In an up and down year, the Jets have sent a league-leading seven players to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. Now isn’t that something else?

Alan Faneca, Leon Washington, Kris Jenkins, and Thomas Jones were all named to the starting roster while Brett Favre, Nick Mangold, and Darrelle Revis received invitations as reserves.

What surprised me the most was that this is Thomas Jones’ first trip to Hawaii. Granted, he only had a whopping total of two touchdowns last year, but remember when he was in Chicago? He helped the Bears get to the Super Bowl, but with modest stats when compared with what he’s done this year. The year he went to the Super Bowl against Peyton Manning’s Colts, he had six touchdowns and 1,210 yards. This season, Jones has already surpassed that yardage total with two games left to play. He’s amassed 1,222 yards, having crossed the goal line 13 times via rushing and 15 total, both franchise records. Curtis Martin, the NFL’s 4th-leading rusher was a Jet. I’m just sayin…

It’s no wonder why Faneca deserves to be selected for the Pro Bowl. He blocks for that stud of a running back. He’ll be appearing in his eighth NFL All-Star game. Gang Green is second in the NFL averaging 4.8 yards per rush. Last season, New York’s O-line was a group of matadors, allowing 44 sacks through 14 games. Through that many games this year, Faneca has helped cut that total nearly in half, allowing Brett Favre to go down just 26 times in the backfield.

Kris Jenkins, making his fourth trip to the Aloha State, has helped anchor a stout defensive line that has held an NFL-high five teams to under 50 yards rushing this season. He joins the company of Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. With those two up front for the AFC, Adrian Peterson should have some trouble running the ball.

Leon Washington, who I still think isn’t used enough out of the backfield, made his first Pro Bowl as a kick returner, becoming the second Jet to go as a returner in the last three years (Justin Miller, 2006). Washington leads the league in combined yards with 2,067-that’s the league, meaning he has more than Chicago’s Devin Hester-and has six kickoff returns for 40-or-more yards. Favre referred to him as an MVP player after Sunday’s win against Buffalo. He’s good.

In making his 10th Pro Bowl, Favre joins an eclectic group of Jet quarterbacks-Joe Namath, Ken O’Brien, Boomer Esiason, and Vinny Testaverde-to make the team. O’Brien is the only one to have made the Pro Bowl more than once, so will Favre match that next season? Who knows, and right now who cares? New York media, anyone?

Nick Mangold is the third Jets center to play in Hawaii, joining the likes of Joe Fields, who did it twice and Kevin Mawae, who went six times. It certainly is not any secret that like Faneca, Mangold has been a big part of why Thomas Jones is having a career season. It’s a damn shame the entire Jets O-line can’t go, because they deserve it. While a lot of positions and aspects of the team have done 180’s for the Jets this year, the offensive line is easily the most improved.

Darrelle Revis is second in the NFL with five interceptions and is the first Jets cornerback to make the Pro Bowl since Ty Law in 2005. The secondary has been a low point for the Green and White this season (29th league-wide in defending the pass), but that can hardly be blamed on Revis, who closed out the game at Miami in Week 1 with a pick and the most recent win against the Bills as well. He has 36 tackles and 13 assists to go along with a forced fumble, fumble recovery and an interception returned for a touchdown.

Who would have seen this? A league-leading seven Pro Bowlers from New York’s “other” team. At this point it’s certainly no surprise, but back in training camp, who woulda thunk it?

You could feel it all the way up in the Giants Stadium press box. Some fans had already left, and the ones still there had to have their elbows on their knees with their chins in their hands. It was that kind of day for the Jets. Despite a game-opening scoring drive that spanned 72 yards in 3:09, the Jets were back on their heels after some three-and-outs in which Brett Favre couldn’t make magic.

The mood was sepulchral, like someone just crapped in everyone’s cereal at The Meadowlands, save for some NY Metro Bills fans that were hoopin’ it up. The radio guy that reads from a script every 30 minutes for the “15 and 45 updates” turned his voice on, and out of his mouth came the words that have been thrown around this season just as much as ‘Division Champs’ and ‘Super Bowl.’

You know what I mean… The three words that are just so hackneyed: ‘Same old Jets.’

He continued on his sports information-packed rant, but before he could explain his unbiased self to whoever was listening, it happened. Christmas came early for the Jets, and something gave. Call it luck if you must-and you have to get lucky every now and then-but Gang Green caught the break it had needed all year.

Under pressure from a blitzing Abram Elam, Bills quarterback JP Losman was sacked and coughed up the ball, which Shaun Ellis picked up and took 11 yards to the crib to give the Jets the lead 31-27 with just under two minutes to play. Two INTs later-Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes-and the Bills are the same old Bills, while New York controls its destiny with two games to play.

Ellis brushed off the questions about what this meant given his rough couple of weeks, and he was genuine about it. He’s put it behind him, and we all need to do the same. I will say though that this play is big for him, regardless of how he’s handled his off-field troubles.

It certainly did wonders for the crowd, and there was jubilation in the press box as well. Fireman Ed’s head nearly exploded as he striked up the ‘J-E-T-S’ chant, and on SNY’s Fan Appreciation Day, well, the post-tailgate hangovers had to have felt a little better this past Sunday afternoon.

A diehard Bills fan friend of mine called me before the game and jokingly asked what I thought about a 0-0 tie. I laughed, telling him I didn’t think either team’s defense was good enough for that, which turned out to be true. But I’m certainly not surprised by that, not like I am with the Bills’ decision to pass the ball on 2nd-and-5 so close to the two-minute warning and the most important thing in hand-the lead.

Dick Jauron needs to go, and he may have just sealed his fate with that call. After a strong start, the Bills have flat-lined as they’ve dropped seven of their last eight games dating back to Ocober 26. Think you’ve had it hard Jets fans? Try losing all four Super Bowls your team has ever played in.

There is an ESPN Commercial with stunned Bills fans living in a horrible cartoon world when suddenly, to save the game a botched play is returned for a touchdown, and the sun comes up and all is well until it’s called back, and suddenly a car smashes into a fire hydrant, the sun instantly goes back down, and everything is back to normal in Bills world.

It’s funny, and it’s funny because it’s funny and true, but after all the misery it makes you feel at least a little bad. Just a little? OK, so Jets fans probably don’t feel sorry for Buffalo, but in a year of the resurgent team-Atlanta, Miami, Carolina, Tennessee-Buffalo has to feel left out and reeling as another disappointing season comes to an end.

Meanwhile last year’s 4-12 Jets are 9-5 and thinking playoffs with two games to play. Hey, it’s the NFL. Seattle hosted a playoff game last year. Now they’re 3-11. The Jets radio broadcaster said it best as Shaun Ellis scored… “Are you kidding me?”

For those of you that thought your New York Jets to be the choir boys when compared to their roommates, think again. DE Shaun Ellis is facing several charges, including possession of marijuana, driving without insurance, and speeding after a highway traffic stop, according to reports from the Journal News.

Abbott Koloff reported that the Jets defensive captain was “uncooperative” and refused to give all of the paperwork requested by Sgt. Anthony Vitanza, who stopped Ellis.

Evidently someone forgot to knock on wood earlier this week when reporters asked head coach Eric Mangini and various other players about how fortunate they were to not have to deal with off-field distractions such as the one Plaxico Burres has the Giants tip-toeing around.

Ellis issued a statement, saying he apologized to his family, the fans and the organization. He took full responsibility and accountability for his actions, which is to be expected from a stand-up guy such as Ellis.

“It’s something that I have to deal with,” Ellis said after practice Friday. “I will be responsible.”

Mangini said he spoke with him, and that Ellis was punished internally. Really, coach? How? He practiced Friday prior to leaving for San Francisco and he’s slated to start Sunday against the 49ers. Mangini hoped the media were able to respect the internality of the matter, but I can’t respect something I know so little about. I realize it’s far from public information, but aside from a few thousand dollars, what could the organization have done, made Ellis run sprints? Yeah, real smart at this point of the season.

“We take personal conduct very seriously. We spend a lot of time researching the type of people that we are going to bring into the organization,” Mangini said. “I’ve known Shaun for three years. He’s been voted a captain for three years. He’s been outstanding as a professional and a person over the time that I’ve known him.”

Whatever the internal punishment, it’s something we’ll never know about, but any way you look at it, Ellis is lucky. There are legal issues pending, but he’ll likely walk away with a slap on the wrist at the very worst. It’s gotta be a tight rope to walk for Mangini and the organization being in the hunt for a division title with four games to go.

Let’s face it, take Ellis off the field and the league’s fourth-best defense at stopping the run likely takes a tumble. Ellis has seven sacks through 12 games to go along with his 35 tackles and a forced fumble. At 31 years of age, he’s a veteran leader and has been a Jet for nine years-the longest tenured player in the organization.

The media guide informs me that Ellis has teamed up with The Muscular Dystrophy Association “Muscle Team” the past seven seasons. He’s hosted children afflicted with the illness at Jets’ training camps and games. It says he embodied the NFL’s commitment to community service by supporting programs benefiting the children and youth of New York City.

I mean, he’s a good guy, but he made a mistake. It happens, but what is done about it is what defines who and what people truly are.

“It’s not been easy,” Ellis said. “It’s something I gotta grow from and learn from.”

The Jets are trying to win a division and get homefield in the playoffs, so they punished Ellis “internally.” The law will step in as it sees fit. As for now it’s all on Shaun and how he handles this matter.

Coming at you from the Jets press room right now with 49ers head coach Mike Singletary on conference call.

I just found out that Singletary’s last season in the league as a player for the Bears was Favre’s first season with Green Bay. It’s pretty amazing to think that he is now coaching against the legendary quarterback.

Singletary said how he could see from the onset that Brett was going to be something special.

“You could hear the ball when he passed it,” he said of Favre’s rocket arm.

Additionally, Singletary spoke at Eric Mangini’s high school, motivating the Jets head coach as a youngster. Now they’ll be facing each other Sunday in a must-win for New York. That’s easier said than done. Gang Green is 0-2 on the West Coast this season. Hopefully it wasn’t the jetlag that plagued the Jets-no pun intended-against San Diego and Oakland.

The 49ers are certainly an up-and-coming team despite being 4-8. Singletary is 2-3 since taking over in San Francisco, including a win at Buffalo this past Sunday. After Singletary, Takeo Spikes took the phone, and he said as he sees it, they’re still alive. I smell danger for Mangini’s team, but what you smell isn’t always what it is. Who smelled Denver coming into Giants Stadium and handling the Jets the way they did?

Funny thing about the NFL, you really never know what’s going to happen. I know, I know, all sports are like that. But in the NFL, common opponents, favorable statistics and all that business really go out the window come gameday, be it a Sunday, Monday, Thursday or Saturday.

“The bottom line is you can be beat any week,” Favre said. “In pro football, you just never know. Everyone says, ‘Oh you know, you guys out beat them. Oakland blew them out.’ What does that mean? That means nothing.

“I have no idea what Denver will do this week. I have no idea what San Francisco will do. I hope I know what we’ll do. We play our type of football, what has gotten us to this point.”

What has gotten the Jets to this point is solid football. Not necessarily mistake-free, but less mistakes than their opponents, and really just winning the little battles. And for the record, this point has the Jets still a game ahead of New England and Miami for first place in the AFC East despite a loss.

That’s right Jets fans, you give one up-terribly I might add-and you’re still in first place. Forget about the top two seeds in the AFC though. Assuming they follow suit, Pittsburgh and Tennessee should wrap those up. In a tie-breaker situation, being that Pittsburgh hasn’t played New York head-to-head, it would go to conference records. Pittsburgh: 8-1 in the AFC, New York: 6-4. It’s not mathematically impossible, but it’s certainly not likely.

But of course, this is the NFL. Evidently anything is possible.

So I was listening to the Jets game on the radio Sunday on my way to Philadelphia, and as I cruised west on the Belt Parking Lot something grabbed my attention. The Jets were up 14 and moving the ball, thanks in part to pass interference flags against Laveranues Coles. I was slightly surprised to know the Jets were winning by 14 and about to do something none of the 10 teams prior to them could do-beat the unbeaten Titans.

I wasn’t all that surprised about that though, as I had watched much of the first half on TV. I was surprised when Mangini had his guys go for it on 4th down, a call that I explained to my girlfriend would either make the coach a genius or an idiot. (The Jets converted and later scored… Mangenius.)

What grabbed my attention more than anything was when the radio announcer dropped the bomb, the one with the words “super” and “bowl” in it. Yeah, that one.

There’s been a lot of talk about what the Jets are capable of, and lately it seems every week they’re proving their doubters wrong and playing better and better. Seriously, who predicted wins at New England and Tennessee? Even with a loss or two there, they wouldn’t be in godawful shape, but with two big road wins, the Jets are looking like the team to beat in the AFC.

The conversation has gone from playoff appearance, division champion, to bye in the first round. What’s more surprising about this is that I don’t think we’re getting ahead of ourselves to be throwing around such terminology.

Let’s face it, there are big expectations in New York. Newsday’s Bob Glauber had a column about the Giants and Jets meeting in Tampa this February in that big game. You know, the Super Bowl.

He figured the Giants had a big edge over Gang Green, but not so fast. Keep in mind the Browns beat Big Blue. Certainly the Jets are better than the Browns, but ok, that doesn’t mean much when going head-to-head, especially in this the National Football League. Regardless, and I’ve been saying it all along, even before Brett Favre came to town, I like the Jets’ chances.

Favre is doing what they brought him here to do, but he hardly gets all the credit. His offensive line has stepped up largely for him, but he’s not the only one affected by the blocks made by Mangold, Faneca, Woody, Moore, and Ferguson, not to mention FB Tony Richardson. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington both had big games against the Titans, and long-gone are the questions about this offense lacking an identity. For the record, I read something somewhere about it still lacking, but c’mon people. This offensive knows what it is and what it needs to do. It has its you-know-what together.

Defensively, the secondary still has some work to do, but if it can get by riding the coattails of the front seven, it will come together with such talented athletes like Darrelle Revis, Kerry Rhodes, Ty Law and Dwight Lowery. They’re far from in shambles, and with the likes of Kris Jenkins in opposing quarterbacks’ faces, trust me, don’t worry ’bout it.

But that bomb the radio announcer dropped. The one with the words “super” and “bowl” in it. Could this be? I can’t wait to find out.

When the New York Jets woke up Friday morning after beating the Patriots in overtime the night before, they probably thought for a moment or two.

“Wait a minute, I went to bed really excited, what was th- Oh yeah!”

You know that feeling, when you wake up and know you have something to be excited about, but since it’s not something physical, you forget for a minute.

That was Kerrry Rhodes Friday morning, and Sean Ellis. Brett Favre had to be feeling good, but it’s a little different for the guys that have been tormented by the Pats for so long.

Yeah, their breakfast probably tasted pretty nice that morning, whether they’re the same old Jets or not, they finally got a giant monkey off their backs, much bigger than Rhodes’ first pick, which came against St. Louis, much bigger than Calvin Pace’s first touchdown, also registered against the lowly Rams.

Coming into this one, it was trendy to doubt New York. Having just beaten the 2-7 Rams, Gang Green was definitely clicking, having won three straight and five of their last six, but as ever, people were still uneasy about New York’s second fiddle.

Whatever doubt was looming over Jets fans had to be at least close to erased when they took the first drive of the game downfield in 10 plays, setting up a 7-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Leon Washington, who was superb as a dual threat. Thomas Jones reached 100 yards, but only because of the extra period. He certainly did it silently, as most of the third-down conversions were made when Favre did what they brought him in to do.

Oh yeah, there was a lot of talk about that too. How this game was the reason Woody Johnson opened up his wallet to the tune of $140 million, or 160, whatever, a big spending spree regardless. Any way you look at it, it paid off as the Jets won despite nearly squandering a 24-6 second-quarter lead.

Matt Cassell did his best Brady impersonation, and it worked when Randy Moss managed to keep his feet inbounds and catch the game-tying touchdown, but in the NFL-and it’s a damn shame-as the overtime coin flip goes so goes the game more often than not.

Favre moved the ball downfield, hitting Laveranues Coles and Dustin Keller en route to Jay Feely’s game-winning 34-yard field goal. Keller was huge, making a big catch on 3rd-and-15 on that very drive, and racking up 87 yards on five catches and a touchdown. Favre has said Keller doesn’t know how good he can be, and I believe him. Keller has been big lately and is going to continue to grow.

Kris Jenkins registered one of the defense’s three sacks. CJ Mosley got another, and the third was shared between Sione Pouha and David Bowens. Okay, so the defense wasn’t huge, but it didn’t have to be. I knew coming into this one that the last team to have possession was going to win. It could be said that New England didn’t lose, they just ran out of time, anybody complain?

Of course they are complaining up in Massachusetts. Who wouldn’t be? The Patriots are suffering from a slew of injuries. The Bill Belichick “plug ‘em in and keep going” winning machine is suffering the kind of setbacks that would adversely affect any team-even these proud Patriots.

Could this be the end of a dynasty? That remains to be seen, but things are certainly changing in the AFC, especially the East division.

My dad-a Jets fan-was saying even after the New England game how he didn’t expect to see the Jets in the Super Bowl. I was quick to point out that he probably wasn’t predicting the Jets to be 7-3 at this point, with sole possession of first place. He laughed and said, “Yeah, they should be 8-2.” It’s what my dad does when I make a good point in sports discussions. Covers it up with a fact, but something that is what it is.

Yeah, that Oakland game… Seems like a while since then, eh?

Wednesday’s practice was closed to the media as the team just did a run-through in sweats.

Around the locker room the mood was light, but there was something in the air, a palpable focus of sorts. While Mangini and the Jets do it week in and week out, it’s pretty hard to downplay this Thursday’s showdown at New England.

Laveranues Coles was his usual self to reporters, being stand-offish and short.

“We won more games, that’s about it,” Coles said when asked how his team has changed since week two. “We’re 6-3.”

While Coles makes a good point, he is certainly downplaying what has happened since September 14. How about the game he and Favre had against Arizona? Or the road win at Buffalo, followed by a no-let up effort against a hapless St. Louis team that Gang Green easily could have overlooked with New England on the hrozion just four short days away?

There is a lot of buzz surrounding this game, and mind you, it is buzzing because of what New York has done since they last played New England. They have put themselves in position to take control of a playground bullied by the Patriots. They have come together, playing more consistently and have begun to form an identity that was clearly lacking against Oakland, Cincinnati, and New England the first time. Hell, even the Kansas City win had critics doubting the “same old” Jets.

But make no mistake about it, they’re not the “same old” Jets. At this point last season, the Jets were 1-8 and on a six-game skid heading into the bye week. The fact that terms like “division lead” and “playoffs” are being thrown around the locker room says a lot, and that isn’t going unnoticed.

A newcomer to the AFC East, Calvin Pace said it’s not just about first place but simply the rivalry in itself, but let’s face it, what is this rivalry without playoff implications? It’s just a throwaway game, something the Jets palyed a lot of last season.

I was talking with some friends about this game against New England, and something I found funny was the way they used Brett Favre as a crux for whatever argument they were trying to make.

When I said about how well Favre has been playing lately since getting more and more comfortable with his new offense, someone said about how many interceptions he has thrown and how prone he is to making mistakes.

Later in the discussion I said about how it’s tough to believe that the Jets are 6-3 right now, playing for the division lead against New England when they finished 4-12 last season. My buddy responded by saying, “Well yeah, I mean they have Favre.” Holy contradiction! It’s funny how while one player can be credited for a team’s success, he can just as easily be blamed for its failure.

Favre is that kind of player, one that can keep you in a game just as easily as he can take you out of one, but let’s face it, who doesn’t want him on their roster? I know I sure do, especially heading into New England Thursday during primetime. You need a quarterback that is used to big games and can handle the pressure. You need a playmaker, one that isn’t afraid of taking chances.

Brett aside though, the new-look Jets have several different weapons that are all a part of this turnaround. When asked about any extra pressure knowing this game is why the Jets brought him here, Favre was comical.

“That may be true,” he said. “Then again, it may not be. That may have been why we brought Kris Jenkins in. Let’s put it off on Kris,” Favre said with his signature smile. It’s that familiar Favre-smile, the one that has likely gotten him out of many-a-jam.

Will he be smiling as he leaves Gillette Stadium, or will he be answering questions about the “same old” Jets? Only time will tell, but you gotta like their chances.

When the Jets acquired Favre, there was a lot of speculation about how many games Gang Green would win. Some analysts went as far as to predict the exact games the Jets would win and lose. Would they start 1-2? 0-3?

There was little confidence in 3-0 after week three, and sure enough New York stands at 1-1 after week two.

So it’s either 1-2 or 2-1. After a tough loss to New England in the home opener, Jets fans need not worry. No need to push the panic button.

Going into week three, a west coast road trip on a Monday night at San Diego, the Jets are in very good shape. While falling 19-10 to the Pats on week two isn’t desirable, Brett Favre engineered a solid drive in the 4th quarter, and Thomas Jones chewed up the ground gaining first down after first down. Sure, there were some miscues, mistakes, but it’s still early.

Other than Kansas City or (insert other laughable team here), there is no better place to be going than San Diego during prime time.

The Tomlinson-less Chargers just dropped not one, but two heart-breakers in weeks one and two. Carolina ripped their hearts out of their chests as time expired in week one, and Denver just beat the Bolts at Mile High courtesy of a cheap call.

The Jets should be licking their chops with an extra day off, a game in prime time, and against a defeated opponent.

Of course, week three could be the week San Diego turns its season around. But while I wouldn’t sleep on the Chargers, take a look around the AFC. Tom Brady goes down, San Diego is 0-2, and Indianapolis looked awful in its opener against Chicago. The NFL-especially the AFC-seems to be experiencing some kind of changing of hte guard.

I don’t know the mentality of the team at this point. After a tough loss, the morale can’t be high, but like Vince Vaughn said in swingers, the Jets are so money and they don’t even know it, baby!

This is a touchy subject, so I’ll tread as lightly as I can.

Laveranues Coles needs to get over it already. Seriously. The veteran wide receiver went days, weeks even, without speaking to the media so as to avoid appearing too upset about the loss of Chad, or too happy about the arrival of Favre. He didn’t want to offend either one by prasing the other too much. He’s talking now, and seems to be the only one in the new Atlantic Health Training Center that isn’t on the Favre bandwagon.

That’s understandable, but c’mon LC. It’s a business. No one said you’re not allowed to still be friends with your former quarterback or that you have to replace him with Favre. That said, Coles has been very professional with the whole situation, regardless of how upset about it he is.

“He’s a total pro. He’s focused on one thing. All he’s worried about is doing as well as he can, helping us win,” Coach Mangini said before the Miami game.

But still, it almost seems as though Coles is being the kid at a junior high dance standing in the corner, refusing to partake in the fun.

“I don’t have a feel for him and he doesn’t have a feel for me,” Coles said regarding his one catch against the Dolphins. “That’s one of those things I’m going to have to deal with. In the past I always knew when the ball was coming, now you don’t really know. It’s totally different for me as a player. It is what it is. He’s getting adjusted and I’m trying to do what I’m supposed to do.”

The New York Post reported Friday that on a play against Miami where Favre overthrew Coles, Favre thought he was going to cut in just a little.

What I don’t understand is when asked about getting in synch from sitting out a lot during training camp and missing all four preseason games, Coles put it back on Favre.

“It didn’t have anything to do with me not being there,” Coles said. “It’s just one of those things whenever you get introduced to a new quarterback you don’t have a feel for each other, period. He is being introduced to a new offense and new players. For me, it’s one of those things where he doesn’t have a feel for me, I don’t have a feel for him. You deal with it.”

Coles (thigh) has been limited in practices, which could and likely does have something to do with him not yet clicking with his new quarterback, something Coles says he’s working with everyday. When asked if he believes it’s a matter of time before he will be on the same page as Favre, Coles said that is “something he’s not really concerned about.”

Am I missing something here? Shouldn’t Coles be concerned about that?

“He has a job to do. I have a job to do and from there it is what it is. You work day-in and day-out and just do what you’re supposed to do,” Coles said.

While it seems like Coles isn’t letting his hard feelings get in the way of his job, he still has hard feelings, which can affect any one in any work environment. He can say what he wants to the media, and I hate to speculate like this, but there has to be something going on in his head that’s preventing him from being totally on board with Favre.

There ya go Jets fans. Ya got him.

In a ridiculous turn of events, the Jets announced Thursday evening before its opening pre-season game at Cleveland that Brett Favre will be a Jet.

He’s the biggest star to wear the New York Green since Joe Willy, and every Jets fan this side of Chad Pennington’s parents have got to be swooning over their newly acquired HOF quarterback.

While I referred to it as a ridiculous turn of events, maybe it wasn’t. Maybe the Jets knew this all along, and were merely being polite to Chad in not releasing anything before it became official. The feeling in the Jets’ media room lately during camp has been that the Favre talk grew hackneyed and that nothing was going to be done. New York papers and blogs were riddled with “Tampa Bay has all but sealed the deal.” And sure enough, I got a text from fellow Jets Insider intern Rich Forestano around midnight Thursday morning, “Favre to Jets.”

I didn’t believe it, but he insisted. I bought four-ironic, I know-newspapers the next morning at the Mineola Train Station to read as much about it as I could, and it got me thinking…

This Favre circus is one of two things, and that’s something we’ll likely never know: We’re the Jets as low-key about this as they portrayed themselves, or did they know something we didn’t? I’ll admit, while nothing is over till it’s over, I-like many others-believed that there was little to no chance of Favre landing in New York. Sure, we were only speculating, but the New York media were sure that Favre wouldn’t end up in The Big Apple.

::SIGH:: But I digress. The fact of the matter is that the Jets are finally “keeping up with the Smith’s,” and New York’s “other team” will finally get its due. Move over Broadway Joe, it’s time for Broadway Brett.

At first I was disappointed. I remember reading either a blog or article that said how Favre didn’t want to be a Jet and that it would take a lot of begging for GM Mike Tannenbaum to lure the legendary QB to New York. I was confident that the Jets were content with Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington battling for the starting position, and was myself content. Did the Jets sell out?

Obviously not. Not in this day and age, when it’s the job and complete responsibility for a team to get the best players to ultimately be the best team, something along the lines of what Tampa Bay Head Coach John Gruden said to reporters about getting Favre.

Despite what you knew and what you thought you knew prior to Thursday morning, the Jets got Brett Favre. Whether it was a random twist of events at the last moment, or Jets’ brass working diligently behind-the-scenes, Brett Favre will be wearing a new kind of green in 2008.

How will he fare under the big city lights? How will he handle the toughest, most brutal media market in the nation? Is he too old, or does he still have it? Are the Jets a Super Bowl lock? I’d love to speculate here, like everyone else has been doing prior to the Favre move, but what if I’m wrong?