New York Sports

By JEFF CAPELLINI, WCBSTV.com Senior Sports Producer
NEW YORK (CBS) ― Suddenly and without warning, the Jets have gone from a wild card hopeful to a serious threat to capture the AFC East title.

Nobody likes to see a player of Tom Brady's caliber go down for the season, let alone early in the first game of the season, but there's not a Jets fan alive today who isn't privately doing back flips.

When Brady suffered a torn ACL in the early stages of New England's tight win over Kansas City on Sunday, the AFC East and, maybe, the entire conference were thrown into chaos.

Several teams that figured to have a good shot of making the playoffs now have their eyes set on Tampa, Fla., site of Super Bowl XLIII.

The Jets are now, officially, one of those teams. New York went from a strong contender for second place in its division to thinking about championships and elusive glory. Ironically, the Jets will take their next step toward the division crown when they host the Patriots and new starting quarterback Matt Cassel on Sunday.

It's hard to feel sorry for the Patriots and their fans, and even the city of Boston. Between the Pats, Red Sox and Celtics, Beantown has won six world championships this decade. That city, after years of turmoil and sitting on the outside with its nose pressed up against the championship glass, has dominated seemingly every professional sport, with even the NHL's Bruins getting more and more decent as the 21st century has evolved.

Jets fans have played second fiddle to the Patriots' faithful for the last 10 years. Not since Vinny Testaverde guided Gang Green to the AFC title game in 1998 have the Jets been in a position to actually steal the thunder from the Patriots.

The idea of a model franchise losing its star player to a season-ending injury is nothing new. It happened to Denver with Terrell Davis and Kansas City with Priest Holmes. It even happened to the Jets.

After losing to the Broncos in the '98 AFC championship game, the '99 season started with high hopes of a Super Bowl run. Coincidentally, that season ended for the Jets really before it began, with Testaverde's Achilles' injury against the Pats in Week 1.

So this Jets fan will not shed one tear over the loss of Brady. I will, however, cry publicly if the Jets squander this opportunity to win the East and grab a home game in the postseason.

Sunday's win over Miami showed the Jets are a work in progress on many levels, but also showed they are clearly better with Brett Favre at the helm. Favre did what needed to be done, throwing for 194 yards and two TDs in the 20-14 win, all the while having learned only 75 percent of the playbook and, on several occasions during the game, "winging it" in the huddle.

Favre is now the premier quarterback in the division and the Jets have the most upside overall. The Patriots should still be a playoff team. Cassel is a huge question mark, but is probably better than anyone coach Bill Belichick decides to bring in as competition, including Chris Simms and Tim Rattay, two guys who have done exactly nothing in the NFL.

The Pats still have Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Laurence Maroney, a suffocating defense and the ultimate taskmaster in Belichick. However, their dynamic has changed. Cassel (or whomever) is not Brady. No one in this league is as good or as accurate or as battle-tested as Brady. He's the reigning NFL MVP for crying out loud, has three Super Bowl rings and is already a Hall of Famer at age 31.

The Jets cannot afford to screw this up. Favre was brought here to win now. The task was somewhat daunting with a healthy Brady on the field. Now, the stakes have gone up. The goal is different. More importantly, the goal is now really reachable.

Win the division. Let the chips fall where they may after that.

While Jets fans are thrilled they won't have to deal with Brady this season, they can't get too crazy about where their team currently stands. While the win over Miami was just what the doctor ordered considering the preseason hype, it was not a work of art. Favre has work to do. Laveraneus Coles, who had just one catch for 5 yards, has work to do. The offensive line, though excellent against the Dolphins considering the opener is often a fifth preseason game in execution, was somewhat spotty. Defensively, the Jets made plays when they had to, but they didn't get to Chad Pennington nearly enough. Mike Nugent's thigh injury made a one-sided game instantly a one-score game.

These are all issues that have to be dealt with starting Tuesday at practice. Favre must continue to master the playbook and play smart. He had no interceptions on Sunday, which, for him, is a positive. Some QBs can get away with throwing INTs. Favre used to be able to, but as a Jet will not because they aren't good enough yet to overcome serious adversity.

But the goal is to get to that point. Considering what went down on Sunday in both Miami and Foxboro, the Jets' plans have changed. Brady's injury may make them favorites to take the division, but it does not play any role in the other now 13 games on the schedule.

The Jets will ultimately end up wherever they end up this year due to their own quarterback, not their archrival's now out-for-the-season quarterback.

The sooner Eric Mangini gets that message out to anyone wearing a helmet, the better off everyone will be.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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