With apologies to Laveranues Coles, quarterback Brett Favre will be the center of attention Sunday when the New York Jets take on the 49ers at Candlestick Park.

Coles, a Favre fan, tried to convince the Bay Area press corps last week that the quarterback gets too much credit for turning the Jets from a 4-12 sad sack into an 8-4 juggernaut.

He noted New York's defense, its running back tandem of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington and its formidable offensive line.

"If you understand the game, you understand that it's more than just Brett Favre in dealing with this ballclub," Coles said. "Of course, he's the big name. He's the Hall-of-Famer and he's going to get the majority of the credit.

"But most of the guys who deserve the credit don't really get it."

Favre, he said, doesn't even have the best velocity on the team. That distinction belongs to a member of the practice squad, a quiet teammate with a rather mechanical delivery.

"Day in and day out, I catch balls from the Jugs machine. It probably comes out there harder from there than it does anywhere else," Coles said. "So there's nothing different about (catching passes from Favre)."

Favre, at 39, has lost a step, but he still has more mobility than the Jugs machine. And the 49ers haven't caught him yet, at least not during the regular season. He went 7-0 (including 3-0 at Candlestick Park) against them as a member of the Green Bay Packers, a string of dominance that

began with a 395-yard assault Oct. 14, 1996.

Favre is 4-1 against the 49ers in the playoffs. The lone loss came in an NFC divisional game in 1999 when Steve Young hit Terrell Owens for a last-second touchdown.

Of course, Favre's historic accomplishments extend beyond Candlestick Point. He has victories in 32 stadiums, one better than Dan Marino for the NFL record.

No matter where the Jets go, there are Favre stories to recount. That's why Coles sometimes feels like the host of an all-Brett, all-the-time radio station.

Near the end of his phone conversation with 49ers beat writers, Coles turned to a teammate in the locker room and asked him to guess what the first question was.

"Was it, 'What's it like to play with Brett Favre?' " Brett Favre asked.

"You hit it right on the money," Coles replied.

At 49ers practices, it wasn't much different. The hot topic was what it was like to play against Brett Favre, a conversation that extended to the interim head coach.

On Oct. 25, 1992, Mike Singletary was in the final year with the Chicago Bears and Favre was in his first year with the Packers. Chicago won 30-10 behind quarterback Jim Harbaugh, but the Packers passer left an impression on Singletary by completing 20 of 37 passes for 214 yards with one interception and one touchdown.

Singletary started calling the kid "Young Gun."

"You could literally hear the ball in the air passing by over your head. Pretty amazing, the speed on that ball," he said. "He had a cannon for an arm. He really did."

The cannon remains intact. Favre leads the NFL with a 68.7 completion percentage and ranks sixth with 20 touchdown passes. Starting Nov. 9, the Jets cranked out a combined 115 points against the St. Louis Rams, the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans. It was the highest three-game scoring output in franchise history as well as the most accurate three-game stretch (77.4 percent) of Favre's career.

Take that, Jugs gun.

"Favre just being there makes that whole team better," 49ers linebacker Takeo Spikes said.

49ers safety Mark Roman, who played with Favre for two years in Green Bay, said: "The receivers know that in any situation, he'll get them the ball. You tend to believe in a guy like that."

So how to stop him? It might be tough for the 49ers if top cornerback Nate Clements (thumb fracture) is unable to play. He is listed as questionable.

But the Raiders provided a useful blueprint during Week 7 when they beat the Jets 16-13 in overtime. They forced Favre to throw the ball underneath and did a good job of preventing yards after the catch. Of Favre's first 17 complete passes, only one went for more than 15 yards.

In doing so, the Raiders became the first team to hold the new Jets quarterback without a touchdown pass.

Expect the 49ers to try the same tack.

"The arm strength is still there. He can throw it wherever he wants to throw it," Singletary said. "It's just a matter of us trying to eliminate the ball getting over our heads."