The offseason plight of Brett Favre was the biggest storyline of the offseason, and he's the top story in Week 1 of the new NFL season.

The New York Jets haven’t had a leader and playmaker at quarterback for some time, but after acquiring the future Hall of Famer in an August trade with Green Bay, that shortcoming has been fixed.

The expectations of Jets fans are through the roof, though they may be unrealistic. When the Jets ranked 25th in the league in net passing yards in 2007, their quarterbacks were sacked 53 times. Only three teams -- the Chiefs (55), 49ers (55) and Lions (54) -- endured more sacks of their quarterback.

The 38-year-old Favre isn’t known for his mobility. Over the last two seasons, only three quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions. And the Jets have a less-than-inspiring group of receivers.

The good news is, Favre should be aided by the addition of veteran linemen Alan Faneca and Damien Woody. The Jets also bolstered their defensive unit by trading for DT Kris Jenkins, signing LB Calvin Pace and drafting LB Vernon Gholston with their first-round pick. A year ago, New York allowed an average of 134.8 yards per game on the ground, and the defensive acquisitions will be expected to slow down the opposition’s running game.

The retooled Jets should be better. They are coming off two 4-12 seasons in the last three years, with a 10-6 campaign sandwiched in between in 2006, which sparked hope for 2007. Dreams of a playoff bid faded quickly a year ago, as New York lost eight of its first nine games. For the season, the Jets averaged just 16.8 points a game with Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens taking the snaps.

Can Brett the Jet fuel a turnaround? Favre is still learning the Jets offense, but it’s reasonable to expect New York to finish near the .500 mark. After all, Favre is 18-4 as Green Bay’s quarterback since starting the Pack on an eight-game regular-season winning streak in December 2006.

Although a team’s success depends on a lot more than its quarterback, more often than not, Favre made the Packers a better team. An AFC East division title appears out of reach in 2008, but if the Jets are much improved on both sides of the ball, Jet Favre could lead his team to a wild-card berth.