bad Blogger!

Aaaaahhhhh. I missed NFL Weeks 15 and 16, and they weren't fabulous for Brett and the Jets. They pulled off a win against the Bills but lost to -- what?! -- Seattle?! Over those two games Favre had 4 interceptions and only 1 touchdown throw. He's now at 21 TDs and 19 INTs. Pull it together, Jets! You're now in third place in your division! (Go Dolphins!) Things aren't looking good right now. One more week to go . . .

NFL Week 14: Another Tumble for Brett the Jet

Well.

The 49ers beat the Jets! The 49ers beat the Jets! But that's really only good news for Dolphins and Patriots fans, since the stupid Cardinals won and clinched the NFC West.

Brett threw another INT but no TDs in a disappointing (for Gang Green anyway) loss to the 49ers. Boo hoo. The 49ers are HOT!

Brett's tally: 20 TDs, 15 INTs.

NFL Week 13: The Roll Has Been Stuffed

You'll get back on your feet, Brett.

Brett Favre's passing rating tumbled 40% from Week 12 to Week 13 and he threw an INT in a tough loss to the Denver Broncos. The New England Patriots, meanwhile, had their asses handed to them by the Steelers, leaving the Jets in first place in the AFC East. Personally I'm pulling for the Miami Dolphins to make an upset (or at least make the playoffs). Chad Pennington avenged!

Brett's tally stands at 20 TDs and 14 INTs. (Drew Brees has as many INTs.) He's still looking pretty good.

In NFC news, the 49ers became the first west coast team this season to win on the eastern seaboard when they defeated the Bills in Buffalo. Killing two birds with one stone, they also kept their hopes alive of winning (gasp!) the NFC West. Yeah, keep losing, Arizona.

And next week, oh next week! The 49ers host the Jets at the Stick! If I had the attention span, I might live-blog it. But I don't.

Maybe Just One Thing

It sure seems like all that was standing in Brett's way was his INT competition. Ever since J.T. O'Sullivan was benched by the 49ers, Brett's QB rating has been above 100.

Still Rolling

Here I am, dutifully reporting Brett Favre's most recent successes. After 2 TDs today and 1 INT and with a top-notch team effort, Brett led the Jets to victory over the Titans, taking away Tennessee's perfect record. The tally: 20TDs, 13 INTs.

Elective unemployment is great and all, but when you run out of money and you're still unemployed, things get a little . . . uncomfortable. I've therefore been spending the past two weeks solidly searching for work, and it makes sitting at the computer practically unbearable. It exhausts me to the point that I don't even have anything to say with regard to Brett Favre. Or anything else for that matter. Weak!

He's On A Roll!

Congrats again to Brett Favre, who had a dynamite game on Thursday night against the Pats in NFL Week 11: The Preview.* 2 more TDs and 0 INTs! That makes 18 TDs and 12 INTs, and the Jets are in 1st place in the AFC East. Wowee, Brett. Wowee.

*Yeah, I watched the highlights. They were pretty spectacular.

Hey, Hey, Brett Favre!

Nice work in week 10! #4 added one to his TD tally and none to his INT tally. After 10 weeks he's at 16 TDs and 12 INTs.

Meanwhile, over in San Francisco, Shaun Hill is still at the helm while J.T. O'Sullivan sits on the bench. Brett's on his best behavior . . .

NFL Week 9: I Still Don't Believe The Giants Are All That Good

Hey, the Jets won! Unfortunately for Brett, he added to his INT tally (12) but not his TD tally (15). Also unfortunately for Brett, that INT was returned for a TD. Still unfortunately for Brett, the 49ers had a bye, so J.T. O'Sullivan didn't get to throw any interceptions this week.

Oh no! Could this explain it?

But more importantly, are the Giants really that good? I didn't believe it last year, and I still don't. They're competent and they're well-coached, but I'm never stunned by their play. It seems to me that their opponent just plays worse than the Giants do every week, and that's why they keep winning. Yeah, Eli, that's right. I'm not impressed.

NFL Weeks 7 & 8: Brett Sighs With Relief Upon Learning I Didn't Watch

Your guys are wearing WHITE, J.T.

It wasn't a great couple of weeks for Brett Favre, according to the stats. (I confess again to not watching, although my access to more than highlights has been essentially cut off.) In Week 7 against Oakland, he threw 2 INTs and 0 TDs. Ouch. Last week against Kansas City, where the Jets at least pulled off the win, he threw 2 TDs and 3 INTs. After Week 8, he's at 15 TDs and 11 INTs.

All I have to say is this: Thank GOODness for J.T. O'Sullivan. He's pacing Brett on INTs (they're tied for most in the league), but he has about half as many TDs. (And that dude plays for my favorite team. Boo.)

NFL Week 6: Still Not Really Caring

Brett threw 2 INTs and 1 TD against the Bengals. The total is 13 TDs and 6 INTs. But more importantly:


WHY does Belichick insist on wearing that silly sweatshirt?

Brett Favre Interception Watch: Weeks Three, Four, and Five? Oh, Who Cares!

I just got back from Hawaii! I've been far too busy to think about Brett. I had very important things to do, like hike, swim, eat, and drink. (He's doing great, by the way -- 12 TDs and only 4 INTs!, and he's sporting his best QB rating ever. I'm being proven wrong week by week, and that's okay with me.)

Back to my trip! I landed on Thursday evening, September 25, and was pretty much a goner. I think I was in bed sometime just after 8:00. The next day, Friday the 26th, I also took it pretty easy. I went with my aunt to the beach at the Sheraton Kauai (it's one of my favorite beaches anywhere) and we had lunch and drinks there. Exhausting! That night we took in the Kauai Mokihana Festival's hula competition. Most of the rest of the days were more exciting and deserve their own posts, which will come in due time as I'm spending the next 5 days packing up my apartment for my move home. Regression is a good thing!

(I'm in full-swing Elective Unemployment mode. I called to change my address with T-Mobile and the overly-perky customer service agent asked me if I was getting ready for the weekend. Honestly, I didn't even know what day it was. I think my silence made her uncomfortable. I seem to be getting worse at coming up with something to say on the spot.)

Usually when I visit Hawaii I'll go to more than one island, but this trip was only Kauai, just like I needed it. Kauai is a very special place for me and I inevitably suffer while there from nostalgic fits of Why-Don't-I-Live-Here-ness. So what exactly is so special about Kauai, you ask? Here's a very brief listing:

1. The wildlife. There actually isn't very much that's native to Hawaii, compared to other places. A lot of wildlife (and especially a lot of flora and fauna) was introduced both by the Polynesians who settled the Islands and the nasty Westerners who conquered them. The two introduced creatures that thrive on Kauai today are the wild chicken and the wild pig. Yup, very exotic, I know. Here are our barnyard friends:

My how their crowing is a bother at 2:30 am.

The big one is actually chasing the little one to get his food.

There are also Hawaiian monk seals in abundance sunning on local beaches and green sea turtles ("honu" in Hawaiian) in droves off the south shore of the island in Poipu. These guys are probably a little more special but somehow less novel to tourists.

A sea turtle! I swear he's there!

2. The buildings. Kauai's law mandates that no building can be taller than the height of a mature coconut tree (approximately 48 feet). We noticed when we spent some time at the Marriott that it was obviously built before this law took effect as even the tallest trees were shorter than the Marriott's towers. Anyway, an example of a Kauai building of typical height (but atypical message):

Soon, hopefully, is relative.

3. The terrain. Kauai is home to Waimea Canyon (the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific"), Kokee State Park (which houses the world's highest-elevated swamp, called Alakai, and several giant Redwood forests among other natural wonders and indigenous bird species), Mount Waialeale (alternately called "The Wettest Spot on Earth" and "One of the Wettest Spots on Earth" depending on who's fact-checking), and the Na Pali coast with its rugged cliffs and famous Kalalau Trail (which I did, and which conquered me). I'm always blown away by the diversity of the terrain. Where else can you get arid landscapes, barking sands, tropical rainforests, lazy freshwater rivers, dramatic sea cliffs, a painted canyon, all the tropical flowers you'd ever want to see or smell, huge waves for surfing, acres and acres of rich farmland, tower-like waterfalls, pristine beaches, and over 400 inches of rain per year all on one island?

Mahaulepu, on the dry south shore

Waimea Canyon

A ginger grove in the forest

Redwoods in the tropics!

Poipu sunset

Lumahai beach on a turbulent day

Brett Favre Interception Watch: Week Two

I admit to failing in my vigilance. But I was busy last week, folks, and he didn't throw any (note that Week One resulted on my chewing on my own feet)! So today I dutifully watched the Jets-Patriots game in order to report the results of Brett Favre Interception Watch 2008, Week Two. And my watching was rewarded! Sort of.

The Jets lost. Favre threw a touchdown. He also threw an interception! The funny thing, if you could call it that, was that I completely missed it. I was in the other room preparing dinner. Of all the luck -- I step out of the room for five minutes, and he throws an interception! Was it his fault? Will I ever know? There were no highlights post-game!

Anyway, here's the tally so far in 2008:

TDs: 3
INTs: 1

He's +2 so far. Keep it up, Brett the Jet. My foot tastes good, anyway.

Don't Buy Me A Jersey Just Yet

I've been taking some heat over my post on Football Legend! Brett Favre. I stand by my words, first and foremost. I'll add, however, that I do respect his work at Green Bay, especially his games-played streak, and before this I've never had any issue with him that wasn't related to interception-throwing. I don't blame him solely for the fiasco that was his return to pro football, and I don't blame him for moving on in the end; it was the idea of the return I groaned over. After all, I didn't stop liking Joe Montana when he went to the Chiefs. It never did feel the same after that, though, and I imagine a lot of Packers fans will share that strange feeling come September. It would have been a different story entirely a) if he weren't "retiring age" or b) if he hadn't already retired, but as it stands, in the presence of the settling dust I've been wondering how much "about the fans" it can ever really be.

Favre has already connected with fans here (they even cheered him on as he ran a penalty lap at practice for botching a snap the other day -- no comment) but New Yorkers are notorious for their fickleness when it comes to sports figures. He comes here with what is essentially a clean slate, and he'll face our invasive and scrutinous media and fans who are quick to judge (and do so collectively). His accomplishments at Green Bay won't mean a thing to New Yorkers -- and even, albeit to a lesser extent, to historians -- if he doesn't deliver here. It's not the kind of pressure I'd ever want. In any case, I am tepidly rooting for his success, thank you very much, even if I don't approve. (That's both because I'm not a Vikings or Bears fan and because it pains me to see an aging QB embarrass himself.)

But don't be surprised if I keep an interception tally this fall.

What, Bernie Kosar Wouldn't Take Their Calls?

What is it the Jets love so much about old quarterbacks?

It's an exciting time in New York! The Yankees and the Mets are playing baseball, and I don't have any idea how either team is doing (but it's quiet enough that I assume they aren't either winning or losing their divisions these days). There are some basketball and hockey teams here, and I suppose people care about them, but it's not basketball or hockey season so that means we must all be gearing up for . . . FOOTBALL! Yay.

The Giants are the defending Super Bowl champions (I still find this hard to believe) so expectations are high. In order to compete and not to feel mediocre next to Big Blue (wait, the Giants aren't mediocre?), the Jets had to go and sign Brett Fav-re, the almost-39-year-old Green Bay legend who should have retired not after last season but the season before. Can anybody forget that season, aka the season of more interceptions than touchdowns? This guy couldn't find a green jersey on the field to save his life. So I'm sorry, Gang Green, but things aren't looking good (unless you change your colors to purple/yellow, black/orange, or blue/silver).

I feel naughty writing smack about Mr. Favre. Everybody knows elders are to be respected, and elderly heroes are especially taboo! So I'll happily eat my words if the Jets make it past the wild card round in 2008.