04/15 — They play the games in the fall but that doesn’t make schedule day any less exciting. Even though we already knew whom the Jets would face in 2008, we didn’t know when and we wondered for months. Well, thankfully we ain’t wondering anymore!

When we internally received the official email early this afternoon, I decided to break the season up into quarters to view what was on the horizon.

Quarter 1 — @ Miami, vs. New England, @ San Diego (MON), vs. Arizona

EA Riff: The Jets didn’t have to wait long to see Big Tuna, huh? Did someone say sweltering? The Green & White will have just completed a tough training camp in the heat and they should be more than prepared for some oppressive South Florida conditions. Then they’ll stay within the division and battle the Patriots at the Meadowlands. Forget the storylines — this is a home division game against an opponent that didn’t lose once in the regular season a year ago.

In Week 3, the Jets make a return to prime time against the Bolts in SoCal. San Diego was an impressive 7-1 at home last season and owns one of the most talented rosters in football. We’re looking forward to David Harris meeting LT. But following a red-eye trip home early Tuesday, the Jets will have a very short week to prepare for the Arizona Cardinals. The Cards were just 2-6 on the road in 2007, but they possess one of the better receiving duos in football with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. One might think Darrelle Revis will get acquainted with Fitzgerald throughout the afternoon.

Quarter 2 — vs. Cincinnati, @ Oakland, vs. Kansas City, @ Buffalo

EA Riff: Moving time? The Bengals won two games away from home in ’07, Da Raiders were just 2-6 at home, and the Chiefs won two games on the road last season and dropped their regular-season finale to the Jets at the Meadowlands.

Expect nothing less than an inspiring performance from the Bills, though. They’ve won four of five against the Jets in western New York and feel good about their defense after acquiring DT Marcus Stroud from Jacksonville and picking up LB Kawika Mitchell in free agency. We’re putting a spotlight on Stroud and new Jets nose Kris Jenkins when these teams collide.

Quarter 3 — vs. St. Louis, @ New England (THURS), @ Tennessee, vs. Denver

EA Riff: The Rams have entered rebuilding mode and own the second overall selection in next weekend’s draft. The Jets make their NFL Network debut up in Foxboro and perhaps the saving grace here is they’re familiar with the opponent. If you play on Thursday, you basically cram a week’s prep into a day and a half, jump in the plane Wednesday and you’re on the field before you know it.

Then after an extended break, the Jets visit the Titans again for a third consecutive season. Points were hard to come by for Tennessee last year and the Jets almost scored an upset of Vince Young and company last December. Throughout the off-season, reports circulated that the Broncos were interested in obtaining DT Dewayne Robertson. As of now, D-Rob is still a member of the Jets. But might Robertson be a visitor on Nov. 30?

Quarter 4 — @ San Francisco, vs. Buffalo, @ Seattle, vs. Miami

EA Riff: No back-to-back trips to the West Coast for New York’s AFC representative as the 49ers are Trip 3 on the Pacific swing. An old-time December slobberknocker with the Bills precedes a date with the ‘Hawks in Washington. If the Jets and the ‘Hawks are still in the mix at that point, this would seem to be a game perfect for flex scheduling.

The league could incorporate a large-market team from the East Coast against a club that owns one of the better home-field advantages in football. The ‘Hawks finished 8-1 at home last season (including their playoff victory) and only the Patriots have won more home games over the past six seasons. Following Christmas, the Jets conclude the regular season against who else but Bill Parcells.

Final Thoughts

We’re going to find out a lot about this team in September. The Dolphins may not have the most talented roster in the league but they’ll be game in front of a reinvigorated fan base. There’s not much to be said about a two-week stretch against New England and San Diego other than challenging. That game vs. Arizona (following the short week) heading into an early bye might prove critical.

There are no long stretches away from home. In fact, the Green & White play back-to-back roadies only once and they’ll have a 10-day November interval between dates with the Pats (Nov. 13) and the Titans (Nov. 23).

Randy Lange, our editor-in-chief extraordinaire, points out in our news story on the schedule that the bookend games with the Dolphins mark the first time in franchise history that the Jets will open and close with the same team.

All right, let's have it. We know you’re pumped and want to know what you think of this freshly released ’08 slate.