I don't like losing.  In fact, I hate losing games that easily should've been won.  This game was not one of those.  Coming back from a 24-6 deficit to drive this game into overtime was incredible; inspiring, if you will.  Forget all the pundits who say this team is a shell of its former self.  They are damn good and, as the list of injured or IR'd players grows, they STILL continue to scare the living daylights out of any team that underestimates them.

But the awesome effort of last night just wasn't enough to overcome the smoking start the Jets got off to in the first half.  Aside from any team affiliation and homerism you may have, this was an exciting game to watch.  Tons of yardage, huge plays on both offense and defense, and overtime made for a great night of football.  Unfortunately, the toss of a coin during overtime determined who got the ball and, as is often the case, possession is 9/10 of the law in OT.  Score first, you walk off the field a winner.  There's no chance for the opponent.  NFL OT sucks.  But, that's the rule and every team has benefitted or been bitten by it.

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patriots.com

In an important divisional win, the Patriots get it done with a 20-10 victory and continue their dominance over division rival, the Buffalo Bills.  Whew, pretty lofty and something you'll find on, I don't know, like ESPN or something.  Bottom line?  Division wins are big, especially when you're in a 3 way tie.  Well, WERE in a 3 way tie.  It's now a 2 way with the Favre-led Jets who absolutely destroyed the Rams, 47-3.  I think I remember the announcers calling for the mercy rule.  Anyone complaining about running up the score?  I thought not.  After all, it's His Favre-ness.  Anyway, I just love that picture of BenJarvus, don't you?  Ok, moving on...

There are thousands of things Belichick has to think of.  Many relate to "What if..." moments.  Like, what if my 3 starting running backs are injured?  How would I handle that?  No way, right?  However, this is the 2008 NFL season.  In comes "Law Firm", so nicknamed because he has like a billion names or something.  An undrafted free agent, BB and Scott Pioli saw something.  They saw a polite, talented kid who worked hard and did what he was told.  Ending up on the practice squad behind no fewer than 4 running backs, his chance of seeing regular season time was slim.  But, the world can be a strange place.  Suddenly, HE...DAH...MAN!!!  Aided by a solid O line anchored by vets, Green-Ellis had a huge day.  Let's get to the stats.

• Third down efficiency - At 11 and 18 vs. Buffalo's 5 and 11, the Bills just didn't have as many chances to convert the ball.  This is somewhat related to time of possession: 37:40 vs. 22:20.  In a nutshell, we simply kept the ball in Matt's hands and chewed up the clock.
• Red zone efficiency - This is where a percentage makes little sense: both teams were 50% for this stat.  However, NE was 2 for 4 vs. Buffalo's 1/2.  2 successful trips vs. 1.
• Time of possession - As stated above, 37:40 vs. 22:20.  When NE had the ball, they ate the clock, denying Buffalo a chance to mount a drive and always putting Buffalo behind the eight ball.
• Net yards rushing - 144 for NE vs. 66.  No surprise, BenJarvus had 105 of those...and a TD to boot.  Oh wait, the other rushing TD was none other than Matt.  Give thanks to our 300 pounders.
• Net yards passing - 226 vs. 108 simply dominated the Bills.  Wes Welker dominated the charts with 107 yards and had the longest ball, a 27 yarder from Cassel.  Add to the number of yards, a 6.5 yard average per carry vs. 4.3, and you have a team who simply had the ball more.  Simple as that.

Cassel is looking really good in the pocket.  Of course, it helps that the offensive line is doing so well.  With 0 sacks, Matt stayed upright and had plenty of time to find his receivers.  Another plus to the pig pile doing so well?  Green-Ellis is finding the open holes and slicing through for mucho yardage.  JHR is smiling, I can tell.

Big game coming up this Thursday: Jets @ Patriots.  If we really want to show our dominance in the East, a win would go a long lay to sealing the deal.

I'll admit to having had a mild coronary whan #12 went down.  Watching that hit by Bernard Pollard and the subsequent rolling around on the ground gave me shivers.  But, you never know, right?  I was thinking (hoping maybe?), as was Moss, that Brady would emerge from that tunnel, trotting onto the field to lead his team to victory, just like he had for the previous 7 seasons.  As the news rolled in and many of our fellow SBNation bloggers offered their good words, my mood got darker.  Having watched Matt Cassel during the preseason, I was VERY concerned.  Luckily, he managed to pull out a win against KC and we began digesting the prospect of an IR'd Tom Brady.  Jeez, it's STILL hard to type that.

A few months later, we find ourselves at 5-3, tied for the division with Buffalo and NY.  Oh, and don't forget a 4-4 Miami nipping at everyone's heels after a 1-15 season.  Crazy, pretty darn crazy.  Just think about this for a second - How utterly ridiculous is the 2008 NFL season up to this point?  Here's a few crazy moments:

• Buffalo looked to take the AFC East by storm.  With a 5-1 start, they were poised to be the team to beat.  As I was watching them at the beginning of the season, I was practically throwing my hands up.  Until... in the last 4 games, the Bills went 1-3, essentially surrendering a comfortable cushion in their division.
• The result of Favre-gate?  Brett ends up taking the helm in NY after a gazillion years in Green Bay, sending potential starter Chad Pennington to division rival Miami.  A grizzled vet grabs the reins, learning a new system, and leads his new team to a 3 way tie.  Folks, this is a fairly monumental feat: QBs have to know their playbook better than anyone on the field.  You can almost see Favre getting more comfortable in the system.
• Now, we have our Patriots.  The right side of the offensive line, with Yates and LeVoir, has been struggling, but getting better.  Cassel has yet to develop a long ball with Moss.  We reached into the practice squad for "Law Firm" as our primary RB and are using Faulk more than usual.  Onfield secondary "coach" Rodney Harrison is IR'd for the season.  Who's next?  Bruschi?  Shhh... finding some wood to knock on.  The CB sitiation looks like a war zone.  Oh, Don't let me forget to mention, with all of these injuries and churn, we were an Adam Vinatieri 52 yarder, a David Thomas unnecessary roughness penalty, a dropped Jabar Gaffney reception away from besting Indy...IN THEIR HOUSE!!

As our links guru says, Keep the Faith!  Here's why I have faith - Belichick.  He knows when players are hot or cold, when they're ready to step up (BenJarvus Green-Ellis) or sit down (Jonathan Wilhite).  The running game is hot, hotter than it's ever been.  And that's without Maroney, Morris, and Jordan.  My belief?  BB is "resting" Morris and Jordan for a sprint to the finish line.  Cassel's long ball with Moss is close; that perfect floater to Gaffney against Indy got me all lathered up about it.  As soon as Matt can put the ball where Randy has to REACH for it, look out.  Putting it in his bread basket only allows wily DBs to reach in and knock it out (remember the Chargers game?).

5-3, 5-3, 5-3, 4-4.  Wow, what a nutty season this has been.

First, let me say I am STOKED for Matt Cassel.  It's a long season, but he just started a professional football game at quarterback and walked away with a win.  Did I mention it was his first start since High School?  Way to go, Matt.  Way to go.

In trying to find a word describing this game, the only thing I could think of was efficient.  Every team plays to its strengths, but I think this game was won, in large part, by the coaching staff or, more accurately, by the coaching staff's careful examination of Matt Cassel's pre-season performance.  In so doing, they were able to get a very clear picture of how to assist Matt in managing the game.  Not to draw comparisons between Brady and Cassel, but Brady has far more decision making freedom on the field because he's Tom Brady.  To be fair, did he have that much decision making authority in 2001?  No way.  In time, I believe Matt will have that game management skill that so many top quarterbacks have.  Until then, he's really doing well, taking few chances and winning games.  2-0 BABY!!

• This was a grind it out victory.  Cassel's numbers (16/23 for 165 yards) were enough to provide a good cushion and win the game. 
• The best rusher of the game, LaMont Jordan, posted only 65 yards in 11 carries, but they were critical carries.
• Ellis Hobbs was lighting up the field with a number of key blocked passes and excellent coverage.  Just looking at this game, he's showing he's THE veteran cornerback in the Patriots' system.
• The Patriots didn't emphasize the pass rush in the first half, opting for strong defensive backfield coverage.  It seemed to work as it shut down Favre's targets.
• I was fairly convinced Hobbs or Jordan were the MVPs of this game, totally forgetting Gostkowski absolutely smacked the ball into the end zone for 5 touchbacks - FIVE!!  That's key.  Five of the Jets' drives had to start on their 20 yard line.  Huge...
• Belichick tried some trickery by leaving the offensive unit on the field and making Mangini think they were going for a 4th down conversion.  He then quickly put the punting unit on, creating a lot of confusion for the Jets.  If it had worked, the Jets' safeties would've been the return guys.  Unfortunately, Hanson kicked it into the endzone for a touchback, 1 of 2 for our punter.  I wouldn't want to be Hanson on the bus ride home from Joisey.
• The passing game was interesting and very telling at the same time.  Welker was tops with 7 for 72 yards, followed by Faulk with 4 for 50.  Moss went 2 for 22 and his longest was 14 yards.  A dropped pass changed his numbers, but it's interesting to see that the majority of the Cassel led passing game was short, underneath, high percentage passes and curious to see a running back, Faulk, with the second highest receiving yardage.  That just goes to show how important the running backs have become and could indicate the kind of offense the Patriots will be utilizing.

All in all, a very satisfying win.  I'm very happy for Matt and I'm stoked for the team.  Now let's get some of those O line starters healthy.  3 sacks on Cassel is 3 too many, especially when he limped away from one of them.

The Patriots and the Jets will renew their rivalry this weekend in the Meadowlands, with a late afternoon tilt.  You may have heard that New Jersey has added a certain gunslinging geriatric who, nevertheless, can still wing it with the best young guns in the league.  Since everyone already knows about him and what he can do, I'm going to focus on some of the other sub-plots in this drama.

This rivalry used to have more of a family picnic feel to it--at least among the fandom--as the legacy of the old AFL fostered some solidarity.  With Namath, the Jets struck the first blow against big brother, and the intervening years saw the shared misery of mediocrity (and worse).  No more.

As we will be constantly reminded this week, the Tuna made great waves, first by raising the Patriots from Patsies, then shopping himself down I-95 when he should have been preparing for the Favre-led Packers (one of Brett's two wins v. NE).  That lit the fuse and the intervening years have been a pitched battle for AFC East dominance.

Although the Patriots have had the upper hand of late, rarely have we been able to take the Jets for granted.  When we lost the back end of the yearly series in 2006, there were even rumblings that Belichick had been outcoached by his protege.  It was not a pretty sight, as the Patriots were outplayed on both sides of the ball.  The Jets were no match for New England last year, but with our key man down they look to regain the advantage, starting this Sunday.  Here are some guys in green to keep your eyes on:

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Legends of the Game: In Trading Places, Jim McCabe takes a longer look at the many greats who refused to fade away on the team where they made their name and took the show on the road. Favre certainly isn't the first.

Uncomfortably intimate:

"It's a different feel with different quarterbacks," said the Patriots' Pro Bowl center. "It's kind of hard to explain. It definitely feels different when you're rotating guys in there, but if you work enough with a guy, ... you just get comfortable."

Too much?

Chris Gasper notes the importance of the running game this week--especially considering that the Jets picked up big ol' Kris Jenkins from Carolina in the off season.  At 6-4, 350, he's going to absorb some pounding and pose a big challenge to the Patriots still-struggling offensive line.

Phil Simms chimes in on Pats v. Jets, while in the locker-room it's Jeff Hostetler with a relevant take for Matt Cassel, who gives the first extended interview of his career. Both in Reiss' Pieces.

ProJo's Shalise Manza Young has put that interview with Cassel into a nicely digestible column.

Former and current teammates step up to the plate to assure Chris Gasper that Randy Moss will continue to be a positive force on the field and in the locker room. Still, the piece has a "definite-maybe" feel to it.

"You know, they just don't stop having the mafia down in Providence." They've come up with a thumbnail game preview, which I'm "compelled" to say is worth checking out. We'll have our own "what to watch for" segment later. Karen Guregian paints a rosy picture of Matt Cassel's reception by the team.

Adalius Thomas has a lot in common with Bret Favre:

"We went to the same school, had the same agent (James ‘Bus’ Cook), yeah, I know Brett pretty good," said Thomas. "I saw him in the offseason a couple of times. We were actually at Disney World with our kids at the same time and I saw him, about the time he announced his retirement."

I hope they get a lot of time together on Sunday.

Newsday's Bob Glauber has his own rehash of the "Cassel is ok" meme.

Peter King picks your Patriots to win this weekend--barely.  Dr. Z drops them only one slot in his power rankings--from1 to 2.  He's big on the proof of head-to-head matchups.  And Don Banks believes Brady will continue to have a significant impact as Cassel's study partner.  How long before the question, "Is the continuing tizzy about Brady starting to piss you off?" is asked and answered by Cassel, "Yes, I've been out of diapers for some time, and can actually wash and dress myself in the morning--all by my big self."

Ross Tucker, basing his knowledge of Matt Cassel on one 2 minute drill, thinks the Patriots will win about half of their games. You have to wonder...how some people get paid.  It's not just that I disagree with him; it's that his column is basically mental diarreha, recorded.  There are lots of ex-players out there writing.  Not many of them are working at becoming writers, though.

News from New Jersey:

Mike Lombardi at the National Football Post claims the Jets are locked in, moneywise:

The Jets are win at all costs this year -— all costs.  If this team does well, they will all be back.  If the Jets don’t do well, guess what?  They will all still be back.  They are in cap hell based on the guarantees.

Laveraneus Coles is still moping about having a Bret instead of a Chad.  The Bergen Record sings along, with a similar story.

Justin Terranova with a throwaway piece on raised expectations in greenland.

Ian O'Connor of the Bergen Record takes what is sadly becoming a broken record and plays it well, with a column on the physical travails of former Jet standout Wesley Walker:

Wide awake at 3 a.m., his battered 53-year-old body raging against the hits taken and the needles absorbed over 13 years with the Jets, Walker often asks his maker for relief that never comes. Devastating NFL injuries were all over the news this week, from Tom Brady’s to Shawne Merriman’s, reminding that generations of predecessors are out there suffering in relative silence, men who played a game packaged and promoted as a simulated exercise in war.

I remember watching WW as a kid.  How many of our childhood heroes are out there right now, like this?  It's like Superman has gone homeless, huddled on a park bench somewhere, wrapping himself in a road-stained cape.  The League and the PA need to step up and fix this.  The money's there--it's the will that's lacking.  Shame.

The Pats will be sure to challenge rookie corner Dwight Lowery on Sunday.  After reading this article, it sounds to me like the serious, studious Lowery might've made a decent New Englander. 

Oh well, maybe we'll pick him up when he's ready to win a championship.

After a 1 week hiatus to sober up from the Fourth, we're back with another installment of Around the AFC East.  First up is Matt I from The Phinsider, SBNation's fine Miami Dolphins blog.

I read a seemingly silly piece on the Dolphins' QB situation: What if Miami brought Brett Favre into the organization.  On the surface, I thought this was ludicrous, but it could make some sense given the need for some stability in that position.  Favre could provide some needed mentorship in that position and possibly help the Dolphins win some games in the process.  What's your thoughts?  Silly?  Does it make sense?

The Phinsider: Your original gut feeling that this idea is ludicrous is right on.  It would be a monumental mistake for the Dolphins to even consider bringing aboard Brett Favre.

Really – how would bringing aboard Favre benefit this team?  Maybe instead of winning 4 or 5 games, they win between 6 and 8.  Then what?  After the season, the Dolphins would be facing the same question that they are facing now: who is the QB of the future for the Dolphins?  In all honesty, the only people within the organization who are probably pushing for this would be the marketing people.  After all, ticket sales would likely increase a little.  But luckily for us fans, the marketing department doesn't have a say in the football operations.

But the bottom line here is that this team is undergoing a youth movement and bringing in a guy like Favre is just what you said: silly.  This team needs to stay with their current philosophy, get younger, build through the draft, and get ready to contend in, say, 2010.  And in between now and then, they need to find their quarterback, whether it's John Beck, Chad Henne, or somebody not yet on the roster.  But it sure as hell isn't Brett Favre.

My Take: Agreed.  I was goading Matty to see if he'd bite and he wisely did not.  Favre adds nothing to the mix and, in my mind, should exit pro football gracefully which, by the way, is not the way he's doing it.  Matty is right to suggest the Dolphins should concentrate on building youth and talent into their organization as well as taking a longer term approach.  Build a good system and players will gravitate to it.

Thanks to Matty I over at The Phinsider.  Head on over their to see my answers to his question.

Just a couple of quick thoughts and some questions for youse (that's what 3 days on "Long GUY lund" does to a guy).

There's been some rumors of Brett Favre with a Dolphin on his helmet.  As ludicrous as this may sound, it wouldn't be a bad idea.  Just think about the tangled web of QB stuff going on down there and you get the picture.  Pull in a vet like Favre and he can help the young guys come up to speed while providing much needed seniority on the field.  Not too far fetched, but I'm doubtful it'll happen.  If it did, it'd be classic Parcells.

While preparing for Around the AFC East, Week 7 (we start the questions and answers on Tuesdays), Matty I at SBNation's Phinsider asked me about Matt Slater.  I won't dive to deeply into my answer (you'll have to wait until Friday), but Slater has lined up at both WR and S during mini-camps.  I said during my bio of him that I thought it was a smart idea to put a kid like Matt at safety.  Why not take a player with WR hands and line him up as a DB?  Seems like it'd work to me.  I plan on keeping an eye on this guy during training camp visits.

All for now.  I have a few training camp stories in the works so look for them in the next few days.  Good to be home again...

Ben Coates is elected to the Patriots Hall of Fame.  He had this to say:

I feel great about it. It feels great to have the fans make the choice," Coates said in a press release. "The other nominees were great competitors and I am honored to be the inductee. I guess it was my time.

Brady selected first in mock league-wide draft of current players.

The Brett Favre story won't go away - Packers remain quiet.

ESPN asks, "Does the rookie symposium help?"