THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Brett Favre has never worried about getting injured, and he's not about to start.

The veteran quarterback wants to play in the New York Jets' pre-season finale Thursday at Philadelphia, and will speak to coach Eric Mangini about getting in for a series or two. But if he's relegated to clipboard duty, Favre promises he won't be too disappointed.

"I haven't talked with him about it," Favre said Monday. "I don't know what's going to happen. I would assume that he'll probably say no, and if that's the case, so be it. I'll get some practise today and tomorrow. We'll be OK.

"I don't know if three or six plays, although I would like to do that, I don't know what you get out of that, really."

The potential for injuries is a concern for teams in the pre-season, but Favre always asked to play in the finale when he was in Green Bay. The Giants' Osi Umenyiora tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee against the Jets and will have season-ending surgery, a scenario that still doesn't deter Favre.

"I've never really thought about (injuries), and I'm not saying Osi did think about it, but I saw the tape," Favre said. "That was meant to be. I mean, it's very unfortunate for him and for the Giants, but it wasn't like guys rolled up on him. That probably would've happened in practice at some point, the way it occurred. He just went down. Injuries are part of it. They come in a lot of different ways."

Favre has played in an NFL-record 253 straight regular-season games.

"I've played so many games, and not that I haven't been injured, but I've overcome injuries, been lucky in a lot of situations," he said. "This is 18 years. Whatever's going to happen is going to happen. I can't control that. I love to play, and that's really all I can think about."

Most coaches rest their starters in the fourth pre-season game, using it to evaluate rookie free agents and others competing for a spot on the 53-man roster. In his previous two pre-seasons with the Jets, Mangini has rested his starters in the final exhibition game. Favre is a special case because he missed the pre-season opener at Cleveland on Aug. 7 after coming out of retirement and being acquired from Green Bay late the previous night.

"We've got two days here," Mangini said. "I'm going to see what it looks like over the two days and then evaluate it. I can't say definitively no or definitively yes."

Added Favre: "I do understand his side of it. I really do. He has the whole team to think of."

If Favre sits against the Eagles, he'll go 13 days without playing before the regular-season opener at Miami. With Favre constantly stressing the importance of learning the system and his receivers' tendencies, would that be a big concern?

"Well, I guess no more of a concern than coming in later and having a week to prepare for my first game like I did two weeks ago," he said of his debut against Washington. "To me, that was a real game, based on the circumstances. At least in this case, I will have had some practice and have worked with these guys. Not that that makes it any better, but I feel more comfortable in that situation now than I did several weeks ago."

Favre went 9-of-12 for 96 yards in the 13-10 win over the Giants, and is 14-of-18 for 144 yards overall with a touchdown and no interceptions. He was hit a few times by the Giants, including being flung to the turf by his jersey on a sack by Justin Tuck.

"After the game, I felt OK," the 38-year-old Favre said. "Yesterday morning, I woke up, and I said, 'OK, not too bad.' By yesterday afternoon, I was like, 'Ohh.' Usually two days after is when I feel the worst. I've noticed that the last few years. Today will be a little tougher when you go out to practice than maybe in previous years. It was good to, not that I like getting hit, but it was good to kind of get that over and done with."

With Umenyiora out, Favre was asked if he thought the Giants should try to persuade Michael Strahan out of retirement.

"If I was a Giant, I'd do whatever I could to get him out and have him back on my team," Favre said. "The guy still looks great, hell of a player. I would have done whatever to try to get him back initially, but now, how could you not want him back?

"Wouldn't that be something, he comes back and we start a trend?"