SCOTT JACOBS

Today I had the opportunity to interview Cowboys rookie fullback Chris Gronkowski (who, with his season over, is effectively now a second year player).

We talked about everything and it was a long interview so it’s going to take some time to transcribe.  But one subject that’s time sensitive is his AFC and NFC Championship Game picks and his thoughts on Rex Ryan and the Jets, who he had a chance to see in person the other day while watching his brother Rob, who is  a TE  for the Patriots.  Here’s an excerpt from our interview, the entirety of which will be posted within the week.  It’s a Juiced Sports Exclusive.  Enjoy!

Juiced Sports: It’s Championship Week! Bears-Packers, Jets-Steelers, who do you think is going to make it to the Super Bowl?

Chris Gronkowski: I’m gonna go with the Packers in their match up and I think it’s still a tossup between the Steelers and the Jets.  I think the Jets will be able to pull it off, especially coming off of their big win over the Patriots.

JS:  You had a chance to see the Jets in person this weekend watching your brother Rob with the Patriots and the Jets surprised a lot of people.  What did you make of that game?

CG: I thought it was unbelievable how they came out with a whole different scheme that the Patriots didn’t really expect, as far as the defense of the Jets.  They were rushing three and dropping everyone, and obviously it was the perfect defense to play against them.  No one else has really done that against them.  It was a smart move by the Jets and it definitely paid off.  It shows that they’re willing to do anything, change the whole game-plan, just to win a game.  Definitely good coaching on their part and I think they’re in it to win it  They got a lot of older guys who haven’t won a Super Bowl yet and they’re dying to get there.

As we mentioned, we’ll have the whole interview up for you soon.  Some real interesting topics covered: including the CBA, what he would do if he was Commissioner for a day, and much much more.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime, check out GronkNation.com, a site recently launched by Chris and his brothers Rob and Dan.

Photo: Reuters

SCOTT JACOBS

So many times a team wins a big game, or even a championship, and they’re so methodical in their celebration that you can barely tell they’re excited.  When the San Francisco Giants won the World Series I tweeted over and over, “show some emotion.”  Auburn won the BCS National Championship after a wild and controversial season and all they could say was “War Eagle.”  So excuse me if this next sentence confuses you:  I hate the Jets, but boy do I love them.

You see, the Jets are bringing back what has been missing in sports for a long time now, and that’s energy and excitement.  My goodness, I’ve never seen a team celebrate a Divisional playoff win with such enthusiasm.  Rex Ryan running down the sideline to celebrate with his players after the clinching touchdown.  Braylon Edwards doing a backflip.  Jets players running into the tunnel with their arms spread wide as if they were real jets.

It was kind of beautiful.

And I repeat, I hate the Jets.

But sometimes you watch sports and forget why these athletes do what they do.  If the goal is to win, shouldn’t you allow yourself to be emotional and excited when you do get a big W?  It’s always on to the next game in our modern day society.  We hardly ever get to see teams truly take it in.  When watching the Miami Heat win the 2006 NBA championship it was inspiring to watch Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton get so emotional after winning the NBA ring they had coveted for so long.  Emotion is amazing.

So even though New York’s Bart Scott was way over the top yesterday in his interview with Sal Paolantonio it may have been the best post-game on the field interview ever.  Why?  Because it was real.  You could see and feel how much it meant to Scott.  Doh! So many players act like robots after winning.  Cliches fly all over the place and quite frankly it’s boring.

But this Jets team, this crazy, loud mouthed, won’t say die no matter how many All Pro QB’s you make them face Jets team, is different.  They’re playground old school.  They say what’s on their mind and they don’t retract nothing.  Are they over the top?  Absolutely.  Is enough enough sometimes? Most definitely.  But at the end of the day they’re real.  Their pains, their victories, they leave it all out there, no matter how outlandish it may sound.

“Anybody can be beat,” screamed Scott. “We’re a good football team!”

And they’re a talkative one.  But the talkative one is going to the Steel City with another chance to make the Super Bowl.

“Can’t wait,” said Scott, screaming into the microphone, sounding like the scariest man alive.

Now this is reality TV!

SCOTT JACOBS

The Jets flipped the script.  Braylon Edwards did a double flip.  And New York finally knocked out the mighty Patriots from the Playoffs.

All in a day’s work for Rex Ryan’s ferocious loud mouthed bunch, who talked all week, and then came into Foxboro and stomped on New England’s Super Bowl dreams.  Atoning for a humiliating 45-3 loss on Monday Night football in week 13, the Jets went into Gillette Stadium and knocked around the NFL’s best team, sending shockwaves throughout the football universe.

Holding Tom Brady to short out routes and check down passes, the Jets forced New England’s usually potent offense to a mere standstill, the Patriots needing nearly 3 quarters to get into their usual double digits.

Most people expected a rout, but this game looked nothing like the massacre that took place on the same field December 6th.  Instead it was the Jets who withstood a sluggish first quarter to take a shocking 11 point lead into the break.  From there it was all about controlling the tempo, holding onto the pigskin, and letting that harrassing Rex Ryan defense stymie Brady’s bunch.

Harass they did.  New England’s deep passing game was non-existent as Brady was forced into checking the ball short most of the night.  Even trailing 24-14 and in depserate need of  a quick score, the Pats had to slowly go down the field, unable to break a stout Jets defense that had the Golden Boy on his heels all night.

The Jets didn’t put up huge offensive numbers, but they controlled the clock and kept Brady on the bench in large chunks.  And when they needed a play, their key off-season additions were there.  Ladanian Tomlinson scored the first touchdown on a short pass to put the Jets up 7-3.  After years of frustration with the Chargers against this very opponent, LT was dying for another opportunity.  Today it came and he made the most of it.  “What an unbelievable win for our team,” he said after the game, as his old team, the Chargers sat at home.  Then there was Santonio Holmes, the former Steeler, who also scored a touchdown.  And down the list it went, each Jet doing their part to send the team from New Jersey soaring over their nemesis from New England and into the AFC Championship game.

New England’s clock management late in the game was baffling.  Down ten a third of a way into the 4th quarter the Pats took their sweet time as if they were looking to run clock.  It backfired horribly as not only did they use up nearly 8 minutes of the precious 4th, they didn’t even convert the long drive into points.  But it was that kind of game for New England.  Trying to rush Shane Graham onto kick the field goal before the 2 minute warning, the Pats were unable to get the play off, and even though it didn’t count, Graham missed anyways.  Talk about a “not your night moment.”

So now the Jets, the most brass, obnoxious, in your face team money can buy, are one win away (again) from the Super Bowl.  To book their berth in Dallas they’ll need to upend one final hurdle, the rugged Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Jets have already beaten Pittsburgh once this season at the Big Ketchup Bottle, but that was without Troy Polamalu.  They’ll have to take down the Black and Gold with a healthy Troy to advance to the ultimate goal.

But that’s for tomorrow.  Today’s headline is that the Jets gone done did it.  They took out the NFL’s best team, it’s most heralded quarterback, in their house, a little over a month after they were white-washed on national TV.  Unfortunately for the Pats, the Jets claimed the game that really mattered, and they did it in stunningly convincing fashion.

Anybody can talk (and the Jets do plenty of it) but today they walked.  They flew.  They ran off the field arms up like a G6 flying out of Foxboro on the ultimate high.

“For all the media and everybody else that was on the Patriots jock, take that,” said Edwards.

Yup, the Jets are still alive. And until next weekend, they’ll be no shutting them up.

Photo: Reuters

SCOTT JACOBS

Well how’s that for an opening act to the NFL post-season.

Nick Folk kicked a game winning 32 yard field goal and the Jets shocked the Colts as time expired to put the curtains on a fantastic day one of the 2011 NFL playoffs. Surprising? You could say that. In a matter of a little over 7 hours, both of last years Super Bowl participants were knocked out of the post-season.

The Jets were a popular pick to finally take out the Colts, but it took all 60 minutes in a sluggish, defensive battle. To watch the defending Super Bowl champion Saints get kicked right out of the Wild Card round by a team that couldn’t win more games then it lost? Well that was shocking.

Seattle was the team that came out of the NFL’s punching bag division, the NFC West, and most people had them being an easy one and done victim, but backed by a raucous 12th man and a spirited return to youth from Matt Hasselbeck, the Seahawks and their fiery coach Pete Carrol put up 41 points to win a shootout at the OK Corral.

But the play of the day had to be Marshawn Lynch’s remarkable 67 yard run. To pull off a true shocker– and make no mistake about it, this one was a stunner — you have to get that “woah” play from that guy you wouldn’t expect. Seattle got it from Lynch. Breaking tackle after tackle en route to the clinching touchdown in a “did you see that” bulldozer across the field, Lynch salted away one of the NFL playoffs’ greatest upsets, sending an already deafening Emerald City crowd into pure bedlam.

While the tackling was shoddy to say the least and New Orleans’ secondary was atrocious, the Seabags were not handed their win. Hasselbeck showed impressive touch (and the footwork that made him one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks only a handful of years ago) and Seattle milked 151 rushing yards out of Lynch and Justin Forcett, to give them a balanced enough attack to eat up New Orleans usually ball hawking defense alive.

And although Drew Brees did everything he could to bring back the Saints, it didn’t happen. It just wasn’t New Orleans’ day. Nowhere was that more evident than Garrett Hartley’s brutally bad onside kick, which went nearly 20 yards and gave the Saints no shot to recover.

Since 2005 the NFC West is 9-5 in the playoffs, the best mark in the NFL, so maybe all that scrutiny the division takes just makes it stronger.

7-9, now 8-9.  Chew on this: Seattle would have to win the Super Bowl to finish the season with a winning record. Now that’s amazing. Not that I see them getting to the Super Bowl, but then again who saw Arizona advancing out of the NFC just 2 years ago with a 9-7 mark.  So who knows. As our resident pickatologist Mike Kaye said, “crazier things have happened.”

Then there was the Jets, who finally beat their arch-rival Indianapolis. In a first half that was about as exciting as watching paint dry, Caldwell and friends dictated the kind of pace this one would have, when they opted not to take one last crack at a field goal before the half expired.

The Colts just didn’t look themselves. Up 10-7 with a 3rd and 7 inside the Jets red zone, Indy ran the ball, basically playing Sparano ball and settling for a field goal. It was atypical of a Colts team that usually never takes the easy way out. But this game was different. This season was different. Injuries clearly took their toll on Manning and Indy, and their lack of big play threats really cost them in the end.

The Jets had a critical time eating drive that really demoralized the locals and kept Manning glued to the bench. Down 10-7, the Jets held onto the ball for nearly 10 minutes, using 17 plays to navigate themselves 87 yards into the endzone. But with a chance to end it, New York couldn’t convert on a pair of third and 5’s, and the Colts got the ball back with one last chance to win.

But even when AdamVinatieri hit a 50 yarder in typical “damn it he’s so clutch” fashion, the Colts left almost a minute left. Again not typical. And when Antonio Cromartie who was beat badly on a few big plays, returned the ball 47 yards on the ensuing kickoff (setting up the Jets in prime position for a game winning drive) you just had that feeling that something big was about to happen. Calmly marching his team down the field using their two timeouts and Braylon Edwards’ hands, Mark Sanchez got the Jets all the way down to the Colts 14 yard line, giving Nick Folk an easy chip shot kick to stun the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd.

There was no doubt about it.

And just like that, Indy was gone.

It was a wild and crazy day of football to say the least, and in a round with “wild” in its name, today lived up to the hype.

Photo: Getty

SCOTT JACOBS

New Media Animation emails us alot about new animated videos they create on the world of sports. We’ve posted some of our favorites on Juiced Sports. They are out of Taiwan, but they do some great work. Today’s post is an animation they did of the latest Brett Favre sexual allegations. I know what you’re thinking: haven’t we heard enough of Brett Favre and his horny/very stupid antics? And the answer friends, is no. Because unlike a Kurt Warner, Favre’s name simply refuses to fade from the spotlight. Now we could write our usual “what was Favre thinking?” post or we could break down the situation for you, but the good folks at Next Animation Media did it funnier and a lot more creative than we could. So we give you their take, and if you’re lucky, maybe we’ll write our “Favre’s an idiot” post later this week. But only if you’re good! Check it out:

SCOTT JACOBS

Well that’s it. Brett Favre’s starting streak is over. Declared inactive for tonight’s game against the Giants, Number Four’s magical, mesmerizing starting streak which began way back in good ole 1992 was pronounced dead tonight at approximately 6:30 p.m. eastern time. The streak was 297.

The streak has endured a lot. From Favre’s father passing away the day before a Monday Night game in Oakland to a pair of retirements and a pair of comebacks, Favre has played through more pain (both physical and emotional) than I could ever imagine.  The longevity of his streak (19 years) is one of the most impressive in sports and the next closest competitor to the streak is Peyton Manning, who has six years plus to match it.

Favre has broken records, hearts, and got America to fall in and out of love with him all over again during this nearly two decade streak. Tarvaris Jackson will get the start as Favre, adorned in a purple Vikings winter cap and long sleeve shirt sits it out. And when they ask 10 years from now, where Favre’s streak ended, it won’t be Minnesota (despite the fact that it’s a Vikings home game). It will be Ford Field in Detroit. It’s an odd place for a historic streak to end. Would have liked to see the reaction Minnesota fans would have given him had it been at the Metrodome, but I guess it’s kind of fitting given the weird season Minnesota’s had.

Since being anointed starter of the Packers on September 27, 1992 Favre had  never missed a start. His streak took him to 46 different stadiums as he collected 186 wins along the way.

Favre’s streak will end tonight. On December 13, 2010. Just let that sink in for a second. So much has changed since September 27, 1992. Let’s take a look.

The first web browswer (Mosaic) wasn’t even invented until 1993.

> The Jacksonville Jaguars (‘95), Carolina Panthers (‘95), Cleveland Browns (`99), and Houston Texans (‘02) weren’t in existence.

> Tom Brady was 15 years old and in high school.

> The Buffalo Bills were in the middle of their unprecedented four year reign over the AFC and were clearly the best team in the conference (they currently have the worst record in the AFC).

> Sam Bradford was four years old.

> In 1992 the average gas price was $1.50.

> Humpin’ Around by Bobby Brown was number 1 on the U.S. R&B Chart. Billy Ray Cyrus was relevant.

> Unforgiven won best picture in 1992.

> George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot were in a three man race for President of the U.S. (Clinton won).

So in honor of Favre’s streak and the End of an Era (he could possibly even be put on injured reserve for the rest of the year) we bring you an interview from September 20, 1992, a week before this historic streak began. A few gray hairs later, his streak is over. At 297.

Photo: Reuters

SCOTT JACOBS

Let’s face it: there was just no other way for this to end.

There were too many questions left unanswered the first time.  The second time will be a heck of a lot different.

The Jets and Colts were destined to play each other once more.  It’s not the world’s sexiest matchup, but it was a needed one.  It’s the grandest opportunity to right some wrongs, to clear some slights, and to ultimately see if the Colts didn’t play things right.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you know the story by now:  Up 15-10 early in the third quarter, with an undefeated 14-0 mark on the line, Jim Caldwell pulled out many of his key players, including the franchise, Peyton Manning, basically raising the white flag and allowing the Jets to steamroll Indy the rest of the way en route to a dis-spiritng 29-15 defeat.  The win not only kept New York’s season alive, it gave the Jets the driver’s seat to the playoffs.  After dismantling the Bengals a week later, the Jets found themselves playoff bound.

With the chance to knock them out and preserve their perfect record, the Colts took a pass.  This week, Gang Green comes to town again. The Colts are no longer undefeated, but the stakes are bigger this time.  Much, much bigger.  It’s a winner take all grudge match for all the marbles: a trip to Miami and a berth in the Super Bowl.

With a win, the Colts can put to rest Rex Ryan’s bunch of loud mouths and make his plans for sunny South Florida.  No one will second guess his decision to rest so many starters on that fateful night.  But a loss, and o man, will the sports world be spinning with stories.

Jets beat Colts again, no guarantee needed
No rest is best: Colts lose again
Shoulda, coulda, woulda, but the Jets are still going
Giants who?  Jets show ‘em how you do it
Cald-Fail: This never had to happen

You know the football gods mapped this out all along.  It’s only fitting. Do I think the Jets are the second best team in the AFC right now?  No, but did anyone think the Cardinals were one of the two best teams in the NFC last year?  No.  So what I think doesn’t matter, because the Jets are here and they’re not appologizing for nothing.  While the Saints, Vikings, and Colts can carve up their opposition with potent offensive attacks, the Jets niche is a great running game and the number one defense in the sport.  Defense wins championships, but the 2009 Jets?  The same team that lost to Miami twice in the regular season?  The same team whose coach thought had been eliminated from contention while the season was still going?

Then again, this time last year, it was the Cardinals who were getting those barrage of questions.  Logic be damned.  Get in, and anyone can win.

This time there will be no resting starters, and if you thought the crowd was loud in week 16, wait till you hear ‘em with a Super Bowl berth on the line.  Most people will pick against New York, concluding that the Colts, the clear best team in the AFC all year, should romp to a comfortable victory.  But not so fast– sometimes when you don’t finish off a team when given the chance, it comes back to bite you in your blue backsides, and the Colts certainly don’t want that to happen.

So here we are.  Colts win, and everything goes back to status quo, and the football world will be right again.  But if they lose, well, let’s just say they’ll be hearing about it for a long, long time to come.

And that’s music to the Jets ears.

Photo: Reuters

SCOTT JACOBS

The morning that the Jets made their huge trade to acquire Brett Favre from the Packers– officially ending what felt like the longest, most drawn out process in recent memory– I was listening to talk radio.  All day, the analysts and sports radio talk show hosts were breaking down what it meant, how good the Jets could be, even what would happen to Chad Pennington.

And I remember vividly the analysts proclaiming that Favre made the Jets an 8-9 win team, 10 tops, but that was only if the stars truly aligned. He will make them better I remember them saying, but he will not make them great.

Not even a year later, the Jets were better, but not great.  They weren’t even good enough after an 8-3 start to make the playoffs, and they couldn’t break the 10 win mark.  I just remember thinking, for once, the analysts were spot on.  They had this thing pegged from the start.  Brett Favre was not what he once was.  The Jets found that out the hard way.

And so today, Brett Favre, the man, the mystery, the larger than life Wrangler Jean wearing quarterback from Mississippi called it quits– for good, leaving behind him the game that he just could not leave.  His last game, a disappointing loss to the Miami Dolphins.  His last pass, an illegal forward pass.  His final moment on the football field: running off the field as the Dolphins celebrated an improbable, unbelievable, unexplainable AFC East title.

It is what it is, were along the words that Favre used.  He looked frusturated, but not devestated. The experiment, playing for Gang Green resulted in a five win improvement from the year before’s four win nightmare, but it still cost Eric Mangini his job, and ultimately now that Favre is retiring for good, leaves the Jets with one heck of a mess at the QB spot.

If you’re a glass half full/glass half empty person, then it was only fitting that Favre’s final game netted him 20/40 for 233 yards passing, and one touchdown.  And he left the game he loved doing what he did best- throwing interceptions (three of them in fact).  For all of Favre’s greatness and for all of his remarkable records, he also leaves the game with the dubious distinction of being one of the NFL’s greatest risk-takers, and the career leader in all time interceptions.

Who could have possibly foreseen the former Southern Miss star becoming one of the NFL’s most iconic figures?  No one, that’s who!

But that was how Favre played.  Sometimes his decisions were baffling, other times shocking, but he darted that pigskin all across the the field during his long and illustrious 18 year NFL career, one of the most spectacular and exhilarating careers the NFL has ever seen.  Favre was a gritty, hard nosed player, whose passion for the game probably caused him to overstay a little longer than he probably should have, but that was who he was, a great player, who for the longest time refused to give in, and give it up.

He leaves the game with some remarkable numbers:

Ever since the start of the 1993 season he has played all 16 games each season, and holds the all-time record, a mark that may never ever be touched, never-mind threatened of starting the most consecutive games ever, 291 including the playoffs.  Constantly labeled a warrior, one of the most enduring memories of Favre was when he decided to play a Monday Night football game against the Raiders in Oakland, even after his father had passed away.  Number four had one of his greatest games that night, and dedicated his performance to his father, and that captivated a nation to embrace the man who was already larger than life in Green Bay.

Favre’s marvelous career began in Atlanta, where as a rookie he played in two games, going 0-4 on pass attempts, while throwing up a pair of picks, and a 0.0 QB rating.  Needless to say, the Falcons and most likely every other NFL team probably weren’t too devestated when Favre was traded to the Packers after the 1991 season.  Who could have possibly foreseen the former Southern Miss star becoming one of the NFL’s most iconic figures?  No one, that’s who!

It’s kind of entertaining, the idea that Favre started his career on a forgettable note, and ended it not on a magic carpet ride, singing “I’m going to Disney” but in a statement to the Jets that said he was done.  Favre started as a relative unknown and closed his long and incredible career almost as quietly as he started (at least the second retirement that is).

Favre’s dumbfoudningly insane numbers go like this: 273 regular season games, 5720 completions, 9280 incompletions, 65,127 yards passing,  464 touchdowns, 310 picks, and 169 regular season victories.  While many of his records were achieved during not his prime, but during the tail end of his long career, it’s undeniable that he earned everything he got.

So while we will never forget Favre’s horrible handling of a botched retirement with the Packers, and the summer long circus that followed it, until he was shipped to the Jets,  it’s important to remember that before he became a side show, Favre was the show.

A three time league MVP, Favre led the Green Bay Packers to a 35-21 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, and at the time, few probably thought that would be his first and only Super Bowl title.  But after leading the Packers back to the Big Game the ensuing season, and losing to John Elway and the Broncos, Favre never got back.  He got close, such as the 2007 season when the Packers were a Favre pick away from possibly winning the NFC title, but never got over the hump.

So however you choose to remember him: just keep this one thing in mind: Favre was great.  He failed spectacularly, he succeeded epically, and he played the game the right way.  Like anybody, he made mistakes, many of them on the field, and a few off of it, but he was only human.  And while he probably should have hung up his cleats about three to four years earlier, his retirement as a battered Jet and not a glorified Packer doesn’t tarnish a legacy that stacks up there with any of the NFL’s greats.

So farewell Mr. Favre.  It’s been one hell of a run.

The show is over.  It’s the end of an era.

All of the dominant quarterbacks of the 1980’s and 1990’s have officially hung up their cleats, and moved on.  Favre joined that group today, and surely in due time he will join them in the Hall of Fame as a first ballot Hall of Famer.

It’s been fun.  It’s been interesting.

Photo: Reuters

SCOTT JACOBS

Here’s what we learned from week two:

Buffalo is off to a flying start. Last week they pounded Seattle, this week they notched a come from behind road win at Jacksonville. The Bills are 2-0 and oozing with confidence. With the Jets loss today at New England (more below) the Bills are now tied with the Matt Cassel led Pats for first place in the AFC East. That has to be pretty exciting for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since the Music City Miracle, back at the turn of the century.

The Jaguars are off to a terrible start. Look, no one expected David Garrard to repeat his three interception season in 2007, but Garrard is off to a really bad start after a shiny new contract extension this offseason. Garrard threw another pick today in the Jaguars’ loss to Buffalo, giving him three in two games. What’s worse? The Jags couldn’t run the ball today. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones Drew had a few nice runs, but for the most part were rendered ineffective. What’s more, Trent Edwards had a squeaky clean 20/25, 239 yard, 1 touchdown day, and looks like the real deal for the Bills. The Jags, now 0-2, look like pretenders early on.

How about them Patriots? They just don’t lose. Matt Cassel played a nice solid game for New England which controlled the tempo and held Brett Favre and the Jets to just 10 points in Favre’s debut as a member of Gang Green. More importantly, the Pats got a win from a guy other than Tom Brady for the first time since December 17, 2000. That’s a long time ago. What’s more is that they beat the Jets, who many proclaimed the favorites in the AFC East after Brady was lost for the year. If this game taught us anything, its that the Jets are not only not the best team in the division right now, they’re not even second.

The Giants look good, the Rams look atrocious. New York did what it was expected to do today: they beat the Rams. The Giants are 2-0 now, and Eli is off to a nice start after he threw for three touchdowns today. The big deal though is St. Louis, which is in total freefall right now. The once feared Rams offense mustered a paltry 201 yards and just 13 points, and the seat under head coach (soon to be ex-coach) Scott Linehan just went up another 10 degrees. St. Louis used to be known as the Greatest Show on Turf. Now, well, they’re just awful. Even in the wide open NFC West, the Rams appear to be out of things, and after getting outscored in their first two games 79-16, it’s unlikely few would disagree. But hey, Chris Long got his first sack. That was about the only highlight on the day though for St. Louis.

How bout them Titans? This week they dealt with Vince Young issues, and started 156 year old Kerry Collins at Cincy, and still not only improved to 2-0, but did it rather easily, dispatching the fading Bengals 24-7. Carson Palmer threw a pair of picks, and Chad Johnson failed to garner 40 yards receiving, and the Bengals fell to 0-2. The Titans meanwhile are flying high after two weeks, and they lead the AFC South. Chris Johnson paved the way for Tennessee with 109 yards on the ground. It sounds crazy, but it’s the first time since 1999, that the Titans are perfect after two weeks.

Hello Carolina! After a wild come from behind win at San Diego last week, the Panthers staged another unlikely comeback beating the Bears 20-17. The Panthers, who were the people’s pick the last few years to go deep into the post-season and reach the Super Bowl, came into this year with few expectations. But after a pair of impressive wins they’re now 2-0. And my NFC South pick is off to a surprising start.

But wait, there’s more…

Aaron Rodgers is the toast of the town in Green Bay right now. The Packers, now 2-0 after beating up on the forever lowly Lions, look like they haven’t lost a step from last season’s division winner, and don’t look now: Rodgers has actually played better then Favre. Green Bay put up 48 points, rolling up 447 yards of total offense, and the supposedly improved Lions D was once again, o who are we kidding… they were pathetic. How does Matt Millen have a job again? Detroit is 0-2.

Don’t look now but Oakland is in second place in the west. I had a hunch that they might surprise some people this year, and after today’s thorough beating of the Chiefs I feel like there’s some rhyme to my prediction. Darren McFadden looked like a stud,rushing for 164 yards on the ground, but it was ex-Louisville Cardinal Michael Bush who offered a glimpse into what could be a lethal 1-2 combo. Bush rushed for 90 yards, 32 of them off a nice run, and a score, and the Raiders won a game easily, despite a ho hum 6/17 performance from Jamarcus Russel. You hear that booing noise Kansas City? Get used to it, it’s going to be a long year at Arrowhead.

The Chargers are 0-2, and the Broncos showed some brass balls going for two in the closing moments of their wild western shootout with the Bolts. 39-38, video game controllers be damned. It was a huge win for the Broncos who are now 2-0, and a crushing loss for San Diego which has lost both of their games in the closing seconds. Mike Shanaham’s decision to go for two was as gutsy as they come, but it worked out, and this week he gets the genius label. For Jay Cutler and Co. it was the right move, and the AFC West leading Broncos are off to a 2-0 start against their division.

The Colts and Vikings met in what some thought could be a Super Bowl preview before the year started. No longer I think. The Vikings were unable to hold onto a 15-0 lead, the Colts failed to score in the first half, and something is still off with Peyton Manning. The Colts came from behind to win on an Adam “I never miss a big kick” Vinatieri but it wasn’t impressive. In fact, it was ugly. Manning threw two picks, Ryan Longwell accounted for all of Minnesota’s points, and two elite looking teams at the beginning of the year looked pretty meh. The Colts are 1-1 after the win, as the Vikings fell to 0-2. But don’t fault A.D. Adrian Peterson racked up 160 yard on the ground, and now has 263 for the year. He just might be the best back in all of football.

The Cardinals are 2-0! It’s the first time since (drum rolls please) 1991 that Arizona won their first two games. But, its the way they did it, winning a road game at San Fran, and destroying the miserable Dolphins that makes Arizona’s start impressive. Not only did Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald again reiterate why they’re the best 1-2 receiving tandem in football, but Kurt Warner once again proved that he’s good enough to help this team make a playoff push. With a date at Washington next week, the Cards needed this one as they controlled the game from start to finish winning 31-10. Things look no better for Miami then they did last year as the lifeless Dolphins did nothing to improve the notion that they’re any better then the 1-15 nightmare from last year.

The 49ers won at Seattle 33-30 in OT to improve to .500. More importantly, the Seahawks fell to 0-2 and look very beatable right now. J.T. O’Sullivan had 321 yards through the air as the Niners claimed second place in the West. The Seahawks had an atrocious 10 penalties. It was a tough loss for a team that is missing its top four wideouts. Is this the year Seattle loses its grip on the west? It could be if things keep going like this.

Meanwhile in Washington the Skins beat the Saints 29-24 behind the arm of Jason Campbell.  Both teams are now 1-1.

Finally, Tampa Bay stifled Matt Ryan and the Falcons 24-9. Okay, so Rome wasn’t built in a day for Ryan, who threw a pair of picks as the Bucs improved to 1-1.

SCOTT JACOBS

Brett the Jet.

Jet Favre.

If he goes to a Mets game (Met Favre).

Broadway Brett.

Welcome to New York New Jersey Brett. Welcome to the Jets.

You wanted your release trade. You got it. Welcome to the Meadowlands. Welcome to second fiddle, where you’re not even the most important team in town. That would be the defending champion Giants. You’re not even the best quarterback in your area. That would be Eli Manning.

But hey, welcome to New York New Jersey. Enjoy the big city swampland. Take advantage of the laid back totally out of control, in your face every minute media. Enjoy hunting… for fake Rolexes and sunglasses.

At the young and crisp ripe old age of 38, Brett Favre is heading to a very impressive mediocre Jets team that is stocked with new free agent pickups and big signings. The Jets were 4-12 last year. Hey the Giants Dolphins were worse.

So welcome to the spotlight Brett.

Welcome to New York New Jersey.

Some people expect you to win the Jets a Super Bowl playoff game. Others aren’t even sure if you make the Jets the second best team in their division.

But hey, at least the Jets Vikings are leading ESPN’s poll which asks which team in the Favre Saga will have the best season next year.

The facts are this. Favre in green. We saw that for 16 years.

Favre in Gang Green and white. This is all new. It looks a little goofy.

Favre in a t-shirt and a plain NY hat: a little plain. It’s in a situation that’s been anything but.

“I don’t know these guys,” said Favre. “They don’t know me. It’s about the team. I hope that after today and tomorrow the distractions are at a minimum. I’m just one man. One of 53.”

He may be just one man. But that one man has a national spotlight centered on him that’s been blinding everything else going on in sports for the last month. And now that spotlight is as big as the Big Apple.

“I don’t know what I’m getting myself into,” said Favre.

No kidding Brett. You thought the Packers would just accept you back and you cried foul when they didn’t. You thought they would just release you when you pleaded. They didn’t. You cried foul. You thought they would trade you within the division, because you only play them twice a year. They didn’t. You were stunned.

So to say you don’t know what you’ve got yourself into actually makes sense.

Here, I’ll clue you in.

The Patriots went 16-0 last year. You won’t win the division.

The Bills were 7-9 last year. The consensus is they’ll win at least nine games this year.

The Dolphins, well, they’re eyeing Jets ex-quarterback Chad Pennington. A hanging chad helped determine the presidential election in 2000. A certain Chad would make for a very intriguing week one matchup between the fish and the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets! Pennington versus Favre? Now that would be interesting.

But back to your situation Brett.

The Colts, Chargers, Jaguars, Steelers, and Titans all made the playoffs last year. None of those teams took a major step back, so inevitably it looks like your Jets will battle just to make the playoffs.

If I were you, I’d be more concerned about ending your career limping.

Football isn’t exactly the sport where your body is built to play every game for such a long time.

Don’t you think you’re uh, pushing it Favre?

Then again, it’s not like this whole thing wasn’t pushing it. O wait, yes it was.

Hey, at least one chapter in this overblown mess is over.

Now the Jets and Brett get to write number two.

Can’t wait.

(Yeah right).