Here is another one that even points out the QB and the defense.
"I'm optimistic. Who isn't?" Namath said. "This is the most exciting beginning of a season we've had in some time. This is a tremendous lift in terms of expectations and excitement."
Namath was surrounded by many of his former teammates, some of whom believe Favre compares favorably to their old quarterback. Interestingly, they didn't mention arm strength.
They spoke mostly about intangibles, specifically leadership.
"Joe was the guy who could make things happen; he commanded respect," said Richard Caster, the recipient of three touchdown passes that memorable day in '72. "I haven't been in Brett's huddle, but from what I can see, he's the team leader and everybody follows him. That's what Joe had. We looked to him. When we were in the huddle, all eyes were on Joe."
Caster loved the acquisition of Favre because "the team really needed something to bring some life to it. We had suffered with the established format for a number of years. Chad (Pennington) did what he was doing as a quarterback. The team just didn't want to kick it into the next gear. This is perfect. Getting Brett was a great move. He's the kind of excitement New York needs right now."
Former All-AFL linebacker Larry Grantham, a member of the Super Bowl-winning 1968 team, said quarterbacks of Namath and Favre's caliber also can inspire the defense.
"As a defensive player, when we got the ball back for Joe, we knew he was going to make something happen," said Grantham, who is battling cancer but flew up from Memphis out of loyalty to Namath. "It's the same with Brett. They have that ability."
"Unreal," former tackle Dave Herman, another member of the '68 Jets, said of Favre's six-touchdown game. "What I'm hoping, what I think he brings to the team, is the confidence factor. Natural leadership, that's what Joe had."
There's no denying that Favre has created excitement. When it was suggested to Namath that it hasn't been this way since his heyday, he laughed.
"Yeah, and the Triborough Bridge was 25 cents," he said. "It was a little different back then."
Joe Namath certainly thinks Brett Favre, if he can get some help from teammates, can lead Jets to a championship.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football...ith_broadw.html