Want some evidence of how BADLY the Jets and Pats rivalry has slipped? Just go to what passes as JI theses days, there isn't a single thread discussing the upcoming game, Just thread after thread of who to fire, who to keep, and who to add. Not convinced, just go to GangGreen where there is one thread about the game and its poorly utilized (about 3 pages all week. Nail in the coffin? Just look at this sorry thread. 40 posts since Tuesday guys.
Hell, I could post a thread that would get 40 posts in 20 minutes. All I'd have to do is create one speculating on the possibility of adding a WR (any WR), L
or even easier, start a thread on Amendola.
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It's hard to continue on a rivalry when one team is always the hammer and the other team is the nail....even a NY team. I've tried like hell to envision scenarios where this can be a close game. I mean, haven't something like 5 of the last 6 games been decided by a TD or less. Or wasn't it just 9 weeks ago that the Pats escaped by the skins of their teeth with a 2 point win by blocking an attempted game winning FG?
But WTF. This is NOT the same Pats team it was 9 weeks ago. Its dramatically better. And that's not the same Jets team either. Its even worse. The issues we had in the run game just 4 days after losing Mayo have been solved with the additions of Branch and Siliga, plus the emergence of Hightower and Collins. There will be no Mayo hangover this week. And I also don't expect to see Geno to duplicate the best game of his career that he had in week 7.. This is a defense that has literally shut down Manning, Rodgers, Rivers Stafford, etc in the 2nd half of every game. Even the Dolphins have a far superior offense. They aren't going to fall to one of the worse QB's in the league.
Yes the Jets will come out and give us their best shot. Harvin IS a threat. Decker and Kearly are decent WR's and Ivory is one of my favorite RB's in the league. There will be trick plays. There will be fake punts and onside kicks. But the fact remains that sometime time during this game, the Pats will break out to a 2 score lead the Jets will rollover and die like they should. If it happens in the 2nd quarter, Garopolo with see action by the 4th. If the Jets play very well and it doesn't happen until the 3rd quarter, it will end up being only a 31-13 kind of a game and we will be forced to listen to the mediots complain how the Pats underachieved.
