The litany of sensations running through the Jets’ respective minds and bodies will be different, yet very much the same.
There will be nerves. There will be pressure to show team management that the offseason free-agent money was well spent.
And there will be adrenaline pumping at a fever pitch.
As the Jets stand in the tunnel for pre-game introductions tomorrow in Buffalo, they will have no fewer than five players on defense making their first regular-season start in New York’s green-and-white uniforms.
Three-quarters of the secondary is new, with cornerbacks Aaron Beasley and Donnie Abraham and strong safety Sam Garnes making their respective Jets debuts, along with defensive tackle Josh Evans and linebacker Sam Cowart, who’s facing his former team.
“It’s going to be an amazing feeling for me,” Evans said. “I haven’t really even come to grips that I’m a New York Jet. I feel so blessed to be here. I want to go out and make a statement.”
Evans, who was a productive run-stopping interior lineman for the Titans the last several years, is sure to help a Jets rushing defense that ranked 28th in the NFL last season.
“I’m trying to hold it in right now,” Beasley said yesterday of his anticipation for tomorrow. “At game time, there will be a little anxiety and nervousness. But if you’re not nervous for a big NFL opening day, you’re not ready to play.
“This is like a fresh start for me,” Beasley went on. “I’m going to be like a wide-eyed rookie out there. Right now, I’m channeling, trying to save all my energy to stay focused. I know at game time I’m going to be like a little kid out there.”
For Garnes, a New York native and rabid Jets fan as a kid, tomorrow will be the realization of a dream, though he’s trying his best to hold his emotions in check.
“The closer it gets to a game, the more angry I get,” Garnes said. “I play my best when I’m not happy. That’s how I get myself before a game.”
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Edwards said DT Larry Webster, who’s listed as questionable with a right knee sprain, likely will not play, because he’s “concened” he’s not quite ready . . . Long snapper James Dearth, who strained his left Achilles’ tendon in Thursday’s practice and is listed as questionable, might be replaced by Dennis O’Sullivan . . . Edwards confirmed DE John Abraham (left knee sprain) will start and play in a limited role, saying: “He’s pretty adamant about starting and I’m not going to stand in his way. I want to see how he reacts to certain things, because [the Bills] are probably going to run at him right away to see how he feels.” . . . The Jets waived WR Derek Dorris, who was claimed off waivers after being cut by the Giants.
