We're doomed! The end of the world is nigh! We must not tarry my good people! Mount steads, ye Minutemen, O' protectors of all that is sacred! Master Tom Brady is not himself-eth...or something-eth...
Seriously, like chillax, K? You...are...bummin'...me...out!
Yes, we lost to a division rival. Yes, we can't tell Rex Ryan to stuff a sock in it. Yes, Tom Brady looks rusty. And yes, we were one Leodis McKelvin forced fumble away from an 0-2 season. The world is not coming to an end. You, YES YOU, can pull the blanket down from over your head and cancel the order for window bars. BTW, unload the 12 gauge, ok?
I give the Jets a huge amount of credit. They talked the talk and they walked the walk. IMO, pressure was the key, forcing Brady into some hurried throws. Fundamentals were also at play here. I mean, 11 penalties for 89 yards, 3 delay of game penalties, 2 of them back-to-back? 23 for 47 and a QB rating of 53.1? Like I said, I give the Jets a lot of credit, but our Patriots were only a few bad plays or penalties away from tying, possibly winning, this one. Don't believe me? Check the game log:
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1-10-NYJ 17 (8:36) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short middle to 11-J.Edelman to NYJ 7 for 10 yards (36-J.Leonhard). PENALTY on NE-61-S.Neal, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at NYJ 17 - No Play. Turned into a field goal.
- 1-10-NE 41 (1:53) (No Huddle) 12-T.Brady pass deep right intended for 81-R.Moss INTERCEPTED by 24-D.Revis [52-D.Harris] at NYJ 16. 24-D.Revis to NYJ 16 for no gain (81-R.Moss). Luckily, Jets did nothing with this.
- 3-5-NYJ 7 (11:39) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass incomplete short left to 11-J.Edelman. Turned into a field goal.
- 2-3-NYJ 11 (:33) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass incomplete short left to 11-J.Edelman (21-D.Lowery).
- 3-3-NYJ 11 (:28) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass incomplete short left to 81-R.Moss (25-K.Rhodes). Turned into a field goal.
- 3-S.Gostkowski kicks 69 yards from NE 30 to NYJ 1. 29-L.Washington to NYJ 44 for 43 yards (3-S.Gostkowski, 88-S.Aiken). WATCH HIGHLIGHT
- 1-10-NYJ 44 (14:50) 6-M.Sanchez pass deep right to 89-J.Cotchery to NE 11 for 45 yards (59-G.Guyton). Turns into a Sanchez-to-Keller TD.
Get the Picture? Instead of going for the endzone with Edelman and Moss, get the 3 yards for another first down and pound the rock in. Stop Leon Washington from a 43 yard kickoff return and NY will likely not score.
As ugly as that loss was, I refuse...R.E.F.U.S.E. to believe this team is in trouble. Case in point: Peyton Manning. Remember how abysmal he looked at the start of 2008? Indy was 3-4 going into Game 8 against the Patriots. They eeked out an 18-15 win against a Matt Cassel led Patriots to begin their ascent to a wildcard playoff berth. That game, in my opinion, marked the recovery of Fivehead. The good news? Manning was practically hobbling onto the field. He spent most of training camp in his room, watching film, primarily because his surgery was so close to the start of the season. Brady's had a LONG time to recover. The only gotcha here is that Manning didn't have a year off the gridiron to contend with; we'll see how that plays out, but I think it's less of an issue than a healing knee.
Do not despair, ye faithful. Nigh is the time when Master Brady shall blanket the battlefield with his supreme skills and rain down upon the unwashed with reckless abandon. Or, beat the livin' snot out of everyone else.