11/24 — A major chunk of what the Jets are accomplishing this season is what they're accomplishing on the road. The 4-2 record is deceiving because there obviously were some issues and meshing going on through the losses at San Diego and Oakland.

But this current three-game road streak is a thing to behold. Consider that the combined records of the Bills, Patriots and Titans at the time the Jets played them makes this quantitatively the best three-game away stretch in franchise history, and second is not even close. Here are the top four such streaks, including the 1968 finish with the Super Bowl against the Colts, which of course was played at the neutral Orange Bowl:

I asked a few of the players in their businesslike LP Field visitors' locker room Sunday afternoon to what they might attribute this road hot run. The one common theme was experience and not necessarily age.

Kris Jenkins put on his stand-up hat when he was asked about the gray-haired and -bearded Brett Favre's antics.

"Oh yeah, oh yeah," Jenkins said. "I've got the luxury of playing with somebody that's almost my dad's age. I was watching him when I started growing my adult teeth. When my mom started helping me walk, he was on the field."

That was a popular take on what the Jets of Eric Mangini and Mike Tannenbaum were attempting to do when they added Favre, now 39, along with FB Tony Richardson (37 next month), G Alan Faneca (32 next month), T Damien Woody (just turned 31) and TE Bubba Franks (30) to the likes of DE Shaun Ellis (31), RB Thomas Jones (30) and CB Hank Poteat (31). See if you can get deals with Ensure and AARP, the wags sniped. This gang is all over the hill.

Well, the original Over the Hill Gang didn't do badly, and these Jets are showing themselves game by game to be a different kind of thirtysomething.

"It's not old guys. It's guys with experience," said LB David Bowens, a youthful 31 himself. "You take a bunch of 30-year-olds that are healthy and can play ball, they know how to play, that's not taking anything away from the young guys, but they haven't played enough.

"The thing I like about our defense, the older guys that we have, we're able to see stuff and can adjust on the sideline. We bring something to Bob [Sutton, the DC] and say, 'Bob, I don't like this.' We throw it at the chalkboard and whatever falls off and whatever's left on the board, that's what we've got."

That's not by mistake. Mangini was asked at his Monday news conference a few hours ago about bringing all the different parts together this off-season and he broke into one of his favorite mantras about Jets Core Characteristics. (In case you've forgotten the holy six, they are: smart, tough, competitive, hard-working, selfless, football is important to them.)

"I've really been happy with the group we've brought in," Mangini said. "I feel it hasn't been a mistake, because we proactively search these things out. There's always someone who can give you information and insight about how a player's going to be at practice, in the meeting rooms, with younger players, what his finish is like, is he 'rep-smart' or a 'board learner,' any off-field issues."

Jenkins made the major point, in Tim Carlson's story on the defense that went live this morning and in more than a few other stories today, that the older players got the youngster's attention and "the young guys bought into the system."

And as loosey and goosey as Jenkins and Favre can be, they share the same bottom line with their teammates new and old.

"I think the statement we wanted to make," Jenkins said, "is that we're taking this seriously. We want to be a good team."

A whole lot of teams (not to mention Jets fans and other NFL fans, Jets reporters and chattering heads all around the league landscape) are finally hearing the statement, especially when the Jets show up at their door for a road game.

Long-Distance Leon

Leon Washington, already the franchise record holder for most kickoff-return TDs in a career, has added another feather to his crowded cap. With his 61-yard streak down the right sideline for a fourth-quarter touchdown, he became the first Jet ever to have two 60-yard runs in the same season and the first to even have two 60-yarders in the same career.

Neon Leon had his first 60-yard run on the nose also on a burst off his right side in the second quarter against Kansas City.

Curtis Martin, Johnny Johnson and Freeman McNeil have had two or more 50-plus runs in a career, and Curtis had those pair of 40-yarders in the same game, at Buffalo in 2005. But no one had done what Washington did with the 61-yarder Sunday.

Typically, Leon preferred to talk about his team rather than himself.

"This game was not necessarily a statement to everyone else but it was a statement to us," he said. "We know what we have to do when we get into the game, even before we come into the locker room. If we come in with a lot of energy, execute the game plan, start the game off fast and not let the other team pick up their pace, we can be a pretty tough team to beat."

A Shorter Route

Richardson, best known so far as a Jet for paving the way for Thomas Jones, was still basking in the success of his 14-yard run with an inside handoff from Favre that helped position Jay Feely for his short second-quarter field goal.

"I've had my day in the sun," T-Rich said to anyone looking for him to make a big deal of his longest run in six years. "We called that play earlier in the game but the play was blown dead. It's something they don't expect. I don't think they were really ready for it."

But Richardson had a comeback for reporters who were hammering the infrequent-ballcarrier theme with him on a conference call this afternoon.

"I have carried the ball before," he said. "I had a 160-yard game for the Chiefs in 2000."

That's almost right on. Richardson enjoyed a 23-carry, 156-yard affair with a long run of 33 yards for the Chiefs on Dec. 17, 2000 (coincidentally Richardson's birthday), with all three numbers setting career highs.

And the opponent for that game was the same as the foe for the Jets' next game: the Denver Broncos.

Richardson and Nick Mangold, coming off one of his career games against the Titans, joined Eric Allen for this week's "Paving the Way with T-Rich" radio show, which will be on the site tonight.

Abe's Greatest Hits

Mangini brought up a great stat: Going into the game, Tennessee's backfield tandem of Chris Johnson and LenDale White had not fumbled once this season. But S Abram Elam ripped the ball out of Johnson's grasp and Bryan Thomas recovered to set up the drive to the Favre-to-Coles TD pass that made it 20-3.

"I thought Abe did a great job yesterday," Mangini said. "He had some outstanding tackles, one near their sideline in the flat on Chris Johnson — that was a great play there. He's just a good person, he works the same way since the day he arrived here. And when he gets these opportunities, he's taken advantage of them, which is what you're looking for."

"Inside the Jets"

Tonight's "Inside the Jets" radio show on 1050 ESPN at Charlie Brown's restaurant in Chatham, N.J., has a full guest list. The player roster will include TE Dustin Keller, WR Brad Smith, K Jay Feely and P Reggie Hodges. And the Flight Crew will be represented by Laura D. and Liana.