NEW YORK (AP) -Brett Favre is done with all the pomp and circumstance that has accompanied his arrival to New York. The Jets’ newest quarterback wants to get back to business on the field.
“The pressure is just building,” Favre said Friday. “The attention I’ve gotten since I’ve been here has been overwhelming. The bottom line, as we all know, is to win games. That’s what I’m here to do.”
Favre, acquired from the Green Bay Packers for a conditional draft pick late Wednesday night, was expected to take the field with his new teammates for the first time Saturday after passing his physical. He joined the team on the sidelines during the Jets’ 24-20 preseason-opening victory at Cleveland on Thursday night.
“Time will tell, but I don’t want to say be patient,” Favre said during a City Hall news conference with the mayor. “I have to get a lot done in a short amount of time. They wouldn’t have signed me if they didn’t think I could do that.”
Favre closed a summer of discontent and opened a new chapter in his storied career by joining the Jets, who stunned the NFL by outbidding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s also coming off one of his most productive seasons, passing for 4,155 yards, his most since 1998, with 28 TDs and 15 interceptions.
Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens had been competing for the starting job before the Jets acquired the three-time league MVP. Pennington was released and signed by Miami on Friday, and Clemens was relegated to backup duty.
“It’s a change,” Clemens said. “One minute, you’re in a quarterback battle and the next minute, it’s completely different. There are two ways to look at this. You can get down about it or turn it into a positive. I get to pick the brain of a future Hall of Famer. That chance doesn’t come along too often.”
Favre began his first day in New York as the Jets’ quarterback with an introduction to the city by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The mayor showered him with a number of gifts designed to help him with his transition to New York, including cheesecakes, a MetroCard with $4 on it and a huge Broadway street sign.
“The legendary No. 4 has now become Jet Favre,” Bloomberg said, “and we’re delighted to welcome him to City Hall.”
Five months after a tearful retirement, Favre, who won a Super Bowl title and set all sorts of records before his acrimonious split with the Packers, is starting over. His new teammates are glad he is.
“There have been smiling faces around here all day,” said Jets tight end Bubba Franks, who played eight seasons with Favre in Green Bay. “It is good to have him here. When you play with a legend, you can’t help but feed off of it. I think he’ll fit right in with both the team and the city.”
Favre is now part of a rebuilding Jets team which has been reduced to second-stringer status in New York behind the Super Bowl champion Giants.
“Hopefully I can bring as much excitement throughout the year,” Favre said, “as we’ve had the last two or three days.”
The 38-year-old Favre, who joked that his daughter asked if he was joining a college team because all the other players look much younger, won’t commit to playing for the Jets beyond this season.
“Let’s enjoy this year,” he said. “The future is now. I don’t have 17 more years to play, I don’t think. I want to give the New York Jets and the people of this city the best year possible. Believe me.”
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