Sports

Football

New York Jets

ny-jetspats2011-sg

FLORHAM PARK, N.J.
There is not a scintilla of doubt in Trevor Pryce's mind that the Patriots are saying things just as provocative and controversial as Rex Ryan and Antonio Cromartie have in the run-up to Sunday's AFC divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium. 
"It's worse, believe me, what they're saying about us," the <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a>' 35-year-old defensive tackle said. "I've heard things you wouldn't believe that are said in a locker room by coaches, players, you name it." 
The only difference: Whatever the Patriots are saying is behind closed doors, not into a microphone, tape recorder or reporter's notebook. With Ryan calling out <a href="/topics/Bill_Belichick">Bill Belichick</a> and <a href="/topics/Tom_Brady">Tom Brady</a> on Monday, and then Cromartie describing Brady with words not fit for a family newspaper, the Jets' gums are flapping like never before. 
To which we say: Did you expect anything different? 
If the answer is yes, then you haven't been paying attention to this team since Ryan arrived almost two years ago and proclaimed that he planned on visiting <a href="/topics/Barack_Obama">President Obama</a> at the <a href="/topics/White_House">White House</a> in the very near future after winning a <a href="/topics/Super_Bowl">Super Bowl</a>.
This is who these Jets are, and this is the way the Jets will be as long as Ryan is the coach. So if you belong to the school of "Don't say anything about your opponent lest you make him mad,'' then Ryan is not your kind of coach. And never will be.
"Everything I've ever said is because I have a strong belief in our football team," Ryan said. "I've gone into every game in my life thinking I'm going to win and we're going to win. 
"I've said it before, I believe in myself, but more importantly, I believe in the players I coach and I believe in the assistants that coach with me and this organization. If I'm saying something, I'm just stating a fact. I believe our football team will win." 
Where most coaches opt for the Belichick school of saying nothing to rile your opponent, Ryan is from the <a href="/topics/Jimmy_Johnson">Jimmy Johnson</a> / <a href="/topics/Mike_Ditka">Mike Ditka</a> / <a href="/topics/Buddy_Ryan">Buddy Ryan</a> school of "say whatever you want because that's how you feel.'' 
It's what you're comfortable with, and Ryan is comfortable saying whatever comes to mind, no filter necessary. Belichick is diametrically opposed, muzzling his players, as evidenced by this week's gag order on anything remotely controversial. 
But let's be clear about one thing: Belichick has not won three Super Bowls because he believes his players should say nothing controversial to the media. He has won three titles because he is a future Hall of Famer who may be the greatest tactician in the history of pro football, and because he has a future Hall of Fame quarterback who might turn out to be one of the top players in <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a> history. If not the best, period. 
Sure, saying nothing of substance before games is part of Belichick's approach. But I doubt if he'd be winning any less if he decided to allow himself or his players to speak their minds publicly. 
And for those who think Brady will be even more dominant because Cromartie called him out, then ask yourself this: Does Brady really need that kind of motivation to elevate his game? I mean, wouldn't you think one of the greatest players ever would play great, regardless of what anyone said? 
Listen to Reggie Jackson, who made an impromptu call to the "Michael Kay Show" on <a href="/topics/ESPN">ESPN</a> 1050 to rail about Cromartie's comments. After ripping the cornerback's screed against Brady, Mr. October said, "You don't affect [Brady]. You don't heighten his senses." 
So, if that's the case, then why get all in a tizzy over what the guy says? Brady is a perfectionist regardless of anyone's comments. So, do you think he's going to try to be more perfect than perfect?
Sure, Cromartie could have amended his vulgar remarks and said something along the lines of "silly goose." Then again, if that's the way the guy feels, why make any pretenses? You think Brady would ease up if the quotes had been softened?
But if you'd prefer the Jets to just shut up and play, then perhaps you'd rather go back to a time when that's what they did, when they tried to emulate the Patriots' approach. The Jets said nothing heading into their last playoff game in New England, and were as respectful as they could be to Belichick, Brady &amp; Co. 
And what happened? <a href="/topics/Eric_Mangini">Eric Mangini</a>'s Jets got waxed, 37-16, in the first round of the 2006 playoffs. 
"They don't care what we say in the media,'' Cromartie said. "It's what you do between the white lines. That's what it's going to come to on Sunday." 
Bottom line: Talk is talk, and that's all it is. It makes for great theater, and it drives ratings. But it doesn't determine the outcome of football games.

Columnists

Bob Glauber

SPJBOB14

Trash talk never decided a football game

Rex Ryan speaks to the media

Roderick BooneJETS 31, PATS 27
<a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a> will pound the ball at the Patriots and ride their running game to control the clock and keep <a href="/topics/Tom_Brady">Tom Brady</a> off the field as much as possible. 
Bob GlauberPATS 31, <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">JETS</a> 20
Jets keep this one close early, but Brady proves too much in the end, solves the Jets' defense in the second half and puts New England in the <a href="/topics/AFC">AFC</a> title game. 
Greg LoganPATS 35, JETS 20 
<a href="/topics/Rex_Ryan">Rex Ryan</a> is 2-2 vs. <a href="/topics/Bill_Belichick">Bill Belichick</a>, but Belichick's wins at <a href="/topics/Gillette_Stadium">Gillette Stadium</a> have been by an average margin of 29.5 points.
 
Tom RockPATS 42, JETS 10
Belichick is 4-0 in playoff games following first-round byes. When he has time to prepare against a team he's indifferent about, he's dangerous. When he has that time and has been insulted, he's vengeful.
Kimberley A. Martin
PATS 24, JETS 17 The Jets made the mistake of calling out Brady - and now he's going to pick apart their secondary. Look for Brady to point at <a href="/topics/Antonio_Cromartie">Antonio Cromartie</a> after EVERY score.
Neil BestJETS 45, PATS 3 
Brady knows all about the <a href="/topics/Green_Bay">Green Bay</a> power sweep after seeing "Lombardi" on Broadway, but that play won't help against the Jets.
Arthur StapleJETS 20, PATS 14
Jets defense finds a way to frustrate Brady, and ground-and-pound offense puts up enough 
points to steal a win.
Barbara BarkerPATS 31, JETS 20
Not sure if anything has happened over the past seven weeks that makes me want to bet on <a href="/topics/Mark_Sanchez">Mark Sanchez</a> winning a big game in Foxborough.

News

SPJPICKS07

Staff predictions

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Of all the names <a href="/topics/Tom_Brady">Tom Brady</a> was called this week, the one he probably liked the most was "dork."
And it came not from the <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a>' locker room but from his own teammate: wide receiver <a href="/topics/Deion_Branch">Deion Branch</a>, who has caught more passes thrown by Brady than anyone else on the Patriots' roster. When it comes to studying tape, preparing for games and taking notes in meetings, Branch said, "Tom is a dork."
"I could see that," Brady nodded when told of Branch's assessment. "I'm flattered."
That would make Brady, hands down, the league's MVD. As it is, he'll likely win his second MVP award this season. The last time he won that was in 2007, when the Patriots went 16-0 and he threw an <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a>-record 50 touchdown passes. This year? Well, the number of scoring passes and wins may have dropped a bit - he had a league-high 36 of them for a 14-2 team - but to some it has been his best season.
Maybe even the best season ever . . . by anyone?
"The ability to adjust to a completely different offense in the course of a season is something I've never seen a quarterback have to do," former quarterback and now <a href="/topics/ESPN">ESPN</a> analyst <a href="/topics/Trent_Dilfer">Trent Dilfer</a> said. "Obviously, if I've never seen anybody have to do it, I can't compare it to whether anybody has done it this well before. It blows my mind what he's been able to accomplish this year as this offense has morphed into something completely different than it was in the first five, six games of the season."
The big change came in early October when the Patriots traded <a href="/topics/Randy_Moss">Randy Moss</a>, a move that many took to be <a href="/topics/Bill_Belichick">Bill Belichick</a> tossing in the towel and stockpiling draft picks for a rebuild. Instead, the Pats' offense got better. More efficient. More difficult to defend. And it was Brady who was able to control it all.
"The biggest thing I've seen with Tom this year is his brilliance in knowing where everybody is in a very complex system formationally," said Dilfer, who noted that the Pats used 26 different personnel groupings in 33 plays in their 45-3 win over the Jets. "To know where everybody is, everybody's responsibilities and all the different protections and adjustments that go with it, all the run-game responsibilities, is probably as great a burden on a quarterback as I've ever seen, and he's done it all . . . It's very hard to articulate how brilliant this year has been."
Rather than grasp for inadequate superlatives, perhaps it's easier to just consider this: To really see how great Brady has been, you have to go back to Oct. 17, 2010, on the last play of regulation in a game that ended with the Patriots beating the Ravens, 23-20, in overtime.
 With four seconds left, Brady chucked the ball halfway down the field and into the end zone, where it was intercepted by <a href="/topics/Ken_Hamlin">Ken Hamlin</a>.
He's the last opponent to catch a Brady pass. Three months. Eleven games. A total of 355 pass attempts. Zero interceptions. 
Which makes for a better season, 50 TD passes or going that long without a pick? "Probably the one without interceptions," the Jets' <a href="/topics/Darrelle_Revis">Darrelle Revis</a> said. "That's kind of hard to do in this league, and he's doing it like a piece of cake."
Another reason why this likely is Brady's best season is the cast around him. Not only did he have <a href="/topics/Moss">Moss</a> catching 23 touchdown passes in 2007, but Brady at that point still was a comparative youngster. It wasn't his team. <a href="/topics/Tedy_Bruschi">Tedy Bruschi</a>, <a href="/topics/Rodney_Harrison">Rodney Harrison</a> and <a href="/topics/Mike_Vrabel">Mike Vrabel</a> were the leaders. Now, with all of those veterans gone, Brady has taken on a bigger role in the locker room.
"He's always been the same guy that he was in '02, except he had to establish his leadership role," said Branch, looking back to when he first teamed with Brady and comparing him to when they were reunited this season. "It has to be a little more dominant now versus when I came in in '02. We had so many veteran guys on the team that it's a little different now."
Said Brady: "Naturally, as you get older, you have more of a vocal role on the team. As I've been elected as a captain, I have more of a voice for the team, which I really take seriously."
And then there's the preparation. The dorky preparation that <a href="/topics/Rex_Ryan">Rex Ryan</a> called into question before the Jets were even sure they'd be playing the Patriots. "I do what my coach asks me to do and however he feels I need to prepare, he will let me know," Brady said. "Look, we try to win games, you know? Look at what we've accomplished over 10 years and that speaks for the whole preparation of our team. That's why we play. We play to win games, more so than anything else."
Well, there is one other thing. Four little words that may have summed up Brady's season better than any four ever spoken about the future Hall of Famer.
"Tom strives for perfection," Bill Belichick said.
His first MVP season nearly was perfect, on several levels. His second is even closer.

SPJMAIN14

Has this been Brady's most valuable season?

New England's Tom Brady

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The plan for <a href="/topics/Peyton_Manning">Peyton Manning</a> was surprisingly simple, and it worked: The <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a> didn't really care if they got to Manning to bring him down, they just wanted to befuddle and frustrate him.
They won't roll out the same exact game plan against <a href="/topics/Tom_Brady">Tom Brady</a> and the Patriots' offense Sunday; that's suicide against a good quarterback. But the goal is the same - to confuse Brady as they did Manning, to get Brady uncomfortable and frustrated, as they did to Manning.
"New England's a passing team, but they run it real good," <a href="/topics/Shaun_Ellis">Shaun Ellis</a> said. "With Peyton, they just run to keep you honest. For us in that game, it was mainly, 'We want you to run.' We gave them the run looks because we wanted them to run it. It was just a matter of trying to get the ball out of his hands as much as possible so he doesn't have control of the whole game."
So the Jets might not feature as many "light boxes," sets in which they had only six men up and dropped five into pass coverage. They did that plenty against the Colts, especially on third-and-short situations, and the line was able to make a few key stops.
With the Patriots and with Brady, getting him out of rhythm is the goal, just as it was with Manning. Brady has better and more varied weapons - <a href="/topics/BenJarvus_Green-Ellis">BenJarvus Green-Ellis</a> and change-of-pace <a href="/topics/Danny_Woodhead">Danny Woodhead</a> in the running game, a deep threat (<a href="/topics/Deion_Branch">Deion Branch</a>), an underneath threat (<a href="/topics/Wes_Welker">Wes Welker</a>) and two field-splitting tight ends (<a href="/topics/Aaron_Hernandez">Aaron Hernandez</a> and Rob Gronkowski).
The Patriots have options. So do the Jets.
"You have a lot of things you can try, but you kind of have to try all of them to see which one's working," <a href="/topics/Trevor_Pryce">Trevor Pryce</a> said. "If you get in a mode where you're always blitzing, a good QB knows that. If you're always playing coverage, a good QB will know that. You have to kind of throw the kitchen sink at him, throw nothing at him, throw some stuff at him. There's a game, and there's a game within the game, and that's what he's good at."
The Jets' defensive players have been on the defensive at times this season about how often they've gotten to the quarterback, but they proved Saturday that sacks aren't the biggest thing. They also proved it, to a certain extent, in the two regular-season meetings with the Patriots.
On Sept. 19, the Jets sacked Brady once. Jason Taylor executed a textbook spin move on Pats left tackle <a href="/topics/Matt_Light">Matt Light</a> with 4:06 left in the fourth quarter and the Pats in the red zone; Taylor's blindside sack knocked the ball loose and <a href="/topics/Bryan_Thomas">Bryan Thomas</a> recovered, sealing the Jets' 28-14 win.
In Foxborough, Mass., on Dec. 6, the Jets sacked Brady three times. The final was 45-3 Patriots. Brady was barely bothered as he carved up the defense.
"Sacks don't guarantee you victories," defensive line coach <a href="/topics/Mark_Carrier_%28football%29">Mark Carrier</a> said. "It's about putting pressure on the quarterback, making his life uneasy, taking him out of his rhythm. If sacks come from that, so be it."
So count Rex <a href="/topics/Rex_Ryan">Ryan</a> and defensive coordinator <a href="/topics/Mike_Pettine">Mike Pettine</a> - who said he had to contradict Ryan plenty on Saturday to keep Ryan from returning to his aggressive style of defense - to give Brady as many different looks and schemes as possible.
Maybe even a more passive pass rush, one that relies on fewer guys up front to do more.
"As much pressure, trying to throw off the timing, get bodies all around him, don't give him good throwing lanes," Carrier said. "There are things we try to do to make sure the throws aren't easy."
Said Ellis: "We've just got to go out and play the way we're capable of playing. Make plays, don't get on our heels. Let us control the game. If it gets close, we can control the game on defense."

SPJRUSH14

Confusing Brady is goal, not sacking him

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady points at David Harris before taking a snap

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The temptation, <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a> defensive coordinator Mike <a href="/topics/Mike_Pettine">Pettine</a> said, is to tear the cover off the game plan the <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a> used to contain <a href="/topics/Indianapolis">Indianapolis</a> quarterback <a href="/topics/Peyton_Manning">Peyton Manning</a> last week and replace it with a cover targeting New England quarterback <a href="/topics/Tom_Brady">Tom Brady</a> with the same strategy. If only it were that easy. 
The confidence the Jets exuded going into their 17-16 wild-card win over the Colts has given way to a sense of high anxiety for their divisional playoff matchup with the Patriots on Sunday in Foxborough, Mass. Part of it stems from the 45-3 loss the Jets suffered Dec. 6 at <a href="/topics/Gillette_Stadium">Gillette Stadium</a>, and part of it is understanding the offense that Brady runs is more complex than the Colts' attack. 
"New England is just a very intelligent offense,'' Pettine said. "They're constantly evolving and changing, and they're always looking to take what the defense is giving to them. It's not like Indy, where it's the same offense year in and year out with some minor tweaks. This is a flavor-of-the-week-type thing. They're going to come out with something you haven't prepared for and run their basic stuff out of it. You need to have the ability to adapt in-game.'' 
Just as they did last week in <a href="/topics/Indianapolis">Indianapolis</a>, Jets safeties Eric <a href="/topics/Eric_Smith">Smith</a> and <a href="/topics/Brodney_Pool">Brodney Pool</a> figure to play a major role containing slot receivers and tight ends and stopping the run when the Jets replace linebackers with extra defensive backs and dare the Patriots to run. But the matchups are much tougher because of the Patriots' array of three tight ends. 
At 275 pounds, <a href="/topics/Alge_Crumpler">Alge Crumpler</a> primarily is a blocker; 265-pound rookie Rob Gronkowski combines size with receiving ability (42 catches, 526 yards, 10 touchdowns), and athletic 245-pound rookie Aaron <a href="/topics/Aaron_Hernandez">Hernandez</a> (45 catches, 563 yards, six TDs) is like an oversized wide receiver. 
"You almost want to treat Hernandez as a wide receiver, but they use him enough in the run game where you can't quite do that,'' Pettine said. "So it's a problem. He's too athletic to be covered by a linebacker, yet maybe too physical to be covered by a defensive back.'' 
Comparing the diversity of the Pats' passing game to the Colts, Smith said, "It's a little more complex, more formations, more schemes. They have a different set of skills, a lot of underneath guys, where Indianapolis had the tight end, basically, and the slot going underneath. We'll have different guys covering the tight ends.'' 
While the Jets took Indianapolis wide receiver <a href="/topics/Reggie_Wayne">Reggie Wayne</a> out of the game by playing cornerback <a href="/topics/Darrelle_Revis">Darrelle Revis</a> against him most of the time, they can't do that to wide receiver <a href="/topics/Wes_Welker">Wes Welker</a> because he lines up everywhere from the backfield to the slot and wideout. No team has receivers who are better at finding the open space in a defense than the Patriots. 
"That's the toughest thing against a team like this,'' Pool said. "They're always breaking off your leverage. That's the thing they do the best. Like if you're inside, they break outside . They do so many different things that it's hard to get a key on what exactly they're doing.'' 
Against the Colts, the Jets often used only one linebacker, inviting Manning to call a running play and expecting their safeties and corners to react in time for the tackle. But the Patriots have a more effective running game with 1,000-yard running back <a href="/topics/BenJarvus_Green-Ellis">BenJarvus Green-Ellis</a> and former Jet <a href="/topics/Danny_Woodhead">Danny Woodhead</a> as a third-down type. 
"They're running out of different groupings with the tight ends out there, so it's hard to put all DBs out there,'' Pettine said. "All of a sudden, they're in almost a goal-line look or a two-back set running [behind] a tight end. You don't want to be stuck out there in nickel and dime packages. They make it a little bit harder to do that than against Indy.'' 
The way the Jets' defense played against the Colts built confidence, but the memory of their 45-3 loss to the Pats is a sobering dose of reality about the difficulty of containing Brady, who has thrown four interceptions all season. 
"They kind of use passes as runs,'' Smith said. "You try to play 'small' against them, but they actually run pretty well. If we try to 'heavy up' the box, that's when they start throwing outside. They've got a lot of things to counter what we try to do.'' 
It's a quandary, and the Jets can't be sure 
they have the answers.

SPJFEAT14

Pats' offense much more complex than Colts'

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - <a href="/topics/Braylon_Edwards">Braylon Edwards</a> sprinted down the far sideline, made his cut and leaped high. He gracefully snagged the ball, pirouetted and still had the presence of mind to stick the landing inbounds. 
This is the image <a href="/topics/Braylon_Edwards">Braylon Edwards</a> wants you to remember: a competitor who can make a big play. What he wants you to forget is the image of him being followed by reporters as he walked down the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse steps, hours after his September DWI arrest. 
As Edwards stood outside the Jets' locker room Thursday, the wide receiver let down his guard and opened up about his struggles to accept the fact that some may never accept him. "It's hard," he told Newsday. "I can't lie to you." 
Five days after his 18-yard catch set up <a href="/topics/Nick_Folk">Nick Folk</a>'s field goal against the Colts that propelled the Jets into Sunday's divisional round against the Patriots, Edwards discussed all the things he had hoped to leave in the past: his DWI, his alleged "beef" with <a href="/topics/LeBron_James">LeBron James</a>, his rejection by the Browns and his so-called propensity for dropping passes. 
He still can't escape questions about his me-first attitude and apparent lack of focus. But perception, he's quick to point out, is not reality. "I'm a guy that's very humble, I'm a team-oriented guy, I try to work hard and do everything I can for my team in the offseason," he said. 
He's also a guy who's had to accept no longer being the featured receiver, dropping behind <a href="/topics/Santonio_Holmes">Santonio Holmes</a>. In two games this season, <a href="/topics/Mark_Sanchez">Mark Sanchez</a> targeted him only once, and in the 45-3 loss to the Pats Dec. 6, Edwards caught only two passes for 39 yards. But he had a breakout game against <a href="/topics/Pittsburgh">Pittsburgh</a> two weeks later, with eight catches for 100 yards. 
Edwards has been frustrated by the inconsistency of his opportunities, but his attitude and work ethic haven't changed. 
"He's been playing really well because of that," said offensive coordinator <a href="/topics/Brian_Schottenheimer">Brian Schottenheimer</a>, who noticed a drastic change in Edwards' focus and "practice tempo" in the past five or six weeks. "And I told him the other day, I've never seen him work this hard . . . He knows we're getting closer, he knows 'OK, you win or go home.' " 
This week Edwards scrutinized tape of the last game against the Pats, looking for little ways to improve his technique. 
"Was I as crisp as I needed to be with my routes? And my blocking: Was I staying on the defensive player as long as I could so that a run could have broke out?" he said. "I'm watching those things and I'm analyzing them toughly." 
Edwards bristled when the subject turned to drops. "Man, I don't drop the ball. I had one bad year," he said, referring to 2008 with the Browns, when he dropped a league-high 16 passes, "and the rest is history. That's unfair, but life's unfair." 
Edwards also believes the attention paid to his DWI and scuffle with "a friend of a friend" of <a href="/topics/LeBron_James">LeBron James</a> outside a <a href="/topics/Cleveland">Cleveland</a> nightclub in October 2009 was overblown. 
"Other people have gotten [DWIs] this season but you haven't heard anything about it," said Edwards, whose Jan. 11 court date was reset for March 7. "But it is what it is and I've been able to overcome those things. And I think success in your field always overshadows a lot, so the thing for me is keep having success and taking the high road." 
His teammates are just as quick to point out discrepancies between who Edwards is and how the media has portrayed him. 
"How many athletes you know that gave over a million dollars to their alma mater?" asked linebacker <a href="/topics/Bart_Scott">Bart Scott</a>, a <a href="/topics/Detroit">Detroit</a> native who has known Edwards for 11 years. "Perception is that he would spend that on a Bentley or a Bugatti, not on an educational institution." 
In 2007, Edwards, also a <a href="/topics/Detroit">Detroit</a> native, donated $1 million to the <a href="/topics/Cleveland">Cleveland</a> Municipal School District to create a college scholarship for 100 eighth-graders. Those students are now juniors, with 35 maintaining 4.0 GPAs out of 4.0, according to the Jets' website. 
"Not a lot of guys go back," Scott said. "Not a lot of people remember. A lot of them take care of themselves." 
Edwards, however, prefers to speak of his charitable work only when asked. 
"My mom is a firm believer that people's true character always shows and people's true self eventually comes out," said Edwards, whose father, Stanley, was an <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a> running back. "And I believe this year, with the exception of [the DWI], my character has shown and I think people are beginning to see who I really am."

SPJBRAY14

Jets' Edwards hopes to alter bad reputation

spJETS01dlp

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - <a href="/topics/Santonio_Holmes">Santonio Holmes</a> has a <a href="/topics/Super_Bowl">Super Bowl</a> ring he showed around the Jets' locker room a couple of times early this season. But right now, it's locked away along with the memory of the game-winning touchdown catch he made two years ago for <a href="/topics/Pittsburgh">Pittsburgh</a> to win MVP honors. 
Rather than tell stories to his Jets teammates of what it took to win the <a href="/topics/Super_Bowl">Super Bowl</a>, Holmes is focused on the here and now, preparing to face New England in Sunday's divisional playoff matchup. "I can't live off what I did in the past," Holmes said Thursday. "I have to make the big plays that are capable to be made right here and capitalize on the opportunities I get." 
In a sense, that is the lesson Holmes learned with the Steelers, and the best way to impart it is to lead by his example. He's not into the trash-talking that has gone on this week as the Jets seek a measure of revenge for the 45-3 humiliation they suffered on their last visit to Foxborough five weeks ago. 
"I don't care about that," Holmes said of the name-calling. "I get out here to play football. They signed me here to win ball games. I'll probably have more to say after the game." 
Make no mistake. A game like this is exactly why the Jets traded for Holmes, and he takes pride in his big-play role. "No question," Holmes said. "I would look any one of my teammates in the eye and let them know that it's 'Tone' time. It's time to play football now. Time to get the job done." 
For Holmes, it's not about proving anything to the Patriots. It's just about winning. "If we play a mentally and physically sound game and don't shoot ourselves in the foot like we did in the last game," he said, "I think the outcome would be a lot different." 
The formula for beating the 14-2 Patriots is no secret. Even in a 42-point loss the Jets rushed for 152 yards. This time, they must control the ball to keep Pats quarterback <a href="/topics/Tom_Brady">Tom Brady</a> on the sideline and finish drives with points. 
New England's defense is not dominant. Rookie cornerback <a href="/topics/Devin_McCourty">Devin McCourty</a> has a league-high seven interceptions, but Holmes figures he has benefited from favorable circumstances. 
"Their secondary has not given up many plays over 40 yards," Holmes said. "When they get a lead in the game, they're going to that soft cover-2 and keep everything in front of them. They've been able to make big plays that way because teams try to get greedy." 
As soon as Holmes joined the Jets, he went straight to work developing a relationship with second-year quarterback <a href="/topics/Mark_Sanchez">Mark Sanchez</a>. It began to pay off at midseason when Holmes made key plays late in overtime wins at <a href="/topics/Detroit">Detroit</a> and <a href="/topics/Cleveland">Cleveland</a> and drew a penalty that set up a last-second win at <a href="/topics/Denver">Denver</a>. 
With 45 seconds left in the Jets' wild-card playoff game last week at <a href="/topics/Indianapolis">Indianapolis</a>, and needing a field goal to win, Sanchez threw two passes to <a href="/topics/Braylon_Edwards">Braylon Edwards</a> and one to Holmes to position <a href="/topics/Nick_Folk">Nick Folk</a>'s game-winning kick. 
"I think building that relationship on and off the field has helped us grow as a team," Holmes said of Sanchez. "He's able to relax in the pocket. He knows he has two big playmakers. We have to be guys that are capable of stepping up at the right time and making big plays."

SPJHOLMES14

Jets' Holmes at home in big games

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - <a href="/topics/Tom_Brady">Tom Brady</a> punctuated his Wednesday news conference with an endorsement of <a href="/topics/Michigan">Michigan</a>'s newest head coach. "Go Blue!" he said at the end. 
Patriots defensive backs <a href="/topics/Patrick_Chung">Patrick Chung</a>, who went to <a href="/topics/Oregon">Oregon</a>, and <a href="/topics/Jonathan_Wilhite">Jonathan Wilhite</a>, who went to Auburn, traded some good-natured barbs in the days leading up to the national title game between their two alma maters. 
In an <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a> locker room, players' allegiances to their college programs are strong. Whether it's a big-time SEC or <a href="/topics/Big_Ten_Conference">Big Ten</a> school they came from or one of the little guys like FCS Appalachian State or Division II Chadron State, the pros keep close tabs on how their schools are doing. The Patriots are no different. 
But when the talk turns to how your old team did this past Saturday, or how the recruiting is going there, or even what's going on with the coaching staff, Kyle Arrington has nothing to add. 
The Patriots' starting cornerback played his college ball at Hofstra. And Hofstra no longer has a football program. 
"It's difficult," Arrington said. "Every time during the season when someone would come up and jokingly ask, 'Who's Hofstra playing this week?' I would just say it's our bye week." 
So much for pride in the Pride. Hofstra shuttered its program after the 2009 season, citing funding difficulties and lack of student interest. 
Arrington is sort of the Last of the Mohicans for a Hofstra program that produced some <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a> stars - <a href="/topics/Wayne_Chrebet">Wayne Chrebet</a>, Mar- ques Colston, <a href="/topics/Lance_Schulters">Lance Schulters</a> - and more than a handful of serviceable players. There are five from the school currently on <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a> rosters. But unless the program is reinstated, Arrington will be the final player to make the jump from Hempstead Turnpike to the big time. 
Arrington said when he attended Hofstra he sometimes would drop by and watch <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a> training camp practices. He would watch <a href="/topics/Curtis_Martin">Curtis Martin</a> and <a href="/topics/Laveranues_Coles">Laveranues Coles</a>. "I couldn't believe I was like 15 feet away from him," he said. 
He also recalled watching a rookie cornerback named <a href="/topics/Darrelle_Revis">Darrelle Revis</a>. 
"He wasn't as big at the time," Arrington said. "He didn't have the Island yet." 
After Hofstra, Arrington, who wasn't drafted, landed briefly on the <a href="/topics/Philadelphia_Eagles">Eagles</a>' practice squad before spending the rest of the 2008 season on the Buccaneers' practice squad (where fellow Hofstra product and current Bucs head coach Raheem Morris was his position coach). 
He played one game for the Bucs in 2009 before being waived and picked up by the Patriots for their practice squad. By November of last season he was on the 53-man roster. And this season, after Darius Butler lost his job in the Week 2 game against the <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a>, Arrington became a starter. 
<a href="/topics/Bill_Belichick">Bill Belichick</a> made it sound as if Arrington could have been playing at that level even earlier in his career. 
"This year he had the chance to start participating in a lot of quality defensive snaps early on and was very competitive at the position," Belichick said. "He turned that into playing time and turned those playing time opportunities into a good, solid season. That's kind of the way that worked. Had he been here at the beginning of the season in '09, who knows?" 
Arrington has been overshadowed a bit by rookie <a href="/topics/Devin_McCourty">Devin McCourty</a>, a first-round pick out of Rutgers who starts at the opposite corner position and is headed for the <a href="/topics/Pro_Bowl">Pro Bowl</a>. But Arrington has had a good season with 67 tackles, five passes defensed and an interception he returned 36 yards for a touchdown in a prime-time game against the Packers last month. 
He has a reputation as the Patriots' most physical cornerback and has contributed on special teams as well; he also scored on a blocked field goal against the Dolphins in October. 
"It opens a few eyes, but as far as me being on the map I'm not really too concerned about that," he said of his opportunities with the Patriots. "My goal is like everybody else's. To get to February." 
And in that way, he can carry a little bit of Hofstra along with him.

SPJPATS14

Pats' Arrington could be Hofstra's last NFLer

arrington - cropped

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - There are few visions more terrifying than looking up from a three-point stance and seeing the face of <a href="/topics/Vince_Wilfork">Vince Wilfork</a> looming over you.
The 6-2, 325-pound Patriots nose tackle is an earthmover of a man, a rare player who has the strength of a Caterpillar and the agility of a cat. And the Patriots love to shuffle him around in their defensive formations, looking to unleash him on the most vulnerable man on the line.
"I've seen him literally take guys and just toss them,'' Jets offensive line coach <a href="/topics/Bill_Callahan">Bill Callahan</a> said. "They're going to move him around and try to get a matchup, some way, somehow.''
Whether it's protecting <a href="/topics/Mark_Sanchez">Mark Sanchez</a> or spearheading what the Jets hope will be a clock-consuming, grind-it-out running attack, the Jets' offensive line will play a pivotal role in their <a href="/topics/AFC">AFC</a> divisional playoff game against the Patriots Sunday in Foxborough, Mass. And their success may come down to the performance of their two least experienced players, left guard Matt Slauson and right tackle <a href="/topics/Wayne_Hunter">Wayne Hunter</a>.
"We have a lot of confidence in both those guys,'' center <a href="/topics/Nick_Mangold">Nick Mangold</a> said. "They both have experience, and we all know how to work together as a unit.''
Slauson, a second-year player, became a starter at the beginning of the season after the Jets parted ways with Pro Bowler <a href="/topics/Alan_Faneca">Alan Faneca</a>. Hunter, though 29 years old, has even less experience. He has started a total of five career games, with four of them coming this season in relief of veteran <a href="/topics/Damien_Woody">Damien Woody</a>.
Hunter replaced Woody for the game-winning drive against <a href="/topics/Indianapolis">Indianapolis</a> last week after he went out with what later was revealed to be an Achilles injury. The 6-5, 318-pounder also started the last three games of the regular season while Woody recovered from a knee injury.
The loss of Woody could especially impact the Jets' running game. Last week, they ran for 169 yards against the Colts and kept possession for 18 minutes in the second half. Just as they kept the ball out of <a href="/topics/Peyton_Manning">Peyton Manning</a>'s hands, they would like to do the same to the Patriots' <a href="/topics/Tom_Brady">Tom Brady</a>.
Jets coach <a href="/topics/Rex_Ryan">Rex Ryan</a>, who said earlier in the season that Hunter is the person he'd most like to have his back in a bar fight, said this past week that he has every confidence that he can get the job done against New England.
"I've always said that we have the best backup tackle in the league in Wayne Hunter,'' he said. "He's played a lot of football for us and we have a lot of confidence in Wayne.''
Hunter, who was out of the league for a year before the Jets signed him in 2007, has had an up-and-down career. A third-round pick of the <a href="/topics/Seattle">Seattle</a> Seahawks in 2003, he spent three years in Seattle and one in Jacksonville after tearing his ACL while with the Jaguars.
Hunter calls himself a "late bloomer'' and believes everything he has gone through has happened for a reason. "To be honest with you, I think God was just saving me for this weekend,'' he said. "It's a blessing in disguise. I have fresh legs at 29. Hopefully, my career starts now at 29 as an offensive tackle.''
Facing Wilfork at the so-called start of your career is quite a daunting task, as Slauson can tell you. But this is the third time this season he has lined up against the Patriots, and he believes he is a stronger player.
"I'm not as scared as I was at the start of the season,'' he said with a laugh. "I think that's because week after week, I've had to line up against the best pass-rushers, and each week I do a little better. I think this time I will be a little more prepared for him. Because I definitely think I will see a lot of him.''

SPJLINE14

Wilfork to test Jets' Slauson, Hunter

Saints Patriots Camp Football

While <a href="http://www.newsday.com/jetsblog">Roderick Boone</a>, <a href="http://newsday.com/nflblog">Bob Glauber</a> and the rest of our football crew break down the <a href="http://newsday.com/jets">Jets-Patriots playoff game</a> in the NFL divisional round this Sunday (4:30 p.m. on CBS), we take a different approach. 
Here's a pop-cultural look at the cities of the teams. 
CITY-BASED SITCOMS 
Boston: "Cheers" New York: "Seinfeld" 
Tough call here. Sam Malone and the gang at Cheers came first and helped make NBC's Thursdays a dominant sitcom force. "Cheers" helped pave the way for ensemble shows such as "Seinfeld." Both left lasting impressions -- postal workers in a bar and guys named "Noooooooorrrrrrm"; "The Moops" and "Why don't you just tell me the name of the movie you'd like to see?" -- so the debate will rage on as to which was better. But it's undeniable that "Seinfeld" had the bigger impact on pop culture. 
Edge: New York. 
FAMOUS COLLOQUIAL SAYING 
Boston: Pahk the cah in Hahvad Yahd New York: Fuhgeddaboudit 
Leaving Brooklyn? Fuhgeddaboudit. New York slang for "forget about it," Italian-American gangsters on television made the very-compound word famous. On the flip side, you've got the r-less version of "Park the car in Harvard Yard." According to Wikitionary, the phrase actually demonstrates that a Boston accent is "non-rhotic;" a linguistics term that refers to a dialect that doesn't pronounce the letter 'r' unless it is followed by a vowel. Very, err, scientific. 
Edge: Boston 
EPIC SPORTS FAILURES TO OPPOSING CITY 
Boston: Patriots losing to Giants in Super Bowl XLII New York: Yankees losing to Red Sox in 2004 ALCS 
One loss was historic, the other embarrassing. And you can interpret that anyway you wish. The Yankees led the 2004 American League Championship Series, 3-0, and took a one-run lead into the bottom of the ninth with Mariano Rivera on the mound. Enter Dave "Bleeping" Roberts, the steal and a four-game run by the Red Sox en route to their first World Series win in 86 years. On the other side, we have the Patriots, the 18-0 Patriots, led by 50-touchdown passes Tom Brady and 22-touchdown receptions Randy Moss. Enter David "Bleeping" Tyree, his miraculous catch, and Eli Manning's touchdown in the corner to Plaxico Burress as the Giants won Super Bowl XLII and prevented the Patriots from becoming the first undefeated NFL team since the 1972 Dolphins went 17-0. 
Edge: Boston. 
THE GARDEN 
Boston: Boston Garden New York: Madison Square Garden 
The Boston Garden was erected in 1928. It hosted 16 Stanley Cup Finals, 19 NBA Finals and five All Star Games. Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam all played there. In Nov. of 1997, it was demolished, the new TD Banknorth Garden taking its place. On the flip side, the current Madison Square Garden - still standing, of course - was erected in 1968, though its roots date back to 1879. What it lacks in championship volume - "just" five NBA finals and three Stanley Cup Finals have been played there - it makes up for in pop culture. From "Rocky III"'s main event between Clubber Lang and Rocky Balboa to its prominent role in "Godzilla," it's a mainstay in American culture. (And we didn't even mention Ali-Frazier.) 
Edge: New York. 
SCORSESE-DIRECTED&nbsp;GANGSTER&nbsp;FILMS 
Boston:&nbsp;"The&nbsp;Departed" New York:&nbsp;"Goodfellas" 
Martin&nbsp;Scorsese won his first Oscar for directing for 2006's "The&nbsp;Departed."&nbsp;As good as that movie was -- thank you, Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin -- that Oscar is as much a career achievement award as it is a statue for "Departed."&nbsp;Set in Boston, the movie puts a cop undercover in the Irish mob, and an Irish mobster undercover in the state police. Still, no movie is as quotable among males 18 to 45 as "Goodfellas." If you think differently, go home and get your shine box. 
Edge:&nbsp;New&nbsp;York. 
SOUP 
Boston:&nbsp;New England clam chowder New York:&nbsp;Manhattan clam chowder 
New&nbsp;England clam chowder is the white soup, Manhattan is the red. Thanks to "Ace Ventura:&nbsp;Pet Detective" for letting us never forget that. Which tastes better is a matter of personal preference, but New England clam chowder appears to be more popular at restaurants.&nbsp;Plus, it was created first. 
Edge:&nbsp;Boston. 
LATE NIGHT HOST 
Boston: Jay Leno New York: Jimmy Fallon 
Jay Leno's got a ton of fans … and a ton more haters. The host of "The Tonight Show" from 1992-2009, Leno dominated in ratings on NBC. In Sept. of 2009, the decision was made to move Leno to primetime, opening the door for Conan O'Brien to host "The Tonight Show." Unfortunately for O'Brien, "The Jay Leno Show" flamed out almost immediately, and Leno went back to his original slot, forcing Conan to go to Cable. Fallon's "Late Night" follows Leno on the evening schedule. While it doesn't pull in the ratings or get the pub Leno gets, we're Team Coco. 
Edge: New York. 
CONTEMPORARY COMEDIAN 
Boston: Dane Cook New York: Chris Rock 
Dane Cook's rise to fame was almost instant. Building vast fan bases, primarily among college students, Cook killed it with a couple of widely-popular stand-ups. However, as fast as Cook became famous, the detractors started knocking on his door, accusing him of ripping off material and, at times, being generally lame. Rock, on the other hand, has withstood. Comedy Central voted him the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time, with good reason; all of Rock's stand-up routines are timeless. 
Edge: New York. 
MIKE&nbsp;MILBURY 
Boston:&nbsp;Enforcer who hit Rangers fan with his own shoe New York: Lousy general manager who helped destroy Islanders 
The question here is what New York-related debacle will Milbury be remembered for. Depends on&nbsp;whom you ask. Rangers rooters will remember Milbury charging into the stands at Madison Square Garden&nbsp;after a fan stole a teammate's stick, removing the fan's shoe and&nbsp;whacking&nbsp;him with it&nbsp;several times before being restrained. Islanders fans will remember,&nbsp;try as they might to forget, Milbury's trades that sent the franchise into the abyss: Roberto Luongo and&nbsp;Olli Jokinen&nbsp;for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha; Zdeno Chara and the No. 2 pick&nbsp;for Alexei Yashin; Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan McCabe for Trevor Linden; drafting Rick DiPietro over Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik. And now that we've gone through that painful exercise, this is actually an easy decision: New York gets the worst of it, and&nbsp;Boston's the winner. 
EDGE: Boston. 
HISTORIC BIG MAN 
Boston: Bill Russell New York: Patrick Ewing 
The prize of the first NBA Lottery - and maybe the biggest coup in NBA history - Ewing went on to play for the Knicks for the prime of his career, before wrapping up in Orlando and Seattle. His numbers were extravagant; nearly 25,000 points, over 10,000 rebounds, and 11 All Star appearances. However, Ewing never won a ring. Russell, meanwhile, is the champion that all modern day champions strive to live up to. Playing in an era that lacked dominant big men, Russell's paint presence led the Celtics to 11 NBA titles. That's right, the same amount that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have combined for.&nbsp;While Patrick is the GOAT when it comes to Knicks centers, Russell's rings are insurmountable. 
EDGE: Boston. 
MARATHON 
Boston: Boston Marathon New York: New York City Marathon 
The New York City and Boston marathons are among the best-known in the world. Both are virtually the same distances (26 miles), but usually more people enter the New York City Marathon every year. Some say the Boston Marathon is harder because of the terrain through the small towns of Boston; those running through the five boroughs and over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge don’t have it any easier either. Even though the Boston Marathon has been around since the 1890s, the New York City Marathon garners more national attention. 
Edge: New York. 
BABE RUTH 
Boston: Babe Ruth the pitcher New York: Babe Ruth “The Sultan of Swat” 
You can’t talk about a New York City-Boston rivalry without talking about the man who started it all, Babe Ruth. Ruth began his career as a pitcher with Boston going 89-46 with a 2.19 ERA in six years. He also threw 29.2 consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series, and that was a record until 1961. He was traded to the Yankees in 1920 and led the team to unprecedented success. The Red Sox would not win another championship until 2004. His personal accomplishments as a Yankee are astounding. The Bambino became the king of baseball, hitting more home runs than most American League teams. Ruth hit 659 of his 714 homers as a Yankee and became the measuring stick for every baseball player after him. 
Edge: New York. 
 
 <meta charset="utf-8"> 
TERMINATED FCS FOOTBALL PROGRAM 
Boston: Northeastern New York: Hofstra 
Originally the Flying Dutchmen, then the Pride, Hofstra's football program was the only game in town for much of its existence. The school had a knack for turning out wide receivers, including Wayne Chrebet and Marques Colston.&nbsp;Behind the NFL stars were guys like Joe Gardi, who coached the team to 119 wins, and Raheem Morris, a former graduate assistant and defensive backs coach who now heads the Buccaneers in the NFL. The team played its last game in 2009. Northeastern was also terminated in 2009, the administration citing a lack of expenses coupled with consistent losing seasons. During its existence, the school did manage to churn out a few NFLers, including Josh Heinrich Taves, Dan Ross and Sean Jones. 
Edge: Nobody. 
CONFUSING&nbsp;THE&nbsp;KIDS&nbsp;IN&nbsp;GEOGRAPHY&nbsp;CLASS 
Boston:&nbsp;New&nbsp;England is not a city or state New York:&nbsp;The Jets play in New Jersey 
The Patriots are the only major professional sports team in North America to not represent a city or state in its name. The&nbsp;New England Patriots represent the region, yet play in Boston. The New York&nbsp;Jets practice and play in New Jersey, which is geographically close to New York but misleading to those who may not know sports too well. 
Edge:&nbsp;Boston.

tale2-boston

NYC vs. Boston: Tale of two cities

2cites nyc boston

Sizing up the Jets at each position before Sunday's game with the Patriots. 
QUARTERBACK 
<a href="/topics/Mark_Sanchez">Mark Sanchez</a> wasn't at his best against the Colts (18-of-31, 189 yards no touchdowns), but he did lead the team on that five-play, 40-yard game-winning drive. He's going to have to elevate his game and play much better than he has in his two prior appearances at <a href="/topics/Gillette_Stadium">Gillette Stadium</a> so far. 
RUNNING&nbsp;BACK 
That 1-2 punch the <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a> rode to last year's <a href="/topics/AFC">AFC</a> Championship game showed up in a big way against the Colts in the wild-card round last week. <a href="/topics/LaDainian_Tomlinson">LaDainian Tomlinson</a> ran for 82 yards on 16 carries, and had two TDs, and <a href="/topics/Shonn_Greene">Shonn Greene</a> pounded out 70 yards. The Jets will need more of the same. 
WIDE&nbsp;RECEIVER / TIGHT END 
<a href="/topics/Santonio_Holmes">Santonio Holmes</a>, <a href="/topics/Braylon_Edwards">Braylon Edwards</a> and <a href="/topics/Jerricho_Cotchery">Jerricho Cotchery</a> all have come up with big plays this season. Edwards and Holmes combined for eight receptions for 108 yards vs. Indy, and were key on that final drive. Tight end <a href="/topics/Dustin_Keller">Dustin Keller</a> could be a big factor in helping get the ball quickly down the middle of the field. 
OFFENSIVE LINE 
Losing RT <a href="/topics/Damien_Woody">Damien Woody</a> (torn left Achilles) is a blow. But <a href="/topics/Wayne_Hunter">Wayne Hunter</a> started three games as Woody recovered from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, so he's not exactly stepping into an unknown. He must slide in seamlessly with <a href="/topics/D%27Brickashaw_Ferguson">D'Brickashaw Ferguson</a>, Matt Slauson, <a href="/topics/Nick_Mangold">Nick Mangold</a> and <a href="/topics/Brandon_Moore">Brandon Moore</a> to pound away with the run game. 
DEFENSIVE&nbsp;LINE 
<a href="/topics/Shaun_Ellis">Shaun Ellis</a> and <a href="/topics/Trevor_Pryce">Trevor Pryce</a>, paired with the likes of <a href="/topics/Mike_Devito">Mike DeVito</a> and <a href="/topics/Sione_Pouha">Sione Pouha</a>, are a big reason the Jets boast one of the league's top rushing defenses. They've yielded an average of 90.9 yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry, good enough to be ranked third in the <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a> in both categories. 
LINEBACKER 
<a href="/topics/David_Harris">David Harris</a> led the team in tackles with 119 and had three sacks during the regular season. <a href="/topics/Bart_Scott">Bart Scott</a> recorded 94 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. <a href="/topics/Jason_Taylor">Jason Taylor</a>, the active career sacks leader, has made a few impact plays as well. The Jets will need all three, plus <a href="/topics/Calvin_Pace">Calvin Pace</a>, to pressure <a href="/topics/Tom_Brady">Tom Brady</a>. 
DEFENSIVE BACKS 
<a href="/topics/Rex_Ryan">Rex Ryan</a> dressed 10 DBs for the Colts and will probably do the same thing Sunday. Having <a href="/topics/Darrelle_Revis">Darrelle Revis</a> allows him to use special schemes that he wouldn't otherwise be able to do. Revis could be locked on <a href="/topics/Wes_Welker">Wes Welker</a>, leaving <a href="/topics/Antonio_Cromartie">Antonio Cromartie</a> to be tested after his inflammatory comments about Brady this week. 
SPECIAL&nbsp;TEAMS 
<a href="/topics/Nick_Folk">Nick Folk</a> drilled the winning kick against the Colts, and has his confidence back after a tough stretch in November. Punter <a href="/topics/Steve_Weatherford">Steve Weatherford</a> will need to pin the Patriots as deep as possible to make them have to drive a long field. If returner <a href="/topics/Brad_Smith">Brad Smith</a> (groin) can't go, then Cromartie is a capable backup.

SPJMATCH14

Scouting the Jets

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez

Sizing up the Patriots at each position before Sunday's game with the <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a>. 
QUARTERBACK 
Well, he'll most likely be named the league's MVP, has already won three <a href="/topics/Super_Bowl">Super Bowl</a> rings, and players on both teams will say that he's having a better season this year than he did when the Patriots won 18 games before losing to the <a href="/topics/New_York_Giants">Giants</a> in <a href="/topics/Super_Bowl">Super Bowl</a> XLII. He's <a href="/topics/Tom_Brady">Tom Brady</a>. And unfortunately for the <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a>, he doesn't have tickets to a Broadway show this weekend. 
RUNNING&nbsp;BACK 
<a href="/topics/BenJarvus_Green-Ellis">BenJarvus Green-Ellis</a> scored 13 rushing TDs for the Patriots this season; only <a href="/topics/Curtis_Martin">Curtis Martin</a>, who scored 14 twice in a season, has had more in team history. <a href="/topics/Danny_Woodhead">Danny Woodhead</a>, meanwhile, set a team record by averaging 5.68 yards per carry, the most by a Pats back with 90 or more carries since 1976. He's also caught 34 passes at 11.1 yards a pop. 
WIDE&nbsp;RECEIVER / TIGHT&nbsp;END 
No one has more receptions in the <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a> since 2007 than <a href="/topics/Wes_Welker">Wes Welker</a>, who came back from a devastating knee injury to grab 86 passes for 848 yards and earn a <a href="/topics/Pro_Bowl">Pro Bowl</a> nod. <a href="/topics/Deion_Branch">Deion Branch</a> has been reunited with Brady and they've connected on five TDs in 11 games. Rookie TEs Rob Gronkowski (10) and <a href="/topics/Aaron_Hernandez">Aaron Hernandez</a> have combined for 16 TDs. The only rookie TE to catch more TD passes than Gronkowski in <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a> history was <a href="/topics/Mike_Ditka">Mike Ditka</a> with 12 in 1961. 
OFFENSIVE&nbsp;LINE 
<a href="/topics/Matt_Light">Matt Light</a> and <a href="/topics/Logan_Mankins">Logan Mankins</a> each earned their third <a href="/topics/Pro_Bowl">Pro Bowl</a> selection this season and make a formidable left side of the line. At the opposite bookend is Sebastian Vollmer, who grew up in Germany and didn't start playing football until age 14. Brady was sacked 25 times this season, including four times in two games by the <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a>. The Pats also had two of their four lowest rushing outputs of the season against the <a href="/topics/New_York_Jets">Jets</a>. 
DEFENSIVE&nbsp;LINE 
If you can, try to watch <a href="/topics/Vince_Wilfork">Vince Wilfork</a> going against Jets center <a href="/topics/Nick_Mangold">Nick Mangold</a>. It's sure to be a show between two of the best at their positions. The Patriots' defensive line has taken some dents this season. <a href="/topics/Mike_Wright">Mike Wright</a>, who led the team with 5 1/2 sacks despite missing the last six games, was placed on injured reserve and Ron Brace was also recently put on IR. <a href="/topics/Eric_Moore">Eric Moore</a>, who also played in the UFL and was signed by the Patriots three days before the Jets game in December, has two sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in his brief time in New England. 
LINEBACKERS 
<a href="/topics/Jerod_Mayo">Jerod Mayo</a> led the <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a> with 193 total tackles, has been selected to his first <a href="/topics/Pro_Bowl">Pro Bowl</a>, and is a young leader for the defense. He'll be joined in the middle by rookie <a href="/topics/Brandon_Spikes">Brandon Spikes</a>, who has finished a four-game suspension. Outside backer <a href="/topics/Rob_Ninkovich">Rob Ninkovich</a> had four sacks and two interceptions and <a href="/topics/Tully_Banta-Cain">Tully Banta-Cain</a> had five sacks and a team-high 13 quarterback hits. 
DEFENSIVE&nbsp;BACKS 
<a href="/topics/Devin_McCourty">Devin McCourty</a> will likely be the <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a>'s Defensive Rookie of the Year after grabbing seven interceptions. Following a shaky start, he's become a star and a <a href="/topics/Pro_Bowl">Pro Bowl</a>er. Kyle Arrington, who went to Hofstra, starts opposite him, having replaced Darius Butler, who was burned by the Jets in Week 2. Safety <a href="/topics/Brandon_Meriweather">Brandon Meriweather</a> is a <a href="/topics/Pro_Bowl">Pro Bowl</a>er as well. Even with two Pro Bowlers in the secondary, though, the Pats' 258.5 passing yards allowed are worse than all but the Redskins and Texans. 
SPECIAL&nbsp;TEAMS 
<a href="/topics/Shayne_Graham">Shayne Graham</a>, whose two missed field goals in <a href="/topics/Cincinnati">Cincinnati</a> last season helped the Jets advance to the <a href="/topics/AFC">AFC</a> title game, is now the kicker for the Pats having replaced injured <a href="/topics/Stephen_Gostkowski">Stephen Gostkowski</a>. He is 1-for-3 on career field-goal attempts in the postseason but has connected on all 12 of his attempts for the Pats this season. Punter <a href="/topics/Zoltan_Mesko">Zoltan Mesko</a> set an <a href="/topics/National_Football_League">NFL</a> rookie record with a 38.4 net average. Brandon Tate handles the kickoff returns and has two TDs, including a 103-yarder, while Julian <a href="/topics/Edelman">Edelman</a> returned a punt 94 yards for a TD in Week 17.

SPPMATCH14

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Pats receiver Wes Welker and tight end Rob Gronkowski

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The Knicks have struggled to rally for wins early on this season. That wasn't an issue during their run to NBA championship.

Popper: Defending champion Knicks have bad habit of digging themselves into early hole

Islanders forward Emil Heineman was ejected at 2:22 of the first period for drawing a five-minute kneeing major.

Tired Isles shut out by Oilers at UBS Arena

The Mets have no impending free agents and a good number of holes to fill.

10 potential free-agent targets for the Mets this offseason

A handful of these players already are familiar names to the club.

10 potential free-agent targets for the Yankees this offseason

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NewsdayTV's Macy Egeland takes a look back at the Kings Park Psychiatric Center.

Picture This: When Kings Park had a psychiatric hospital

The cost of living on Long Island is causing some Gen Zers to live at home with their parents. Newsday real estate reporter Rachel Weiss was more.

Cost of living keeps Gen Z at home with parents

NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa heads to Hair we Share to see the process of turning donated hair into wigs.

LI Works: Giving wigs to those in need

Nassau and Suffolk counties have implemented a combined $57 million in technology upgrades to streamline the voting process.

New voting machines at Long Island polling places

Laura Otton, perinatal mental health therapist and owner of Therapy for Motherhood, talks to NewsdayTV's Macy Egeland about the logistics of returning to work after having a baby.

Working Moms: Negotiating a return to work

NewsdayTV's Doug Geed steps into the vineyards at Bedell Cellars to get an inside look at the action, the artistry, and the fresh flavors shaping Long Island's latest vintage.

Out East: Harvest time at Bedell Cellars

Rori Zura was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at the age of 33. Today, she helps others as a cancer exercise specialist. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

Breast cancer survivor helps others take charge of their recovery

The report identified over half a million hateful posts on X between January 2025 and June 2026, with monthly growth of 75%. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

Anti-South Asian rhetoric surging on some social media platforms, report says

Liberty Water has applied to raise rates in three of the areas it serves on Long Island. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

Liberty seeks water rate hikes of $21-$28 a month for some Nassau customers

NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa visits Co-Owner, Dough & Co. Pizza to try the Apple Bay Pizza, which is exclusive to their Oyster Bay location.

Trendy Bites: An apple pie ... pizza?

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