It's one of the most highly anticipated Jets debut in the history of the franchise as Brett Favre prepares to take the field for New York on Sunday against former Jets QB Chad Pennington and the Miami Dolphins.
The fortunes of an NFL player and his team can turn in an instant. We learned that the hard way this week on two fronts. Hurricane Gustav made landfall in Louisiana and came within an eyelash of flooding New Orleans again before weakening and moving inland. Meanwhile, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier was shot several times while sitting in a vehicle. He was sent to hospital in critical condition; reports Wednesday had Collier fighting for his life.
Hurricanes are nothing new to NFL handicappers. Unfortunately, the same can now be said about Collier’s case; he’s the third player (following Darrent Williams and Sean Taylor) to be shot in the last two years. We hope he’ll be the first to live.
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
Sunday, Sep 7, 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Gustav dumped some nasty weather on Florida, but not enough to endanger the season opener at Dolphin Stadium. This is the most intriguing matchup on the Week 1 slate. Dolphins QB Chad Pennington was excommunicated from New York after Brett Favre came to town. Pennington reunites with Bill Parcells, Miami’s “Executive Vice President of Football Operations” and the man in charge of the Jets operation from 1997 to 2000 – the year he drafted Pennington out of Marshall.
Reports from Miami’s training camp were very positive after Pennington’s arrival. He was ridiculed in New York for not having a strong arm, but his accuracy (68.8 percent completion rate last year) is well suited for offensive coordinator Dan Henning’s conservative power running attack. RB Ronnie Brown was a potent dual threat for the Dolphins when healthy, picking up 5.1 yards per carry and 10 yards per reception. RB Ricky Williams is apparently in the right frame of mind to play football – this is a contract year – and will shoulder the burden while Brown heals from neck and thumb injuries.
Last year’s Jets defense was ranked No. 30 in efficiency against the run. This year’s front seven will be better with the addition of nose tackle Kris Jenkins from Carolina, while the offensive line brings in Alan Faneca from Pittsburgh to help keep Favre upright. He’ll need the extra time in the pocket; New York’s ground game isn’t very good, and offensive co-ordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s system is a lot more complex than what Pennington has had to learn.
The Dolphins are 3-point home dogs against the betting odds with a total of 36. Game time is 1:00 p.m. Eastern on CBS.
Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, Sep 7, 8:15 p.m. (ET)
Dolphin Stadium was also the scene the last time the Bears and Colts met in a game that mattered. That was Super Bowl XLI, when Indianapolis won handily 29-17. This time the Bears have an even tougher assignment: Beat the Colts in the home opener of Lucas Oil Field.
The focus of the Colts is always on QB Peyton Manning. He appears as ready as ever despite missing most of training camp following minor offseason surgery on his left knee. The real question for the Indy offense, which is one of the best the NFL has ever produced, is the health of center Jeff Saturday. He may yet make the same decision as Shawne Merriman and play on an injured knee; reports from Indy at press time said both Saturday and rookie lineman Mike Pollack will sit out against the Bears. Guard Ryan Lilja is already on the PUP list, so the Colts offensive line (and Manning by extension) will be vulnerable against Chicago.
The big story for the Bears is Kyle Orton getting the starting nod at QB over Rex Grossman. Orton was actually the less efficient of the two last year at –25.0% DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) compared to –21.8% for Grossman. But Orton is more consistent and less mistake-prone, which is imperative for a Chicago offense that will depend heavily on rookie RB Matt Forte.
Special teams are another story. Chicago has the best there is, thanks to Devin Hester, while the Colts and their awful downfield coverage were ranked last in 2007. That could be enough for Chicago to sneak away with the cash as 9.5-point road dogs. The total is 44 points; kickoff is 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC.
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Brett Favre set to make New York Jets debut
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Originally Posted by LT Profits
