Jets news 8-16

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BRETT'S JETS ON RUNWAY

By MARK CANNIZZARO

BLAST OFF: Brett Favre will make his first start for the Jets in a preseason game tonight against the Redskins at Giants Stadium.

Posted: 4:10 am

August 16, 2008

This will not be your average JetsNew York Jets preseason game.

When the Jets play the Redskins tonight, Giants StaDium likely will not look like a Red Bulls soccer match is being played in front of a crowd so small and intimate the upper deck doesn't even need to be opened.

There'll actually be a buzz at tonight's preseason game, which is as unusual as the Jets completing deep passes to their wideouts, because the Jets are unveiling their new and expensive toy to the masses - quarterback Brett Favre.

Eric Mangini, anticipating the much larger crowd expected to attend compared to the usual small turnout, sounded as if he'll relish the buzz.

"I understand there's going to be a level of excitement, which is great," Mangini said. "It's great to have that, and that's preparation for the regular season. Sometimes [in home preseason games] you look out in the stands and [see] tumbleweed. It would be nice to have that energy level."

The Favre excitement has been evident in training camp practices at Hofstra, where ever since he was acquired the crowds have been four and five times the normal turnout on a daily basis.

The Jets anticipate that will transfer to the stadium tonight.

"I'm sure it'll be a little more jazzed, up because of the quarterback we have," Jets safety Kerry RhodesKerry Rhodes said.

Asked what he'll be looking for from Favre in his first game as a Jet, Mangini said: "There are many elements that go into it - the huddle procedure, the snap count, the mechanics surrounding the play and the reads. All of those things you want to see where we're at and what we have to improve on.

"It's more running the offense and making sure that while he's in there that he has a comfort level and that the group has a comfort level, but there's going to be some bumps. There are always bumps."

Mangini said his plan is for Favre to play anywhere between eight and 12 snaps, though that will be flexible depending on how the game goes. It's believed that Favre would like more plays.

"You just can't go in with a hard number, because the game, especially in the preseason, flows so differently," Mangini said. "You don't know how long the defense is going be to out, how long the offense is going to be out, what the situation is going to be, how long [the Redskins] are going to keep their [first-team defense] out, so it's hard to say it's going to be this number hard-and-fast and that's what we are sticking to. But usually you're trying to get 10 or 12 reps [out of the first-team offense]. That would probably be somewhere around it, but I don't have it set."

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Favre finding his comfort level with the offense and his teammates in game conditions will be one of the primary goals tonight.

"A lot of playing the position is you see something," Schottenheimer said. "He's always had a good feel for solving problems. That's where he and the players have started to develop a really good feel for signals and things like that."

As for the "fatigued arm" issue that grew from a molehill to a mountain this week, his teammates haven't noticed much of anything missing from Favre's rocket arm in practice.

WR Jerricho CotcheryJerricho Cotchery said there hasn't been any fall-off in the velocity of Favre's passes.

"He looks the same because everyone out here is kind of tired and beat up right now, physically and mentally," Cotchery said. "So we don't even notice it. Maybe someone that comes in here with fresh legs would notice it, but none of us do."

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com

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Brett Favre, Jets ready to go in first pre-season appearance

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, August 16th 2008, 1:39 AM

Simmons/News Brett Favre

It could be the Jets' most anticipated preseason game since 1969, when they faced the Giants for the first time. That day was about respect, as the Jets - defending Super Bowl champs - felt they needed a win to be taken as seriously as the tradition-rich Giants.

Saturday night's game against the Redskins isn't about winning or losing. In a sense, the Jets already have won: they acquired Brett Favre, who will make his eagerly awaited debut - the first time since his rookie year with the Falcons (1991) that he will be wearing a uniform that doesn't belong to the Packers.

Two weeks ago, Bruce played the Meadowlands. Now it's Brett's turn. It will be surreal and exciting and brief. Favre, who has practiced only seven times since the trade, is expected to play only 10 to 12 snaps as the starter. Don't be late.

"I really want to see the guy throw," said former Jets center John Schmitt, a member of the team that whipped the Giants at the Yale Bowl, 37-14, on Aug. 17, 1969. "I called (GM) Mike Tannenbaum and told him this is the best thing to happen to the Jets since we signed Joe Namath."

Schmitt, who lives on Long Island, said he hasn't witnessed this much hype for a preseason game since the Jets-Giants grudge match from yesteryear. The club declined to speculate on the expected crowd, but it wouldn't be a shock if the Jets draw more than 65,000, roughly twice the usual turnout for a preseason game.

"I understand there's going to be a level of excitement, which is great," Eric Mangini said. "That's prep for the regular season. Sometimes you look out in the stands and (it's) tumbleweed."

It will be a strange night for Favre, who is a long way from the friendly confines of Lambeau Field. Asked how he expects to feel when he emerges from the tunnel before the game, he said: "Different. I'd be lying if I said anything else."

Favre, 38, who complained of a tired arm Wednesday, has experienced good days and bad days in practice, where record crowds have turned out to watch the future Hall of Famer. He is learning a new offense, which has caused moments of confusion and indecision.

For the most part, Favre has dazzled teammates and spectators with his arm strength, but has thrown three interceptions in practice - all deep balls to wide receivers. His practice reps were scaled back late Wednesday and Thursday, an effort to keep his famous right arm fresh.

"The game will be fun," said Favre, who sometimes doesn't sound convinced he made the right move by unretiring, leaving the Packers and accepting a trade to the Jets. "As this thing gets rolling, the newness wears off and it gets down to playing. I'll keep saying this: I'm here for one reason, and that's to help this team win."

STILL IN MARKET: Packers president Mark Murphy, quoted by the Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee, said the organization still plans to offer Favre a huge marketing deal when he retires. Some might perceive that as a mild form of tampering, considering he is Jets property. The Jets did not respond to a request for comment. ... QB Kellen Clemens, battling Brett Ratliff for the No.2 spot, will follow Favre tonight. Clemens needs a strong performance to solidify his spot....DE Shaun Ellis (broken hand) is expected to miss his second straight game. WR Laveranues Coles (leg) may not play for the second straight week

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It's not just a ho-hum preseason game for Favre

BY ERIK BOLAND | erik.boland@newsday.com August 16, 2008 It will not be just another preseason game, meaning a dull, meaningless, can't-end-soon-enough affair.

When Brett Favre makes his Jets debut Saturday night at Giants Stadium against the Redskins, the game will have something almost unheard of for a preseason contest: atmosphere.

"There's going to be a big crowd out there," receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. "The excitement that is being created around Brett coming to us is giving us a lot of energy throughout camp. It's going to be fun come Saturday."

Which is another word not often used in describing preseason football.

"This game will be fun," Favre said. "As this thing gets rolling, the newness will wear off and it gets down to playing. And I'll keep saying this: I'm here for one reason, and that's to help this team win. No other reason."

And that process begins in earnest Saturday night against the Redskins. Practice is one thing and Favre has had his moments this past week looking better than expected - but how well the 38-year-old is adapting to a new offense and its intricacies can only be determined against an opponent wearing different jersey colors.

"There's no substitute for a game," Favre said. "You can do it all you want out here [in practice] but there's no substitute."

Coach Eric Mangini said he had a certain number of reps in mind for Favre but that the game flow would be the ultimate arbiter of snaps.

"It's hard to say it's going to be this number hard-and-fast and that's what we are sticking to, but usually you're trying to get 10 or 12 reps," Mangini said.

Favre said he has been anxious to play since the trade to the Jets became official Aug. 6 and the Redskins game couldn't get here soon enough.

"I did tell Eric the day before I came up, 'I want to play as soon as possible,"' Favre said. "I would have played three plays the other night [in Cleveland] but that would have been ugly."

As for how long he hoped to play Saturday, Favre said: "I don't know. I think we'll just play it by ear. I think the smart thing to do is just get your feet wet, try to get something going. Like I always said in preseason, you'd love to win the game, but there are other things."

Applying what he's studied in a playbook that he hadn't seen up until a week ago Friday.

"It's a totally different language for him," Cotchery said. "We can translate things to him and help him get a good feel for what we're trying to do offensively. I think that's been going very well."

Jets players and fans will be interested to see just how well, as will the Redskins.

"It's definitely cool to play a Hall of Fame quarterback. It will be interesting getting out there with the gunslinger," Redskins safety Reed Doughty said, according to The Associated Press. "It's cool that a preseason game has more hype. It's going to be intense. It's going to be a big game up there."

Saturday

Washington at Jets

7 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WEPN (1050)

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Ratliff, Jets

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New York Jets vs. Redskins: What to look for

by Dave Hutchinson/The Star-Ledger Saturday August 16, 2008, 12:54 AM

Star-Ledger Jets beat writer Dave Hutchinson points to some things to look for in Saturday night's preseason game against the Redskins (7 p.m., Ch. 2).

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-- Backup QB Kellen Clemens: He has been solid, if unspectacular, in training camp while first-year pro Brett Ratliff has been outstanding. Clemens, a second-round pick in 2006, likely will enter the season as the No. 2 but Ratliff is closing the gap.

-- Rookie LB Vernon Gholston: Selected sixth overall, Gholston has been struggling. He's thinking and not reacting, and it shows. The Jets need him to step up if they're to generate the pass rush needed to dethrone the Patriots in the AFC East. 

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-- The defense: The first-team defense should play a little longer this week. The unit yielded a 62-yard TD drive against the Browns last week in the first quarter.  

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-- Backup QB Kellen Clemens: He has been solid, if unspectacular, in training camp while first-year pro Brett Ratliff has been outstanding. Clemens, a second-round pick in 2006, likely

I'm assuming by this assessment, Hutchinson has not attended a practice.