"During his conference call with the New England media Wednesday, Jets quarterback Brett Favre made a point of singling out Patriots defensive end Adalius Thomas for kudos.

“A.D. is friend of mine,” said Favre, “a Southern Miss guy and a hell of a player.”

That was good for a chuckle yesterday from Thomas, who graduated in 1999 from Southern Mississippi - the same place where Favre was a star from 1987-90. Favre still lives in Hattiesburg, Miss., where Thomas hosts a football camp each April.

“We went to the same school, had the same agent (James ‘Bus’ Cook), yeah, I know Brett pretty good,” said Thomas. “I saw him in the offseason a couple of times. We were actually at Disney World with our kids at the same time and I saw him, about the time he announced his retirement.”

It was a retirement, of course, that didn’t last very long.

Thomas will get an up-close look at the 38-year-old Favre Sunday at the Meadowlands as the Patriots and Jets meet in Week 2 of the NFL season.

Thomas concedes there’s a little extra challenge in facing a living legend like Favre.

“You look at Brett and he’s going to go to the Hall of Fame, one of the best quarterbacks ever,” said Thomas. “He’s got the great arm, all the heroic plays he’s made. He’s a tough guy, a gunslinger. He can make all the throws.

“He probably throws the ball a lot harder than most other quarterbacks. He can fit the ball into a small hole. Very athletic, very strong arm, very smart player.”

And where erstwhile Jets quarterback Chad Pennington had limited mobility, Favre knows how to move around and buy time.

“He moves around pretty well,” said Thomas. “He definitely knows how to avoid sacks. He’s kind of deceiving that way. It’s like you’ve got him . . . and no you don’t. He slips out of it. He did it last week in Miami. They’ve got him, but he slips out of it and throws a touchdown. That’s Brett Favre all the way.”

Thomas said the Pats expect to see more deep throws from Favre than they would have from Pennington, whose arm isn’t nearly as powerful.

Thomas said any questions about how much Favre, in his 18th season, has left, have never occurred to the Pats.

“Ask Miami how much he has left, ask everyone last year,” said Thomas. “He still can make all the throws. I don’t know how his body recovers, but that’s not my concern. My concern is how we play him. We know what kind of quarterback he is and we know we have to stay disciplined.”

And the Pats defense obviously has more to worry about than just the guy wearing No. 4.

“The key is stopping the run,” said Thomas. “If you don’t stop the run, you haven’t got to worry about the pass. It’s not just about Brett. We have to play our defense, do the things we’re supposed to do. And when the situation calls for us to bring pressure (on Favre), then we’ve got to bring pressure.”"