Brett Favre

By JEFF CAPELLINI, WCBSTV.com Senior Sports Producer
NEW YORK (CBS) ― Someone had to say it.

When you rush for more than 1,300 yards and score more than two dozen touchdowns, you can pretty much say whatever you want. Thomas Jones called out Brett Favre earlier this week on a New York City radio station, making the kind of comments many in the Jets' locker room probably wish they had made.

There was nothing malicious about what Jones told Hot 97 FM. Jones is a straight shooter. Favre, himself, credited Jones earlier in the season with being the emotional leader of the team. Well, Jones pretty much summed up the Jets' emotions at this point.

Jones said Favre should have been benched during his struggles. He said the veteran quarterback's play down the stretch was embarrassing and that his teammates may not admit it publicly but they almost blame Favre for the Jets' fall from 8-3 to 9-7 more than axed head coach Eric Mangini.

But to be fair, Jones also made it clear that the team would welcome the future Hall of Famer back in 2009. They seem to understand what many fans understand but don't want to admit: the Jets, at least next year, will not be better off without Favre.

The fans are teetering on the brink of revolt over Favre and the coaching situation. One need only listen to WFAN at any hour of the day to hear the venom. I heard one caller say the other day that Favre has proven nothing to the fans. He may have been an all-world talent in Green Bay, but with the Jets he performed like just another in the long line of disappointments.

Here's why Jones' words ring so true: the only way Favre will endear himself to the Jets' fan base is if he comes back next year healthy and wins not only in the regular season, but also in the playoffs. Does that mean he has to win a Super Bowl to be respected? Probably not. But he certainly cannot come back and toss 22 interceptions again.

It will be interesting to see just how much time Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum give Favre to make up his mind on '09. They have said the next coach will have a big say in whether the organization truly wants him back. My guess is if a coordinator gets the gig he may be a bit intimidated by the notion of telling Brett thanks but no thanks. Though I'll know for certain the next guy will be the right guy if he kicks Favre to the curb, and that's not because I don't want Favre back. I subscribe to the theory that the Jets will be a mess with Kellen Clemens as their quarterback. I just don't see any other viable option but to bring Favre back.

But if your team is lacking an identity, getting one starts with the coach. Whether the Jets hire Steve Spagnuolo or Rex Ryan or someone else without previous head coaching experience, that man will be responsible for the team's public face. I think Spagnuolo brings the best of both worlds to the table. He's an affable guy with a serious streak. Ryan is just evil, but this team has lacked an intimidating edge for 40 years, so he'd be more than welcome. Just look at the defenses he's presided over in Baltimore.

Mike Shanahan, though reportedly just on the periphery of the Jets' plans at this point, would bring professionalism and creativity. Marty Schottenheimer would bring a tinge of respect and fatherly intuitiveness to the job, but his downside is he's never won a big game when it has mattered.

There are others whose names have come up, but they are all mostly wild cards. You just don't know what you are getting in the intangibles department.

Favre is probably thankful the Jets are going to be thorough with their search for a coach. It will give him more time to come to a realistic decision, one that doesn't result in him changing his mind 47 times over the summer. Favre has to know whatever he chooses to do has to be final. Jets fans will give up on him entirely if he plays any games. More importantly, it doesn't appear that Johnson and Tannenbaum will stand for flip-flopping.

As the prophet Yoda once said: do or don't do. There is no try.

As for Jones, he's truly the face of this team. Favre may have the stats and the longevity, but when it comes to the passion to succeed and the will to win, Jones stands alone on this team.

Can you imagine if it had been Jones at the Mangini press conference instead of Johnson and Tannenbaum?

It might have went something like this:

Jones: "We've decided to make a change, not because we want to go in a new direction, but because we got sidetracked from the path we were on."

Reporter: "So you are saying the Jets should have won the division and gone far into the playoffs?"

Jones: "Hell yeah. Someone has to put their foot down. And that foot is me."

Ouch.

Jones is the guy you want in the foxhole with you. He's strong enough to fight off the enemy, but also smart enough to know when to cut his losses and run.

If he could only wear a headset and play quarterback, too.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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