He's still out and won't make an appearance in tomorrow night's preseason opener against the Steelers.

Hmmm. Wonder how Lito Sheppard feels.

Sheppard hasn't gotten the raise he's been after, nor has he been traded.

I asked one of the guys how much the t-shirts were going for and he responded: "Are you a cop?"

After assuring him I was simply a curious reporter, he said the t-shirts were $10 each. His buddy then quipped, "Two for $20."

Favre is about to speak alongside team owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum.

Sorry for the lack of blogging today. It is not easy to drive, fly and get to a stadium and type at the same time. My apologies.

I'm sure a large segment of Jets' fans is ecstatic over the trade, although I'm still skeptical that a 38-year-old Favre playing with a new team will not be a magic bullet.

As always, I am certainly open to being proven wrong. Welcome to New York, Mr. Favre.

The Jets have landed the Packers' Hall of Fame quarterback in a trade that will surely go down as one of the biggest in team history.

Wow.

Chad Pennington.

Kellen Clemens.

Brett Favre.

Given Favre's star status, not to mention the overheated entreaties by some in the media, you might assume he'd be the runaway favorite as we await word on whether the Jets or Bucs will land the 38-year-old quarterback. If so, you'd assume incorrectly.

It's almost 4:30 p.m., and more than 4,000 people have weighed in on the question on Newsday.com's poll, and the results are as follows:

Pennington (1674 responses) 37.6%

4447 total responses (Results not scientific)

Thus, a shade over 50 percent of Jets fans prefer either Pennington or Clemens over Favre.

My vote would not go to Favre either (Pennington is the choice here), simply because it is too late in the game for Favre to come in, learn Eric Mangini's system cold and be a viable quarterback for the entire season.

And don't forget the fact that he has sent out definitive signals that he was not interested in the Jets ... until his agent, Bus Cook, started spreading the word today that he is, in fact, interested in the Jets. All of which sounds like an agent trying to get a deal done by not limiting the Packers' options.

"We are a good football team," Gruden told reporters today in Orlando, where the Buccaneers train. "We're trying to become a great one. We'll do anything we can to get better. And if that involves looking at other players, by George that's our job. That's our responsibility."

By George, that means getting Favre!

Could it be that Favre is just saying that he'd be willing to move to New York without really feeling that way?

There's really no way of telling, because Favre isn't talking directly about it. But don't discount the possibility that Favre is sending out signals that he's interested as a way to drive up the price of a deal that would satisfy the Packers.

In other words, if the Jets are offering the best deal, and if Favre says he's willing to play in New York but really wants to play in Tampa, then he needs to somehow make the Bucs think he's interested in the Jets so the Bucs will drive up the price to satisfy the Packers' trade demands?

I know it's complicated. Just re-read the previous paragraph five times and you'll understand.

Stay tuned.

PS: I know that the Jets are concerned about this situation, to the point where they don't want to be perceived as a pawn being used for leverage on a Bucs' deal.

Foxsports' Jay Glazer said on ESPN Radio that the Jets' trade offer right now is better than the Bucs' offer, although no deal has been done.

The Jets have remained largely in the background on the Favre issue, but it has not dampened their desire to strongly consider making a deal. The hangup: Favre is reluctant to join a 4-12 team that plays in the country's largest media market.

UPDATE: Favre's agent, Bus Cook, says Favre is willing to play for either Tampa or the Jets. All of which plays into Green Bay's hands, since it now has some leverage dealing with both teams.

Anyway, Boomer had some interesting things to say (he always does, doesn't he?) about the Favre situation. He mostly blames the Packers for the mess, although I tend to think there is blame on both sides.

Anyway, it is the second consecutive Wednesday that my column has quoted a famous WFAN radio personality. Last week, it was Craig Carton going at it with Chad Pennington.

...

A favorite Boomer story I never get tired of re-telling:

On draft day in 1992, former Cincinnati Inquirer beat reporter Geoff Hobson, who has a thick Boston accent, was asking a question to David Klingler on a conference call. Klingler had just been drafted in the first round, even though Esiason was still with Cincinnati.

Here's how the conversation went:

Hobson: "Have you talked to Boomah yet?"

Klingler: "I'm sorry. I couldn't understand the question."

Hobson: "Have you talked to Boomah yet?"

Klingler: "I'm sorry, could you repeat the question."

An increasingly agitated Hobson then asked: "Have you ever met Norman Julius Esiason Jr.?"

Klingler: "Oh, you mean Boomer. No, we haven't talked yet."

I still think the Jets are in the mix in trade discussions, but all along, Tampa has been the more likely fit. We'll see. Soon.

Still no confirmation on this, but we're awaiting Packers coach Mike McCarthy's meeting with the press.

Stay tuned.

The team will also sit running back Deuce McAllister, who is trying to come back from two knee surgeries.

(I assume having Shockey in a headline will prompt "Craig" to post a comment ripping said tight end. Fire away, my friend.)