NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS shoot down the NY JETS 49-19 on Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day feasting didn't end with a fabulous meal - It extended onto the playing field as the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS roasted the NY JETS 49-19.

Rex Ryan has been the "turkey" of the AFC East for quite some time. 

His mouth has been writing checks his arse can't cash.

Seeing the NY Jets get thrashed like this was the perfect end to a Thanksgiving Day to be remembered.


Patriots erupt in second quarter to blow out Jets 49-19
By Shalise Manza Young
Boston Globe Staff /  November 22, 2012

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Just when it seemed the blend of Thanksgiving dinner Tryptophan and a boring opening 15 minutes of football in the Patriots-Jets rematch would lull even the most diehard fan into an early slumber, one team woke up at MetLife Stadium.
 
Unfortunately for most of the assembled fans, it wasn’t the Jets. Though by halftime the team and its fans probably wished what they’d experienced during the second quarter was a nightmare and not reality.
 
After holding the Patriots scoreless in the first quarter — the first time that’s happened this season to New England — the Jets then saw the game, and their season, implode.
 
Embarrassed at home, 49-14, New York fell to 4-7 while New England is now 8-3, 4-0 in the AFC East.
 
It was Bill Belichick’s 200th career win, and though he would never say it, it was likely a bit sweeter that it came against the Jets given all of the personal and professional history he has with the organization.
 
The Patriots went into halftime with a 35-3 lead on a series of plays that ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous.
 
It was so embarrassing for Jets fans that some began heading home before intermission. Those who remained began chanting for quarterback Tim Tebow to get into the game.
 
The Patriots had a chance to score in the first quarter but Stephen Gostkowski missed a 39-yard field goal wide left.
 
On the Jets’ possession following the miss, Steve Gregory intercepted Mark Sanchez when the Jets quarterback threw into double coverage.
 
New England started well inside its territory, but Tom Brady methodically led the offense on a six-minute scoring drive. Three Jets penalties aided the cause, including a 15-yard facemask at the end of a 13-yard Shane Vereen run that gave the Patriots first and goal.
 
New England’s TD came on the first play of the second quarter, when Brady found a wide-open Wes Welker in the front right corner of the end zone.
 
Brady had all sorts of time, a credit to an offensive line that was without Logan Mankins and Sebastian Vollmer. Donald Thomas was at left guard again, as he has been since Mankins has been out with several injuries, and Marcus Cannon started for Vollmer at right tackle.
 
The defense stuffed running back Shonn Greene on fourth and 1; Brandon Spikes stripped the ball at the end of the play, and Gregory recovered it.
 
One play led to New England going up, 14-0. Brady hit Vereen, all alone to his left, and the second-year running back was off to the races, an 83-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
 
That was a crack in the dam.
 
In less than 60 seconds of game time, it burst open.
 
On the second play of the Jets’ ensuing possession, there was a botched play — it looked as if Sanchez wanted to hand off to Lex Hilliard but Hilliard ran right past him.

Rather than try to look for a receiver, Sanchez tucked the ball and promptly ran smack into the ample behind of right guard Brandon Moore, fumbling the ball.
 
Again it was Gregory who was in the right place. He scooped up the loose ball and ran it back 32 yards to give New England a 21-0 lead.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Joe McKnight got out to the 25, but Devin McCourty popped the ball out.
 
Julian Edelman plucked the ball out of the air and ran it back into the end zone. Patriots, 28-0.
 
And they weren’t done.

After the defense forced a punt, Brady and Edelman turned a third-and-5 play into a 56-yard TD catch.
 
The 35 tied the team record for points in a quarter.

The boos from Jets fans only intensified when they kicked a 32-yard field goal just before halftime instead of trying for the end zone.
 
Shalise Manza Young can be reached at syoung@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @shalisemyoung.

No Joy in Beantown - The Patriots come up short

With apologies to Ernest Lawrence Thayer of the San Francisco Examiner -

Today's rendition of " Brady at the Ball "

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Patriots that day;
The score stood against them, with but one quarter more to play,
And then when Welker dropped the ball, and Gronk pulled up lame,
A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, "If only Brady could but get the ball across the line —
We'd put up even money now, with Brady on the drive."

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Brady, mighty Brady, was advancing down the field.

There was ease in Brady's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Brady's bearing and a smile lit Brady's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his helmet,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Brady.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt.
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing NY defensive line ground their cleats into the turf,
Defiance flashed in Brady's eye, a sneer curled Brady's lip.

The sneer has fled from Brady's lip, the teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounded with cruel violence his throw of the football.
And now the linesmen holds the line, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Brady's throw.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout;
But there is no joy in Beantown — mighty Brady & the Patriots have " struck out ".

--------------------------------------------------------------

It was a good season and The Patriots did their best.....in the end, it proved to come up short.

There is always next year. And the Patriots will be there on top in the AFC as expected.

New England Patriots focus on the Game

THIS is part of what makes NEW ENGLAND the team to beat...many others would rehash the past...Not Belichick, not Brady. They have only one focus - WINNING on Super Bowl Sunday.

NY best understand that the other games mean little to New England. The Patriots will do their talking on the field.

Patriots not interested in past meetings
January, 30, 2012
James Walker - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS -- The AFC champion New England Patriots made one thing clear in their first two days at Super Bowl XLVI: They have little interest in rehashing past meetings against the New York Giants.

New England suffered recent losses to the Giants in big games -- both this past regular season and in Super Bowl XLII. Giants quarterback Eli Manning provided a pair of dramatic, fourth-quarter drives to seal it for New York.

Naturally, there will be a ton of questions for the Patriots this week whether the Giants have momentum, or have their number. The Patriots just won’t entertain them.

"This team doesn't talk, not about the past," Patriots veteran receiver Deion Branch said.

New England head coach Bill Belichick is leading the charge in not reflecting on previous games against New York.

"This team is this team," Belichick said. "I think our team is different than what it was at midseason, different than what it was in December. I think the Giants are a different team from when we played them in November."

Regardless, New York comes in very confident after being one of three teams to beat the Patriots this year. The Giants also had the tougher road through the playoffs, beating the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.

Both teams have improved as the season has gone on, leading to Sunday's big matchup with everything on the line.

"You could take a little bit as far as the personnel, but as far as our game plan is concerned, you really can't take too much," Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo said. "They've had an extra week to prepare, so have we, and I'm sure we’ll have a lot of different looks for them."

TOM BRADY is going to school Tim Tebow and the BRONCOS on playoff games in the NFL - AFC Playoff game will be a PATRIOTS Win

Sorry Tim, this is isn't your year. Maybe next year.

This year belongs to Tom Brady & the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS.

The HYPE Meter is off the scale in this match-up made from heaven (no pun intended)

While Timmy is a nice guy and all around good kid, he & the Broncos don't have the "legs" as they say....basically, they don't have the skills to hang in there for 60 minutes of playoff football against the World Champion Patriots, QB'ed by Tom, Coached by Bill.

We all see what " hope & hype" gets you ( it causes the election of incompetent Presidents)

Tom Brady and the Patriots don't need " hype " as they are the REAL DEAL.

For ratings, this will be a big game - for actual play, The Patriots demonstrated the outcome of this kind of one sided contest about a month ago when the PATRIOTS spanked Tebow in the regular season.

It's good Tebow prays because it is a sign that he has faith. He will need it against the Patriots.

My prediction - PATRIOTS 35 - Broncos 21

It will be a good game but Brady and Belichik will prevail.

Tom Brady vs. Tim Tebow: Clash of biblical proportions
By John Zaremba Thursday, January 12, 2012
Boston Herald

When God-fearing Tim Tebow and Golden Boy Tom Brady [stats] square off in what experts predict will be a ratings-busting rematch of December’s Patriots [team stats] beatdown of the Broncos, we’ll see more than Tebow’s scrambling leather helmet-era quarterback vs. Brady’s disciplined, omniscient power passing.

We’re talking a matchup between two sports deities that could dwarf the whopping 42 million who watched the Broncos’ heart-stopping overtime win over bad-boy Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers Sunday night.

“It’s Jesus vs. the Prophet,” said Henry Schafer of the celebrity-pollster firm Marketing Evaluations, referring to Brady’s Dec. 18 postgame prophecy that the two would meet again. “Given Brady’s success and Tebow’s attraction right now, coming from a lot of different angles, I would not be surprised if this becomes the highest-ever rated playoff game.”

Tom and Tim rank among the most popular, polarizing and appealing players in the game. Marketing Evaluations’ Q rating, which measures the public’s awareness and opinion of celebrities, lists Tebow as the NFL’s sixth-most-appealing player, and Brady as the 13th.

“Two out of three Americans age 6 years and older knew who Tom Brady was, and two out of five knew who Tim Tebow was,” Schafer said. “That’s crazy. That’s telling me (Tebow) is more of a national personality than

Pats crush Bills 49-21, earn top AFC seed and home field advantage

Pats crush Bills, earn top AFC seed
By SPORTS NETWORK
FOXBORO, MASS. - Tom Brady and the New England Patriots scored 49 unanswered points to beat the Buffalo Bills, 49-21, and claim the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Brady completed 23-of-35 passes for 338 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for the Patriots (13-3), who will have home-field advantage throughout the postseason for the second year in a row. New England finished the regular season with a 7-1 mark at Gillette Stadium.

Brady became the third player in NFL history with 5,000 passing yards in a season. He also set a franchise record for completions in a season with 401, topping Drew Bledsoe's 400 in 1994. A first-round bye will allow the two-time league MVP to rest his sore left shoulder.

Aaron Hernandez caught seven passes for 138 yards and a touchdown for New England, which heads into the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak. Rob Gronkowski capped his record-setting season with eight catches for 108 yards and two scores.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis carried the ball seven times for 22 yards and two touchdowns for the Patriots, who avenged a Week 3 loss to the Bills.


And The NY JETS ?? Not so much....REX RYAN's team ended the season 8-8 and have been proven to be losers....JETS ( JUST END THE SEASON) - See ya New York.

Happy 2012.....we all hope for a better year

2012 arrived with the expected fanfare and hopes for the new year. Today is also my daughter's 16th Birthday, and another reason to celebrate.

Enclosed is a picture taken of the early dawn outside my home and the words from " Morning Has Broken ", a song perfromed by Cat Stevens that my Dad has always loved.

Hope all enjoy a good year and that we all are better off as the year progresses. Patriots Football is on today also and our hopes for another run at the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots !!

Morning Has Broken - Cat Stevens

Morning has broken
Like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird

Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing
Fresh from the world

Sweet, the rain's new fall
Sunlit from heaven
Like the first dew fall
On the first grass

Praise for the sweetness
Of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness
Where His feet pass

Mine is the sunlight
Mine is the morning
Born of the one light
Eden say play

Praise with elation
Praise ev'ry morning
God's recreation of the new day

Morning has broken
Like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird

Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing
Fresh from the world

The New England Patriots are on a tear heading towards the end of the season

The Denver Broncos were strong but not strong enough to withstand Brady & the boys from New England. Tebow would have needed a miracle to get past the Patriots and it looks like he learned that prayer alone won't win all the games he plays. I pray also when I need HIS help but I know that he also wants me to work hard to solve the issue myself. Tebow mania and all the hype with it is just a distraction.

Clinching the AFC East title is a good place to be especially with the NY JETS and their feckless coach going down in flames. This weekend will be Christmas and New England will be in the best position as home field advantage will be all but assured going forward.

Football in Foxboro in January....That is something to look forward to as the New England Patriots make another run towards the Super Bowl. In Tom & Bill we trust...

New England Patriots take down Philly

Sunday was a good day for football. The Patriots rolled over the Eagles like they were playing a Junior Varisty team. Philadelphia gave up any credibility when they hired Michael Vick, and while he didn't play yesterday, I was glad that New England ripped Philly apart to demonstrate who is the best in the league.

Philly fans were all over their team and staff....Boos were heard early and often. Rightly so. Philly is a tough town and they expect better from their team. For my part, I was glad to see Tom Brady do his best to embarrass Philadelphia at home.

Next week, the 0-11 Indianapolis Colts come to Foxboro. May be the UN will step in to stop the slaughter before game time....we shall see.


Patriots 38, Eagles 20
Brady (three TDs) and Patriots soar against Young and Eagles
By Shalise Manza Young
Boston Globe / November 28, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - Early on yesterday - very early on - it looked as if the Patriots would be challenged by the backs-against-the-wall Eagles.

But then Vince Young showed why he’s been relegated to backup status, Philadelphia showed the type of undisciplined play that’s led to a talented roster being now a near-certainty to miss the playoffs, Tom Brady showed that he is still the reigning NFL MVP, and the Patriots rolled to a 38-20 win at Lincoln Financial Field.

New England is 8-3 and remains tied with Houston, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh for the best record in the AFC. The Patriots even got some help yesterday from their nemeses, the Jets, when New York pulled out a home win over the Bills. New England already has swept the Jets, with one of their three losses coming in Buffalo in September.

“It was a tough week, definitely it was a tough week,’’ a chatty coach Bill Belichick said. “The Eagles are a hard team to get ready for, they have a lot of good players. And the players had a short week [because of a Monday night game against the Chiefs], we were banged up.

“So I give the players a lot of credit for sucking it up and not just physically being out there, but mentally . . . all the preparation and film work and the studying that they did, the extra meetings that they did to really prepare for this game.’’

Eagles fans grew so frustrated by the ineptitude of their team - the squad Young called a “dream team’’ in the preseason thanks to the high-profile free agent signings and trades it made - that they began chanting “Fire Andy!’’ in the third quarter, calling for longtime coach Andy Reid to go.

Reid is the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, having been at the helm in Philadelphia since 1999.

“The way we played, I can understand,’’ said Reid.

The Eagles (4-7) took a 7-0 lead just 2:17 into the game.

Young hit Riley Cooper on a 58-yard bomb on the third play of the game. Cooper, a 6-foot-3-inch second-year wideout, was on the field because Philly’s top receiver, Jeremy Maclin, was injured and unable to play.

Cooper was brought down at the 4, and after two handoffs to NFL leading rusher LeSean McCoy, the Eagles were in the end zone.

The Patriots did little on their first drive, and the Eagles went ahead, 10-0, on their second possession after another long play.

This time Young hit DeSean Jackson for 44 yards over the middle, which put Philadelphia well into Patriots territory. The Eagles got to the 25 before the drive stalled with a tipped pass and two drops. Rookie Alex Henery converted a 43-yard field goal at 8:19 of the first.

“The Eagles, they’re a great team despite their record,’’ defensive lineman Andre Carter said. “We knew they were blessed with offensive weapons. Unfortunately they got us on a deep ball; that’s something we have to eliminate. That will be key for us, as well as stopping the run and getting off the field on third down.’’

They did that yesterday, as Philadelphia didn’t convert a third-down opportunity until the third quarter and finished 4 for 13.

The Patriots settled in during their second chance on offense. Aided by two third-down penalties on Philly - one for 12 men on the field and the other for offsides - that gave them a fresh set of downs in each case, Brady was 4 for 4 on the 12-play drive. BenJarvus Green-Ellis also got the ball six times, the final one for a 4-yard touchdown with 1:27 left in the first.

“We have a lot of veteran-type guys that understand it’s a long game,’’ receiver Wes Welker said. “Even though we were down, 10-0, we put a touchdown on the board and put pressure on them. I think it’s guys stepping up and knowing we have to stay resilient no matter what happens in the game.’’

Brady finished with his seventh 300-yard game of the season, completing 24 of 34 passes for 361 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He was sacked once and took a few early hits.

Logan Mankins said it took time for the Patriots’ offensive line to adjust to the speed of Philadelphia’s defensive linemen. He tipped his cap to Cullen Jenkins, whom he was tasked with containing; Jenkins got the first hit on Brady, during New England’s opening possession.

New England took the lead early in the second quarter and never looked back.

Deion Branch, who was questionable for the game with a hip injury, had a pretty 63-yard catch-and-run, by far his longest play of the season. Just before he would have been forced out of bounds, Branch stopped and cut back toward the middle of the field, gaining 15 more yards before being brought down at the 1. He lowered his shoulder to try to get the touchdown.

“I tried to run over the tackler, but I didn’t get in,’’ Branch said. “I didn’t make the play myself; all credit goes to the front line and Tom. When Tom scrambles, everybody wants the ball. We work on that in practice all the time.’’

Green-Ellis got the touchdown from a yard out with 13:12 to go in the second, with reserve offensive lineman Donald Thomas acting as fullback.

The play before Branch’s catch, on-the-roster-again Tiquan Underwood missed his chance to announce himself to New England fans. Underwood, a long, fast receiver, received snaps ahead of Taylor Price, who was active but essentially glued to the bench.

Brady hit a wide-open Underwood streaking down the left numbers with an on-the-money pass - and it went off his hands. By his reaction, he may have lost the ball in the lights.

A couple of plays after the Patriots touchdown, Antwaun Molden may have gotten away with pass interference, but he made a nice play on a ball intended for Jackson and returned it to the Philadelphia 34. But the turnover went for naught when Stephen Gostkowski missed a 39-yard field goal attempt wide right.

Still, the Patriots went into the half with a 24-13 lead after a broken coverage led to Welker finding himself wide open near the goal line for a 41-yard touchdown and Gostkowski hit from 45 yards out with 51 seconds to go before the half. In between, the Eagles couldn’t get into the end zone despite having a goal-to-go at the 5 and settled for a chip-shot field goal.

Welker said of his touchdown that the Patriots had run the same play earlier in the game and he noticed that safety Nate Allen bit hard on the play fake. If they called the play again, Welker told Brady he’d run a stutter-go.

It unfolded exactly as the receiver thought it would - Brady ran play-action to Danny Woodhead, Allen bit, and Welker blew past him.

New England got the ball back to start the second half and stayed in the no-huddle it had used with such efficacy late in the first half. Welker scored again, this time on a 9-yard pass, diving over the goal line at the left pylon (he was close enough to being out of bounds that the play was reviewed but upheld) to give the Patriots a 31-13 lead.

It was the eighth touchdown of the season for Welker, tying the career high he set in 2007, his first season with New England.

Rob Gronkowski caught a 24-yard pass from Brady at 8:35 of the fourth quarter to close out the Patriots’ scoring.

“He’s a great player,’’ Philadelphia cornerback Asante Samuel said of Brady. “They had the running game working and they had the passing game working. They were working on all cylinders. We couldn’t figure anything out.’’

PATS 37 - JETS 16 - This win was sweeeeeeeeet

The PATS - JETS games have become one of the main "reasons for the season" as New England has had to deal with the Jets and their foot-fetish loud mouth coach Rex Ryan who have become their main rival in the league.

Ryan and his team are not pushovers but they are also not on the level of New England. The team has a bombastic leader, ex-con players like Plaxico Burress (who names their kid "Plaxico" ?) and other assorted miscreants like LT and Cromartie. NY has no class, it is as simple as that.

Well if you paid attention to the talking heads on the talk shows, you would have heard many predict the demise of the PATS - WRONG ! New England took the Jets to task and the critics too. And rightly so. New England will now have home field advantage if the JETS survive to the end of the season.

PATS 37- JETS 16. AWESOME. That should shut up the Jets fans and their coach for a while.


Sweet sounds of silence
By Bob Ryan
Globe Columnist / November 14, 2011
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - This is not why they play. We know that. No professional sports team plays in order to shut up the loud-mouth coach of some other team.

But let’s be realistic. Winning this game, at this particular time, in this particular place . . . C’mon, this had to be sweeeeeeeeet!

And, my Lord. What loyal fans! The crowd of 79,088 was down to a gathering that could have been squeezed into Rex Ryan’s basement by game’s end.

“You’re not going to beat New England - you’re not going to beat many teams - when you make the mistakes we made,’’ the Jets coach confessed. “We’ve been down this road before. I apologize to our fans. They were ready for the game, just like I thought we were ready. Disappointing.’’

The long-term ramifications of this exquisite 37-16 Patriots triumph include control of the AFC East, which, combined with Buffalo’s implosion in Dallas - their third straight loss - is now New England’s to win or lose.

But let’s dwell on the short term, because this Patriots’ performance deserves to be saluted. There is no way to exaggerate the hype leading up to this game down here. This was going to be the Armageddon of all Armageddons, the night when the balance of power in the northeast quadrant of the American Football Conference was going to shift in favor of the New York Jets, once and for all.

It wasn’t just the media cranking it up. They were armed with ample verbal ammunition supplied by both the Jets coaching staff and many of the Jets players. There didn’t seem to be the slightest doubt in anyone’s mind that the Jets would win, and win convincingly.

But the Jets laid a pretty good-sized Brontosaurus egg, starting with Nick Folk missing a 24-yard field goal on the first possession of the game, and continuing with some awful turnovers. There was a muffed punt by Joe McKnight that led to a Patriots field goal, and there were two Mark Sanchez interceptions, the first setting up a third-quarter touchdown and the second being what you call a pick-six.

Oops, almost forgot. The man winding up in possession of both INTs was linebacker Rob Ninkovich. He was a somewhat lucky beneficiary of good fortune on the first, which was deflected from intended receiver Shonn Greene to Jerod Mayo and then to Ninko, who returned it 18 yards.

But Ninko made his own luck on the second one, jumping LaDainian Tomlinson’s route and taking it 12 yards to the house to put the game out of reach at that 37-16 juncture with 7:45 remaining, at which point the great fan exodus to the MetLife Stadium parking lots began.

Tom Brady did have his little moments of mortality in the first quarter and a half with some weirdly off-target throws, but, starting with the final possession of the half, he reminded the boisterous mentor of the Jets that one of the significant gaps between his team and Ryan’s team remains the experience and skill level of the respective quarterbacks.

For while Mark Sanchez was little better than NFL average from start to finish, Tom Brady (26 for 39, 329 yards, three TDs, zero INTs) performed at his eventual Canton level when it most mattered.

After the Jets had scored to take a 9-6 lead with 1:20 remaining in the half, he took the Patriots 80 yards in six plays in an elapsed time of 1:11, capping the drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to the indispensable Rob Gronkowski (eight catches, 113 yards). That play, on which The Gronkster went high in the back corner of the end zone against Jets cornerback Donald Strickland, was a simple matter of 6 feet 6 inches, 265 pounds vs. 5-10, 185. More than that, it was an unfair battle between great athlete 6-6, 265 against great athlete 5-10, 185.

And when Plaxico Burress hauled in a 7-yard quasi-fade from Sanchez to cut New England’s lead to 23-16 on the first play of the fourth quarter, you knew that if the Patriots didn’t respond right then and there, the rest of the game was going to be very dicey.

Taking over on his 16, Brady orchestrated a 13-play drive that chewed up 6:51. The drive ended when Brady hit Deion Branch on about the 2 or 3 and the little guy spun into the end zone, whereupon he did a mock J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets routine right in front of famed Jets fan Fireman Ed. A bit over the top, maybe even a bit classless? Well, sure. But that tells you the Patriots knew very well what had been going on down here all week.

One of the things Brady did to bother the Jets was go into hurry-up mode on that scoring drive at the end of the half. The Jets acted as if this was an absolutely novel concept, something never before seen in the history of the National Football League.

“We had to be alert for it,’’ Ryan said. “We never could get the matchups we wanted. You have to give them credit.’’

The Patriots should get credit for a lot, including five sacks, 4 1/2 being credited to Andre Carter, and one-half to Mark Anderson. The defense, which has been showing incremental improvement in the last two games, was, well, professional. Hey, this year we’ll take anything under 400 yards.

It was just too bad the return trip was so short. The Patriots deserved a better shot at celebrating after this one.

AS IT SHOULD BE....Tom Brady is the unanimous selection for NFL MVP Award

Face it.....The New England Patriots are the class of the NFL...We have the best QB, the best coach and the best ownership.....all the way round, New England has the stuff.

Yes, we stumbled in our game vs. the NY Jets.....we failed to put them down so today we watch two teams we beat handily fight for the Championship....That's the way it breaks sometimes but the quiet confidence of knowing you are the best will be better than being part of teams like the Jets (loudmouth coach, low rent players) or other wanna-bees.....

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS.....best all the way around. BEST QB, BEST Coach, BEST Ownership.

Face it, it as it should be. Tom & Bill are the best.


Tom Brady wins MVP award
Boston.com
February 6, 2011 12:54 PM
By Shalise Manza Young, Globe Staff

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was named most valuable player of the NFL today, the Associated Press announced. Brady was a unanimous selection for the award, receiving all 50 first-place votes. The MVP award is the second of Brady's career, with the first coming in 2007.

In a pre-taped interview that aired on NFL Network after the announcement (votes had to be submitted at the close of the regular season), Brady accepted the award on behalf of his teammates.

"Playing in the Super Bowl is the greatest thing a quarterback could do at this time of year," Brady said. "The last thing I've been thinking about is the MVP - it is contradictory to the way I play. It's about the team."

Brady said he hasn't yet gotten over the Pats' postseason loss to the Jets, in much the same way that he hasn't gotten over their loss to Baltimore last year or their loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

He also noted that it's "pretty cool" that the New England offense set a new league record for fewest turnovers committed in a season, particularly given the weather conditions the team often plays in.

Since the Associated Press went to its current voting format, with a panel of 50 media members from around the country choosing the yearly awards, Brady is the first player to win MVP in a unanimous vote.

He nearly earned that distinction in '07 - that year, he was named on 49 ballots, with one vote going to Brett Favre.

Brady, who led the Patriots to a 14-2 record, had 36 touchdown passes and just four interceptions, althought the season ended in disappointment with a loss to the Jets in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.

Brady was also named the AP Offensive Player of the Year last week