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Noting Faneca’s Retirement, Gallo’s Passing

I have two departures to contemplate with you this morning, one whose playing career is over and the other who has headed for the great cartoonist’s easel in the sky.

Alan Faneca announced his retirement as an NFL player Tuesday. The big redhead had put in a decade as a perennial All-Pro guard with the Steelers before he came to the Jets in early March 2008.

“I’ve got 10 years of experience under my belt,” Faneca told reporters about trading in the black and gold for the green and white. “I can help these guys. I can help the entire unit in subtle ways. I can help put that experience to use.”

He proceeded to do just that in his two seasons as the Jets’ left guard, blocking for Thomas Jones and protecting first “the old man,” Brett Favre, then “the kid,” Mark Sanchez. The Jets’ rushing offense rose from 19th in 2007 to ninth and then to first in ’09, the first year of Rex Ryan’s “Ground and Pound” approach, while the O-line enjoyed a rare two years of stability and grew into arguably the top unit in the league.

Faneca departed for the Cardinals last year and extended his streaks to 144 consecutive regular-season games played and started, both of which led active guards in the NFL. Now he’ll turn those distinctions over to others. (Coincidentally, Jets RG Brandon Moore becomes the active leader for consecutive guard starts at 105 and trails only Tennessee’s Jake Scott with 105 straight games played.)

A class act, Faneca expressed his gratitude to everyone in his retirement statement released yesterday, including the teams he played for.

“From the dog days of training camp to winning a Super Bowl, the memories are endless,” he said. “The greatest memory that I will leave the game with is all of the lifelong friendships I have made.

“I want to specifically thank the Steelers, Jets and Cardinals. Each and every teammate, coach and front office employee has made a lasting impact on my life. It was a pleasure playing for first-class organizations who surrounded me with incredibly dedicated individuals.”

Gallo’s Gone

The other departure was the death of Bill Gallo, 88, the New York Daily News’ beloved cartoonist for the last (is this even possible?) seven decades. Gallo caricatured and illustrated them all, New Yorkers and national figures, from baseball — Joe DiMaggio, Leo Durocher, Tom Seaver, Derek Jeter — to boxers — Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali — and every sport and star in between.

Football held a firm place in Gallo’s heart. He, like many of Joe Namath’s teammates, always felt that “Broadway Joe” was more a media creation than an accurate portrayal, and his 1973 sketch of Namath for the News captures that feeling.

Even before Joe, in the toddling days of the American Football League, Gallo had a special connection to the New York Titans, illustrating their gameday program covers in the early Sixties. In fact, we at the Jets asked him to reprise those covers, which he did for our 2007 Jets-Eagles gameday program. Click here to see that cover and read Eric Allen’s feature on Bill Gallo at that time.

One of Gallo’s illustrations that brought a tear to my eye this morning was his “Tears in the Balcony” panel, which remembered all the old Yankees who played in the House That Ruth Built and had passed on. His trademark caption in small italic capitals read “To all those who once felt the grass in the ol’ yard.” Whether it was grass, plastic, wood, ice or canvas, Gallo captured the images of those who frolicked on those surfaces better and longer than anyone else in NYC.

LT, Shield-Less, Wins FedEx Ground Honor

The shot on CBS at the Jets-Bills game Sunday seemed odd. On the sideline, LaDainian Tomlinson was still wearing his helmet, yet we could see his eyes.

LT wasn’t wearing his iconic tinted face shield.

Clearly, this didn’t have the same effect on Tomlinson as, say, a red sun on Superman. LaDainian danced to his first 100-yard rushing game in two years, 133 to be exact, plus two touchdowns, and those credentials earned him the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week award this afternoon.

But what about that shield, which became a national fan and marketing talking point around 2004 when he was fashioning the strongest of his Hall of Fame-to-be career numbers with the Chargers? I checked in with Tomlinson today and he said it had nothing to do with a new look for his newfound youth.

“It was just that it was raining up there,” LT said. “I have to take it off sometimes when it rains.”

So no new fashion statement then? “Nah, just the weather.”

Revis Report

Rex Ryan’s final news conference of the week was also the final update on Darrelle Revis before Monday night’s big interconference battle with the Vikings of Minnesota. And Ryan was as positive today as he’s been that No. 24 will be available disrupt Brett Favre’s passes to, among others, newly acquired Randy Moss.

Did Revis open it up on the practice field today?

“Yeah, he moved around pretty good.”

Is there any doubt that he’ll be available for duty after missing the last two games with his sore hamstring?

“The doctors and trainers, everybody feels good. But until the player says, ‘I’m ready to go,’ especially if you’re a corner, I think that’s important. We want to make sure. We’ll never put a guy out there who doesn’t think he’s ready to come back.”

Revis didn’t speak with reporters until late this afternoon after meetings at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. He didn’t declare himself in or out but said he felt good again after practice.

“I think I could play right now — there would be no doubt,” Revis said. “I haven’t had any tweaks the last two practices and I’ve been running full speed. So as of today I could play.’’

Since game status won’t be declared until after Saturday’s final practice of the week, Ryan’s take today has to stand as the latest statement on his corner’s availability: “I feel pretty confident he’ll play. I hope he does.”

The Moore, the Merrier

The only change to the Jets’ injury report from Thursday to today was the addition of Brandon Moore to the list with a hamstring injury. Moore was limited today. But Ryan was not worried about his starting right guard missing Minny.

“He’s played in 100-some ballgames in a row. He’ll play,” Ryan said.

Actually, Moore’s ironman streak is at 93 consecutive regular-season starts, third-most among active NFL players behind Alan Faneca, the former Jet who’s increased his streak to 132 with the Cardinals, and the Vikings’ Steve Hutchinson, who will come into New Meadowlands Stadium with a run of 115 straight starts.

The Vikings’ injury report had one change today: Favre, who practiced full Thursday with ankle and right elbow injuries, was downgraded to limited today. Significant? Probably not. No. 4 has made 290 consecutive appearances and 288 consecutive starts.

Report: Ferguson, Jets Agree on Extension

D’Brickashaw Ferguson and the Jets have agreed on a contract extension, according to a report this afternoon on 1050 ESPN New York.

The Jets have not confirmed the report. But if true, it marks means the left tackle everyone calls Brick remains on an upward climb as a pro, which began when the Green & White selected him with the fourth overall choice in the 2006 draft out of Virginia.

Ferguson, who has grown in size and stature each season while not missing any Jets games or starts, told newyorkjets.com on the fourth day of the 2009 training camp at SUNY Cortland, "I’m definitely going to make the Pro Bowl this year."

He never looked back. With Ferguson protecting then-rookie QB Mark Sanchez’s blind side and he and his linemates joining forces to produce the NFL’s No. 1-ranked rushing offense, the Jets O-line gained recognition as the league’s best unit and were key contributors to the march to the AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis. Along the way Brick extended his ironman streaks to 64 consecutive regular-season starts and 68 if you include the playoffs.

Also on the Jets’ playoff quest, Ferguson, who was voted an alternate to the Pro Bowl, learned he would indeed be playing for the AFC all-stars as a replacement for Miami left tackle Jake Long. He joined center Nick Mangold and guard Alan Faneca on the AFC line at the game at Sun Life Stadium a week before Super Bowl XLIV.

"It was a bold statement," Ferguson told us in the days before the Pro Bowl of his assertion. "I looked at our schedule and at some of the players I’d be going up against. I thought I could be pessimistic or optimistic about what was ahead. I chose to be optimistic about it."

Ferguson’s always been a positive guy. If this report pans out, it will be interesting to see how much optimism he has for himself and his teammates in Year 2 of training camp at Cortland, the start of which is now less than four weeks away.

Esiason Likes Direction Sanchez Is Heading

As a rookie, Mark Sanchez helped lead the New York Jets to an improbable AFC Championship appearance, elevating his game in the postseason. And former Jets signalcaller Boomer Esiason believes that rise is set to continue in September.

“This is usually where the players make their biggest jump and I suspect, with Mark’s personality and the way he handled the downturns last year, he’ll be ready to roll,” Boom told me this week before the 15th annual Empire Challenge kicked off at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium. “I sense an air of confidence about him this offseason. Everything I’ve read and every interview I’ve seen him do leads me to believe he’s ready to take that next step.”

In 15 regular-season games, Sanchez completed 53.8 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. But in three postseason contests he upped his accuracy, hitting on 60.3 percent of his balls with four touchdowns and two picks.

“Now what that next step will be will be determined by how comfortable he gets with his new wide receivers, how good he feels with his young running back and really how the offensive line plays,” Esiason said. “I think he really should be able to lead the Jets back to the playoffs — and who knows, maybe even the Super Bowl.”

Jets Nation is at a fever pitch. Excitement has reached an unprecedented level because New York’s AFC representative has assembled one of its most talented rosters in franchise history.

Esiason, who played three of his 14 NFL seasons with the Green & White, said that if he were a fan, "I’m excited about Rex Ryan and I love the fact that he brings a new intensity to the football team. I love the fact that you have the best defense in football. I think it’s only going to get better. I love their draft picks. There is a lot to be excited about.

"I don’t necessarily know if Jets fans have been this excited since 1999 when Bill Parcells was ready to take them all the way to the AFC Championship Game. This is going to be a fun year for the Jets. But I also know, like every other team, there are issues that have to be handled before the season starts.”

Esiason, who serves as the popular co-host on a morning radio show on WFAN in New York, doesn’t point to problems on the field. He believes the Jets have made a couple of risky offseason moves and there is also all the well-publicized news on the contract front.

“I think they did a lot of good things in the offseason. They were very careful how they spent their money, brining in Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes. Even though those guys have character issues, I think Mike Tannenbaum sensed he could get really good players for a cheap price," Boomer said.

"But he still has problems in that locker room. I don’t care what anybody says. When you let go of guys like Alan Faneca and Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, people are starting to worry in that locker room, ‘What’s going to happen to me next?’ And now you have guys that are chirping about new contracts and you have a potential CBA issue coming up. There are things you have to get over with and I’m not so sure those things are positive at this present time.”

But Esiason is nothing but positive on Sanchez. What kind of advice would he give the SoCal sensation before he starts up his sophomore campaign?

“I think, with the exception of maybe a few blips along the way, that he handled everything beautifully, and I would expect the maturity — he’s still only 23 years old — will be distinctly evident from where he was last year at this time,” Boomer said. “Let the game come to you, don’t force the issue. You have a lot of good players around you, you have a great coach and you have a great supporting cast. So he’ll be fine.”

Rex’s Wednesday: Live Chat, Stadium Stop

It’s been a big media day for Rex Ryan and the Jets. Right off the bat this morning, Rex was joined by my partner Eric Allen and our multimedia crew in his office at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center for something that I’m not sure has ever been done by an NFL head coach before. Rex participated in a half-hour-long live chat with fans of the Green & White.

Ryan got questions from all over the globe about topics all around his team and swatted each one out of the park as always. Answering from his desk behind a wood carving that reads BELIEVE, sent to him by a friend, he talked about a range of topics.

In response to Andy from Kentucky, Ryan said Mark Sanchez has really taken the leadership reins of the Jets even while he’s been rehabbing from his knee ‘scope.

"This is Mark’s offense," the coach said. "He’s studying it like a coach would. He’s here every day. And the rehab with his knee is almost a blessing. He’s in the building constantly — he’s the first guy in and the last guy to leave. He gets with Santonio Holmes and tries to catch him up, Braylon Edwards. The commitment he’s shown has really been impressive to his teammates."

On a few other topics, Rex had these responses.

To Andrew about Vernon Gholston gaining weight to become a DE: "I know he’s talked about gaining some weight and I can understand it. It’s a different world in there. You’re going to get two guys on you and things. We want him to still bring to the table what he has and that’s athleticism, speed, and Vernon’s as strong as almost anybody we have on our team. So he doesn’t need to gain at least bad weight, for sure. He may get eight or 10 pounds adding some strength and bulk and if it doesn’t take away from what he has, that’s fine."

To Dennis on the release of G Alan Faneca: "Alan certainly was a great player, a premier player in this league for a long time and he still is. I think the Jets really benefited from having Alan here for two years. … Sometimes in this league you’ve got to take away in a certain area to add somewhere else on your team. That’s the only reason we let Alan Faneca go."

To Peter on the Jets starring in HBO’s "Hard Knocks" this training camp: The biggest thing is right now all of our assistant coaches are lifting, running, doing that kind of stuff. That’s the biggest way I see it affecting our team. It’s not going to affect us one iota. We are who we are. I think the whole country will see the great people on our team, the great players and a lot of interesting characters I get the privilege of being around every day."

Rex also talked about how Jason Taylor will be used at outside LB with Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas, the battle to become the starting tailback between Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson, NT Kris Jenkins’ weight loss and rehab, the 2010 rookie class headed by CB Kyle Wilson and OL Vlad Ducasse, his latest take on Nick Folk and the Jets’ kicking game, and lots of other topics.

In fact, there wasn’t enough time to answer all the questions that came in to us from Jets Nation. But Rex was up against the clock — from the live chat he had a meeting with GM Mike Tannenbaum, then he had to jet over to the New Meadowlands Stadium to join owner Woody Johnson, Giants ownership and others at an 11 a.m. news conference the day after the New York/New Jersey area and the new gem of a stadium received the approval of the NFL owners to host the 2014 Super Bowl.

If you want to see Rex’s live chat alongside EA, it’s now archived and available for replay on our home page and from our multimedia page.

What About Those 2014 Super Bowl Tickets?

Several Jets fans who are also PSL holders have asked the same question of us this morning regarding how the tickets for that Super Bowl will be distributed once 2014 gets here. Rob Sullivan, the Jets’ vice president of consumer sales and service, replies:

"The Super Bowl is run by the NFL and the league makes all decisions regarding ticket allocation. We will receive a limited number of tickets for distribution and will conduct a random drawing to award season ticket holders the opportunity to purchase tickets to the game. All season ticket holders for the 2013 season will be eligible for this drawing. The drawing will be conducted in January 2014."

Live Chat with Coach Rex Ryan

Slauson Boldly Takes Aim at Starting LG Job

Matt Slauson does not look at all like a man on the hot seat. The second-year guard stood in the middle of the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center locker room on his way to the shower (tastefully clothed, of course) and talked calmly and coolly about the opportunity that could be ahead for him in the coming season.

"Right now I’m listed as a starter-slash-backup because I’m competing for a starting job, obviously with Vlad," said Slauson, "Vlad" being second-round rookie Vladimir Ducasse and "job" being the left guard spot vacated with the departure of veteran Alan Faneca. "I don’t know how things are going to play out, but I know know this opportunity and I plan to make the most of it."

But shouldn’t this young man be nervous? The Jets’ offensive line, which had been intact for two full seasons, gained recognition in 2009 as one of the NFL’s best units as it helped pave the way for the league’s No. 1-ranked rushing offense. And now there’s an opening.

Yet Slauson’s quiet confidence has several sources. The 6’5", 315-pounder isn’t exactly new to surviving and being adaptable in the football spotlight, having started 32 games combined at three different positions (RG, RT, LT) at Nebraska.

And his head coach for his first three seasons at Nebraska is the same as his line coach for his two seasons as a Jet: Bill Callahan. "He’s the best in the business," Slauson said. "I know how he works, he knows how I work."

Then there was his rookie NFL campaign, when he saw limited action on the line but got a lot of guidance from starting guards Faneca and Brandon Moore.

"I learned a lot playing behind Alan and Brandon," he said. "I was able to pick their brains and see how things were supposed to be done."

Slauson has a good idea how things need to be done off the field. He was named the team’s sixth Hampton Award winner, which goes to the rookie "who acts most like a pro in the locker room" and is friendly, courteous and neat.

And on Wednesday he just made his first "solo" hospital visit to see the kids at the Goryeb Children’s Hospital at Morristown Memorial near the team complex.

"I really enjoyed that a lot. I just love visiting the kids," he said. "When I was growing up, I’d kill to meet a football player — college, pro, it didn’t matter. Big, mean, nasty guys. But then I found out that most offensive linemen are nice guys off the field."

So Slauson’s got the split personality part down, because he seems to be nasty and mean enough on the turf to make a big run at this opening in the starting lineup.

"I’m very confident. As long as I do what I can do, I know I have a really good chance," he said. "The cards are going to fall where they will, and hopefully I’ll be on top of the deck."

Revis Up Front in Leadership Role

Darrelle Revis noted the loss of two top locker room men this year in Faneca and Thomas Jones. So have his coaches, who are suggesting strongly that No. 24 step boldly into the breach.

And this is no problem for Revis, although he said he’s working on finding a leadership balance that suits his personality as well as the needs of the team.

"I’m still working on being more vocal," he said at his locker. "My thing is I try to lead by example. But i think it’s more of a demand from the coaches for me to be vocal. … We’re all grown men here. I don’t want my teammates to look at me as a guy who harps all the time. I always try to lead by example."

Revis is getting some work as a leader this offseason since he assumed the captaincy of one of the four "teams" in coach Sal Alosi’s strength and conditioning program.

"The first week we were negative 300 points," he said. "One reason was Kris Jenkins was talking back to Sal. I met with Kris and said, ‘Let’s just be accountable. You’ve got to help me, too. You’ve been playing for nine years and this is my fourth year. Help me do my job better.’ He hasn’t been talking back to Sal since."

Thus, Team Revis has shot back up the standings.

Contractual Language

Both Revis and center Nick Mangold said their agents are in preliminary talks with the Jets about contract extensions. Revis said today his agent has been speaking to the Jets "for a while," while Mangold said his representatives "talked last night and we’re moving forward with the process."

And Jason Taylor’s Number Is …

A lot of football fans on either end of I-95 are curious to know what uniform number LB Jason Taylor, the longtime Miamian, will line up in as a Jet, since Bryan Thomas has almost as much tenure as the Jets’ 99 as Taylor had as the Dolphins’ 99.

We hear JT will, perhaps appropriately, don No. 95 for the Jets’ OTA practices that begin next week at the AHJTC. However, Taylor is only taking this number out for a test drive. His number is not yet etched in stone and he could change it before training camp.

For Faneca, Back to Football, Fighting Epilepsy

Alan Faneca has a two-step plan to begin the first month of every offseason — "Rest, recuperate." But the month is up and the old redhead (with apologies to Red Barber and to Alan) is back at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center ramping it back up for his 13th NFL season and his third with the Green & White.

And that means not only getting back into football shape but also gearing up efforts for a cause that’s very important for him.

In fact, "Block Out Epilepsy" is the name of the special event Faneca is organizing to benefit Goryeb Children’s Hospital at Morristown Memorial Hospital and Goryeb Children’s Center at Overlook Hospital. He dropped by the studio to talk with my partner Eric Allen for a special segment of Jets TV that will be on the site soon.

"I have epilepsy and my younger daughter, Anabelle, has epilepsy," Faneca said. "We started talking to Goryeb Children’s Hospital and got involved with their epilepsy department about things we could do to help out."

One of the specific projects the Jets’ perennial Pro Bowl guard has in mind is the purchase of new video EEG equipment for the center, which will help make the testing of kids who’ve had seizures — sometimes lasting up to 72 hours in the hospital — less stressful for them and their parents, plus more funding for technicians to operate the new equipment.

That’s where Faneca’s fundraiser comes in. The event, which will also be attended by QB Mark Sanchez, center Nick Mangold and other Jets players, will be held April 10 at the Hanover (N.J.) Marriott on Route 10 East.

The four-hour event will have food stations, open bar and silent and live auctions, and a football for autographing will be included in the $250 ticket price. All proceeds benefit the Pediatric Epilepsy Center at Goryeb Children’s Hospital at Morristown Memorial Hospital and Goryeb Children’s Center at Overlook Hospital.

"It’s been a long journey, but one that I’m proud to talk about," said Faneca, who first discovered he had epilepsy at the age of 14 and controls his condition through medication. "There’s a stigma that comes with epilepsy, but I want to talk about it and let other people know about it, that this guy who plays football can run around and literally hit people with his head, that it’s OK, they can do things, and people shouldn’t be worried about people who have epilepsy."

For more information on "Block Out Epilepsy" or to purchase tickets, call 800-247-9580 by April 6.

As for Faneca and Football …

EA didn’t let Alan get away without chewing the fat about football, the Jets and the superlative offensive line that Faneca is preparing to help anchor for the third year. Right now the line is coping with the departure of RB Thomas Jones.

"It’s tough. Thomas is a great guy, a great competitor, a great teammate, great anything and everything you’d want to say about him," Faneca said. "To think he’s not going to be here is hard right now and he’ll be missed. You never say never and hopefully there’s a way to get him back here. But you wish him the best and he’s definitely going to be missed."

Faneca had some other thoughts on Jones and on now-second-year back Shonn Greene, whom Faneca said "got to go out there and show his skill level" as a rookie. "Now let’s do it on a weekly basis. I think he can do it."

But the great part for Faneca is being a part of an O-line that began to be recognized as one of the best, if not the best, in the game today.

"I think we’ve shown what we can do. We’ve put in the work to get there," he said. "By no means do we need to sit back and start honkin’ our horns. I don’t think that’s the group we are."

DeVan’s a Super Starter, with Help from Jets

This is the second of two Radar entries on the two offensive line starters that the Jets have supplied for the Super Bowl XLIV matchup between Indianapolis and New Orleans. Today: Colts starting right guard Kyle DeVan.

When you first meet Kyle DeVan, you might think you’re talking to a nice young kid, respectful, modestly inspirational, good size at 6’1", 306, but not physically imposing. Perhaps a kid just out of college about to start teaching high school kids some math, history and English and maybe help out with the wrestling team.

All of which is just what DeVan was doing, oh, about 11 months ago. And not by his own choice.

"It’s crazy to think about, that I was out of football a year ago," he told me this week. "I’m just thankful for being here, for what I have."

What DeVan has is a big gig on what could well be this year’s best team in the NFL. He’s the starting right guard for the Colts, one of the men sworn to protect Peyton Manning’s life and limb and to give him those extra half-seconds to do his wonderful downfield magic.

How did he get here, to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV. With the career open-field skills of a first-round running back. A three-year starter at center and a Rimington Trophy preseason watch list member as a senior at Oregon State, he signed with the Redskins as an undrafted free agent after the 2008 draft. The ‘Skins cut him in July but the Jets picked him up and brought him to training camp. Then the Jets cut him, re-signed him to their practice squad for two months, then cut him again.

So a year ago at this time, he found himself back in his parents’ home in Vacaville, Calif., substitute-teaching to bring in just a little money.

"The low point?" he pondered the question. "Living at home, waking up and not having anything to do. I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have anything to do productive in a day. Doing nothing gets very boring very quickly."

But his parents understood. They didn’t charge him rent. Beyond that, they shared his dream of playing pro ball.

"We’d sat down and came up with kind of a timeline, if things didn’t happen, what I was going to do, where I was going to go, what kind of job I was going to get," he said. "We had to discuss those things, but they let me do my thing for a little while."

Good thing, too, because first came a call to fill in for the injury-riddled Boise Burn — yes, the ArenaFootball2 Boise Burn. Then came an invitation from the Colts. He tried out, got a return call, signed a contract, and suddenly he was back in the NFL.

Then in Game 8, he had himself the RG starting job, a position he’s held onto ever since, including the two games against his former team, the Jets, in Game 15 of the regular season and two Sundays ago in the AFC Championship Game.

"Obviously, this year has been tremendous. It’s the funnest year I’ve ever had. There have been days I get home and say, ‘Wow I’m starting,’ " DeVan said. "But at the same time I know this is a production league. You’ve got to produce if you want to stay in this business. It kind of keeps me from thinking about it too much because I know I’ve got to get better. I know I have to go out there during the week and work my tail off to make sure I improve."

And DeVan gives a good share of credit to his four months spent in green and white.

"It did a lot for me," he told me about his time with the Jets. "I got to learn from Alan Faneca and Nick Mangold and Brandon Moore. Those guys are tremendous, obviously, in what they’ve done with the jets. I’ve got the most respect for them.

"It was nice going there and getting to learn from a veteran like Alan and an up-and-coming player like Nick, who’s one of the best in the league now. It was nice to be in the meeting room, to be on the field just, and to learn from these guys because I had never played guard before, so Alan was giving me just little hints like do this, do that, it’ll help you out. And Bill Callahan taught me a lot, not just technique but about the game of football. He kind of liked to always talk about the big picture, the whole game. I learned so much from him.

"And you know what? I think being with the Jets made me a better person, a better player."

Hopefully the Jets didn’t turn DeVan into a monster, into another Faneca or Moore. They may have to play these Colts again deep in next year’s postseason, and they’ll want to get to Manning. But they’ll cross that guard when they come to it.

Wednesday: Saints Starting C Jonathan Goodwin

Faneca Lone Current Jet on All-Decade Team

Several players with ties to the Jets are on the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team that was just announced a half-hour before the kickoff of tonight’s AFC-NFC Pro Bowl Game.

Primary among those players is Alan Faneca, the left guard who will be playing in his ninth consecutive Pro Bowl and his second straight as a member of the Jets’ O-line. Faneca was selected as one of four guards on the 2000s team.

Coincidentally, as Faneca and the Jets were just announced at Sun Life Stadium just now, they received a hearty boo from the sellout crowd, which has a strong concentration of Miami Dolphins fans in the stands.

Two others with Green & White connections on the team are Tennessee center Kevin Mawae, who was the Jets’ Pro Bowl center from 1999-2004, and cornerback Ty Law, who had 10 interceptions in his one full season with the Jets in 2005 and returned to the Jets secondary for the second half of the ’08 season.

The NFL All-Decade teams are chosen every 10 years by the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee members. The 2000s roster is the ninth all-decade team to be selected in NFL history.

Wet Weather for the Game

The pregame weather report for the Pro Bowl is 67 degrees, 83 percent humidity, 10 mph winds and light rain, which has been falling for about an hour.

The NFC is about to kick off. I’d like to say Leon Washington is back to receive, but that will have to wait until perhaps a year from now. I’ll keep you posted on the Jets’ contributions in the game plus other developments via Twitter.

Faneca, Ellis Take a Bow in Miami Tonight

Two Jets graybeards are participating in tonight’s 40th annual NFL Pro Bowl at Sun Life Stadium (formerly Land Shark, formerly Dolphins, formerly Joe Robbie). And each came to this game through a slightly different route.

Alan Faneca is in his ninth consecutive season as an AFC starting lineman. The left guard made his first seven trips, all to Honolulu, as a Pittsburgh Steeler and now has gone twice as a member of the Jets.

"Florida’s not Hawaii. It’s just different, you know?" Faneca said this week after practices at a Fort Lauderdale high school. "But it never gets old playing in the Pro Bowl. It’s an honor."

Ellis, meanwhile, had played in only one Pro Bowl previously, after the 2003 season. He grabbed a late flight to Fort Lauderdale after Colts DE Robert Mathis reached the Super Bowl and couldn’t play in this all-star game.

"It’s something you can’t overlook," the Big Katt told newyorkjets.com this week. It’s a very humbling experience as well. You just want to come out and be a part of the guys and put your name in the mix."

This year’s Pro Bowl is a test for the players who’ve been chosen to go. The game normally has its share of withdrawals due to injury, either something specific that will need surgery or concentrated rehab into the new year or the grinding aches and pains of a long season. Then combine that with this year’s experimental schedule, in which the game is being played two weeks earlier than usual.

Ellis said he’s feeling fine, although that can’t be true because his hand, broken on the first play of the San Diego divisional-round game, hasn’t been taken care of yet. After playing the Colts in the AFC Championship Game, he removed the cast protecting the hand, revealing a hand that was swollen and not pretty.

But he didn’t flinch when, as a second alternate, he got the call to come on down. The hand could wait.

"First of all, there was the playoffs, so I definitely wanted to be a part of that," Ellis said. "And to play in the AFC Championship Game, and to also have the opportunity to play in this game obviously, like why not come and participate in it?"

Faneca is feeling the wear and tear more this year. As he told Sirius NFL Radio this week, "I just played in a game a couple of days ago. I keep reminding my other guards up here with me about that fact. It’s part of it. I’ve done it before."

When the Pro Bowl kicks off tonight around 7:30, it still won’t be the highly competitive football game that many fans want to see, especially with the Colts and Saints players factored out. But if you tune in for a minute or an hour or for the whole game, think of it as an awards show with pads and sweat, created to showcase not just the NFL’s biggest names but also those really good players in the trenches and elsewhere who really want to be here and take one last bow for the season just about completed.

Jets Notes at the Pro Bowl

Chargers coach Norv Turner, whose staff is coaching the AFC for this game, was miked up for part of Saturday’s morning practice at Lockhart Stadium. One of Norv’s comments involved Darrelle Revis. "Now Revis, I’m a little upset with him," Turner said, "after the way he treated us. But he’s a special player."

For some of the offensive plays Saturday, the O-line featured Faneca at LG, Nick Mangold at C and D’Brickashaw Ferguson at right tackle. And on tonight’s depth chart, all five Jets are listed as AFC starters: Mangold at C, Faneca at RG and Ferguson at RT on offense, Ellis at RDE and Revis at RCB on the 4-3 defense.

The Jets have had 12 Pro Bowlers the past two seasons. That’s the most they’ve had in back-to-back seasons since the 1970 merger. In 1968-69 the Green & White had 21 players named to the last two AFL All-Star Games.

For newyorkjets.com Pro Bowl coverage, I’ll be writing pregame and postgame Radar entries. During the game, I’ll tweet observations about the Jets’ five participants and other  pressbox notes on the Jets’ Twitter page. Sorry, Jets fans, no CoveritLive chat tonight.