Only in Cleveland would the most anticipated press conference of the sports year be relegated to a small room in the basement of a stadium.
But that’s where Brett Favre was Thursday night, being introduced as a member of the New York Jets while essentially sitting inside a storage closet.
The cramped logistics made Jets employees grumble, national football writers curse under their breath and stadium staffers chuckle — all for good reason.
The symbolism was clear, if unintentional: Favre might be the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but he wasn’t the best QB on this rainy evening at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
That honor was reserved for Derek Anderson, who continues to be the toast of Browns Town as the leader of Cleveland’s high-octane offense. He picked up right where he left off last year against the Jets by leading the Browns down the field for a touchdown on their first drive of the preseason.
The TD march was vintage D.A. — if there is such a thing — as he completed four of five crisp passes and finished it with a 2-yard score to Braylon Edwards. The throw was placed perfectly, where no New York defender could reach it, and allowed Edwards to make a gorgeous one-handed catch by the sideline.
It was the same great chemistry they showed last season in hooking up for a team-record 16 scores, which ranked second in the NFL to New England’s Tom Brady and Randy Moss. All told, Anderson threw one more TD than Favre in 2007 while attempting eight fewer passes.
Perhaps even more impressive, Anderson has fashioned a better winning percentage (.556 to .521) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (1.26 to 1.06) than Favre since coming into the league three years ago.
Favre acknowledged Anderson’s coming of age by exchanging warm greetings as play was about to resume after a one-hour thunderstorm delay. The 2008 Pro Bowl selections also had a brief conversation in which both sported genuine smiles throughout.
While the torrential downpour brought an early end to Anderson’s night, it gave Favre an opportunity to attempt his first unofficial passes in the Jets’ green and white. He made a series of throws to team personnel on the sideline — with dozens of cameramen, 100 reporters and thousands of fans following his every move.
The convergence of events made for a picture-perfect night, right down to one of the prettier downpours one will ever see. If you missed it, imagine the blizzard that hit during the Cleveland-Buffalo game last December, but with sheets of water swirling through the stands instead of snow.
The conditions were wet, but in no way did they dampen the enthusiasm in the stands or on the home sideline. Nor did Favre crashing the party, the tedious pace of play or New York rallying in the second half for a 24-20 win.
This evening was all about the return of football to the lakefront.
Let the games begin.
Contact Brian Dulik at 329-7135 or sports@ohio.net.

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