When an angry Jessie Armstead and a ticked-off Vinny Testaverde were nose-to-nose, their facemasks all but interlocking before they squared off, what unpleasantries do you suppose they were hurling at each other?

“No words at all,” Testaverde said.

“Ain’t no big deal,” added Armstead.

We’ll see about that.

The heated first-quarter altercation, featuring a pair of Pro Bowlers, was the most vivid moment of a pre-season affair that offered a tempting appetizer to what should be a hearty main course on Dec. 5, when the Giants and Jets knock heads for real Until then, take last night’s 16-10 Jets victory at Giants Stadium, remember the early bitterness and file it way for a later date.

“I’m sure the next meeting will be highly-anticipated, let’s put it that way,” Kent Graham said.

“Sometimes it has an effect, but that doesn’t mean we’re automatically going to win,” countered Curtis Martin, “but at the same time I do believe we set a tone.”

The wild, early scene did not deteriorate into a full-fledged nasty assault, but there could be lingering resentment. The next meeting, though, is a long, long time away, and what is more pressing for both sides is determining what progress is being made as the regular season approaches.

What was learned? The Jets (2-1) may have found their backup quarterback (Ray Lucas) and dusted off their dormant running game (127 yards in one half for Curtis Martin) as their defense gave the Giants fits. Graham and the Giants’ soaring offense came back to earth and their surging defense was at times slapped around (191 rushing yards by the Jets) as they dropped to 2-1 with an uneven performance that infuriated Jim Fassel more than a pre-season game normally does.

Fassel did not think his club came out with the necessary fire and determination, which could be troubling for a still-young team learning to handle prosperity. “I don’t think we played an inspired game,” Fassel said. “I’m just really disappointed.”

With all that, the Giants had a shot to pull out a victory in the closing seconds, but a pass from Kerry Collins could not be hauled in by Joe Jurevicius. Graham was 13 of 22 for 125 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Collins, playing with a rag-tag second line, was 3 of 7 for 59 yards.

The Giants received a scare when center Brian Williams, making a successful comeback after missing two seasons with an eye injury, was forced out midway through the second quarter with a sprained left knee that is believed to be cartilage damage, the extent of which is not known.

The game was rarely artistic, but it was always tough. “The kind of game, battle, I think it helps you for the season,” said Bill Parcells, who made a surprise move by starting Ray Lucas instead of Testaverde.

Just another game? The sight of an irate Armstead going after Testaverde was all the evidence needed to prove otherwise. Armstead deflected a Testaverde pass late in the first quarter and with the ball in the air, the action boiled over. Armstead thought Testaverde might try to catch the loose ball and he went hard at the Jets’ QB. “I tried to knock it back down, that’s when he hit me and I grabbed him,” said Armstead, who landed a forearm in the battle. “That’s when all the hoopla started.”

Testaverde (9 of 15, 94 yards) had a slightly different version of the same play. “I went to bat it down and he tried to make a play on it,” he said. “He kind of went after me a little bit, I saw him coming, which was fine, and we just had a little scuffle there. Just a little shoving, getting caught up in the emotion of the game.”

After soaring past the Vikings and Jaguars, this was a different story for Graham and Co. The Giants allowed five sacks (they gave up none in the first two games) and Graham was under constant pressure. He was picked off, for the first time this preseason, in the third quarter when his bomb to Amani Toomer was tipped by Victor Green and intercepted by Ray Mickens. For the first time this preseason, there were no big plays out of Graham’s right arm. His longest completion was a 27-yard swing pass to Charles Way and Toomer, his big-play threat, was shut out. The lone Giants TD was Graham’s 12-yard pass on the move to Jurevicius.

The Giants’ run defense was guilty of poor tackling and was helpless to stop Martin’s zig-zagging 80-yard touchdown romp that put the Jets up 16-7 in the second quarter.

The sight of Lucas as the Jets starting quarterback was a shock, but Parcells wanted to get Lucas work with the first team. Throwing only safe passes, Lucas was 4 of 4 for 26 yards and his only series produced a crisp 13-play, 77-yard scoring drive, polished off on Martin’s 9-yard run on a draw play, as Martin plowed over Percy Ellsworth near the goal-line.