updated 6:42 p.m. ET Sept. 28, 2005

NEW YORK - The upcoming Jets schedule was hard enough before Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler went out with shoulder injuries.

Now third-stringer Brooks Bollinger gets to make his first career start Sunday against Ray Lewis and the ravenous Baltimore defense, eager to help the Ravens win their first game of the season. It is not exactly the easiest way to start off, but Bollinger is eager to make his mark.

“No doubt they’re a great defense, but it’s going to be a heck of an experience and I’m looking forward to it,” Bollinger said Wednesday. “We’re just going to go out there and give it the best shot we’ve got.”

The offense was already struggling with Pennington running the show, failing to generate much of anything on the ground or in the air. Now the Jets will probably be even more conservative, hoping to get Curtis Martin going while trying not to turn over the ball.

Of course, that is not hard to figure out considering the situation.

“If I’m a head coach and my starting quarterback leaves for the season and I have the leading rusher in the NFL last year, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know my game plan,” Lewis said.

Vinny Testaverde will be there watching from the sideline as the backup, and could take over the starting job at some point — especially with games against tough defenses in Tampa Bay and Buffalo looming.

When he trotted onto the field for his first day of practice Wednesday, Testaverde got some razzing from teammates John Abraham and Shaun Ellis, who told them they remembered him from the earliest version of video game football.

The 41-year-old Testaverde is serving as a mentor for this game, and already has a relationship with Bollinger from the 2003 season.

“I’m here to help in any way that I can,” Testaverde said. “Right now it’s to get ready to play, but to also help Brooks. If I have to play I’ll do my best.”

Pennington is done for the season after noted orthopedist James Andrews confirmed the franchise quarterback has a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. Pennington visited Andrews on Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala., for a second opinion and had an arthrogram, where dye is injected into the joint and X-rayed to detect any tears.

Andrews, who repaired Pennington’s shoulder earlier this year, conferred with the Jets’ medical staff and agreed there was a tear, the team said in a statement Wednesday. The tear is in a different spot than the one he sustained last season.

Pennington will be treated with rest and rehab to see how his shoulder responds, and will be re-evaluated by Andrews in two to three weeks.

“I am truly optimistic about the status of my shoulder,” Pennington said in a statement. “I know I will bounce back from this situation, and I refuse to feel sorry for myself. There are so many things in life to be thankful for.”

Fiedler also is out indefinitely with a dislocated shoulder, but coach Herman Edwards said there is a chance he could return at some point this season.

Either way, the Jets must rely on Bollinger and Testaverde. Bollinger has thrown nine career NFL passes, all last season in a 13-3 win at Arizona. But Bollinger has pretty good scrambling ability, much better than Pennington or Testaverde.

Whether that can help him in the face of a tough defense remains to be seen.

“I definitely don’t think anyone’s expectations for me are going to be too high for me to do anything,” Bollinger said. “I don’t know. I don’t really care if they think I’m great or awful, it doesn’t make a difference. Either way I’m trying to get the ball down the field and beat them.”

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Rough and tumble baseball, a grand golf finish, a driver captures the flag, and more. more photos

But nobody is expecting an offensive explosion with Bollinger at the helm. The Jets are going to have to play in some defensive games for the long haul.

“He’s not a Hall of Fame quarterback right now, but we’re not going to ask Brooks to throw for 400 yards or run our offense like Peyton Manning,” guard Pete Kendall said. “With the package that the coaches have installed thus far, he’s more than capable of handling it.”

The Jets signed Kliff Kingsbury as the No. 3 quarterback.

Starting linebacker Eric Barton also is out with a sprained right ankle. FB B.J. Askew (ankle) is out as well, and LT Jason Fabini missed practice with a sprained right knee. He is listed as questionable.

MORE FROM NFL

NFL Section Front

Giants not worried about Manning deal New football league will consider signing Vick PFT: Goodell's punishments are designed to protect profits PFT: Goodell 'ain't messin' around, bro,' Cris Carter says PFT: Bears might use 2009 cap space on Cutler PFT: Santonio keeps swaggering into season NFL coaches visit troops in Iraq in first USO trip Pompei: These old faces in new places will be big hits   3 & Out: Coaching surprises PFT: Jets' Pace suspended for 'dietary supplement' NFL Section Front   Add NFL headlines to your news reader: