"Brett Favre never has been 10-0, actually no better than 4-0 and just twice, the last time on the way to 10-1 in 2007.

But he has been a defending Super Bowl champion and it took until the following Jan. 25, 1999, for the Packers to get run down by the Broncos. But all those bucks the sportsman-quarterback has stalked over the years that have gone to deer heaven would know that at least once Favre knew the feeling of being The Hunted.

"Absolutely," the Ol' Gunslinger and Ol' Philosopher said yesterday. "The Giants probably are feeling that as well, but they're playing outstanding.

"Whoever you play, you're gonna get their best, no doubt about it," Favre added. "With each win Tennessee has . . . they're probably seeing that more and more. There may have been teams or players that when they saw that Tennessee was on their schedule, it was 'OK, this is one we could win.' "

The Jets are saying that regardless, because there isn't any reason to believe they cannot win Sunday in Nashville and open up another bottle for the surviving unbeaten 1972 Dolphins, who seem to live for this yearly.

For the second straight season, a team is 10-0. But unlike about the 2007 Patriots, you don't hear much speculation whether these Titans can run the table. That's because that team had Tom Brady and this one has Kerry Collins.

The Titans don't beat themselves early, leaving themselves in position to win games late. They have the monstrous Albert Haynesworth to collapse Nick Mangold and take out Alan Faneca too; are top 10 in the big defensive categories; and lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns.

They are 20th out of 32 in overall offense, but leading the NFL in takeaway-giveaway ratio, have the look of a team on a roll.

If the Titans get past the Jets, Detroit, Cleveland and Houston come next, so they could go into the final two games, against Pittsburgh and at Indianapolis, with a shot to go undefeated. It also would leave the football world wondering how they're doing it.

The 1966 Packers, the 2008 Titans are not. Though Collins predictably said on a conference call yesterday that the Titans are focusing on one game at a time, they will be made to feel like the 1966 Packers, instead of what Tennessee really is - The Little Team That Could. "