Sleeping Dogs

It’s a major mistake to think the disgust with James begins and ends in Cleveland. I’ve never been to Cleveland myself, so his decision to leave didn’t smack me upside the head with any sort of betrayal whatsoever. As a diehard Celtics fan, the only other team I always have my attention on are the Lakers. When Los Angeles makes a move, I’m required by New England law to take notice. No other team is on our ass with title wins, so LeBron’s “Decision” was initially pretty irrelevant to me.

But in the thick of that gloomy summer, “The Decision” became relevant to everyone. It was forced down all of our throats. It didn’t even matter if you cared or not, LeBron’s indecision was a phenomenon larger than Team Edward, Team Jacob, Health Care, Paris Hilton, and the Kardashian chick all combined. Like the great Tim Tebow debate, it became a situation that you were forced to take a side on. LeBron made so many miscalculations, it’s truly unbelievable. You almost have to believe he purposely tanked this thing to properly explain his actions. I’m not a PR person, but my guess is he had such a person. What exactly was that person getting paid for? He must have had a manager, an agent, a this, a that, and they all get paid millions of dollars -- but for what? The Summer of LeBron was such an extraordinary debacle, it remains the source of immense hatred for people in all states of the country -- not just Ohio.

Cleveland is a place that doesn’t have a lot. Similar to New Orleans and Detroit and Oklahoma City, Cleveland is a struggling part of America that just seems constantly weighed down with bad luck. That’s partially why Drew Brees and Justin Verlander and Kevin Durant are such national heroes -- they give purpose, prestige, and esteem to those cities. New Orleans may not have the glitz and glamour of New York City, and they may not have the legacy and championship banners of Boston, but they have Who Dat, and that makes them just as relevant. Well, for a while, that’s what LeBron James did for Cleveland. As long as LeBron played for the Cavs, every team in the league had to mentally prepare for a game against Cleveland. You couldn’t just show up and play. You had to walk through the tunnel knowing that a lion was waiting on the other side. It didn’t scare Paul Pierce and the Celtics, but it sure did scare everyone else. And although I know next to nothing about Cleveland, I know the people of Cleveland loved that. They loved being feared and respected. They loved being a somebody. Outside of the Celtics, every team feared playing at “the Q,” and the city soaked that up like a big fat piece of sourdough bread in a bath of sloppy turkey gravy. And you know what? The rest of us were sorta ok with that. Let Cleveland have a big-time player. Every city needs to feel proud of something, and LeBron was a great talent to have. I felt good knowing that LeBron was holding up a city on his shoulders. It gave James a purpose that went a lot deeper than basketball. He was their mascot, their mayor, their King, their representative, their spokesman, their heart, their soul, their everything.

And then he left. Ok, he’s allowed to leave. He’s a grown-man, he can do what he wants. But the way he left was simply unbelievable. Even for someone like me who couldn’t possibly care less about the Cavaliers, I was shocked. I didn’t know LeBron was capable of that sort of malevolent indifference. I really didn’t. He always seemed like a gentleman who valued pride over all other things. To draw out the decision, to do it so publicly, to phrase it the inane way he did, and the “villain commercial” he did for Nike, it was all so incredibly unlike the guy everyone thought they knew. Could you envision Kevin Durant doing a “villain” commercial? Of course not. Durant’s not a villain, he’s a role model. I was never a fan of LeBron, but I sorta saw him as a similar type to a lot of other people. So when he dropped the bomb of taking his talents to South Beach, it was shocking.

LeBron could’ve left Cleveland AND averted a PR disaster with a few simple steps. First of all, he should’ve held a press conference exclusively with the Cleveland newspapers and Cleveland reporters, and the citizens of Cleveland. It would’ve taken 20 friggin’ minutes to make it more personal, and to speak to the people directly. Be straight with them -- “Look, this is my home, I played my best for you, I love you, but it’s time to move on, blah blah blah.” Boom. Crisis averted. Sure, they would’ve been sad, but they wouldn’t have been hurt. Everyone gets broken-up with at some point, but it’s another thing to get dumped. By dragging the whole nation through it with “The Decision,” he basically stripped Cleveland naked and told them to wait in the bedroom. He put the city under a spotlight that they really didn’t need to be put under. It was the utter indifference to his home, to his roots, and the unbelievable excess of his ego that startled me, and continues to startle every basketball fan outside of Miami.

There was another way to avert the entire crisis. LeBron had multiple teams to choose from: the New York Knicks, the New Jersey Nets, the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Chicago Bulls. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Miami is the tackiest choice on the menu. For one thing, Miami sucks. It really, really sucks. It’s sludgy, gaudy, garish, and ostentatious. It’s the home of house music, drunks, douchebags, and people who wear Ed Hardy. It’s like playing for a team called The Las Vegas Prostitutes. And in addition to those scientific reasons, it should also be noted that Miami isn’t a historically significant basketball city. Their fans care little to nothing about the sport, and basketball fans generally repay them the favor. If anything, it’s a mutual dislike. So there was simply no honorable reason for LeBron to choose Miami. And when he finally did choose Miami, he made it even worse by claiming it was because they have a good school system. Things like this add up, and eventually you find yourself the most hated man in sports.

LeBron could’ve easily gone to the Knicks and been fine. The Knicks are a legendary team in a legendary city with a legendary arena, but they are historically awful. They have everything except championships. Plus, New York is a basketball city. Hands down, they’re the most basketball-adoring city in America. Every kid from New York knows how to play basketball. It’s Mecca for basketball lovers. So, had LeBron chosen the Knicks, it would’ve made sense. He would’ve been the Savior of a team that really, truly, badly wants to win for the fans. He could’ve held the press conference in Cleveland with his hometown fans and reporters, given them the news personally, then gone to the Knicks, and he would’ve been on easy street. No problems. And you know what? He probably could’ve had a similar situation by choosing the Bulls. In essence, he would’ve been choosing to play with a great point guard in another legendary basketball town. He also could’ve averted disaster by choosing the Clippers, who are even more historically awful than the Knicks, and he could’ve signed-on as the guy to leap that team past the Lakers. He could’ve even been ok with the Nets, because they’re the Mets of New York and he easily could’ve lifted that struggling club to prominence. And people would’ve rooted for him in all these situations.

He said it wasn’t about the money. In some sense, I actually believe him because he took a bit of a paycut to go to Miami. But if it truly wasn’t about the money but about championships, then why not Memphis? Or Golden State? Or Dallas? Or Boston? Or New Orleans? Or Philly? Or San Antonio? Or Milwaukee? If money wasn’t of real value in the decision, he could’ve gone to any of those ball clubs I just mentioned and won a championship last year. Those are all teams that were “one LeBron away” from winning it all. He could’ve said, “Pay me a hundred bucks,” and won a ring. Problem solved. But instead of taking a hundred dollars and a championship ring, he took millions and hooked-up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh -- a slap in the face to the very word “teamwork.” It was a lesson to kids everywhere that shortcuts exist, and you should most definitely take them. So when the Heat lost to an actual team, it felt pretty good. I was still disappointed because it wasn’t the Celtics, but at least Dallas was a real team. It was a reminder to kids everywhere that even though some professional athletes tower up to almost seven feet in the air, they’re not all necessarily people to look up to.

Lost

As if it wasn’t already clear that Danny Ainge and the captain of the Titanic are distant cousins, we now have reports that the Boston Celtics are aggressively pursuing Chris Paul -- and they’re willing to trade Rajon Rondo to get him. In other words, further proof that a lunatic can convince lots of people he’s a serious person with serious answers if he’s wearing a serious suit. Ainge -- the “before” version of Charlie from ‘Flowers for Algernon’ -- not only managed to land the job of President of Basketball Operations for the most successful team in the history of the NBA, but he has somehow defied the rules of logic as I’ve come to understand them and keep his job. I’d rather have Mac and Charlie from ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’ step-in and take a crack at figuring out what to do with the Boston Celtics.

I don’t want this to be misinterpreted as an anti-Chris Paul article. I love Chris Paul, he’s a fantastic player. He’s absolutely one of the five best players in the league, and he’s someone you want controlling your offense. He doesn’t even need his name on the All-Star ballot anymore because he’s a no-brainer for the starting point guard position out West, and he deserves that respect. He’s a winner, and almost certainly a future champion. When it comes to Chris Paul, I’m a fan.

I wrote an article a few weeks ago called “Tyler Seguin: Becoming the Greatest,” which was an all-around collection of quintessential theory and criticism pertaining to all the Boston teams, which of course ended with a heap of praise for Seguin and the Bruins. In the article, I spent a good chunk of time dealing with the issues of the Celtics -- which started with Ainge stripping away virtually every player that helped us win the title in ‘08; Leon the Professional, TA, Scal, J-Po, House, Perk, they’re all figments of the imagination now. They’ll never have their jerseys retired at the Garden, and only those who witnessed the beauty of that Championship team will remember the names of those great Celtics. I also discussed the height of insanity reached last year when Danny Ainge used Ray Allen as trade fodder, leading Allen to post a FaceBook sigh of relief after the deadline passed, telling the fans that he was “still green.” Since the title year, Danny Ainge has, for some unknown reason, completely dismantled this team and left it completely unrecognizable -- to the point where even the pitiful Chicago Bulls are now considered a bigger threat than the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, and the Miami Heat are considered the favorites to reach the Finals this year. This is shameful, shameful stuff. This fall from grace is epic, tragic, and brutal. Thank you, Danny Ainge.

The Celtics are loaded with problems. The absence of Eddie House leaves the team without anyone who can provide instant offense off the bench. The absence of Posey leaves the team without its second best defender behind KG. The absence of Scal leaves the team without that burst of energy they almost always need to win important games. The absence of Powe and TA leaves the team without the muscle and grit coming off the bench and maintaining the lead that the starters built-up. Powe and TA were an unbelievable source of power for the Boston Celtics. Unsung heroes. They were street-toughs with incredibly high Basketball IQ’s. Posey is arguably one of the five smartest players I’ve ever seen play the game. Posey and Tony Allen were the two most athletic players on the ‘08 Celtics team. Where are they now? Poof, vanished, disappeared. And Perkins, well, his contribution to the team should go without saying. All of those guys are gone, and the holes they left have yet to be filled. And that’s why we haven’t won a championship in three years. Allen, Pierce, and KG are historic Celtics figures destined to have their jerseys retired at the Garden, but their years are slipping away, and soon there will be three more holes and three more reasons why we aren’t winning.

The only -- I repeat, ONLY -- bright spot for our future is our Point Guard. We are lacking at every single position except for the One Spot. Rondo’s a Celtic the way Brady’s a Patriot; they were both rookies in Boston, and they both became Champions in Boston. They were amateurs in Boston, and they became masters of their crafts in Boston. They were perceived as liabilities in Boston, and then they became the reason why Boston was winning. And they both manage to get better with each passing year. Rajon Rondo is the reason the Celtics have gotten as far as they have over the last three years. He’s the only player on the current roster who adds to his skill level each season. He’s the only player that shows up at the start of every basketball year with new tricks up his sleeve, a higher and more disciplined IQ, and a more ravenous hunger to win -- dislocated shoulders and all. He’s the only player on the Boston Celtics capable of leading the team into the future, and leading them to banners. He’s young, agile, versatile, strong, fearless, and wise beyond his years. He’s also the most popular player on the Celtics. Fans worship him. We love him. Paul Pierce is the heart and soul of the Celtics...in theory. But those who know...well, we know. It’s all about #9.

So of course Danny Ainge wants to get rid of him. I mean, why not? Danny is, after all, the Fredo Corleone of Boston. Complete the cycle of madness, Danny. Do it. Don’t let anyone of reason try and stop you. You’ve doused the organization in kerosene, now all you need are the matches. Danny, I will send you the matches. Let’s just get it over with. Screw what Michael and Sonny are telling you -- they’re just jealous! You’re the smartest son! You’re the strongest! You have the best ideas! Of course you should be the Godfather! Of course you’re the most qualified man in the room! So do it! Burn it to the ground! Nevermind that Marc Gasol is a free agent who would perfectly fill the Perkins void and be an all-star Center of strength and grace for our organization. I mean, why would you go after Marc Gasol? We need him, so of course you wouldn’t. Burn it all to the ground! And nevermind that Samuel Dalembert is a versatile free agent who is just waiting for the right system to expose the gold inside him. Also nevermind that arguably the best defender in the NBA, Shane Battier, is also a free agent. Burn it! Torch it! Scorch it! Also, Danny, please pay no attention to the fact that the most underrated player in the league, Jamal Crawford, is a free agent. Pay no attention to the fact that Crawford is like James Posey 2.0; he plays D like Battier and hits 3’s like Reggie Miller. He may go down as the best 6th man in history. In a Celtics jersey, he’d be a riddle that the Heat and the Lakers would not be able to solve. He’s a perfect specimen of basketball brilliance with an IQ off the charts and the skill to match. He provides every intangible that the Celtics need to win an 18th banner. So definitely pay no attention to him, Danny. You just focus on getting rid of Rondo. All of Boston is behind you.

The Rise of Julien Edelman

This guy isn’t a superstar yet. He’s not even a star. In fact, his name is barely known outside New England. If you asked a Saints fan or a Lions fan who Julien Edelman is, they probably wouldn’t know. At best, you’d get a response somewhere in between “Sounds familiar” and “He’s a football player, right?”

The name Julien Edelman should sound familiar. And yes, he is a football player.

I’m not a fan of making predictions. It bothers me when analysts give their picks before a game, generally because their forecasts are based on circumstantial evidence from the outcomes of the most recent games, and their opinions on teams drastically alters from week to week. When asked for my prediction, I almost always answer “It’s a 50/50 game.” Some might think it’s a cop-out, but as someone who witnessed an 18-0 record go down the rabbit hole against an inferior team in the Super Bowl, I can safely say that any given football game is 50/50, and predicting the great players of tomorrow is a pesky habit that will almost certainly cost you your reputation. So I don’t do it too often.

I’m not gonna extol the virtues of Julien Edelman and lay him on thick as the next big thing in the NFL. I refuse to overstate my belief in him for the reasons I just addressed -- you simply never know. But what I can say with certainty is this much: When this guy’s on the field, I’m excited. He makes plays. He assists in making plays. He’s pure energy. He’s a cookie made from Bill’s cookie-cutting kit -- which is a compliment, considering how many players get cut from the roster for refusing to be cut into the type of cookie that Coach Belichick likes to munch on. Edelman is a versatile player who doesn’t truly play one specific position; he’s a wide receiver, but he’s also a punt-returner. He’s also an excellent defender and a great tackler for his size. Bill’s got him playing slot receiver and defending the slot receiver too. If you consider offense and defense and special teams as the three cornerstones of a football team, then every Patriots fan should know this guy’s name because he’s on all three.

As the 232nd pick in the seventh round of the draft, Julien has the same afterthought overtones as Tom Brady -- who was drafted in the sixth round as the 199th pick. In fact, none of the current Patriots players were really wanted by anyone. Kyle Arrington came up from the New England practice squad after being waived by the Eagles, Andre Carter was signed as a free agent after the Redskins severed ties with him, Danny Woodhead signed as a free agent after being waived by the Jets, Aaron Hernandez was the 113th pick from the fourth round, Wes Welker was traded to New England after being waived by the Chargers and being unwanted in Miami, Rob Ninkovich came out of the fifth draft round and was signed as a free agent after being waived by the Saints and the Dolphins, and Rob Gronkowski looks like the superstar coming out of the second round as the 42nd pick. Overall, the Patriots are not the Dream Team on paper.

But neither were the Pats of 2001. This is a league where things that look great Monday through Saturday rarely look good on Sunday, so being great on paper really isn’t worth the crummy stock it’s printed on. Full-circle we come to Julien Edelman. This guy’s a player. I still can’t say with any certainty how far he’ll go in the NFL, but I know he is -- and will be -- a part of any success New England encounters this year. Rarely have I seen an athlete so compelling at so many things. He’s James Posey and Tony Allen fused together in a two-pod teleportation experiment that went horribly haywire and resulted in Jeff Goldblum becoming the Fly and Julien Edelman becoming the Man. He may not be Darrelle Revis or Wes Welker or Devin Hester or Osi Umenyiora, but Julien Edelman has little bits and pieces of each of those guys in his game, and he plays with adrenaline and a will to win. I like this guy. Keep him on your radar.

Getting Back That Swagger

As I navigated myself through the winding tunnel of Lincoln Financial Field, I heard the roar of sixty-eight thousand Philadelphians cheering in unison. I looked up at the nearest screen and saw a 6-0 board. Then 7-0. I couldn’t believe they scored before I got to my seat. Everyone was already descending into a drunken celebration; some kind of flare or rocket went off above my head, fans in green were harassing fans in blue, this was hostile territory to say the least. Then, finally outside, I made my way down the steps towards row 11, and any anxiety I felt about their quick touchdown faded away. I saw Brady walking out onto the field, and that was it. His swagger was back. I could tell Tom Brady didn’t journey to South Philadelphia to play four quarters of football -- he came to play three. And that’s what he did; three quarters of unstoppable football, followed by a fourth quarter of rest and relaxation on the sidelines.

Eagles fans were completely bewildered by the animal that is Wes Welker. Every ball he caught was followed by a collective silence of confusion, as if every fan at the Linc was wondering the same thing about him: What are you, Where did you come from, and What are you doing here? I was half-expecting Wes to step up to a podium and give an answer: “My name is Wes Welker, I’m from New England, and I came here to end your season. Happy thanksgiving.” It was fascinating to witness the inability of Eagles fans to wrap their heads around Wes, especially given the running and receiving talent they have on their squad. Perhaps if the fans in attendance weren’t so busy rooting for Brady to get brutally hit on every throw, they could’ve spent some time online Googling ‘Best Receivers Ever,’ because I’m sure they would’ve seen Welker’s picture and they’d have known what to expect. Instead they were blindsided, and only now -- at the end -- do they know.

But I digress.

Back to the swagger. It was in full effect -- and with a vengeance. The Patriots looked strong, united, and swift. They were efficient and cunning, cohesive and violent. They were mentally tough, and they were physically tough. Every time Tom Brady waltzed on to the field, he did so with purpose. If you listen to Brady’s post-game pressers and his weekly interviews on WEEI, you know he’s horrifically disappointed every time he walks off the field without a touchdown -- it gives him insomnia. But he doesn’t always show that side of him during a game. In fact, that has been one of my criticisms throughout the year about him; his lack of urgency, waiting for him to get back that hunger to pile TD’s on top of each other and play games from ahead. Last night, on the very rare times the Patriots came-up empty-handed, Brady was visibly upset and it looked like he didn’t want to leave the field yet. I’ve been waiting all year for that. The will to put 7 on the board, do it again, do it again, and do it again, and suck the life out of the other team. It happened last night, and it was something marvelous to watch from only a few feet away.

All Hands On Deck

Nothing champagne-worthy happened on Monday night, but enough interesting events occurred to pique the interest of those who enjoy having their interests piqued by teamwork. Like Week 6 against the Cowboys and Week 10 against the Jets, this wasn’t just a W, it was a W*. A W* is when your team wins and grows at the same time -- and by growth, I mean when Julien Edelman single-handedly makes our special teams relevant again, and Andre Carter continues his growth into becoming the monster we need him to be, and Danny Woodhead snatches his photo off the milk carton, and Gronk firmly establishes himself a player who demands (and can outwit) the respect of multiple coverage. But most importantly, a guy named Shane Vereen proved that an NFL analyst doesn’t know a thing if he doesn’t know about Shane Vereen.

Patriots Nation has mixed feelings about the game last night, and most of the negative feelings are worth considering. For one, the Chiefs aren’t a terribly difficult team to beat without Matt Cassel. Second, some fear the Patriots’ poor first quarter performance was the most significant and telling part of the game. And third, the remaining schedule for the Pats is relatively easy, which may lead to a false sense of confidence leading right into a post-season brick wall when they go up against a QB of substantial worth. There’s merit to these feelings and concerns, and I share elements of them all. But nothing can keep me from being excited about what I saw last night.

The most significant ongoing problem with the Patriots has been their inability to intimidate other ballclubs with their defense. Teams do not quiver when they line-up against the Pats. There’s an absence of muscular strength there, and that hole is constantly exploited by physical teams like the Giants and the Ravens and the Steelers -- and even by the Jets last season in the playoffs. The Patriots have the intellect and skill to win a Super Bowl, but raw power will do to intellect and skill what a bazooka will do to a second-degree black belt in Judo. Super Bowl XLII left a lingering scent on the Patriots that other teams continue getting a whiff of -- that they’re beatable with a mixture of force, energy, and power. Every team that’s beaten them since has done so with the recipe of unholy anger and unrelenting brutality as originally concocted by the New York Football Giants. It’s exactly how the Steelers beat them in Week 8 and how the Giants defeated them in Week 9.

Last night went a long way towards establishing a sense of ruthlessness in the New England Patriots. Their commitment to scoring points -- even after the game was well in-hand -- was extremely telling. Yes, that’s part of Bill’s modus operandi, but it felt particularly vicious last night. Equally as interesting was the fact that Tom Brady cherry-picked his scorers last night, as opposed to the normal drag of just hitting the open man. Brady made a point of getting Gronk a second touchdown as a symbolic knockout punch to the Chiefs. And very late in the 4th, Brady made a conscious decision to reward Vereen with a hand-off to cap a drive that had Shane’s fingerprints all over it. A part of me thinks Bill kept Tom in the game just to get Shane that TD (or perhaps it was Brady’s idea). Either way, it was all fantastic to watch.

So many special little things happened last night. Like Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin, Mark Anderson and Andre Carter are helping each other reach new levels of cruelty and efficiency. Danny Woodhead is flat-out emerging in this league; he’s becoming a source of concern for every other team in the National Football League. The last thing teams want is for the Patriots to have multiple Wes Welkers, but that’s exactly what they’ve got; the Patriots are using Welker’s DNA like some mad Jurassic Park experiment and they’re creating catchers and runners that can’t be brought down without significant gains. If you consider the massacre that was the Chiefs versus the Patriots, and you take into account that Hernandez and Welker did not score or have big games, and Tom Brady played nowhere near his highest level, it’s pretty impressive. Also of note is the fact that the Patriots solved in the second half every effective problem Romeo Crennel was throwing at them in the first. The Pats made the adjustments that offset Kansas City’s plan of attack. That matters. These were big improvements for a team that needed to make big improvements.

The Great Debate [Part II]

Anyone who read Part I of this article knows I’m not a big fan of Tim Tebow, so I’m rather surprised to be defending him so frequently. I’m equally as surprised to have any opinion at all on the VP of Operations in Denver. I never imagined I’d have anything to say about either of these guys, but here we are. Two days ago, John Elway made some comments on the radio regarding Tim Tebow, and his comments disturbed me. When asked if he was feeling closer to having his franchise quarterback, Elway very meaningfully said no. He then began to pick apart Tim Tebow, bone-by-bone, and threw in a few compliments here and there to salt the zebra meat as he devoured it. He made it clear that Tebow’s time in Denver is temporary.

I’m so accustomed to the Patriots keeping inside baseball, well, inside. Am I spoiled by the discipline of New England? I must be. Elway’s thoughts on Tebow should be between him and Tebow right now. The Broncos are in the middle of a season. This team has been a joke ever since I was a kid, but now they have a shot to make the playoffs -- and to make it in style. Everyone associated with the Denver Broncos -- from the players to the owners to the janitors -- needs to demonstrate poise and maturity. And then...this? These comments from Elway on the radio? Is that leadership? Is that wisdom? Whatever happened to class?

Elway’s got almost every analyst out there backing him up and applauding his tough-love sentiment. But why? Denver won’t win the Super Bowl this year, but it won't be Tebow’s fault. It’s the fault of a great number of things -- mostly, they’re just not that good. They don’t have the weapons to win at an elite level right now. But Elway’s comments make it seem like Tim Tebow is what’s standing between the Denver Broncos and Success. Believe me, there’s a lot more than Tim Tebow blocking that pathway. There’s enough wrong with that team to fill a book on. But let’s just say, for argument’s sake, that Elway is positive Tebow’s not the guy. Ok, fine, that’s understandable given all of his issues. I’m not convinced he’s a good quarterback either. But to put these thoughts out there during a playoff push is completely misguided. People haven’t cared about the Broncos in what seems to fit my understanding of forever. Before Tebow’s arrival, teams were not afraid to play against the Broncos. Now, however, there’s a feeling of something -- maybe not fear or dread, but it’s something. It’s the feeling that playing against the Broncos means playing against a growing momentum. Do you really think teams want to play against Denver right now? The answer is no. Nobody wants to chop off a limb in the swirling helicopter blade of hysteria surrounding this team. When’s the last time Denver had that kind of clout? They had a fire going, and Elway poured every bucket of water he could find right on top of it.

I agree with Elway on certain things, most notably on the fact that Tim Tebow isn’t a very good quarterback right now. He’s not even in the mid-range level of Cassel and Sanchez. He’s in the bottom of the mix. But again -- if you recall my point from Part I of this article -- the kid’s only played five times, and he’s 4-1. Yes, we know the problems -- his mechanics are terrible, his accuracy is dismal, he clearly doesn’t want to throw the ball, and he suffers from severe fan hype and media over-exposure. And yet, despite all that, he’s got his team in a better position right now than the New York Jets. If that’s not potential, I don’t know what is.

Even if Tebow was 1-4, it still wouldn’t be classy for Elway to say what he said. But those numbers are reversed, and so is Elway’s logic. Is he aware of how little thought people put into the Denver Broncos from year-to-year? People care about the Packers, the Pats, the Bears, the Steelers, the Giants -- they don’t care about the Broncos. But now, people care a little. Maybe it’s for all the wrong reasons, but it is what it is. The team might not matter tomorrow, but they do today, and Tebow has something to do with it. Elway should ride-out the season with the kid and see where it goes. Worse that happens is they lose. So what? John Elway should be used to losing. So they’ll lose, and Elway will get rid of Tim or throw him back on the bench as a back-up. But to go on the radio and blast him like he did, that had less class than Rex Ryan’s outburst last week. At least Ryan’s particular brand of idiocy comes from his passion for winning and his hatred for losing, which I can respect. But Elway’s comments come from...where? He wants a quarterback who can lead them to the Super Bowl -- this year? Whatever happened to taking steps? Helping a player grow? Winning little victories and building something from nothing? How about John gets happy with a quarterback that led his guys to 4-1 in his first 5 games and put his team in a position to make the playoffs for the first time in seven years?

How about John Elway just stops talking altogether?

Tyler Seguin: Becoming the Greatest

There was a time when the Celtics and the Red Sox were in a friendly competition to see who mattered more in Boston. But 2008 was a lifetime ago. Now the Sox and Celtics are all but irrelevant. Not only does an NBA season seem far away, but an 18th banner seems even more out of reach. Danny Ainge spent four tireless years assembling a sublime group of players that won the title in style, and then spent the next three years liquidating key aspects of the roster like he was Gordon Gekko selling-off pieces of Blue Star. Powe -- gone. House -- gone. Posey -- gone. TA -- gone. Scal -- gone. Perk -- gone. The dementia of Celtics Management hit an all-time high last year when even Ray Allen wasn’t sure if his job in Boston was safe. Ray Allen -- a proven champion with a body in flawless condition, the hardest-working guy in the league, the greatest shooter in the history of basketball, a man playing as well as he’s ever played in his Hall of Fame career -- tradeable? Replaceable? What kind of horror movie is unravelling in Danny Ainge’s mind? What does he see that makes these situations reasonable? Ray had to post a sigh-of-relief on FaceBook after the trade deadline to tell the fans he was “still green.” How did Ray’s uncertainty ever get that far to begin with? Total Madness doesn’t even begin to describe the people in control of the Boston Celtics. With leadership like that, Celtics fans have to be grateful they won once.

I won’t delve too deeply into the collapse of the Sox -- it’s too soon. We need time to process it. But of all the people to go...Jonathan Papelbon? Tito? Theo? This is someone’s definition of Dead Weight? Someone saw this as fixing the problem? Paps, Tito and Theo are all winners. Forcing me to part ways with Theo Epstein reminds me of how I felt being forced to say goodbye to James Posey; someone in management is asking me to sever ties with a guy without whom a championship wouldn’t have happened. Papelbon was the only guy on the roster who stepped-up and took responsibility for the collapse. He’s gone. Tito was the spine of those two World Series teams. He’s gone. Theo was a baseball scientist, a prodigy, a chef you want fixing your soup. He’s gone. John Lackey and Jon Lester are still members of the Boston Red Sox, but Theo Epstein is not. The madness is so extreme that perhaps only a child to whom names are interchangeable could understand it. And if the method by which the Sox are searching for a new manager is any indication of their near future, then I friggin’ weep.

So half of Boston’s teams are in the freezer and in no shape to cook. What Boston’s left with are two red-hot teams that most cities would kill for. But it’s not necessarily the New England Patriots that are holding the most weight. When I look at the Pats, I feel the absence of Bruschi, Harrison, and Vrabel. They’re a Super Bowl contender, but the roster isn’t as strong as it once was. They have issues to sort and holes to fill; they’re gonna need a steady diet of unsung heroes like Andre Carter and Mark Anderson emerging and evolving throughout the year. The Patriots have a pool of players that can make this a Super Bowl team, but we don’t yet know who those players are or when they plan to put this team on their shoulders. Is it gonna be Danny Woodhead? Is Wes gonna stay healthy? Is the Andre Carter we saw against the Jets going to be the Andre Carter we see from now on? How’s Kevin Faulk gonna factor in? How about Kyle Love? Ridley? Nink? Spikes? Guyton? Chung? Some of these guys are gonna have to emerge as the James Posey and the Eddie House and the Leon Powe of the Pats if they plan to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to New England where it belongs.

But unlike the Patriots, this Bruins team doesn’t have issues to sort or holes to fill. Their biggest problem is a tendency towards malaise -- which is fixable. This roster is in it’s prime. Tyler Seguin is the most important athlete in Boston right now. Witnessing him blossom into a leader reminds me of watching Rondo fearlessly orchestrate the Big 3 in 2008. Every player on the Bruins is playing their best hockey. Given the demented and rampant urge for management to dismantle title teams from league to league, this Bruins squad is intact and in-control. Not since the 60’s -- during the supreme era of Esposito and Orr -- have the Bruins been the team that mattered most in Boston. This is a group of guys who are not only coming off a championship, but they’re actually getting better. That makes the Boston Bruins and the Green Bay Packers the only two teams in the big-four of American Sports who can make that claim.

The Great Debate

I’m not gonna use his name because I’m tired of hearing it. I’ll just call him “this guy,” “that guy,” “the guy,” or some derivative thereof. To say this guy is polarizing is an understatement. People have opinions and they’re more than willing to let those opinions be known. I’d like to cut-through all the junk surrounding this guy’s story and just boil the debate down to its core. Is this guy a quarterback or not?

Football purists say he’s not. From their perspective, a quarterback has to be able to throw the ball. He doesn’t have to be Tom Brady or Joe Montana, but he’s still gotta be able to sling it to some respectable degree. This guy gets under the skin of football purists because he’s taking up one of the 32 slots that have been reserved for the best quarterbacks in the world. Does this guy deserve to be one of the 32? Shouldn’t he be a running back? Why are so many fans contributing to the charade that he should be controlling an offense? Somewhere out there is a quarterback who deserves this opportunity more, and that quarterback is being denied a shot because the fans are pushing this guy on the organization and on the league for a lot of reasons -- most of which have little to do with football, and more to do with what a good person he is. A football purist doesn’t want to hear that kind of reasoning. A football purist wants to turn on the TV every Sunday and watch the best football players in the world playing great football. Period, end of story. And what they’ve been seeing from this guy over the last few games -- including the victory over the Jets -- is sloppy, uncoordinated, and totally undeserving of a top 32 slot. Also, if he was such a prized quarterback, why haven’t the Broncos been starting him for the past few years instead of keeping him on the bench? It’s because they knew he wasn’t the guy.

And then there’s advocates on the other side of the argument. They claim this guy is quite simply, flat-out, a winner. He wins games, therefore it doesn’t matter how he throws or what mechanics he lacks. The guy’s 4-1 on the season, which is impressive considering that Mark Sanchez opened up his 2011 season going 2-3, and Cam Newton, Donovan McNabb, and Michael Vick all went 1-4. Those are big names. Those are guys who are generally respected in the league and considered true quarterbacks, and they all botched their first five games of the season far worse than this guy. Also, how can you argue with 4-1? That’s a solid record. When you add that to his illustrious college career, it speaks volumes. Also, plenty of great quarterbacks waited on the bench for their moment to arrive. If it’s so easy to predict who “has it,” then scouts and managers and decision-makers would be right a lot more than Almost Never.

And those are the two opposing views. Rarely does anyone fall in the middle, but I suppose I do. Truth is, I just don’t care that much about this guy right now. I don’t see the magic yet. He can win ballgames, but a lot of quarterbacks can win ballgames. Can they win at an elite level? That’s what counts. The regular season is...the regular season. In my opinion, any of the 32 quarterbacks in the NFL who can’t win at an elite level are replaceable. This guy has the intangibles, and he’s a winner, but his throwing ability is wretched and his Football IQ is questionable to say the least. Do I trust him controlling an offense? No, not yet, not based on what I’ve seen. So, can a quarterback who can’t throw the ball win at an elite level? The answer is no. But I’m not ready to say what he can or cannot do. I’ve only seen the guy play five times. So I have to cut him some slack. Unlike every other analyst in the world, I’m not ready to render my verdict on the guy. I know how I’m leaning, but we’re only five games into his career. Everyone needs to take a breath and just relax. Why do people get so passionate about this guy? I certainly don’t. Right now he’s just another struggling QB who’s squeaking out wins. He’s not a big enough deal to soak-up this much airtime.

And yet, people are choosing sides. You’re either with him or you’re against him. But again, my question is: Why? Who cares? Until this guy proves he can really play football, why does anyone outside of Denver have an opinion at all? I certainly don’t care. When Joe Flacco goes cold (as he’s done lately), I take notice because the Ravens are an important team and an arch-rival of the Patriots. Also, he’s a damn good QB. So I care about what’s going on in Flacco Land. When Matt Cassel gets injured and won’t be able to play on Sunday and possibly for the rest of the season, I care. I care because he’s a proven talent, he has a serious QB presence in the NFL, and he’s someone who has the potential to become great. So I care.

The problem is, in this day in age, people care about everything -- even the unimportant stuff. In an earlier age of football, most people would not know this guy’s name. People wouldn’t care unless he was a major threat to their team -- someone like Steve Young, or someone old-school like Johnny Unitas. I just don’t see why so many people care about this guy. I can understand someone not having an opinion on him, but EVERYONE has an opinion on him. I feel like throwing a bucket of water on everyone. Relax. He’s just another young QB in the league trying to prove himself. Let him succeed or fail. If you see something great in him, fine. If you don’t, you don’t. But if you do see something great in him, my question is WHY? Does it have to do with football, or something else? Does it have to do with the sport, or with his private life? Because all I care about is football. And for someone to tell me that this guy “has it” is a massive overstatement at this point. He doesn’t appear to “have it” at all. Will we see it develop over the course of the season? Perhaps. I’m leaving the window open. The more wins he gets, the longer I’ll leave it open.

Only two things are true: 1) analysts can’t jump off-and-on the guy’s bandwagon fast enough, and 2) the Broncos should not have beaten the Jets last Thursday. I’m glad they did -- but who are we kidding here? The Jets are a Super Bowl contender. The Broncos are not. Five-out-of-five analysts on the NFL Network Pre-Game Show picked New York to win. So based on that fact alone, you have to ask yourself if something is afoot here. That was a must-win game for Gang Green, and they lost. Every single person on the Jets played hard, and they lost. Rex Ryan wanted that win with every fiber of his being, and he didn’t get it. Are we to assume this guy had nothing to do with it? Denver’s defense was phenomenal, but we shouldn’t dupe ourselves into believing the Jets have a lot of offense to stop. Both squads are defensive-minded ball clubs. The guy played horrible football on Thursday, but I could see that his teammates wanted to win -- and they wanted to win for him. That’s not good football, but it certainly is good leadership. You can’t use it to support the “it” argument, but you can use it to support the argument that a lot people aren’t even giving him a chance.

And now, for a change, let’s take a brief moment to look at some guys that have gotten way too many chances. Like, for instance, this guy:

And this guy:

The Gang Green Experiment

.500 is not where Rex Ryan wants to be. Had you asked him before the season if he’d be jolly with a 5-5 tally on Week 11, he’d have told you to take a hike. But that’s exactly where he finds himself, and he’s probably wondering how this experiment spun so out of control. I refer to the Jets as an “experiment” because, in essence, that’s what they are. They’re a team that doesn’t rely on their quarterback to win. There’s a similar situation going on in Dallas, but with the glaring difference that Tony Romo hasn’t led his team to two consecutive Conference Championships, and Sanchez remarkably has. 

Generally, teams with inconsistent quarterbacks don’t make it past the first round of the post-season -- if they even get there at all. But despite that generality, the Gang Green Experiment has been flourishing. The roots of their success are varied, but the primary reason is the absence of marquee players, coupled with a coach who thrives on leading a team that nobody believes in. By “marquee players,” I’m referring to guys like Calvin Johnson and Aaron Rodgers and Troy Polamalu and Drew Brees. The Jets just don’t have those famous names. On the list of the top NFL jersey sales, the only Jet in the top 20 is ranked 12th. By comparison, the Packers and Eagles each have 2 players who made the top 20 ranks, and the Steelers and Cowboys each have 3. This works beautifully into Rex Ryan’s vision of his team, which is a kind of “Us Versus The World” idea. It takes a group of misfits to make that concept possible. Not having “those guys” allows Rex to play as the underdog, which is where he wants to play from. 

But this year, he’s not the underdog. People actually believe in the Jets. For the first time in the Rex Era, the Jets are expected to win -- and win big. But at this point in the 2011 season they’ve already lost as many games as they did in all of last year. They’ve been swept by their arch rival from New England, and their strongest win of the season was followed by a two-game losing streak. One of those losses came last night in Denver. It was the first time this season that the New York Jets lost to a team with a worse quarterback than Sanchez, and that fact should be alarming to Rex Ryan. In a span of two weeks he’s lost to one of the best QB’s and one of the worst QB’s. That fits his team right in the middle at .500 -- exactly where he didn’t wanna be. Rex wants his cake, but he also wants to eat it too; he wants the reputation of a 5-5 team, but with a 9-1 record. Now he has the reputation of 9-1 team, but with a 5-5 record.

The Dallas Mavericks, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Boston Bruins are all teams that recently won championships without an abundance of marquee names; each has only one top-20 jersey-seller on their rosters. None of these teams were expected to win titles. The Jets want to be one of these teams, but their time for sneaking under the radar is over. When teams play against the Jets, they bring their ‘A Game.’ Opponents only bring their ‘A Games’ when they play against teams that everyone wants to beat -- and like it or not, the Jets have a bullseye on their back. Ryan’s outlandish persona helped the Jets gain confidence in 2009 and 2010, but now it’s hurting them. What the Jets needed in 2011 was a more reserved coach with a quiet confidence. They didn’t get that. A quiet coach would’ve been able to accept 5 losses, but a loud coach simply can’t do that. Hence, the devastating looks in his face during the post-game interviews. Instead of having a we’ll-prove-you-wrong confidence, he’s having a this-is-falling-apart crisis. 

The remaining schedule for the Jets isn’t kind. Next Sunday there’s gonna be a 6-4 or 5-5 Buffalo team that’s trying to bury the Jets deeper into the bottom of the AFC East to keep their own playoff hopes alive. The Washington game might be easy, but the KC game won’t be. And if the Eagles can find a way to beat the Giants this weekend, then Andy Reid’s squad might be caught-up in a we-can-do-it windstorm that might propel the entire team into a winning streak; not an easy storm for the Jets to weather. Then the Giants (’nuff said), and then a final game in Miami where the Dolphins might bring their ‘A+ Game’ for no other reason than pride and the desire to go out on a decent note. All in all, not great news if you’re a Jets fan. 

But all is not lost for them. This is still a good team. Sanchez might be the only Jet with a top 20 jersey, but only because Revis and Plax and Mangold and Cromartie are underrated. Why Revis doesn’t have a top 5 jersey is beyond me. It’ll be interesting to see how a 5-5 Jets team plays over the next few weeks. New England and Buffalo would be wise to not write-off the Jets. The Patriots should proceed with their remaining schedule as if they’re in 3rd place in the AFC East, thereby maintaining the desperate hunger that led them to sweep the Jets last Sunday in stunning fashion. Buffalo should come out this weekend and next weekend with a brutal sense of urgency. The Jets are on the ropes, but they haven’t been knocked out yet -- and that makes them dangerous.

Matt Cassel, Patriot

Before the season started, I studied the schedule and circled Week 11. For some reason, I had a gut feeling it was going to be a rough game. An emotional one, certainly. Going up against Matt Cassel is difficult for a Pats fan to deal with because Cassel holds a special place in our history.

There isn’t a single Patriots fan who isn’t still despondent about the 2007 season. There’s pain there, even to this day. 2008 was supposed to be the bucket of soap and water on the graffiti that defaced 2007. 2008 was supposed to be “the year.” But in the first game of the season, Brady went down with a season-ending injury. He didn’t even get any points on the board. Patriots Nation was completely devastated. It was the arsenic-laced icing on the cake.

And then Matt Cassel headed out on the field. He won the game for us, and then he won ten more over the course of a pretty damn exciting season -- including an emotional Week 15 win over the Raiders, less than a week after his father’s death, throwing 4 massive touchdowns and eventually leading the Patriots to an impressive 11-5 tally on the season. It was the first time since the expansion that a team won 11 games and didn’t make the playoffs. But in the end, it didn’t really matter. The kid did right by us, and he’s a champion in his own right.

You never want to see a quarterback go down, but even more so in this case. His surgery may prevent him from getting back on the field this season, but I think I speak for all Patriots fans when I say I hope that doesn’t happen. We won’t see him slinging for Kansas City on Monday night, but I have no doubt he’ll be back soon, and he’ll be back in style. It doesn’t matter what jersey he wears, he’ll always be a Patriot.

The Coaching Paradox

Over the last few weeks I’ve written some articles alluding to the slight case of doubt I've been feeling about some of Coach Belichick's decisions, and it’s not a mid-season anxiety attack or a nine-game itch. This has actually been an unfolding fruit-roll-up of nerves that has played out within me over several years. It’s not so much a matter of the two losses to the Steelers and the Giants, but it’s the two losses in conjunction with a blown Super Bowl and three seasons without a playoff win. Reflecting back to some of my articles-in-question, I found a common theme in my criticism of Bill, and it was a lack of urgency in his demeanor. Of course Bill’s Buster Keaton impersonation has sorta been his hallmark for a decade now, so that’s nothing new. In some ways, it's why we love him. But looking at it through the prism of disappointing seasons, it's somehow different. A nonchalant-by-nature coach who doesn’t panic has a knack for inspiring a sense of calm in his fans, but that same attribute can flip on a dime and just as easily convey a sense of apathy and instill a feeling of dread.

So that got me thinking about the ideal demeanor of a head coach. How should one act? Is there a proper etiquette? Or a specific attitude that inspires a greater confidence in his fans and players? Doc Rivers stands and Phil Jackson sits. Which do you prefer? Sean Payton doesn’t complain much and Tom Coughlin never stops complaining. Does any of this matter? Maybe not. Every coach I just named has a championship to his name, so clearly they’re all doing something correctly. But the discrepancies remain, and the fans are kinda forced to chug-along with the overly-animated or totally expressionless captains leading the train down the track. But losing can really alter the look of a good run. Something placid and sedated -- like Belichick’s face -- is completely inspiring when the Patriots are winning three Super Bowls. But when we lose to the Jets in the second round of the playoffs, it’s completely concerning. Hence, the coaching paradox.

A few weeks ago, when I was knee-deep in my blue Belichick funk and wishing he’d show some emotional urgency, something happened: Handshake-Gate. And thinking back to that over-hyped and talked-to-death story, I can recall how glad I was that Jim Schwartz wasn’t the head coach of my team, because his kind of emotional fragility isn’t the kind of leadership that belongs anywhere near the Patriots or the Celtics or the Bruins or the Red Sox. And I also remember thinking how annoying Jim Harbaugh was getting. I remember being equally as grateful for not having Harbaugh as a coach as I was for not having Schwartz. And that’s the revealing truth in the coaching paradox: stone-faced coaches seem brilliant when they’re winning and detached when they’re losing, and overly-emotional coaches seem passionate when they’re losing and irritating when they’re winning. It's a messy dilemma, and the Coach of the Year award simply goes to the guy who navigates this muddy path better than the other 31 fellas hacking through the same jungle.

In other words, this guy:

Everything In Its Right Place

Rex Ryan's devastation has got me thinking about the enormity of this game. Not the game last night, but the game of football as a whole. The simplistic test of strength and toughness is what makes losing in this league so bitter to swallow. In basketball, golf, and even in hockey, players have off-nights and days when nothing seems to go right. But rarely do bad days just happen in football. In football, bad days are almost always microcosms of a larger narrative being played out over a vast span of time. Prior to the game last night, analysts were running wild with the theory that New England's dynasty was finally over, using the words "Patriots" and "done" in the same sentence -- with extra emphasis on the latter. And now, today, all of a sudden, those same people are saying that you can't ever count-out a team with Brady and Belichick at the helm. Funny how quickly they flip.

A lot of what you hear is nonsense. The best way to know what's happening is to watch the games and take "the eye test," and then match it up to the larger narrative you've been following over the last few years. The narrative I've been following is New England's journey to get back to where they were -- but with different guys. People often refer to this Patriots team as the "dynasty team," which is what prompts so many reporters and columnists and analysts to say their dynasty bended fifteen days ago against the Steelers and broke last week against the Giants.

But is that true? No, of course it isn't. Our dynasty ended in 2008. It's 2011 now, and it seems like it's only the Patriots fans that got the message. For others to call this a "dynasty team" is pretty misleading, considering that most players on our current squad weren't on the roster during the three Super Bowl victories. Analysts and Patriots-haters tend to lump New England fans with Yankees fans and Tiger fans and Federer fans; there's a feeling of slight disgust involved. But the cold hard truth is that Patriots fans have been blue for a while now, and we haven't been bragging nearly as much as others would lead the casual passerby to believe. In fact, Patriots fans spend hours a day on the radio, calling in with ideas on how to improve and win games. We've been working overtime to help our guys climb to the top of that mountain again. The only people who seem to be aware that we haven't gotten there in quite some time is...us.

When it comes to spreading the myth of the Patriots, Rex Ryan is Public Enemy #1. He is, without a doubt, the most hated man amongst Patriots Nation. Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning don't even rank 2nd or 3rd on the list; Rex is large enough to fill up the top three spaces. The reason? He's exploitative. For the last two-and-a-half years, Rex Ryan has used the image of the Patriots as a punching bag for his guys. He's used our past success as a weight with which to build-up the muscles of his players, and to mentally dupe his team into an invisible grudge with us. He has both created and spread the notion that New England is all that stands between the Jets and a Super Bowl ring. And yet, in 2009, it was actually the Indianapolis Colts that stood in their way. And last season, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the total duration of Rex Ryan's time as head coach of the New York Jets, the Patriots have never once competed in the AFC Championship, nor have the Patriots ever been the cause of ending Rex's season. And yet Rex continues to flap his mouth, using New England's prior success and imaginary evil-empire-mystique as a means of venting his frustration with losing and keeping the Jets firmly-rooted in their gritty underdog status.

But what Rex Ryan fails to understand is that the underdog is -- and has been for some time now -- the New England Patriots. The Jets have competed in the last two consecutive conference title games, and they've gotten better with each passing season since Rex arrived. The Patriots, on the other hand, haven't won a playoff game in three years; they've had problems on-top of problems that have stunted the growth of the team and saddened fans to no end, and they're almost entirely composed of new players that are still learning Bill's system. We haven't won a Super Bowl since I was in college. Brady won rings in the first half of his career, but we're now fully-planted in the second-half of his career and ringless. But none of that matters to Rex, because he's more than willing to use a hypothetical and non-existant Patriots team as a means to galvanize his team and feed off a pretend sense of hate for sustenance. It's insulting and misguided, and the tactics with which he's used to march the Jets into an unprecedented sense of entitlement is the true mark of a man with absolutely no class whatsoever.

His obsession with Bill Belichick borders on madness, and his preoccupation with Tom Brady is nothing short of disturbing. His comments over the last twenty-six months have been outrageous, irrational, and totally lacking in dignity or tact. If he wasn't the coach of one of the most unproductive teams in NFL history, he'd be an outcast. Fortunately for him, he's in charge of the Mets of football, so he's got a free pass to say any clumsy thing that pops into his mind. New York would never stand for this sort of thing from Tom Coughlin, and they'd never stand for anything less than perfection from an icon of poise and sportsmanship like Derek Jeter. And yet, an exception is made for Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez; they're allowed to act like clowns because the Jets are a clown team. They're a team of make-believe, built-on the shoulders of a ghost. The only thing greater than their ability to entertain is their ability to make you go out and buy a Giants cap.

The sad part is that they've got some good guys on the Jets -- some of whom I actually like. Darrelle Revis is one of the five best players in the National Football League, and he's a pretty respectable guy with a lot of class. LT is a terrific player. And Plaxico has actually made some personality and lifestyle improvements -- not to mention the fact that his talent is undeniable. The Jets are not a scumbag team. But there's a lingering scent that Ryan and Sanchez put on this organization, like a crusty residue that sticks like glue between your thumb and forefinger. They're the two most unlikable guys in the league. It's Rex Ryan's fault that I got so much joy out of last night's win. Ordinarily, a win would just be one more step towards an efficient Patriots team with a shot at a title. But last night was made so much sweeter by the psycho at the helm of the New York Jets.

Sweeping the season series against the Jets was great, but it's not my concept of winning, and it's not what we came for. The Patriots did so many things correctly last night, this is a terrific opportunity for them to grow and become the thing we've all been dreaming about for years. Unlike the Jets, the Patriots' quest for greatness has nothing to do with anybody else. There are no scores to settle or back-alley fights or drag races we have to be at. Our quarterback is a little too grown-up for that, and our coach has a little too much class for getting detention over a fight with the school bully and the class clown.

The Quiet Man Wearing Glasses

Judging by the halftime score, it was anybody’s game. 

But reflecting on those first 30 minutes of ugliness, I couldn’t help the feeling that New England was always putting forth 100% effort. Even during the missed tackles and botched downs, my internal barometer was cooking. I felt pretty good. Ocho caught two sweet balls, and Brady had a daring look in his eyes and in his step; and although his throws tended to be off-center and over-thrown, it looked like he was a few twists away from tightening the bolts. And while Wes and Woody and Gronk and Aaron didn’t always collect a lot of yardage, it sure looked like they were willing to throw their bodies into a meat grinder for every inch of field space. Their commitment to getting points in the first half -- even field goals -- was so damn refreshing, it was like popping open a glass bottle of Coca-Cola on a brutally hot summer day. They weren’t dominating the game in numbers, but they were always on the attack and their defense was trying like a son-of-a-gun. I got the sense that there wasn’t one person on the Patriots who was out there to silence the nagging critics or to earn a paycheck or pose for the cameras. The New England Patriots were out there to take control of their division, plain and simple. It was rarely pretty for the first two quarters, but their laser-concentration and maximum-effort left me with nothing to complain about heading into halftime.

Analysts across the country will detail the moments in the second-half when the momentum shifted and the Patriots smelled blood in the water. We can recap the game for hours, but let’s not. Because the most impressive thing to me is the fact that Rex Ryan’s team didn’t look like they wanted to play throughout most of that fourth quarter. That was, in a word, startling. Rex has spent the last two-and-a-half years building this scrappy Gang Green Squad on backbone, passion, and the will to outwork and outlast opponents. Ten-minute drives composed of grueling bone-pounding bang-ups for minimal yardage per run? No problem, we’ll do it all night long. That’s the Gang Green way. That’s the Rex Ryan way. Everyone on that team bought into a system of ugliness over finesse. And they’ve won steadily over the last few years, in essence, playing like raw-nerved ruffians covered in garbage. They’ve become a great team in their own right, and the “ugliness thing” has definitely worked. But it’s worked because of their dedication to the system, and their will to never give up. Never. 

Until last night. 

The Jets will continue to be a great team this year, and I still think they can do massive amounts of damage in the post-season. I expect them to win games. This isn’t a bandwagon situation; they are still a contender, despite what analysts will tell you today. They are a serious team to be feared in some way, shape or form. But I can’t pretend that I didn’t see them quit a little last night. And if you watched Rex Ryan’s post-game interview, it’ll become clear to you that he saw it too. It was the first time I’d ever seen that in the New York Jets, and I want them to know that I saw it. Brady, Woodhead, Gronk, Ninkovich, Hernandez, and the entire Patriots team beat the Jets into a state of such exhaustion and fragile submission that it actually caused New York’s Frankenstein-like coach to doubt the Monster he’s spent the last twenty-six months assembling and bragging about. 

There’s only two holy Commandments in the NFL: Thou Shalt Not Kick It To Devin Hester, and A Rex Ryan Team Shan’t Ever Throw In The Towel. Well, yesterday, on November 13th 2011, some schmuck did kick it to Devin Hester, and a Rex Ryan team did quit.

And now, a brief letter to Andre Carter.

Dear Andre Carter,

You are the man. Thanks for the W.

Sincerely,

A Pats Fan

Poor Build, Skinny, Lacks Great Physical Ability

Sacrificing Your Body To Win

There was a time when football coaches wore suits and ties on game day, and in the colder months they donned elegant coats and tweed hats. When players referred to “watching film,” they literally meant threading a projector. Pitchers pitched entire games, hockey players played without helmets, and there were no tackling restrictions on the field. Football players had jobs on the off-season because they made so little money from the game. Winning a championship meant that players donated pieces of bone for it. The banners that hung in Boston Garden weren’t just achievements, they were tombstones; epitaphs for every ball club that ever fought and died for a cause. Sports are better when players are covered in mud and blood -- it’s proof that they were there, and it’s a great way to win.

Another great way to win is to expose an opposing team’s weakness. The ‘08 NBA Finals between Los Angeles and Boston is a great example. If you recall, when Game 6 began, emotions were high, and there was a feeling in the Garden that the Celtics had the game on lock-down. They were 48 minutes from glory, and a 17th banner felt inevitable. Then Kobe came out in the first few minutes and started nailing three-pointers from impossible angles. He was a monster to be reckoned with. Great shot after great shot, nothing but net. At one point in the opening quarter, he said to the Boston crowd “not tonight,” implying that the Celtics might eventually win the series, but they’d have to do it with their backs up against a wall in a game 7 situation. But the Celtics didn’t seem to mind Kobe’s hot hand, nor his taunting. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it.

To any astute basketball analyst, it was clear that the series was ending that night, in Game 6, because the Celtics had successfully exposed Kobe’s inherent distrust in his teammates, which was the kink in the Lakers’ armor. Kobe had hidden his distrust through 82 games and three-and-a-half rounds of playoff basketball. But in Game 6 of the Finals, the Celtics brought it out in him. It became clear to the rest of the Lakers that they were at Game 6 for decoration and might as well have been handing out hot dogs. The Celtics knew all they had to do was outlast Kobe’s shooting streak, especially given that the shots were from so far away. There’s only so long anyone can keep that up, and they were right.

From his first day in the league, Kobe Bryant was a misfit. He was immediately at odds with his coach, the fans, the media, and his teammates. He was hated. And despite winning, this issue lasted for a long time. Kobe never grew out of his true self, but he learned a way to disguise it by adjusting his game. In his post-Shaq years, he adopted a new number and a new basketball lifestyle; he stopped treating every contest like a 48-minute vendetta against everyone on the floor, and instead, he spent the first two or three quarters of each game distributing the ball to his peers and getting everyone involved. Then in the fourth quarter, if necessary, he would channel his inner Jordan and take over the game. This was a recipe for success, and being a first-half team-player worked for him. His image didn’t totally soften, but he won over a lot of fans and his teammates.

But the Celtics effectively unravelled all those years of make-believe. The Celtics backed Kobe into a corner, leaving him no choice but to go “old-school.” And that’s why the Lakers lost Game 6. Pau Gasol spent the off-season lifting weights, stacking-on muscle for the sole purpose of preparing for a potential rematch with Boston. Sasha Vujacic cried. Lamar Odom shed the growing persona that he was a star, and revealed himself to be a pretty average basketball player. And in a year for Kobe that included an MVP trophy and an Olympic gold medal, only a Boston Championship spoiled his hat trick.

Now, back to football.

It’s not my intention to add to the heat that Bill’s been getting lately, because I’m a fan of his. I respect the guy a great deal. Any football lover knows that Bill Belichick’s place in history is written in stone. I love the guy, and I’d like to think he would respect the criticism he’s getting. My main concern here is this: the Patriots used to be a team that intellectually outwitted their opponents. Belichick and Adams were the primary Generals, although Adams took a more decidedly background role. It was Bill’s ship, and he was the master of exposing the weakness in the sea, no matter how troubled the waters. He won 3 Super Bowls doing it.

But when was the last time that happened? The Super Bowl loss to the Giants was a prime example of Coughlin beating Bill at Bill’s game. Then came two playoff losses to the Ravens and the Jets -- ball clubs that the Patriots know very well; there was no excuse for not being able to expose weaknesses in those teams. The only teams doing the exposing were Baltimore and New York. What’s frustrating again this year isn’t necessarily the 3 losses, but the 2 losses to teams we know so well. The Steelers and the Giants? Are you kidding me? Bill should have ten-volume textbooks on those teams. There should be special projectors in the locker room, threaded with film that focuses on just those 2 teams. And yet, over the last two weeks, it looked like the Patriots hadn’t played either team -- ever. It seemed like the only people who didn’t know what the Steelers and Giants were gonna do were the guys playing on the Patriots.

Aside from Wes and Hernandez, every guy on the Patriots played better last season. How is that possible? If one kid in the class fails, it’s his fault. If 28 out of 30 fail, the teacher has to have a hand in that somewhere. Patriots fans are simply trying improve the situation before it’s too late. The criticism has less to do with blame, and more to do with solutions. I hope Bill and the players accept all the analysis from the last two weeks, and use it to their advantage. We’re all on the same side. Listen, if they were only capable of being 5-3, then there would be no reason for concern. We’d applaud the effort. But this team could conceivably be 7-1 right now, which would put a whole new spin on their upcoming games with the Jets, the Chiefs, and the Eagles. It could mean the difference between playoffs and no playoffs.

Are these guys sacrificing their bodies to win? Are they exposing the weakness in the teams they play against? Big questions: Why is the system not working? Is it the players? Is it leadership? Are they playing as well as they can play? Maybe, but doubtful. Like I said, I saw a lot of these guys play better last season. Danny Woodhead in particular. They can’t all be bogged-down with injuries we don’t know about. Someone in a position of authority -- like Bill Belichick -- needs to thread up a projector and show his guys what football used to be like. Show them footage of what Dick Butkus’ hands looked like after every game -- all mangled and skinless. Study his look, his intensity. Show them footage of “the goal.” Take a field trip to see the statue of Orr. Have them sketch it in their pads, ask questions about it, start a debate. Do something to get these guys amped about playing in the NFL again. Every single person on the Jets, including Rex, is excited and grateful to be on a football field every Sunday. They play like it too. That’s what makes them dangerous. Someone, somewhere, somehow, has to make this Patriots team start clicking again. It’ll be scary when they do, but even scarier if they don’t.