New England expecting a rebound in New York

By Connor Byrne  |   Thursday, September 14, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

New England Patriots
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It's been a long week for the New England Patriots. After barely getting by the upstart Buffalo Bills, 19-17, in the season opener last Sunday, the Pats have been forced to deal with numerous questions regarding the possible end to their great run that has spanned almost the entire new millennium.

New England can put a lot of that talk to rest this weekend, but it sure isn't going to be easy. On paper, entering the season, the Patriots were supposed to be light years better than the opposing New York Jets, but nobody's certain of anything when it comes to the AFC East these days.

The Jets are riding high after an impressive offensive showing from their first game, a 23-16 victory. Albeit, New York only conquered lowly Tennessee, but Jets fans across the nation are thrilled to see Chad Pennington's renaissance. Finally healthy again, he earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors by completing 24-of-33 pass attempts for 319 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

If the Jets want to have any chance to beat New England in the Meadowlands, Pennington will need to have a similar showing.

The Patriots, meanwhile, need more playmaking from their defense and receivers.

Against Buffalo last week, the D only allowed 10 points and 240 total yards, but it didn't take the ball away once. Obviously, that must change this weekend.

Quarterback Tom Brady managed to complete just 47 percent of his passes, mostly because he had absolutely no receiving corps to work with.

Former Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino once said, "Larry Bird isn't walking through that door," referring to the Celtics' ineptitude and their lack of a new age savior.

Well, for the Pats, "Deion Branch isn't walking through that door." New England traded Branch, its No. 1 receiver, to the Seahawks this week, leaving the team with no proven threat at the position.

However, help could be on the way in some form this Sunday, with recently acquired target Doug Gabriel likely to make his Patriot debut. The former Raider actually has big-play ability, making him an intriguing option for Brady. The same can be said for rookie second-rounder Chad Jackson, whose status for the game is currently uncertain.

Ultimately, even though the Jets are making their home debut, that isn't going to be enough against New England. As the Patriots have proven, they possess the ability to run (Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney) and stop the run. The Jets, with Kevan Barlow starting in the backfield and a questionable defense, can't make such a claim.

So, by the time it's all said and done, the Patriots will improve to 2-0 by taking out the improving New Yorkers, 27-14.

News:

Pats head coach Bill Belichick and his former pupil, Jets HC Eric Mangini, may not be such great friends after all. Mangini, who was NE's defensive coordinator last year and earned his first victory as a head coach last week, received many congratulatory phone calls thereafter, but none from Belichick, his mentor. The Patriots accused the Jets of tampering in the Branch trade, so it could have a lot to do with that issue.

--Got feedback? Connor J. Byrne responds to readers' comments and questions each day: cbyrne@realfootball365.com.

Get more on the New England Patriots at RealFootball365.com.
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