Patriots Take Care Of The Jets, 30-21

When you live in or around a place that has four pro sports teams (that are all usually playoff-bound), sometimes games don't get the proper hype or buildup that they deserve.

I'll admit that for once, the New England Patriots-New York Jets game that occurred this afternoon at Gillette Stadium wasn't filled with the usual garbage during the week but after watching the Pats (4-1) hold off the Jets (2-3) 31-20, I'm also going to say that I don't really care and it was refreshing not to hear Rex Ryan and Co. have verbal diarrhea over and over again.

Due to the Red Sox' upheaval and the Bruins' first couple games of the new season, this contest somehow was on the backburner until it snuck right up on this Columbus Day weekend. The result was very satisfying, especially since the New England defense and running game were the units that made the most contributions to the win. However, call me back when the Pats can do this in New Jersey (Sun. Nov. 13) in the rematch or more importantly, in the playoffs.

The Jets are currently a mess so the fact that Bill Belichick moved to 3-3 in his last six games against Ryan wasn't as sweet as it would normally seem. New York's defense can only take it so far. Quarterback Mark Sanchez (16 for 26, 166 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT) still can't carry the offense and the running game is usually non-existent although Shonn Greene (21 carries, 83 yards, TD) came out of hiding today to have a nice performance.

The last two games, rookie running back Stevan Ridley had pushed for more playing time and more touches. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that he was completely shut down by the Jets' physical defense. Ridley carried the ball seven times for 13 yards. Luckily, BenJarvus Green-Ellis picked the right time to have a career day as he rushed for a career-high 136 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns.

Pats quarterback Tom Brady (24 for 33, 321 yards, TD, INT) had another nice day thanks to New England's relentless no-huddle attack. However, New York's pressure (four sacks) coupled with a bad break (Aaron Hernandez dropped a sure touchdown right before halftime) meant that Brady's numbers weren't as smooth as flawless as they should have been.

Wes Welker (5 catches, 124 yards) and Deion Branch (7 catches, 74 yards) were the best wide receivers on the field, proving that contrary to popular belief Jets All-World cornerback Darrelle Revis can only cover one guy at a time, not five or six. One of my favorite parts of the win was when CBS announcer Phil Simms had just gotten done with about his tenth tongue bath of Revis when Welker caught a 73-yard bomb on him to start the second half. Truth be told, it wasn't really Revis' fault since the safety blew the coverage (zone) but still, sometimes it's nice to be reminded that as good as Revis is, he's human.

Santonio Holmes (4 catches, 60 yards, TD) and Plaxico Burress (3 catches, 42 yards) were relatively quiet but that was nothing compared to tight end Dustin Keller (1 catch, 7 yards) who didn't do anything for the Jets in their third straight loss.

New York didn't record a first down until the second quarter and New England took advantage as BJGE had a 3-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter (Stephen Gostkowski PAT) for a 7-0 Patriots lead.

Gostkowski's 44-yard field goal made it 10-0 early in the second quarter but Greene answered with a 3-yard touchdown run of his own late in the first half. As mentioned before, the Pats left points on the board as Hernandez (5 catches, 56 yards) bobbled an easy catch right to Jets cornerback/father of the year Antonio Cromartie.

Branch's 2-yard touchdown catch to start the second half gave New England some breathing room (17-7) but Sanchez and rookie wide receiver Jeremy Kerley responded with a 9-yard strike.

Green-Ellis did everything on a late third quarter drive, including his second 3-yard touchdown run. It felt like New England would put it away with another touchdown to start the fourth quarter but Gostkowski had to settle for a 24-yard field goal (27-14).

Yet again, Sanchez made some plays when he had to as he found Holmes for a pretty 21-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Thanks to New England's determined running game, they were basically able to keep the ball away from the Jets and Gostkowski ended the comeback attempt with a 28-yard kick.

This was the 13th straight time that New England has scored 30+ points, that's only one behind the NFL record set by the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf (1999-2000).

New England will try to win its third consecutive game next Sunday afternoon as they host the Dallas Cowboys (2-2). Not to underestimate Tony Romo and his teammates but they're exactly the type of squad that the Patriots almost always defeat. You can count on Romo to make a couple outrageous mistakes and I'd be shocked if Dallas' defense (coached by Rob Ryan) can do much to stop Brady and this prolific offense.

The Buffalo Bills (4-1) won again today, beating the Eagles, so they're tied atop the AFC East with the Patriots and they hold the tiebreaker. New York is in third place and Miami (0-4) had a bye week so at least they can say they didn't lose today.

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Oh Norv Turner, You Always Have The Most Well-Prepared, Smart Teams

Stop me if you've heard this before: an NFL team coached by Norv Turner that is full of talent yet continues to underachieve thanks to costly turnovers and dumb plays/penalties.

Yes the San Diego Chargers were at Gillette Stadium this afternoon for the New England Patriots' 2011 home-opener and as always, they were in a giving mood. The Chargers (1-1) had four turnovers to zero for the Patriots (2-0) and wouldn't ya know, New England won 35-21 in a very entertaining game.

The NFL is undoubtedly run by quarterback play so it's no surprise that Tom Brady (31 of 40, 423 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Philip Rivers (29 of 40, 378 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions) both had great performances.

As you can tell from Rivers' numbers, he made three critical mistakes (also a fumble) and for good measure, Mike Tolbert (73 yards receiving) had a killer fumble.

New England's defense is still a work in progress but they displayed some real improvement from Monday night when they made Chad Henne look like an All-Pro. At least Rivers is legitimately a star. It helps too that he had Vincent Jackson (10 catches, 172 yards, 2 touchdowns) on a day when Antonio Gates was held without a catch by Patriots safety Patrick Chung and his teammates.

Six New England players had two or more catches, led by Deion Branch (8 catches, 129 yards), who continues to be on the same page as Brady and can always be counted on to pick up key first downs and Wes Welker (7 catches, 81 yards). Second-year tight ends Rob Gronkowski (4 catches, 86 yards, TD) and Aaron Hernandez (7 catches, 62 yards, TD) also have quickly become the best pair of pass catchers at their position. Chad Ochocinco doubled his production from last week as he had two catches for 45 yards, including a nifty 30-yard grab.

After forcing San Diego to punt on its first drive, New England went 93 yards in 12 plays, capped off by a 14-yard jump ball from Brady to Hernandez that he grabbed over the ghost of Bob Sanders. Stephen Gostkowski's PAT made it 7-0 Patriots.

The Chargers answered on the ensuing drive as Ryan Matthews (64 yards rushing, 62 yards receiving) ran it in from 10 yards out. Nick Novak tied it up with his PAT.

New England's next drive stalled in the red zone and they were forced to settle for a 22-yard kick by Gostkowski, 10-7 Patriots.

San Diego drove down to the 1-yard line on their next possession but Tolbert was tackled on fourth-and-goal by Jerod Mayo (11 tackles, 8 solo). New England cashed in on that momentum with Brady finding Gronkowski for a 10-yard touchdown pass after a 10-play, 104 yards (with penalties) drive. Gostkowski's PAT gave the Pats a 10-point lead (17-7).

The Chargers looked to get some points before halftime but none other than Vince Wilfork made his first career interception. One of the game's best defensive tackles showed off his athleticism as he knocked down Rivers' pass, caught it then raced 28 yards. The super slo-mo replay of Wilfork returning it was like watching similar replays of Serena Williams at the US Open a few weeks ago, lots of jiggling. After two passes to Branch (11 yards, 7 yards) Gostkowski extended the lead to 20-7 at halftime.

New England's first drive of the second half resulted in a punt and for the second drive in a row, San Diego's ended with an interception. This one was near the goal-line as Patriots safety Sergio Brown likewise made his first career pick by stepping in front of Gates.

New England went three-and-out and San Diego was driving as the third quarter ended with no scoring in it.

Rivers finally threw his first touchdown pass early in the fourth, a 3-yard toss to Jackson. Novak's PAT brought the Chargers within six at 20-14.

San Diego's defense forced another stop on New England's suddenly ineffective offense but Tolbert fumbled after getting hit by Mayo, Rob Ninkovich (1 sack) recovered it. Brady and Co. wouldn't let that chance pass them by as he hit Gronk for 17-yard touchdown. Danny Woodhead added the two-point conversion rush up the middle for a 28-14 advantage.

Rivers wouldn't go down easily though as he responded with another strike to Jackson, this time from 26 yards away. It was a perfect pass and a perfect catch, high level stuff from one of the NFL's top QB-WR duos. Novak's PAT cut it to a one score game again (28-21).

When it counted, New England's offense marched 75 yards in nine plays with BenJarvus Green-Ellis (17 carries, 70 yards) going in untouched from 70 yards out.

The Chargers got the ball one more time but Rivers was strip-sacked by Mark Anderson with Kyle Love recovering the ball.

New England is tied atop the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. The Miami Dolphins lost again to fall to 0-2; Tony Sporano is on the hot seat for sure.

Next Sunday, the Patriots travel to Ralph Wilson Stadium to take on a team that they have owned for the last decade. Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing well and the Bills have picked up two impressive wins (blowing out the Chiefs and getting a big comeback against the Raiders today) but that group has to prove they can get it done against Brady and the Pats. Buffalo goes into the game having lost its last 15 straight games to New England.

Good luck to any defense trying to stop the Pats this season.

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Green-Ellis Re-Signs With Patriots Along With Many Other Roster Moves

Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis re-signed with the Patriots today although as a restricted free agent, it's not clear if the fourth-year veteran got a new deal or simply signed a one-year restricted free agent tender.

Going into 2011, Green-Ellis is the lead back in a very crowded running back depth chart. He's coming off a breakout campaign in 2010. He carried the ball 229 times and gained 1008 yards (4.4 average) with 13 touchdowns, 62 first-downs and zero fumbles.

He was undrafted out of Ole Miss so he's already far exceeded expectations that anybody could have ever had for him by getting his first career 1000-yard season. He's small, not particularly fast or shifty but he doesn't make mistakes and unlike a former Pats first-round pick who shall remain unemployed he doesn't dance around a hole, he simply picks a lane and goes.

New England added some more bodies for its offensive line, signing veteran guard/centers Chris Morris and Jonathan Compas along with undrafted rookie running back Richard Medlin (Fayetteville State).

Morris, 28, worked out for the Patriots on Tuesday. He was originally drafted in the seventh round by the Raiders in 2006, and spent four seasons in Oakland before joining the Panthers in 2010. He has played in 51 career games, making 11 starts.

Compas, 25, entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Raiders, and played in two games as a reserve with the Buccaneers in 2009. He was released by Tampa Bay on September 24, 2010 and spent the remainder of the season out of football.

Additional roster moves included the release of running back Thomas Clayton and rookie free agent guard Mike Berry.

Finally, the Patriots worked out former Raider and Dolphin outside linebacker/defensive end Quenton Moses today.

A third-round pick of the Raiders in 2007, Moses has played 44 games over the past four seasons for the Dolphins. Last season, Moses played in 15 games, recording 18 tackles and one sack. He has tallied 3.5 career sacks.

Moses has experience as both a 4-3 defensive end and an outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme.

The name is familiar but I can't remember the guy ever making any impact (as his numbers show). I'd much rather the Pats sign Matt Roth or Raheem Brock, who they worked out on Monday.

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