12/30 — One personnel question for the Jets has already been answered as they head into today's Herm Bowl against Herm Edwards, their former coach, and the Kansas City Chiefs in less than an hour:

Ben Graham will be punting again.

Graham, a healthy deactivation in favor of Jeremy Kapinos for last week's game at Tennessee, is on the field today, going through his pregame warmups as he had in 47 of the previous 48 Jets games, and among the Jets' inactives, just announced in the pressbox, is Kapinos.

The weather should be conducive to Graham punting his best for a late December Sunday in the Meadowlands. The temperature is 41 degrees with just an occasional breeze. Rain and wet snow are coming this way but aren't expected to arrive until after the game is over and the Jets' 2007 season is in the books.

No word yet on the starting QB, although Kellen Clemens looks fine as he warms up. Chad Pennington will also be available but is still stretching and jogging as Clemens drops back, bounces and throws 30-yard passes to David Ball, the WR just signed from the practice squad Saturday.

But all Ball gets today is a game check and not a practice-squad check, since he will be inactive along with Kapinos. The rest of the Jets inactives: WR Chris Davis, CB Andre Dyson, O-linemen Adrien Clarke and Jacob Bender and TE Sean Ryan. Marques Tuiasosopo makes a clean sweep, being designated as the Jets' third quarterback for the 16th time this season.

(Ryan, we hear, got a professionally coifed mohawk that may or may not be displayed if he's on the sidelines today.)

Topping the Chiefs' IA list, at least in Jets interest, are T Adrian Jones, the ex-Jet signed during the week by the Chiefs, and another former Green & Whiter of less recent vintage, DT James Reed. Others on the list are RB Gilbert Harris, LB Mickey Pimentel, T Travis Leffew, DE Khreem Smith and TE Michael Allan. Just-signed David Greene is the third QB.

The Jets are in their green jerseys and white pants, a combination in which the Jets are 1-3 this season (the win coming in Game 3 vs. Miami) and 5-7 in two seasons under head coach Eric Mangini.

The Chiefs, of course, are in red (white jerseys, red pants), including Edwards, who is easily patrolling his troops wearing a red windbreaker and tan slacks. In fact, Herm and Eric are now standing and chatting as a few still photographers get shots of the two men who coached the Jets for the past seven seasons.

The referee is Larry Nemmers, working his 14th Jets game since 1994, but only his third since 2002. The last two: the 2005 season opener at Kansas City and the 2006 rout of Brett Favre and the Packers in Green Bay.

The opening kickoff for the last game of the season is now about 45 minutes away.