It pains me to do this, but in the interest of fair journalism we'll give Craig his soapbox:
There could not be a better storyline for a week 1 matchup that looked like just another game when the NFL schedule came out. Brett Favre vs. Chad Pennington. The NFL's leading passer vs. the NFL's most accurate passer. Just one month ago Pennington was the leading candidate to be the New York Jets' starting quarterback. Now he will be playing against the defense that he has practiced against since 2000, when he was drafted in the first round by, guess who, Bill Parcells. It will be weird to see both Favre and Pennington standing out there at the 50-yard line for the coin toss as they have both been nominated team captains, and will definitely be awkward to see Chad in that Dolphins uniform.
The Jets off-season acquisitions will be making their debuts on Sunday. Alan Faneca and Damien Woody were acquired to upgrade an offensive line that gave up 53 sacks (3rd most in 2007). They also traded for Kris Jenkins to get a nose tackle that is big enough to take on two defenders in order to allow the inside linebackers (David Harris and Eric Barton) to stop the run. Calvin Pace was brought in to help a defense that recorded only 29 sacks (25th most in 2007). Tony Richardson was brought in to be the fullback. And of course, Brett Favre. Somehow the Jets were able to pull off this blockbuster deal. There won't be eight men in the box as often now that defenses will have to respect the deep ball more, which will provide more running room for Thomas Jones and Leon Washington.
As for the Dolphins, the only place they can go is up. The last time Bill Parcells took over a 1-15 team was in 1997 when he came over to the New York Jets. They finished 9-7 that year and missed the playoffs by one game. The Fins made a smart move to get him in their front office. I believe they will be a much improved team. They were really smart to snatch Chad when he was released. Chad is an upgrade over the Trent Green, Cleo Lemon and John Beck combination they had last year. He's a veteran who will bring leadership and confidence to a team that needs someone to look up to and rely on.
This game will truly be a chess match. It will be a fun game to watch. It seems like what has happened last month can rekindle a traditional rivalry, which the Jets have owned, only losing four times to the Fins since 1998.
Prediction: Jets 20, Dolphins 10.
The Jets off-season acquisitions will be making their debuts on Sunday. Alan Faneca and Damien Woody were acquired to upgrade an offensive line that gave up 53 sacks (3rd most in 2007). They also traded for Kris Jenkins to get a nose tackle that is big enough to take on two defenders in order to allow the inside linebackers (David Harris and Eric Barton) to stop the run. Calvin Pace was brought in to help a defense that recorded only 29 sacks (25th most in 2007). Tony Richardson was brought in to be the fullback. And of course, Brett Favre. Somehow the Jets were able to pull off this blockbuster deal. There won't be eight men in the box as often now that defenses will have to respect the deep ball more, which will provide more running room for Thomas Jones and Leon Washington.
As for the Dolphins, the only place they can go is up. The last time Bill Parcells took over a 1-15 team was in 1997 when he came over to the New York Jets. They finished 9-7 that year and missed the playoffs by one game. The Fins made a smart move to get him in their front office. I believe they will be a much improved team. They were really smart to snatch Chad when he was released. Chad is an upgrade over the Trent Green, Cleo Lemon and John Beck combination they had last year. He's a veteran who will bring leadership and confidence to a team that needs someone to look up to and rely on.
This game will truly be a chess match. It will be a fun game to watch. It seems like what has happened last month can rekindle a traditional rivalry, which the Jets have owned, only losing four times to the Fins since 1998.
Prediction: Jets 20, Dolphins 10.
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