Jambalaya of Records
You know things are going really well for you when you almost stop thinking about just winning games and what records are going to be broken this game and this season. And the distinction is very important. Because there are those records that jump up and surprise you. Like the single game record for rushing yards in a season. You never know when that is going to fall. In fact the games where it looks like that kind of thing will drop often are the ones where it doesn’t happen. Mostly in this season we are faced with the prospect of records of production and perseverance. And in both cases they are the kind of records that we can predict when they will fall. And we can predict when they will not. For example we pretty much knew that unless Brady were to have the greatest game in the history of the league he was not going to break the single season TD pass mark in this game. But we also have a pretty good indication that that mark will fall sometime during the Steelers-Jets-Miami games. And we began to wonder if Moss would in fact break Jerry Rice’s single season TD catch record. Until Moss got back on pace with that 4 TD game. And of course there remains the hope that the team runs the table to 16-0 and finally 19-0. And that is what this season has become. A mixed medley of personal, production and perseverance records. A Jambalaya if you will. The tastes of the season change from game to game as players and the team achieve things that many of us could scarcely ever dream would happen. But the dream is becoming a reality. Play by play, score by score and week by week this team is…is..becoming ..destiny. This is our year. THIS, is our decade.

Jury is in
Can there be any doubt as to my insanity? Coming into this game I had convinced myself that this game was not a gimme. I worked to steel myself to the idea that there was a chance that Buffalo could win this game. I tried to prepare myself for the worst. At the same time I was trying to convince myself that Buffalo was not that good. I told myself that the recent stretch of wins that they had achieved had been over weaker teams. And besides, we had clocked them 38-7 back there in week 3.

And then the game started. And the truth was self evident.

Joan Jett Cover
I like the way that NBC has used the song I Hate Myself For Loving You as the basis for the opening montage. Parodied to be I’ve Been Waiting All Day for Sunday Night this song really gets me ramped up. And now I see what all the fuss is about Faith Hill. Then again it could just be that she was speaking well of Belichick. And we get to hear it again next week. Sweet.

Jyu
The Japanese word for the number 10 is Jyu. Pronounced like the race of people from the middle east. This game of course was the Pats’ 10th game. It was also their 10th win. Just like this season is part of our decade of supremacy. Starting 10 and 0 and owning a decade are things that we as Pats fans have only previously seen of other teams do and many of us longed and hoped for. But now, there they are lined up like the teeth on a long saw blade.
WWWWWWWWWW.

Scary thing here is that I get the feeling that the line is going to get a lot longer. And with it the pressure that comes with that line. The daunting thing is that if we are to run the table, that is 19 games. And after all that this team has been through, we are just barely past the half way point. I look back over the games the team has played thus far and they all seem so distant. The Indy game seems like 3 months ago, and it was just the game before last. Part of the whole one game at a time approach to the season is that the goal, the Super Bowl is in no real perspective compared to where we are now. It looks so close because of the way the team is playing, but it looks years away. You can’t focus on the distance that needs to be covered because you are looking at the space right in front of your feet. Now the good side to this is that you are far less apt to trip and fall. But there are some negatives to this. One is that the journey seems to go on and on almost for ever. The second is that you can tend to not get a good look at the scenery around you, the majestic views as you approach the goal. You enjoy the ride a lot less. In the case of a perfect season, it is the opposite of life. It’s not about the journey but rather the destination.

Jerking the Tears
The Bills knew coming into this game they were going to have to have everyone in top form to have a chance of stopping the Patriots. And that meant everyone. So they called on Kevin Everett to throw in too. If you remember Kevin was seriously injured in the week 1 game against the Denver Broncos. As in he was paralyzed from the neck down. But since that week, Kevin has been making progress and while not yet walking he is recovering and improving. In fact he improved so much that the Bills decided to let him address the team so that he could help motivate them. And being there as image was broadcast out over the jumbo-tron, the stadium was dead quiet. It was a deeply moving moment. Even if you were a Pats fan. And later I saw the replay of the game I saw Tedy Bruschi up close during Everett’s words. I reflected that here was a player who was truly pulling for the Bill’s #85 to get back. He knew what it felt like to have doubts about the future and having football suddenly and violently pulled from him. I knew that Tedy was pulling and praying for him. Come on Kevin, get back into the game.

Je m'appelle . . .Claude
I guess it should come as no real surprise that a large portion of the people in the stands were from North of the Border. What, with Buffalo being right next to Toronto. What I found interesting was that of the 30 people sitting near me in the end zone, about 27 of them were from Canada. All of them from Quebec. And all of them Patriots fans. I was beginning to wonder why they traveled all the way here when Foxboro was probably closer. Then I understood that they likely could not get tickets to the Razor so came here as the next closest possibility.

Je ne sais quoi
There just is a certain something about going to a game where your team scores touchdowns on every possession. Unless of course you are the parents of the punter. There is little concern about IF you will score. But you can play games with your friends in the stands as to WHO will score. Ok, who had Watson? That’s 3 for Moss. Who had the triple?

Jubilation
Before he had even crossed the line of scrimmage I saw him coming and knew what the result of the play was going to be. I was sitting dead center in the first row of the end zone at Ralph Wilson stadium. I was leaning way over the wall so as to get as close to the play as possible. And when Brady handed the ball off to #39 the moment seemed to slow down to a frame by frame progression. I could see the DBs draw up into the flats to cover the receivers. I saw the linebackers run up to the line to fill the gaps. I saw the hole on the left side scissor open just as Laurence Maroney hit the line. I saw a lane from that spot to the back of the end zone that was as wide as I-90. And as he hit that hole I shot my arms up in the air because I knew that he was going to score. His season long drought was going to end. And there was nothing that the Bills could do to stop him. This was a very happy man. And I think Maroney was pretty stoked too. As he was point at our block of fans there in section 101 as he ran across the large letter L.

Jabbar
Prior to the game I had crafted a sign that told that Brady would be connecting with Wes, Randy and Faulk using the letters in their names to form the acronym SNF. So of course my mistake in omitting Gaffney would be made immediately obvious. He caught the first pass of the game over the middle to put New England in a short yardage situation inside the Bills' 10. Then on a subsequent drive he had a nice sliding catch down the right hand side. It was as if he was saving up for this game. I know I had forgotten about him. But with a few nifty catches he made at least me remember his efforts last January, to get this team to a super bowl. He is not one of the starters, but he is still effective.

James Sanders
I for one want to go on record as saying that I find Eugene Wilson’s diminished play disheartening. I have always liked Gino. And his play at safety has been pretty good. So it got me to thinking and wondering during this game, why is it that one, James Sanders has been getting the bulk of the snaps. Not just in recent weeks but almost all season. Why have we moved from 26 to 36? Has it been because Wilson has been hurt? Has it been because of his propensity to get hurt and not be on the field when we need him? I was pretty upset at the prospect of the team HAVING to go to some kid and forcing out our really solid defensive back …WHAT? Sanders just made a tackle for minus 6 yards? Well ok, but getting back to Wilson, he is the kind of player that you cannot repla….huh? Sanders hit Wright (#31) like a sledgehammer and forced the fumble that got returned for a TD? Yeah, yeah O.K., but it is going to take a lot of time for him to rise to a level of coverage like Eugene Wil…Wow! Sanders made a really nice play on the pass and almost got an interception out it.

OK. OK. I give up. The reason that Sanders may be getting more playing time than Wilson is that 36 is outplaying 26.

Jarvis and Co.
While Richard Seymour was PUP, Jarvis did a very admirable job of rushing the passer. But as the weeks wore on, he seemed to wear down. His run defense seemed to be losing ground. I found myself pining for the return to King Richard to the right side of the defense. I even mentioned to Seymour’s Mother after the Indy game how great it was to have #93 back out there because Green seemed to be getting tired.

Well, it seems that the chance to get some relief for Mr. Green has rejuvenated his play. On Sunday evening he was a man possessed. He was in the back field, pressuring J.P. Losman, attacking the running backs and finally knocking the ball from J.P.’s hands in the 3rd quarter. Once again I am struck by the simple premise that depth is more than security. It also offers extended stamina and performance.

Jammin the Airwaves
I was able to do something that made me feel like I was behind enemy lines getting intel for the underground resistance.

On the Monday after the game, while driving up to Toronto to visit friends I pretty much kept the radio glued to the Buffalo ESPN station. The experience brought tears to my eyes. And it was not even from the air around lake Erie. The guys on there were showing so much respect to the Pats and no hate that it just blew my doors off.

Basically the guys went on and on about the fact that people are going to be saying in years to come that they had the chance to see the greatest team in history play live. And looking like the greatest team in history. And this included guest speaker, former Bill's player Joe DeLamielleure. He of course noted how well the O-line was playing.

I had grown so used to people talking trash and saying such negative things that to hear someone, who had just suffered the worst loss in their teams history, to show such respect was very moving. They then went on to say that the Patriots Domination was actually good for the league. He was saying that a strong team like this creates interest to those who are just becoming aware of the Pats and the NFL. Overseas and here in America there are going to be a lot of New Patriots fans being born in the next year or so. Also, as I said before, people want to watch to see, Can this team really break this record or that? and of course Can they really run the table for a perfect season? They noted, as I have seen one or two other places in the last few days that people also like to see scoring and to see offense played at a very high level of skill and execution.

As I said, to hear this coming from the radio, in a town where they pretty much had the right to loathe and despise us, well, it was amazing. This is a special season. And one that is not to be soon duplicated.

Jauron
When they showed his face on the screen after the Patriots went up 49-10 you had to feel sorry for the man. He looked like the major in the opening battle in the film Dances With Wolves. No idea how it got to this and no idea how to stop it. But here is an idea. Not mine, but I will pass it along. Why did Jauron not go for it more and make better use of his shots. Losman has a strong arm. Why not let him launch the ball down field and hope for a pass interference penalty? That is part of how the Colts got up on the Patriots. Why kick a field goal when you are down 35-7? Even on 4th and 12, you might as well go for it. Because it really cannot get much worse. And if you don’t get it at least you tried. Instead of rolling over. BTW, these thoughts came from some Bills fans who acknowledged that the Pats have a better team and forced Jauron to turn up the volume. But he never found the dial.

Just Pinch Me
After his 4 TD catch performance Moss made this comment to the media, I'm still in awe, Moss said about leaving the woeful Raiders for the Patriots. I'm still in a dream, man, and I'm loving every second of it. It's too good to be true. I'm with the Patriots. What else do you want?

I love this more than you can possibly imagine. But, hey, you are living this out like me and if you are reading this then you are just as nuts about this team as I am so then again maybe you can imagine. Here I am in the middle of what is shaking out to be the greatest season ever for an NFL team and almost 30 times a day I find myself saying, Man is this really happening? Having Randy Moss on this team? Am I dreaming this? Excuse me. Can you pinch me to make sure I am really awake? And all the while I am thinking that Moss might be saying the same thing about his being being here, in this town, playing for this team, and being a Patriot. HE is in disbelief and awe. It is like that whole thing, how do I know if I am the real person or if maybe the guy in the mirror is the real person and in fact I am the reflection of his world. Who knows what is real anymore?

Justice, Can It Be Served
I have been paying a fair bit of attention to the fan voting for the Pro Bowl for this season and there are two players on the Patriots whom are playing at an amazing level and whom, I think should be getting more credit for Brady’s amazing year. Those men on the line are Logan Mankins (70) and Dan Koppen (67). It is more than ironic, don’t ya think, that the guy who gets beat the most (Matt Light) is the one who is getting the positive recognition in this season. But if you watch the play of the OL you notice that Mankins and Koppen are the ones who are really creating the control up front. And Koppen is the one that makes all the calls for the line. If you have the game on tape or DVR watch how Koppen managed to communicate with Brady in the noise of the RCA Dome. It is amazing. If these guys do not get their props this year they never will.
Be sure to vote Koppen and Mankins in ’07. Your country needs them.

Just you wait
One of the things which I love about this whole running roughshod approach to the season is what all the fans of the other teams say on the message boards. Things like Just you wait, the wheel of Karma is going to come back around and What goes around comes around and When you guys weaken the other teams will remember this. Yeah, right. Like some day bad things are going to happen to the team. Like, Oh I don’t know maybe the head coach will almost electrocute himself during a press conference. Or maybe the fans will tear down the goal posts and take them out to route 1 and hit a power line almost killing themselves. Or some of the players will expose themselves to a female reporter and get a sexual harassment suit against them. Or maybe our rookie running back will go to the pro bowl only to suffer a freak knee injury in a game of beach football that no only basically ends his career but also almost takes his leg. Or maybe our head coach will quit right before the team makes the playoffs. Be banned from the team and then be re-instated for one game because the players threaten to strike.

Yeah, right like those things could all happen to one team? Oh, wait they DID happen to one team.
THIS TEAM. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. So all you wheel comes around types, maybe the Pats being this good is the other side of the wheel coming around from what we already had to put up with. Maybe this run of insane good fortune is the cosmic payback for the years of torture and pain. Maybe Tom Brady is the cosmic payback for Christian Peters. (look him up)And one last thing,

Don’t tell me for a second that if this were your team, that you would want them to stop scoring at 35-7. You would be screaming for 70 just like those of us that were in the first 3 rows of the end zone of Ralph Wilson last Sunday night. And I think we will see it on December 16. If Belichick doesn’t throw 70 on the board that night, then he should be applauded for restraining his wroth against the Jets.

Go Pats!

Erdoboy
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