FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) – Brett Favre brushed up on his recent AFC East history and discovered what he already figured. It’s mostly been New England at the top, and then everyone else.
“The Patriots really have had the upper hand on everybody in this division for quite a while,” the New York Jets quarterback said Wednesday. “They’ve really dominated everyone, not just in this division. We’d like to change that.”
They could start this Sunday when the teams meet in the latest chapter of their intense rivalry, especially with Tom Brady lost for the year due to a knee injury.
Some fans and members of the media believe there will certainly be a dropoff with Matt Cassel now leading New England. The AFC East will be a wide-open race, they say, and the Jets have a good chance to dethrone the Patriots, who have won the division six of the last seven seasons.
Hold on just a second, Favre insists.
“I think we have a better chance, given the circumstances, but we still have a long ways to go. I mean, we have to play better than we did the other day for us to not only beat New England but to get to where we want to be.”
The Jets won their season opener Sunday at Miami, 20-14, but needed a late interception in the end zone to seal the victory.
“I think the Patriots are still the team to beat ’til proven otherwise,” Favre said. “We won one game, and we barely beat Miami … One game doesn’t make us the team to beat. I sure hope people don’t feel that way.”
Well, one guy who agrees is Patriots receiver Randy Moss, who set an NFL record by catching 23 touchdown passes from Brady last season. He’ll have Cassel, making his first NFL start, throwing to him Sunday.
“We did have a big loss in Tom Brady, but we still have 10 guys out there on that field to go out there and make it happen,” Moss said. “We’re still the team to beat in this division, and we’ll see what happens.”
Favre is 3-2 in his career against the Patriots, including a victory in the 1997 Super Bowl. He knows better than to count out a team coached by Bill Belichick, especially after seeing how Brady stepped in and led New England to a title in 2002 after Drew Bledsoe went down.
that they can overcome adversity.”
Brady had started 111 straight regular-season games, third behind Peyton Manning’s 161 and Favre’s NFL-record 254. Seeing Brady’s injury made Favre appreciate how fortunate he has been.
“Tom has been so tough throughout his whole career, has taken a lot of hits,” said Favre, who played through a broken thumb on his throwing hand in 2003. “Just goes to show you, you never know. … It was just a freak thing. It really was. I could’ve happened to me. I’ve come close numerous times, not only with my legs, fingers.”
Favre played in his share of big rivalry games during his 17 years in Green Bay, with plenty of memorable moments against Minnesota, Chicago and even Detroit. He acknowledged that he watched “a little bit” of the Vikings-Packers game Monday night, Aaron Rodgers’ debut as Favre’s replacement.
He’ll get an up-close look at another young quarterback trying to fill huge shoes. Cassel went 13-of-18 for 152 yards and a touchdown after coming in for Brady.
“Matt Cassel played great the other day when he came in,” Favre said. “They assume he’ll do that, but Tom Brady is Tom Brady. So, that does give us a better chance, but ultimately it comes down to how we offensively handle their defense. That hasn’t been very good in the past.”
ith Cassel. Still, he’s confident the fourth-year quarterback can run the offense effectively.
“Regardless of what you see and hear, Coach Belichick, our organization and our team are behind Matt Cassel,” Moss said. “He’s our quarterback now and we’re going to go out there and try to make things happen. That’s the best thing we can do.”
Before last season, Favre believed the best thing for the Packers was to do all they could to acquire Moss from Oakland. He was openly frustrated when Moss instead went to New England, saying Green Bay was perhaps a big-play receiver away from playing for a title.
“Brett had more of a feel for what they needed for that Super Bowl run,” Moss said. “I don’t think Green Bay was what I was looking for. In all honesty, I think they were entertaining that to keep Brett happy.”
Favre is pleased with where he’s at now, even as he continues to learn the Jets’ system.
“We have to be more efficient, the way it’s supposed to be done,” he said. “That starts with me. At least we got one under our belt. We’ll see where we go next.”
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