Brett Favre passes every test in debut 2 PAGES

Brett Favre passes every test in debut

Brett Favre was so impressive in his Jets debut Saturday night that Eric Mangini should just put him in storage for the next three weeks and bring him back for the season opener in Miami.

Broadway Brett jumped off his tractor on his 460-acre property in Hattiesburg, Miss., practiced seven times over seven days with the Jets and proved in his two series totaling 14 plays against the Redskins that he hasn't lost any mph off his fastball or his ability to energize a team.

"Ten days ago I was doing yard work," Favre said.

No rust. No arm fatigue. No problem.

"I feel like I'm a Jet," he said.

His arm showed up the first day of camp. Now his heart is here, too.

He wasn't dropping any lines, like he had in the last week, wondering if he made the right decision coming out of retirement and winding up in a new place. "I knew I was out there for the right reason," he said. "One thing I know for sure, when I stepped on the field like I did tonight, I know I made the right decision."

No reason to rush out and buy tickets for Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, of course, but the Jets should be a 10-6 wild-card team with the potential to make things interesting in January if they can keep Favre healthy and keep his consecutive starts streak alive.

Favre's first pass Saturday night was an 11-yard bullet on a slant to Jerricho Cotchery. On his second series, he led Cotchery perfectly for a 19-yard gain. The last of his six throws - he completed five - was a 4-yard dart for a touchdown to rookie tight end Dustin Keller.

He raised his arms to the sky, hugged a couple of his offensive linemen, went to the sideline and put his left arm on Mangini's left shoulder as if to say, "Stick with me kid, you ain't see nothing yet."

He later signed the ball and gave it to Keller.

The Jets' offense now has a vibrant personality and it has nothing to do with the practical joker in Favre. One of his favorite tricks on a slow practice day in Green Bay was to steal a teammate's keys and move his car to the opposite side of Lambeau Field in the middle of the winter. He may have to dust off that routine to show his new teammates he hasn't lost his touch off the field.

On the field, everybody is in play at all times. There's not a throw he can't make. The Jets can't delude themselves into believing they got Favre in his prime, but even closing in on 39, he gives them a chance, he gives them so many more possibilities than Chad Pennington, who, coincidentally, was also 5-of-6 in his Dolphins debut Saturday night.



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Favre admitted to having some nervousness and anxiety in the hours leading up to the game. Strange for a veteran in his 18th season, but not strange for someone in his first game with a new team after 16 years in Green Bay.

"It was better than not having any feelings at all," he said.

Saturday night was just a tease to Jets fans, who greeted Favre with a nice ovation when he was introduced before the game and gave him a standing ovation when he ran onto the field with the first-team offense for the first play from scrimmage.

The Jets will get the Good Brett and the Bad Brett because that's just who he is. A gunslinger. Maybe it was staying in the color green, but Favre looked natural in his new uniform. He may not have weapons like Tom Brady, and he sure could use a receiver who can stretch the field like Randy Moss, but he has enough to work with that the Jets will score some points.

"I wouldn't say he's trying to prove anybody wrong. He's not coming back to prove anything to the Packers or anybody in the NFL," former Packers center Frank Winters told the Daily News yesterday. "He thinks he can still play and I believe he can. He has an unbelievable desire to play the game of football. He has so much fun. That's his personality. And it's not like he needs the money."

Favre was in Green Bay on July 19 to present Winters for his induction into the Packers Hall of Fame. Winters was at Favre's house in Green Bay on Aug. 5 when Favre took a call from Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and Mangini. Winters is from Hoboken (his father still lives there), played one year with the Giants, wound up playing 11 years with Favre in Green Bay, and was selling Favre on the idea of living in New Jersey before the trade was made. Winters assured him he will enjoy it.

Favre has a chance to be a real New York hero if he can straighten out this lost franchise. Even before he was traded to the Jets, he was a big deal in Manhattan. When Favre appeared on David Letterman's show shortly after announcing his retirement in March, he jumped into a limousine and Winters says fans were chasing Favre down the street.

He is the rock star quarterback. Can you imagine the reaction he will get if he wins with the Jets?

Even with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder's good friend Tom Cruise in the house, Favre was still the biggest star. His arrival changes the perception and culture of the franchise. Even if the Jets just get one year out of him, it will be worth it.




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