EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Brett Favre and Mark Sanchez have never met.
Their football paths, however, will be forever linked.
Favre revitalized the New York Jets for one season - in 2008 - and made the image-lacking franchise relevant again despite a collapse that ended without a playoff appearance. His decision at the end of that season to retire - albeit briefly - cleared the way for the team to focus on its future.
"Had I come back that year, they probably don't draft Mark," Favre said. "And it's still early, but the guy has played great. I think he's shown great leadership, has fit into not only that team, but that city well. It's really worked out well for them."
So far, so good, for sure.
After a torn biceps derailed Favre's season and he stepped away from the game - again - a few months later, the Jets had to come up with another game plan. The team had Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman at the top of its list, but quickly fell for Sanchez, a talented but inexperienced slinger from Southern California.
By the time the draft rolled around in April, the Jets were confident that Sanchez was their guy. So, they traded up and snatched Sanchez with the fifth overall pick. Meanwhile, Favre had been granted his release from the Jets and would soon contemplate another return, this time with Minnesota.
"I give Mike Tannenbaum a lot of credit," Favre said of the Jets' general manager. "In a lot of ways, he rolls dice, he takes chances. You never know if those decisions will pan out, but you never know if you don't try. So it's really worked out for them. I think the sky's the limit for Mark. He's playing outstanding right now, and he's only going to get better."
Jets coach Rex Ryan says he would have tried recruiting Favre to play another season in New York if they had been unable to get Sanchez. Favre, 41 on Sunday, will get to see the man who replaced him up close Monday night, when the Vikings (1-2) take on the Jets (3-1) at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
"I'm excited to see Brett, but I just don't want to think about it too much," Sanchez said. "There's nothing really to get caught up in. He's a great quarterback just like (Tom) Brady, just like (Peyton) Manning. I've played against those guys before and we're so focused on what we're doing, that there won't be any awe factor."
Sanchez, 17 years younger than Favre, said he has watched plenty of film of the Vikings quarterback. Just as most of the other Jets have over the years.
"He's actually been in the league as long as some of these guys on this team have been born," Jets linebacker Jason Taylor said. "He's going to pull out all the tricks he's got over 20 years."
But, has Sanchez picked anything up from Favre during all that film study?
"Mechanically, no," Sanchez said with a laugh. "He's a stud. He can sling it. He's fun to watch, but I'll be looking to win."
Favre led the Vikings to the NFC championship game last year with one of the best seasons of his career.
"He's so good," Sanchez said. "Even when he's not having a great game, teams are terrified because he can always come back. He can always get you. He has magic. He's unbelievable."
Favre has struggled early with only two touchdowns and six interceptions, but has a new target to throw to after the Vikings acquired Randy Moss from the Patriots on Wednesday. He wanted Moss a few years ago, when he was still in Green Bay, and now has a receiver that will help stretch the field for an offense sorely in need of a complement to Adrian Peterson.
Moss said he thinks it's "going to be a fun ride."
"I'd be kidding if I said I wasn't excited about the opportunity and thought of playing with Randy," he said. "I'm speaking for every quarterback, how could you not be excited about playing with a player who has been dominant throughout his career?"
The Jets would love to have cornerback Darrelle Revis back in time to defend Moss. Revis strained his left hamstring while covering Moss, then with New England, on a touchdown catch in Week 2 and hasn't played since.
"We're certainly hoping he's ready to roll," Ryan said.
The Jets know Santonio Holmes will be, finally adding the former Super Bowl MVP to an offense that has looked impressive lately without him. Holmes missed the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
"We'll plug him into what we're doing and I think he'll be a great complement," Sanchez said. "He's a good guy for that and he's ready, obviously, so he'll be perfect for what we've been doing."
Sanchez has been terrific the past three weeks, leading the NFL with a 117.8 passer rating while throwing eight touchdown passes and no interceptions.
"I see a progression," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "I feel like he's comfortable with what they're doing."
Sanchez has certainly taken a big step forward in his development after leading the Jets to the AFC championship game as an inconsistent rookie. Last season was marked by mistakes, as evidenced by his 20 interceptions, and a lack of confidence. This year, Sanchez has taken command of his offense, and the prospect of getting into a scoring slugfest with one of the NFL's greatest gunslingers doesn't faze him.
"We're ready to play any kind of game we need to," Sanchez said. "Last week, we had to ground-and-pound it, that's fine. If it's snowing on Monday and we need to ground-and-pound it, that's great. If it's 72-71 and we're throwing for 400 yards, we're right there. It's going to be great, it's going to be fun."