LB Adalius Thomas is out for the Pats Photo by AP	.....and Laveranues could shine....  Photo by AP

Everybody's talking about the Jets these days, especially after their stomping of the lowly Rams on Sunday leading up to their AFC East showdown with their perennial nemesis, the New England Patriots on Thursday night.  Things looked even brighter when it became apparent that the Pats star linebacker Adalius Thomas would be unable to play.  And it seemed like piling on when the Jets picked up free agent and former Patriot All-Star veteran cornerback Ty Law.

<>I should preface all my remarks by first telling you that I’ve soured on the Jets for the past two years.  There was all that nonsense with the offensive line for starters last year, and then the genius Mangini proved he couldn’t coach.  Then I was very impressed with their free agent pickups in the off-season, Faneca and Woody, Calvin Pace and of course Chris Jenkins, the mammoth defensive tackle. 

I was so happy for Pennington at the time.  Chad would finally get some help, a LOT of help, on both sides of the ball.  No more would I wake up on Monday morning to read about Chad’s failures, when it was really a thinly-disguised team failure.  No more would Chad have to be humiliated by sitting while a raw Kellen Clemens got the starts.  Surely Chad would excel in this new environment.

<>And then they picked up Brett Favre, the aging wonder from Green Bay.  Chad went to Miami and has been terrific for them, so he has at least landed on his feet.  Favre has been up and down, in and out, as has been his history.  He threw six touchdown passes against a pretty good Arizona team but managed to lose to a horrid Oakland team.  Then he managed to eke out a narrow victory against the lowly Chiefs (thank God for Herman Edwards and his conservative nonsense down the stretch) but did beat Buffalo pretty soundly before the pounding of the Rams on Sunday. 

So Favre has been Favre.  But, to me, it’s really been about Jenkins and Pace and that improved Jets defense.  The offensive line has been improving each week as further evidenced on Sunday by the running of Thomas Jones over, under, around and through the Rams. 

<>But they did lose to New England in Week Two, 19-10.  And Favre was instrumental in the loss.  A poorly thrown ball and subsequent interception led directly to a Pats score, while Mangini’s obsessive-compulsive decision to run Jones into the sturdy heart of the Pats defense three times in a row from the three made sure the boys in green wouldn’t catch up. 

Of course, that was Week 2.  The Jets seem to have come a long way since then.  And now for the rematch Adalius Thomas is out.  That means it’ll be easier for the Jets to run the ball.  There will be less pressure on Favre as well.  While I don’t think that Ty Law can significantly change the Jets fortunes in this particular contest, his addition certainly bodes well for the future.

<>But the Pats will still be pretty darned good.  Theirs is a Bellichick defense, and that means smart.  That means tough.  If their defense can stand the pounding of Jones and catch up to the shifty scatback, Leon Washington, they’ll probably be able to win again, even if the Pats are stuck with a rookie running back with a whole lot of names. 

This game will be the benchmark for Favre, and Mangini too, the game by which both will eventually be measured.  Can Favre show that he’s finally learned the offense?  Can he lead the team to victory against that determination that Bellichick seems to inspire?  Can Mangini out-think Bellichick…..if just for one day?

<>The game will be in Foxboro.  That should make things that much tougher.  It could possibly rain, another potential roadblock to what has been a very nice running game the past couple of weeks.  The team that takes advantage of the conditions will have the edge.  Can Mangini think that far ahead?  Can he make the in-game adjustments that his coaching mentor surely will?  Can they find a hole in Matt Cassell’s game?  Mr. Cassell surely didn’t show much weakness against Buffalo. 

Whatever the outcome, it should prove to be a very intense game, a very competitive game, one that may ultimately determine the AFC East winner, and maybe even the AFC representative to the Super Bowl.  I’m going to thoroughly enjoy the game, hopefully as much as I’m enjoying just the prospects of the game.

<>Once again, I’ve been down on the Jets.  I haven’t liked Mangini and I’ve liked Tanenbaum even less.  It seems to me that they’ve focused most of their attention on burying their popular players to solidify their hold on this team.  The new emperor buries the sword….. 

The Jets game will just be the kickoff to an exciting schedule of NFL games this weekend.  I’m most looking forward to the return of Tony Romo to the Cowboys fold.  I’m hoping his pinkie will hold up against the outstanding defense that the Skins will bring. 

<>It had better.  If it doesn’t, the Cowboys will be done.  Stick a fork in them.  That much-ballyhooed team with all the Pro Bowl representatives may as well go home again.  It won’t be easy either.  They haven’t been able to stop the run, something the Skins like to do, with Clinton Portis doing most of the damage.  It’s a bit hard to believe he won’t play, something that is supposedly a distinct possibility as this is written.  And then, of course, there is the disturbing news (for Boys fans) of CB DeAngelo Hall, formerly of the Raiders, joining the Redskins. 

Can a quarterback change the entire complexion of a football team?  I’m betting that he can, that just the Romo presence on the field will boost not just the Cowboys offfense, but the defense and special teams as well.

I’m a little less sure that Favre can do the same this Thursday.

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