Inside the NFL | Brett the Jet lands in Miami for intriguing Week 1 matchup

    When the NFL's powers that be first released the 2008 schedule back in April, they probably saw the New York Jets' Week 1 visit to Dolphin Stadium as nothing more than a meaningless matchup between arguably the AFC's two worst teams. Instead, they'll get much more.
    Oddly enough, the Miami Dolphins find themselves in the spotlight as their new quarterback, the ever-talented-but-never-quite-a-star Chad Pennington, makes his debut Sunday afternoon against his former team of eight years.
    And by the way, the man opposite him is his replacement, three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre.
    Both teams, as logic would have it, should be in rebuilding mode. Between the two, they totaled five wins last season, a horrendous figure especially considering they played each other twice. But both have made the decision to roll the dice on veteran quarterbacks this season, and Favre and Pennington will don their new uniforms this weekend, knowing that an army of second-guessers will be ready to pounce on their every mistake. Never has there been more pressure on a pair of AFC bottom-feeders.
    So who has the edge on Sunday? And, more importantly, which team has a chance to turn things around with a new face under center this season? That's no easy question.
    Now seems like a good time to mention that Favre's reputation, even his career numbers after 16 years in a Green Bay Packers uniform, are a bit misleading. This is a man who turns 39 four games into the Jets' season, and the question of which Favre will show up on any given Sunday must be on the minds of many in East Rutherford.
    The problem is that even a best-case-scenario Favre may not be enough to bring the Jets back from irrelevance. Even in a stupefyingly anomalous 2007 when he suddenly returned to his prime to throw for 4,155 yards and even steal an MVP vote from Tom Brady, he was still only sixth in the NFL in passer rating at 95.7, sandwiched between Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneer QB Jeff Garcia.
    The reason is Favre's accuracy, which has varied throughout his career between fairly good and plainly average. He has compiled monsterous counting stats over his years in Green Bay, becoming the NFL's all-time leader in passing attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns, but he's also top dog in interceptions, which should never be overlooked.
    Favre's completion percentage for his career is 12th in the NFL among active quarterbacks, slotting him right behind such titans as Brian Griese and Brad Johnson. And who happens to be number one on said list? Hint: He'll be putting on a Dolphins helmet this weekend.
    Pennington, now 32, has always had the potential to be a star in the NFL, ever since his first-round selection out of Marshall in 2000. His main problem, with all due respect to Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery (and, blast from the past, Wayne Chrebet), has been the lack of a formidable supporting cast around him. The last time Pennington threw a pass to a bona-fide superstar was his sophomore year back in Huntington, W.Va. — the kid's name was Randy Moss.
    How will Pennington perform in Miami, where his two favorite targets will likely be Marty Booker, a former Pro Bowler who looks more than a step slower at 32 than he did at 26, and Ted Ginn, Jr., who has a mountain of work to do to avoid the label of Historic Draft Bust (Brady Quinn, anyone?). The logical answer is … not much better than he did in the Meadowlands with the Jets. The Dolphins should be thrilled to see Pennington in town, as he's a huge upgrade over the three-headed monstrosity of Cleo Lemon, Trent Green and John Beck. But this Dolphins team still has some work to do.
    No AFC defense allowed more points last season than the Dolphins', the offensive line is still atrocious and unreliable would be an understatement to describe their presumable lead running back, Ricky Williams. But despite all that, Pennington is a good start for a team that desperately needs one. Look for him to triple the Dolphins' win total from last season. That's right: three wins.
    Sunday's Favre-Pennington showdown will be a fun one, but fans have another treat awaiting them the following night when Green Bay plays host to a season opener between the team that lost Favre, the Packers, and the team that almost landed him, the Minnesota Vikings.
    Fans at Lambeau will have the privilege of seeing two young quarterbacks who are desperate to prove themselves take the field. In one corner is Aaron Rodgers, a former All-Pac 10 signal-caller at the University of California, and in the other is Tarvaris Jackson, who led the Vikings to 8-8 and a playoff near-miss last season.
    Without a doubt, the critics will be eying these two games closely this weekend, and the comparisons between the Packers under Rodgers and the Jets under Favre will be flying around from day one — and not without good reason. It's still early, but there will likely be no question in 2008 more compelling than what will be worse: life without Brett Favre, or life with him.