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
