Projo Pats Blog

FIRST, A NOTE ON THE WEATHER: The hourly forecast for Foxboro on weather.com calls for the heaviest rain to fall on Gillette Stadium between 3 and 8 p.m., and for showers to continue until midnight.

FIGHTING WORDS: An unnamed New York Jets offensive player who chose to remain anonymous because he "didn't want to provide bulletin board fodder for the Patriots" told the New York Post's Mark Cannizzaro that the Jets were "sick to their stomachs" over losing to New England in September, and referred to Patriots defensive players as "slow" and "old." How remaining anonymous means it isn't bulletin-board fodder isn't clear -- seems like the speaker just didn't want to become the geezers' special target on the field tonight.

THOMAS COMING BACK? This much we know: Adalius Thomas will not be playing linebacker tonight when the Patriots meet the Jets. But, as Shalise Manza Young notes today in her video preview of the game, the fact that Thomas has not been placed on injured reserve raises some questions about whether his broken right forearm really does spell the end of his season. The Boston Globe reported today that Thomas had surgery yesterday to repair the forearm, but that doctors have not ruled out his return at some point this season. The Globe's unnamed sources say that a decision might come as soon as today, when Thomas goes for a follow-up.

WHAT IS IT? ESPN says that his Patriots teammates call him "The Firm." Dick Enberg said on Sunday that they call him "Bennie." Whatever the story, these are heady times for undrafted rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who just might be the unlikeliest star in the recent history of a franchise that pumps out unlikely stars. New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, who coached Green-Ellis at Mississippi, says NFL teams are now finding out what SEC teams learned the two years before this one (when Green-Ellis rolled up consecutive 1,000-yard seasons under everyone's radar): "You have to play an eight-man front to stop him. He breaks through tackles. He knifes through shoulders. He has tremendous running ability to get the short yardage and break through tackles." (ESPN) None of that showed up in the NFL combine, where scouts were unimpressed with Green-Ellis' physical measurables and feared that he had accumulated too many carries during college.

COACH APPRECIATES A GOOD STORY: Here's what Bill Belichick had to say yesterday about Green-Ellis' success: "Guys that are undrafted have a certain degree of underdog status, long shot, or whatever you want to call it. So, it is great to see those guys that nobody talks about or nobody has any hype for do well and be able to play, compete, and have a job and position in this league. To me that is what the NFL is all about ... It is not about your pedigree. It is about your performance, and I like that. That is the way it should be and that's the way I try to make it here."

BEHIND THE NUMBERS: You might not be too impressed by Green-Ellis' average of 3.9 yards per carry, but he often gets exactly the number of yards that the Patriots need. Twenty-one of his 63 carries on the season have resulted in first downs, which is tied with teammate Kevin Faulk for the highest such average in the NFL among running backs. The injured Sammy Morris is 10th among all players in the league in this category, and the Patriots as a team are number one, with 28.6 of all their running plays resulting in first downs. (projo.com)

THE OTHER GUYS: The addition of Brett Favre was, of course, by far the Jets' highest-profile move, but while Favre's value to the Jets has been somewhat controversial, the four other veteran players added in the offseason by general manager Mike Tannenbaum have all been solid contributors in their roles: nose tackle Kris Jenkins, linebacker Calvin Pace, guard Alan Faneca and fullback Tony Richardson. They're the reasons John Clayton feels that Tannenbaum is an early front-runner for executive of the year. (ESPN)

UNCONVENTIONAL THINKING: Kerry Byrne of WEEI.com writes that Brett Favre is a choke artist -- "a player you can always count on to come up small under the bright lights of pressure-packed football." So how, then, do you explain Favre's 12-10 lifetime playoff record, with an 85.2 quarterback ranking, in playoff games?

FOR ALL THE MARBLES: The Herald's John Tomase says what no one on either team will say (and what might actually turn out not to be accurate): "Whoever prevails is going to win the division. It's that simple." The Patriots do, however, face a special problem if they lose to the Jets tonight. Not only will they have lost first place in the division, they may also be out of the driver's seat for a playoff spot, thanks to Indianapolis' victory last week at Pittsburgh, which kept the Colts just one game behind the Pats, and with the tie-breaker advantage thanks to their victory two weeks ago.

KICKING QUESTION: The Jets still haven't made a decision on whether Mike Nugent or Jay Feely will be their kicker for tonight's game, and both men have made the trip to Foxboro (New York Post). Nugent has been out since the season opener with a thigh injury.

GET IT DONE, ALREADY: The Post's Steve Serby writes that Belichick is the one person who changed the course of both the Jets and the Patriots franchises by turning his back on Bill Parcells nearly a decade ago, and that it is time for the Jets to finally "beat this man."

DON'T I KNOW IT: Defensive end Shaun Ellis has lost to New England 13 times -- and only beaten them four times -- since coming to the Jets in 2000 (New York Times). Favre said that after the Jets' loss to the Pats in September, he looked at Ellis and saw "10 years of frustration" on his face.

STICKING WITH THE PATS: Michael Salfino looks at this showdown team and sees two teams that really aren't as good as a lot of people think. But he likes the Patriots more, and picks them to win.

MY PREDICTION: If the Jets are ever going to get the Patriots monkey off their backs, tonight is the night that they can do it. They're playing with a lot of confidence and they face a New England team that will have to make some big defensive adjustments to account for the loss of Adalius Thomas. The Jets' defensive front should take the Patriots' running game away from them, forcing Matt Cassel to take a more aggressive approach. I think Cassel will make some plays, but I think Thomas Jones, Brett Favre and the Jets will make one or two more. The wild card here is the weather, which can make anything happen. Hate to say it, I'm picking the Jets.

 Tags  Football Today New York Jets

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