Favre fabulous in debut as Jets barely hold off Dolphins
MIAMI - Brett Favre sank to one knee on the sideline, helplessly watching the Miami Dolphins try to upstage his comeback with one of their own.
Six months after Favre began a brief retirement, he made a stirring debut Sunday as Broadway Brett. But in the final minute the Dolphins marched down the field while Favre's New York Jets clung to 6-point lead.
What was he thinking?
"Don't score," he said.
Simple enough. Favre's new beginning had a happy ending when Darrelle Revis intercepted Chad Pennington in the end zone with five seconds left, and the Jets won 20-14.
"It was shaky, but it's a good start," Favre said. "It's a win, and you can never question a win."
Favre hardly looked like the retiring type, raising his arms to signal a touchdown, then leaping and skipping to the bench, where he vaulted into the arms of two teammates. That was after he threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery on New York's second series.
He later improvised on fourth down for a 22-yard scoring pass, and finished 15-for-22 for 194 yards and his 161st victory, extending his NFL record for starting quarterbacks.
Favre said the game left him glad he's still playing at age 38, and after 16 seasons in Green Bay, he feels at home with his new team.
"I know I made the right decision," he said in his Mississippi drawl. "I'm a New York Jet. I don't know about a native New Yorkian, or however you say it. Hey, I'm happy to be a Jet."
For the Dolphins, the loss marked a disappointing start to the Bill Parcells era, and it was painfully reminiscent of last year's 1-15 team. Parcells took over last December, but despite turning over more than half the roster and hiring Tony Sparano as coach, the Dolphins gave up too many big plays and sputtered on offense until their frantic late rally.
Pennington, playing against the team that released him in favor of Favre, drew boos early before finishing 26-for-43 for 251 yards.
"I just hate losing," Pennington said. "I hate it as bad as you can imagine. It doesn't matter if it's the Jets or anyone else, a loss hurts bad."
Wearing his familiar No. 4, Favre went deep on the first play of the Jets' second possession. Cotchery caught the long pass at the 5 and scored to complete the 56-yard play. At the other end of the field, Favre celebrated like a rookie.
Cotchery said he wasn't surprised Favre hit him in stride.
"After working with him for a month, nothing surprises me about the guy," Cotchery said.
With the score 7-7 and Jets kicker Mike Nugent nursing a thigh injury suffered in the first quarter, the Jets decided to go for a first down on fourth-and-13. Under heavy pressure, Favre shrugged off 305-pound defensive end Randy Starks, and as he was sandwiched by two defenders, he threw a dying-quail pass that found an open Chansi Stuckey for the go-ahead touchdown.
"He's a miracle worker," Dolphins fullback Boomer Grigsby said. "He threw that thing in the air and God said, 'Brett Favre will have a touchdown pass.' And he did. That's Brett Favre being Brett Favre."