Revis' interception with :05 left saves Jets

BY ERIK BOLAND | erik.boland@newsday.com

September 8, 2008

MIAMI - The unrelenting hype and hope for the season opener came down to this question:

Could the quarterback the Jets cut loose to make room for his ballyhooed replacement hand the only franchise he'd ever known an embarrassing defeat?

Cornerback Darrelle Revis made sure the answer was no, intercepting Chad Pennington's pass in the end zone with 5 seconds left to seal a 20-14 victory over the Dolphins yesterday and make Brett Favre a winner in his Jets debut.

"It was a good start," Favre said. "It was shaky, but it was a good start and it was a win. You can never question a win."

Favre, starting his 254th consecutive game, was rusty at times but still pulled off enough plays to show the striking difference between himself and Pennington, who did nothing to shed the unwanted tag of "game manager," the NFL euphemism for "Don't screw things up."

Pennington's numbers (26-for-43 for 251 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) in some ways looked better than Favre's (15-for-22, 194 yards, two TDs), but anyone watching the game came away with a similar thought, one Jets fans haven't had about one of their quarterbacks in years.

"He's a playmaker," said Jets tackle Damien Woody, a former Lion who signed as a free agent this offseason. "I played in the same division as the guy for four years, so I've seen all the things he's capable of, so he was just being himself. Just Brett being Brett out there."

The record will show Favre completed his first regular-season pass as a Jet - a 5-yarder to Laveranues Coles - and even picked up a first down with a 3-yard scramble on a third-and-2, but the Jets' first drive soon stalled.

Favre's next drive, however, lasted one play, a case, as Woody might say, of Brett being Brett.

On first-and-10 from the 44, Favre play-actioned to Thomas Jones, who had 101 yards and a TD on 22 carries, and dropped back. He fired deep down the left sideline to Jerricho Cotchery, the first receiver with whom Favre established an on-field rapport after arriving in New York. After breaking free from cornerback Andre Goodman at the line, Cotchery made the catch at the 7 and scored easily for a 7-0 lead with 8:42 left in the first quarter.

"I thought I overthrew him," Favre said. "Not that I underestimate his speed, but he's a deceptive player. He's always around the ball and making plays. He's got deceptive speed and I hope he keeps deceiving people."

Favre's second TD came on a play that deceived no one. With the Jets shorthanded because of a thigh injury to Mike Nugent - who missed a 32-yard field-goal try late in the first quarter - the Jets went for it on fourth-and-13 from Miami's 22 with 7:02 left in the half.

On what turned out to be the game's strangest play, Favre, after escaping the grasp of Randy Starks, lofted an up-for-grabs ball toward the middle. Chansi Stuckey went high and came down with it in the end zone for a 13-7 lead. Nugent stayed on the sideline as Favre's conversion pass for Leon Washington fell incomplete.

"Somehow, he maneuvered and was able to get the ball off," said Stuckey, who had two catches for 37 yards. "It seemed like it was up there forever."

"I tried to throw it to where someone was, just give someone a chance," Favre said before laughing. "I didn't think he had a chance in hell of catching it."

It stayed 13-7 for a while as the Jets' rebuilt 3-4 defense made things miserable for Pennington. With 359-pound nose tackle Kris Jenkins anchoring the line and linebackers Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace providing pressure, the Dolphins struggled. They gained only 49 yards on 17 carries, and Pennington was sacked four times.

But, after the Jets built the lead to 20-7 on Jones' 6-yard run with 1:08 left in the third (Nugent hit the extra point), Pennington led a late rally. His 11-yard pass to David Martin made it 20-14 with 3:27 left and, after the Jets ran the ball three straight times to get the Dolphins to exhaust their timeouts, Miami took over at its 39 with 1:43 left. With mostly short passes, Pennington moved inside the red zone. The drama finally ended when Revis positioned himself in the back of the end zone in front of Ted Ginn - who was called for offensive pass interference - on third-and-10 from the 18. When Revis landed on his back with the ball, the Jets' sideline could exhale.

"I've said from Day 1 that I know that I've made the right decision," Favre said. "I enjoy these guys. There's no guarantee what's going to happen for the rest of the year but we're 1-0 and I'm excited about the opportunity, not only for today but for the remainder of the year."

BRETT FAVRE'S DAY

15 COMPLETIONS

22 ATTEMPTS

194 YARDS

2 TDs

0 INTs

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