We have the edge over the Jets right now

[PatSunday]

We have the edge over the Jets right now. The Jets have two division games left, and we have one. I say they should try playing as many division games as us before they're crowned kings of the AFC East.

As far as Jets having a proven QB, they have the same record as us; they didn't take over Tennessee's record when they beat them. Watch them play to see how they play. This is why the Jets forums are calling this year's team the "Same old Jets". That's also the headline of one of their big fan sites!

Another good sign is that we were tied at the half with the Steelers, but lost Welker. That hurt our offense in the 2nd half, otherwise, we were competitive in the first half. And our Jets and Seahawks games showed ability to come back in the 4th quarter.

Also, Mangini may very well be fired if the Jets don't make the playoffs with Favre. So if the Jets do somehow win the division, there's a higher chance the Jets will keep Mangini, which is good for us long term. Short term, this is good for us because it puts more pressure on Mangini.

This is a no-lose situation for us. While the Jets will be figuring out who their coach and QB will be next year, regardless of how they do this year, we already know we have Belichick and at least one of Brady and Cassel to start. This is fact regardless of which team is better in the remaining two weeks. Additionally, unless we get news that Brady is unable to play again or retires, we will have the best off-season since the one in which we got Moss and Welker, as compared to the long off-season we had to endure last season after losing the Super Bowl.

Assuming Brady is back and we get some good defensive talent in exchange for Matt Cassel (most realistic scenario, given the Kraftiness of our team), then we might be in an even better position than we would have been this year. Hopefully, our defense gets reloaded for another run next Fall. And, consider that we'd be 2 years removed from that spygate crap. Speaking of which, Mangini might not even be coach when we play the Jets in the Fall. Finally, we would also be coming back from a "bad" season, so we would be playing with heart and nobody could tell us we're running up points (well, up until week 2.)

 

[Pats726]

Actually that is all false....the Jets are 3-1 in the dibision...the Pats are 3-2...unless the rules of math have changed...3-1 is a better record than 3-2..the Jets have the advantage so there is NO Pats edge.

 

[Double G]

We've got no edge at all on the Jets; if both teams win out, they win the division, so how do you figure we have an edge over them? Unless they lose, we are on the outside looking in.

Regarding Cassel, unless the Patriots tag him, he is a free agent, thus they get nothing for him if he walks; do anyone honestly expect him to resign here for less money to hold a clipboard?

Also, it is doubtful Brady will be ready to go when the season starts next year, so we've got no advantage there either.

Good post though.................

 

[JoeSixPat]

The only edge we have over the Jets is that that Patriots have nothing to lose, having shown that without Brady, without most of their RBs, without most of their starting Defense, without spending $140 million in the offseason, Belichick is able to coach his backups into the least penalized team in the NFL with an equal record to the Jets

The Jets meanwhile have show a significant potential to choke this very rare opportunity to show that they are better than the Patriots under the most extreme circumstances where they have so few starters - the one time in the Brady era when the AFC East Division title has truly been up for grabs.

Mangini's job is VERY much on the line, as I can't imagine why an owner would think he stands a chance of beating the Patriots at full strength if he can't do better than he has in the best of cirucmstances. And seeing as every organization in the NFL now knows that Mangini can't be trusted with any of their secrets, there's no way they take him on even as a coordinator or positional coach.

So No Playoffs = An end to Mangini's career... and I'm not sure that Mangini or the team respond well to that type of pressure.

 

[mdoiron]

Patriots fans are always so optimistic. Yes, we've got a shot but we haven't dominated like previous years. It's been a challenging 2008 but all things considered, BB has proven that he truly is a football genius. He's taken control of this team and proved that success is still possible with your key players injured.

The original poster seems to Pats or Jets. Don't you think the Dolphins should get a bit of credit? Parcels, at least in my opinion, has done a phenomenal job this far with the Dolphins. A season following a 1-15 record and they're in contention. If the Pats find themselves out of the playoffs, I'll be rooting for the Dolphins.

 

[memento]

Another good sign is that we were tied at the half with the Steelers, but lost Welker. That hurt our offense in the 2nd half, otherwise, we were competitive in the first half. And our Jets and Seahawks games showed ability to come back in the 4th quarter.

a loss is never a good sign. i'd hate to think cassel relies on welker so much he can't hit other recievers.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

.... Don't you think the Dolphins should get a bit of credit? Parcels, at least in my opinion, has done a phenomenal job this far with the Dolphins. A season following a 15-1 record and they're in contention.

Great point! Fins performance this year, especially when compared to the dismal one last year, is highly commendable.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

The Jets control their own destiny, as do the Fins and Ravens.
At the moment they all have the edge over us and it's theirs to lose/ours to win back.

 

[ayjackson]

Parcells and BB come from a school of though that the second 25 players on the roster matter as much as the first. Parcells immediately improved that aspect of the phins. But Sparano deserves some credit too.

As for an edge over the Jets, it is a tough division and you could argue that you would only expect them to win one of two division games...i guess. We must have an edge over the phins or the jets because they can't both win out. So who's the edge over?

 

[spacecrime]

We have the edge over the Jets right now.

The only edge we have over the Jets right now is that we will have a better draft pick than they will next April.

This is a no-lose situation for us.

Huh?

The Jets win out, we lose.

The Dophins win out we lose.

The Jets lose a game but the Dolphins don't, we lose.

The Dolphins lose a game but the Jets don'e, we lose.

We lose any one of three games, we lose.

We are not mathematically eliminated, but the Pats require an extraordinary combination of circumstances beyond our control to occur in order to make the playoffs.

This is basically because the Jets and Dolphins and Ravens have played better football than us, and deserve to go to the playoffs, not us.

Only if the other teams collapse do we have a shot.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I'm not sure it's possible for the Pats to be described as having an "edge" over the Jets when the numbers say that if they win out and if we win out, they beat us. You argue that they have two tough division games, but we have to go to Buffalo on the last day of the season for a game that will be their Super Bowl if it turns out they can keep us out of the playoffs by beating us. We also have to play an NFC Divsion winner (weak tho the Division may be) with a passing attack that can exploit our greatest defensive weakness all day (hopefully a little sleet, snow, wind and freezing temps will level that playing field).

However, if we win today, I think you could make an argument that the Pats are playing with House Money the rest of the way. We'll be assured of a winning record for a Season without our QB, without our number one Running Back and without what Cris Collinsworth described yesterday as a "Pro Bowl Team" sidelined with injuries on our Defense. The Cards will be playing to show that they are not a fluke from a weak Division. The Bills will be playing before fans who are (legitimately) furious at the Franchise and will turn on them quickly in Week 17.

I also think we're also going to need a couple of lucky breaks in the next three weeks.

If the breaks go our way, if we play loose when our opponents are tight and if BB can get inside Kurt Warner's head like he did at SB XXXVI, we might just pull it off. But, let's be honest, the odds are against us and, given the tiebreakers, we don't have an "edge."

Still, it's going to be one heck of a ride and I'm going to be proud of our guys at the end, whatever the outcome. And, BTW, should we make the Playoffs, all bets are off. I think there will be one team in the mix that no other Playoff team will want to have to face--the New England Patriots.