At 1:20 this afternoon, Elvis entered the playing field wearing a Jets uniform for the first time.
When Brett Favre appeared wearing his red No. 4 quarterback jersey, the fans overflowing the grandstands and swelling around the practice field cheered loudly with a standing ovation.
When Favre acknowledged the crowd with a wave, the cheers grew louder.
Never before has a Jets training camp session had this kind of buzz. Team officials estimated that there were 10,500 in attendance, an absurd number by comparison to what usually turns out for these practices, which usually attract about a quarter of that.
“This is a lot of people . . . even for New York,” Kellen Clemens said.
As Favre began taking snap drills with the other quarterbacks, Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” blared from the sound system speakers.
The Jets hope this is the beginning of glory days for their franchise, which is coming off a 4-12 season and desperate to get back to the postseason.
Favre received gasps and wild cheers for merely completing passes to his receivers during drills that included no one playing defense. When he completed a deep pass over the middle to Jerricho Cotchery, who made a one-handed snare in an 11-on-11 drill, the fans erupted. They even cheered Favre for throwing the ball out of bounds when there was no receiver open.
Favre, who hadn’t worn full pads since the Packers’ NFC Championship loss to the Giants last January, looked remarkably sharp during his reps. He never really let the ball fly, perhaps saving himself, but he looked as prepared as a player who had been in camp all summer.
Clemens, Favre’s backup, was impressed.
“The arm strength is everything you heard it would be and probably more,” Clemens said. “And as the season goes on, you’ll probably see more eye-opening things from him.”
Favre, conceding he “didn’t want to look bad,” said he went after it perhaps a bit more than he should have for a first day.
“I was probably overly excited as I started practice, and I’m going to pay for that (today),” he said. “I’m really a rookie. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I’m not going to tell you that I’ve got this offense down and I’m not going to tell you that I knoww everyone in the locker room.
“I’m two weeks behind in camp. And I’m 38 years old, which puts me behind.”
He’ll catch up by starting in Saturday’s preseason game against the Redskins at Giants Stadium, a game that will be nationally televised.
The consensus among Jets players is that Favre appears to be picking up the offense well in a short time.
“He’s a really smart guy; he’s picking up on it real fast,” Clemens said.
“There is definitely a heightened sense of awareness from everyone to get o n the same page as him,” said left guard Alan Faneca, who was part of the recruiting process, speaking to Favre the day he signed to give him a newcomer’s perspective on the team.
Safety Kerry Rhodes said the presence of Favre and the huge crowd that came to see him “gave us a certain energy that, if it’s going to be like this the whole year, is definitely a plus.”
Even Eric Mangini, as he surveyed the overcrowded press room, seemed to get some energy from the vibe.
“Guess word’s out how much better my press conferences are,” he quipped.
Turning more serious, Mangini spoke about some things he told the team, about not expecting Favre to be wearing a Superman cape.
“You can add one person, but there’s no magic formula; there’s no magic dust,” Mangini said. “It’s going to take a team effort. And, (Favre) won’t be playing the kickoff team. He won’t be on kickoff return. He’s not going to stop the run.”
Mangini is trying to retain as much normalcy around his team despite the circus that has followed Favre here.
“He’s under the same rules as the rest of the team, and that’s what he wants,” Mangini said. “That’s what I liked about him when I talked to him early in the process. He’s not looking to be any different than any of the other guys.
“I recognize that it is different. It is unique. But he’s unique in that sense too. He’s a regular guy.”