Maybe Brett Favre just needed to get out of the green and white uniform.

No one could have predicted how Sunday’s wet contest between the Jets — donned in their old-school N.Y. Titans uniforms — and Cardinals panned out. Favre and the J-E-T-S were coming off a sloppy loss to the Chargers, a game in which the quarterback and receivers not only seemed to be on the wrong page, but entirely different books. Add the fact that Favre was held out of practice for much of the week thanks to a bum ankle, and it seemed the Jets were attempting to climb a mudslide.

Arizona, led by a rejuvenated Kurt Warner and his mighty receiving duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, seemed poised for the road win. New York appeared to be limping into its bye week, just hoping to claw out a win and move back to .500.

Oh what a difference a Sunday can make… or a quarter. After a sloppy, scoreless opening frame, the Jets scored 34 unanswered points in the second quarter, setting a franchise record. The Cardinals delivered a scare with a 21-0 edge in the third, but Favre put the stamp on the game with three TD passes in the fourth to set a career-high with six touchdown tosses — seemingly trying to silence his suddenly growing field of critics in the process.

Either the Cardinals’ secondary is just that bad, or Favre and his receivers are finally connecting. Jets fans now get an extra week to savor a memorable (and bizarre) win, while Favre can continue to learn the playbook and gel with the offense.

The Jets get the added bonus of playing the Bengals upon their return.

Here’s hoping the Jets stick with the Titan gold and blue when they do.

At least Michael Strahan didn’t drag this thing out, making Giants fans sit on pins and needles.

In the aftermath of the season-ending injury to Pro Bowler Osi Umenyiora, many believed Strahan, the recently retired 36-year-old defensive end, would make his return and once again strap on the pads for Big Blue. Strahan seriously considered the deal for a good 24-hour period, before ultimately deciding he had nothing left to give to the franchise for which he played 15 seasons.

“I have gone back and forth on this because as a player you’ll always want to play,” Strahan told foxsports.com. “You’ll never lose that urge to be out there. But I could only do this if I could commit 100 percent, physically, mentally, emotionally and I can’t do that. I’ve tried to convince myself and my body to give it one more year, but in the end I just don’t think I could turn it on like I need to again.”

Strahan’s decision shouldn’t come as surprise. The guy helped lead his team to the post improbable (and memorable) of Super Bowl runs. He left the league on top, John Elway style (OK, if he truly went out like Elway, he would have come back and won another ring).

But for the rest of his life, this future Hall of Famer can do no wrong in the eyes of Giants fans. He has nothing left to prove on the football field.

Had he agreed to return, the results would’ve been disappointing. I mean, less than two weeks away from the start of the regular season, the guy is vacationing in Greece. (If I were retired, I would be too.) It would take weeks for Strahan to be ready both physically and mentally, and by then, where would the team be?

So let the man enjoy his Greek vacations. And let’s see how he fares each Sunday donned in suit and tie for Fox, instead of helmet and pads for the Giants.

Don’t blame him for turning down his old team. Appreciate the fact that he at least entertained the idea of a return. And thank him for 15 years of service.

Can Jon Niese join the Mets’ rotation and become what Daniel Murphy has been for the team’s outfield?

It appears the 21-year-old lefty will have that chance, as Niese will reportedly make his big-league debut on Sept. 2 against the Brewers. With John Maine returning to the DL to rest his sore pitching shoulder — a repreive that is expected to last for at least three weeks — the Mets will again look to their farm system for help as they try to hold off the Fightin’ Phils.

If recent history is any indication, with the emergence of Murphy (batting .339 with 12 RBIs in 22 games), Niese may thrive in the face of his new challenge. The pitcher is 5-1 with a 3.65 ERA in six starts with Triple-A New Orleans.

With a low-90s fastball and a major-league curve and splitter, the 6-foot-3 southpaw may be able to mix up hitters in the short-term, as they adjust to seeing a new pitcher for the first time. Of course, you never know how a young pitcher is going to respond to being thrust into a pennant race, but it seems he gives them a better shot than a banged-up Maine for the time being.

The fat bellies and big heads of defending champions. The loss of Michael Strahan to retirement. The likelihood of David Tyree catching another pass with his helmet.

The New York Giants were going to have a hard enough time defending their Super Bowl crown as it was. Now Big Blue has lost arguably its best player to a knee injury. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora is gone for the season, and with it, so are the hopes of the Giants repeating.

To win a Super Bowl, a team must be dominant in at least one regard. For the Giants, the pass rush was their only dominant unit last year — and Umenyiora was at the center of it. The 26-year-old had a team-best 13 sacks on a squad that led the league with 53. Take those away, along with Strahan (nine sacks last season), and the sack attack starts to look very average. The Giants also lost Kawika Mitchell (4.5 sacks in 2007) to free agency.

Justin Tuck (10 sacks in 2007) now becomes the team’s top pass rusher, though his success is sure to decline with the loss of two of the game’s best ends, creating a trickle-down effect through the entire defense that will expose New York’s sub-par secondary.

The options for Umenyiora’s replacement — veteran free agents Renaldo Wynn and second-year pro Dave Tollefson – are certainly nothing to get excited about. The most sensible move would be to shift strongside linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka back to end, his natural position. 

Don’t hold your breath for Strahan to return, either. The guy has his ring and a new broadcasting deal with Fox.

It seems the Giants used up all their positive juju during their amazing Super Bowl run last year. Without Umenyiora, it’s hard to see the 2008 Giants as much more than a .500 ballclub.

When Brett Favre is not in the picture, one of the more interesting things to watch during the NFL preseason are the feel-good stories of players who seemingly come out of nowhere to make the team.

One such player this preseason has been Jets wide receiver David Clowney, a 2007 fifth-round pick for Green Bay who was quickly cut by the team and ended up on New York’s practice squad for the majority of his rookie campaign. But the Virginia Tech alum and Long Island native looked as if he might be the speedy deep threat Favre and the Jets’ offense needed in 2008 after amassing eight catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns to lead the team through the first two preseason games.

Unfortunately, during that second game against the Redskins, Clowney suffered a collarbone injury and is now expected to miss several weeks, according to Dave Hutchinson of The Newark Star-Ledger. You just hope his recovery is as speedy as his 40 time — 4.37 seconds — and that he can make an impact with the team this season.

As the Mets’ six-game winning streak came to a halt on Monday, thanks to an all too familiar blowup by the bullpen, Mets fans were reminded just how much they miss Billy Wagner. But with Billy facing yet another setback in his rehab, it remains unknown just how long New York will be without the closer they love to hate.

In the meantime, there’s a pennant race going on, and the Mets’ recent surge isn’t going to cover up the fact that the bullpen needs help — and more than just Luis Ayala. And at this time of year, the franchise will likely have to search internally for solutions.

John Maine, two starts removed from the disabled list, recently said he’d move to the ‘pen if needed. And while that’s very noble of the young starter, Maine pitching the ninth doesn’t make as much sense as Pedro Martinez.

In 13 starts this season, Pedro is averaging a mere 5 1/3 innings per outing, resulting in more work for an awful bullpen, and more chances to blow critical victories. But Pedro is a saavy veteran who’s been throwing up to 91 miles per hour this season. And if he could save the bullpen — and ultimately the Mets’ season — he’d put his Hall of Fame career back in the spotlight much more so than as a starter who can no longer make it to the seventh inning.

During the Mets’ post-game show on Monday, Keith Hernandez said the team shouldn’t mess with its rock-solid rotation. But how can you not? It’s much easier to fill the No. 5 spot in the rotation than it is to find a reliable pitcher to finish out close victories.

Why not move Brian Stokes (10-8, 4.41 ERA in 22 starts at Triple-A New Orleans) out of the ‘pen, where he’s not used to pitching, and into the rotation? He may not be the greatest solution, but couldn’t you live with a rotation of Johan Santana, Maine, Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey and Stokes for the sake of the relief corps?

Since the All-Star break, the Mets’ bullpen ERA is 6.53. Something needs to change. Otherwise, the Mets will be at home come October.

Hideki Matsui is expected back for the Yankees as early as Tuesday, when the Bombers open a series with the Blue Jays. Joe Girardi said he expects Godzilla, whose been on the DL with inflammation in his knee since June 27, to play DH for the rest of the season to decrease the risk of reinjuring the outfielder’s balky knee.

Sunday’s offensive explosion aside, the Yankees could surely use Matsui’s left-handed bat, and (ideally) his clutch hitting. But is Matsui’s return too little too late for New York’s playoff hopes?

Contradictory to what the New York Post’s George A. King III suggests, the Yankees season did not die on August 13. Heading into Monday, New York trailed the Red Sox by five games in the wild-card chase and the Twins/White Sox by 4.5 games. The Yankees aren’t dead, just on life support. That’s exactly why they need all hands on deck for the final six weeks of the season. Even Carl Pavano may be getting in the act, with a potential Saturday start against the Orioles looming.

Youth and inexperience haven’t slowed the Tampa Bay Rays. Could injuries to two of their best players?

All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday, joining fellow All-Star Carl Crawford, who was placed on injured reserve just the day before.

It goes without saying that this is a major blow for a ball club enjoying a dream season, the Rays having eclipsed their franchise record in wins on Sunday with their 71st. At this point, Crawford’s bizarre finger injury appears to be the more devastating one, with the looming possibility that the outfielder will need season-ending surgery. Longoria, meanwhile, could return within two to three weeks.

Willy Aybar (.225, 6 HRs) takes over at third base, while minor-league call-up Justin Ruggiano (.315 with 11 home runs for Triple-A Durham) will join Eric Hinske and Gabe Gross in left field.

So what does this mean for the AL East chase? It certainly gives the Red Sox (four games back heading into Tuesday) and Yankees (nine games back) hope – especially considering they each play the Rays six more times in September.

But with the Yankees tripping over themselves lately, they have their own problems to worry about. The Rays’ injuries should make the pennant chase more interesting, though it isn’t exactly how Rocky Balboa would want to go about it.

There are many reasons Jets fans should be excited about the Brett Favre trade:

1. They no longer have to watch a QB with a Johnny Damon lollipop for an arm. Sorry, Chad. You played hard and were an accurate passer and all, but even at age-38 Brett can put more mustard on the ball than you could in a game of Madden.
2. The Giants might never precede the Jets on SportsCenter this season.
3. We get to see Brady vs. Favre times two.
4. An offense that was originally built around the running game can now add an entirely new dimension to its attack.
5. Countless moments of Brett feeling awkward and uncomfortable in the big city spotlight. Welcome the Big Apple, country boy. You’ve already handled it better than Randy Johnson.

There are more reasons than that, of course. Like Brett giving fans a sense of hope and delivering a vision of playoff dreams and Super Bowl fantasies that they haven’t felt since the days of Broadway Joe.

Well, I’m here to tear away all of your hopes and dreams. To bring you back down into a land of reality. Don’t get me wrong, it will be much more interesting watching the Brett Favre Jets than it was last year’s 4-12 club. But let’s remember that fact: The Jets were only 4-12 last season.

Sure they bolstered their offensive line with Alan Faneca (very good still) and Damien Woody (overrated, if not below average at this point), which I think is going to help running back Thomas Jones have a bounce-back season. The team is also deeper on offense and improved on defense with the additions of Kris Jenkins, Calvin Pace and rookie Vernon Gholston, so the Jets should have been better this season with or without Favre.

But in the AFC, I have a hard time imagining the J-E-T-S pulling off what the Giants did last season.

The fact of the matter is the Jets are in a race against time in a league that doesn’t exactly allow teams to play catch-up. One of the first things Favre said at his introductory press conference was that he’s out of shape – I mean, compared to the other guys. Not to mention, he didn’t know a soul on his new team before yesterday, let alone the team’s playbook.

New York’s season opener at Miami is pivotal, because the Jets follow that contest with a home game against the Patriots and a roadie at San Diego – two games in which the Jets will be definite underdogs.

Can they go 10-6 and make the playoffs? If everything comes together and they get a little luck, I could see it. After all, they are playing the lowly NFC West this season.

But can they actually beat the likes of the Patriots, Colts and Chargers come playoff-time? Hard to imagine.

That being said, the NFL is a win-now league. There is no waiting around because things can change in a heartbeat. That’s why, no matter how you feel about Favre, you have to applaud Jets management for taking a shot. Was it partly a publicity thing? No doubt. But it was a football thing, too, and there’s no question that the Jets are a better team today than they were on Wednesday.

Manny a Dodger?! Pudge a Yankee?! Griffey on the White Sox?!

It’s hard to remember a July 31 trade deadline as bizarre as 2008. Historically, one or two big deals get done, while the rest of the rumor mill comes to a halt because teams don’t settle for mediocre deals. The team with the star usually wants too many top prospects in return, and the team with the prospects won’t budge.

Of course, that was hardly the case this year, as teams seemed content to settle for weak returns in an effort to dump salary or bad attitudes.

So without further ado, here’s a rundown of the winners and losers of this year’s wheelin’ and dealin’.

WINNERS

Yankees. What a month for The Bronx Bombers. After hosting the All-Star Game, the Yanks get hot and propel themselves back into the race. Then they add a valuable bat and corner outfielder in Xavier Nady, along with a long-coveted lefty reliever in Damaso Marte. Then they make up for the loss of Jorge Posada by adding Ivan Rodriguez, only giving up Kyle Farnsworthto get him. And then, as if things could have gotten any better, their archrivals banished Manny Ramirez to the Left Coast. New York could use another starting pitcher, but they may still be able to acquire Jarrod Washburn or another arm through the waiver wire. Yankee haters everywhere can feel their stomachs turning. Grade: A

Angels. Did the team with the best record in baseball quietly just become the best team in baseball? They already had the pitching, all they needed was that middle-of-the-order bat to solidify themselves. And they did just that by adding Mark Teixeira, a rental player, but a significant upgrade at first base over the still finding himself Casey Kotchman. The Yankees do not want to see this team in October. Grade: A

Dodgers. Let me get this straight. L.A. adds a Hall of Fame bat to its lineup, doesn’t have to pay him anything, and they only have to give up two players that weren’t in their plans anyway? Between that and the addition of the solid-hitting Casey Blake, I’d say the mediocre NL West is going to be won or lost by Joe Torre’s club. Grade: A

Cubs. This was a ways back now, but Chicago added fragile ace Rich Harden to its rotation, as well as a versatile young pitcher in Chad Gaudin, in exchange for a handful of OK prospects. Based on the standings — Chicago has a five-game lead in the Central — I’d say that was a good move. Grade: A-

White Sox. With Paul Konerko and Nick Swisher struggling mightily, bringing in Ken Griffeycouldn’t hurt. He hasn’t had a great season, either, though he has managed to stay healthy for the most part. Don’t know how much this will improve the team, or where Griffey will fit in, but it certainly couldn’t hurt ticket sales. Grade: B

Brewers. C.C. Sabathia has been outstanding since coming over to the National League, as the Brew Crew decided to “go for it all” this season. It just seems that the Cubs have a little too much for Milwaukee to compete. And the sad thing is, Milwaukee is likely to lose Sabathia and/or Ben Sheetsin free agency this offseason. Grade: B

A’s. Billy Beane knew his team wasn’t good enough to compete with the Angels this season. And he didn’t let his team’s surprising start alter his vision of the future. So he promptly continued to rip the hearts out of A’s fans by trading Harden, Gaudin and Joe Blanton after shipping out Dan Haren and Nick Swisherin the offseason in exchange for a laundry list of prospects. I think I speak for all A’s fans when I say I’m tired of this act. But at the same time, we somehow still have faith that Beane knows what he’s doing. Grade: Incomplete

LOSERS

Mets. A corner outfielder anyone? A little bullpen help? Maybe another starter with the fragility of Pedro Martinez and John Maine in question? There’s always the waiver wire, but New York didn’t do anything to help separate itself from the NL East pack. Then again, as you’ll read below, neither did its competition. Grade: D

Marlins. Arthur Rhodes? Seriously? That guy is still getting paid to play baseball? That’s all I have to say about that. Grade: D

Phillies. Joe Blanton– a flyball pitcher in a hitter’s park — for three top prospects. Well, at least they made an effort to get better. Grade: C+

Pirates. We’ll have to wait and see how their prospects pan out, but for my money, Pittsburgh is the worst-run organization in baseball. Whatever they do, you figure they’re going to mess it up. Grade: Incomplete

Red Sox. Jason Bay is young, can move in the outfield and isn’t the talker Manny is. That said, he isn’t the hitter Manny is, either. David Ortiz, get ready to receive the Barry Bonds treatment. And Red Sox Nation, I’m sorry, I just can’t see a return trip to the World Series without Manny. Grade: C-

Tigers. Detroit desperately needed to improve its bullpen — but this? Was this the only way to go about it? Ship out your Hall of Fame catcher for Kyle Farnsworth? The Tigers have been down the Farnsworth road before, and as good of a season as he’s having, he’s just as likely to blow up as Todd Jones or Fernando Rodney. Isn’t that right, crybaby? Grade: D+

Rays. With all the moves the Yankees were making, you’d have thought Tampa would be looking to improve, as well. But, I’ll give them a break. This is the Rays’ first time in postseason contention, after all. Besides, they hold a three-game lead in the East, so maybe they didn’t need any help. Grade: C

Diamondbacks. Arizona boosted its bullpen by adding Jon Rauch, but didn’t address an offense that could use some assistance. As great as their pitching is, Manny may make the difference. Grade: C+

Twins. I’m not sure how they’re still in the race without the likes of Johan Santana and Torii Hunter around anymore. So even though they didn’t make any moves, I just have to give them credit for that. Grade: C+