By Joe Pietaro

Football is a team sport. Makes no mistake about that. There are 53 men on a team’s roster, plus the taxi (practice) squad. Offense, defense and special teams all have their leaders and role players.

But there is usually one player in that locker room that is the face of the franchise. The marquee name that makes covers of video games and causes scrambling in the offices of NBC Sports for Sunday Night Football’s ‘flex’ scheduling.

On the New York Jets, that player is, of course, none other than Brett Favre.

It makes no difference that he is a newcomer to the franchise, having been acquired from the Green Bay Packers in August. During team introductions before the Jets’ home opener against the New England

Patriots, Favre was introduced last and came out of the tunnel amongst cheers that drowned out the pyrotechnics going off.

Call him the King of New York, New Jersey…whatever seems geographically correct. Although he will turn 39 during the season, hemay be able to become another Jack Benny and stay at that number forever. The kid in him will make one think it’s a varsity game on a fall Friday night under the lights. The biggest concern with players on the wrong side of 35 is their ability to remain healthy. That isn’t a concern with Favre. He has started every game since 1993 and the Southern Mississippi product ignores nagging injuries that all signal-callers in this league experience.

“I’ve come close numerous times, not only with my legs, but fingers,” Favre recalled when speaking about the possibility of his consecutive game streak being snapped, which stood at 255 at the start of the season. Part of the streak includes a nine-game stretch during 2003 when Favre broke the thumb on his throwing hand and played with a splint.

KEEPING THE SEAT WARM

Throughout the history of the Jets, their fans have been tempted, teased and tortured by whoever has lined up behind center. Not since Joe Namath took his gimpy knees to Los Angeles have the fans had a player of this magnitude to root for. Richard Todd ran the gamut, experiencing different ends of the spectrum. When they weren’t reigning boos down on him, the fans at Shea Stadium were showering number 14 with love punctuated with ‘Todd is God’ banners. The closest Namath’s replacement ever got was the 1982 AFC Championship game.

Although he threw for nearly 3,500 yards the following season, it was clear that Todd’s time was up in the Big Apple and Ken O’Brien was the unpopular first round draft pick to take his place. Now playing in the Meadowlands, the Jets enjoyed some playoff runs with ‘Kenny and the Jets,’ but had handed the ball to a totally in-over-his-head Browning Nagle in 1992. In came a merry-go-round of veterans quarterbacks, such as Boomer Esiason, Jack Trudeau, Bubby Brister, Frank Reich and Neil O’Donnell, and nary a postseason game between them.

Things started to come together and Vinny Testaverde broke the tradition by coming in and leading the team within one game of the Super Bowl in 1998. A few years later, he gave way to Chad Pennington, who was steady if unspectacular during his Jet tenure, which ended when Favre came aboard.

A PRESEASON BUZZ

The NFL preseason has been compared to watching paint dry, and that’s during the first quarter when teams normally play their starters. When the Jets opened up the exhibition season in Cleveland, ratings went through the roof, even though the recently acquired Favre was merely on the sideline wearing street clothes. A few days later, he participated in his first practice with the team and over 10,000 fans packed in their then-training camp facility, Hofstra University, many wearing either store bought or home made number four jerseys. “I’m not surprised by the response from the fans; it’s great,” said Favre. The following week, he made his debut at home and the festive atmosphere at the Meadowlands gave the game more of a mid-season feel than a meaningless August match-up.

“They showed their appreciation,” Favre said after the game versus Washington. “I just want people to know that I’m here for one reason and that’s to help this team win. I’ll do what I can. It was nice to see the acknowledgement from the fans.”

Having your face plastered all over every newspaper in the biggest city in the world and being compared to the only Super Bowl-winning quarterback the franchise has ever known is something to be impressed by, even for someone with Favre’s credentials.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?

Things can change quickly in this town, and once the regular season was under way, the fans no longer just wanted to come out and see Favre, but see him lead the team to victory. He looked impressive in the season opening win at Miami and then seemed to be a victim of a conservative game plan a week later when the Patriots spoiled the party at the Meadowlands.

In Week Three, the handcuffs that offensive coordinator Brain Schottenheimer removed may have been better off if they stayed on. Favre was not on the same page as his wide receivers and threw two interceptions in a 48-29 loss in San Diego on Monday Night Football.

Then a week later, Favre performed the way the rest of the league has been used to by throwing six touchdown passes in a 56-35 blowout over Arizona at home. That number was a single-game record for Favre and tied the Jets’ franchise mark, which was held by none other than Namath.

Eric Mangini hopes that the multi-touchdown Favre will be around more than the multi-pick Favre. “I know he’s a consistent guy,” the head coach said. “He’s incredibly talented. He keeps working with the offense. I think anything’s possible with that group.”

A group led by their main man. One that has been there before and hopes to be again one more time before it is all said and done.