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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Brandon Marshall knew very little about Ryan Fitzpatrick when they became teammates last offseason.The New York Jets wide receiver had heard of the quarterback, of course. But it was Fitzpatricks unusual choice to wear his wedding ring during games and practices that stood out to Marshall.I thought that was really weird and awkward, Marshall joked after practice Thursday.And then, he saw Fitzpatrick throw.He was terrible, Marshall recalled. He really was. I mean, he was coming off a broken leg. A 5-yard hitch route and hed throw it in the dirt.Fitzpatrick, who was acquired from Houston as a veteran backup to Geno Smith, came to the Jets still rehabilitating from a fractured left tibia suffered in a game in December 2014.During offseason workouts, the rust was still apparent and it concerned Marshall.Everybody felt that way, he said. We were like, `What the heck? If Geno goes down, were in trouble. Thats how everybody felt.On Aug. 11, 2015, Marshalls fear -- and everyone elses -- would be put to the test.Smith was slugged by then-teammate Ikemefuna Enemkpali and his jaw was broken. The Jets season was thrust into uncertainty with one punch.I was scared, Marshall said, smiling. It was over. Seasons over. Were done.Fitzpatrick hadnt worked much with Marshall, Eric Decker and the starters up to that point, so the process of gaining a rapport was gradual. Fitzpatricks leg had fully healed, though, so those lousy-looking throws were no longer an issue.Little could anyone have guessed at that time that the Jets would have one of the most productive offensive seasons in team history. Fitzpatrick galvanized the locker room with his leadership and play, tossing a franchise-record 31 touchdown passes while getting New York within a win of the playoffs.Marshall, acquired from Chicago a day before the Jets traded for Fitzpatrick in March 2015, also set Jets records with 109 catches for 1,502 yards while scoring 14 TDs. Decker had an impressive season, too, catching 80 passes for 1,027 yards and 12 scores.He proved us wrong, Marshall said. Hes pretty good.Thats why Marshall and Decker were among a handful of Jets players who openly campaigned for the team to bring Fitzpatrick back this season.The quarterback was an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but he and the team acknowledged that they wanted a new deal to happen. That process, however, wasnt easy. The sides were locked in a contract stalemate for months, creating concern on both sides and leaving the Jets quarterback situation unsettled. Fitzpatrick finally agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal the day before training camp started last month.So, with Fitzpatrick back in the fold, expectations are quite a bit higher than they were a year ago.I actually think hes better this year, Marshall said. Hes throwing the ball with more velocity. Hes throwing the ball deeper. Hes comfortable back there. Hes really good right now. Hes impressive.The starters havent exactly lit things up through two preseason games, with Fitzpatrick going 7 of 13 for 107 yards with no TDs or interceptions in limited action. The Jets game against the Giants on Saturday night should serve as a better barometer of where the offense stands, with first-teamers expected to play at least the entire first half.We game planned this one a little bit more, just in terms of having some plays that we put in that we want to go out and execute, Fitzpatrick said. Id love to see some of the stuff weve done in practice translate to the field.Despite Fitzpatrick missing all of the offseason workouts while waiting for his contract situation to be settled, Marshall insists the offense is light years ahead of where it was last summer.From a communication standpoint, all the guesswork is gone. Fitzpatrick and his receivers know what to expect from each other. And that helps the Jets feel confident that theyve got something special going on.It was hard to do what we did last year, Marshall said. We definitely came up short. We obviously didnt win it. But for us to have Ryan come in, get the ball late in training camp and me being new, having a new offensive coordinator, new head coach, new left guard, that definitely makes it hard for our offense to jell and bond the way you would want it to to be successful.It feels like it took us to seven or eight weeks to do that. 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VAL DISERE, France -- Mathieu Faivre led a fierce French challenge on first-run leader Marcel Hirscher of Austria to win a giant slalom Sunday for his first World Cup victory.Faivre secured the fastest second run to beat Hirscher, the five-time defending World Cup overall winner and a Val dIsere specialist, by 0.49 seconds.France placed four racers in the top five, roared on by a noisy crowd that sang the French anthem -- La Marseillaise -- when an emotional Faivre stood on the top step of the podium.Faivre had 0.01 seconds to make up from the first leg, and the 24-year-old racers debut victory denied Hirscher a fifth GS win on this course since 2009.France team leader Alexis Pinturault was third, 1.11 behind the winner. Teammates Thomas Fanara and Victor Muffat-Jeandet placed fourth and fifth.Hirscher has now lost to two Frenchmen in defense of his seasonlong giant slalom trophy after being runner-up to Pinturault in the season-opening race at Soelden, Austria.Faivre, a former world junior champion, has had three podium finishes in World Cup giant slalom in 2016, and Pinturault was alongside him each time.In what has become the France teams top event, its streak of placing at least one racer in the top three of mens giant slalom now extends to 14 World Cup races since March 2015.France got its only Alpine skiing medals at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games in mens GS, when Steve Missillier and Pinturault tookk silver and bronze behind Olympic champion Ted Ligety.dddddddddddd.Ligety led a five-strong United States challenge Sunday in 11th, 2.63 back. He had been the only racer other than Hirscher to win a Val dIsere GS in recent years.In his return to racing amid a dispute with Norways ski federation, Henrik Kristoffersen was eighth, trailing by 2.38.Kristoffersen, the World Cup slalom winner last season, skipped a slalom at Levi, Finland, last month to protest being blocked from wearing the helmet of a personal sponsor. The dispute is due in court.Hirscher restored some Austrian pride after the teams embarrassing showing in downhill Saturday, when the traditional Alpine power placed no one in the top 15.He now leads the overall standings after just five races of the season. Kjetil Jansrud of Norway had been tied with Hirscher atop the overall standings but did not finish the first run Sunday after winning the downhill and super-G this weekend.Frances strong showing Sunday was fair reward for Val dIsere stepping in to host the three-race meeting at short notice. It was cancelled at Beaver Creek, Colorado, because of a lack of snow and warm temperatures.The mens circuit stays in Val dIsere next weekend when the highlight of two regularly scheduled races is a giant slalom Saturday. ' ' '