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On the Mark: Pats' time has passed

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Mark Kriegel

Mark Kriegel is the national columnist for FOXSports.com. He is the author of two New York Times best sellers, Namath: A Biography and Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich, which Sports Illustrated called "the best sports biography of the year."

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Updated Oct 6, 2009 5:34 AM ET
     
 
The Jets beat the Patriots in the second week of the season, and all of a sudden everybody in New York has them penciled in for the Super Bowl. Yeah, I know. They have a new coach, a new defense, a new quarterback. They look good. They may even be good. But until further notice, they're the same old Jets, which is to say, prematurely praised.




I don't know what the Cowboys' new slogan is, but I know what it should be: "New Stadium. Same Quarterback."

Guess Jessica Simpson's off the hook, huh?

Just nine months after signing Milton Bradley to a $30 million deal, Cubs GM Jim Hendry suspended him for the rest of the season.

Gee, who could've seen that one coming?

— Get more On the Mark

Some of you are old enough to recall that last time the Jets were touted as a lock for the Super Bowl. It was all the way back in November. The Jets had just won a tough game in overtime on the road. In Foxboro, of all places. They were 7-3 with Broadway Brett (as opposed to Broadway Mark), having scored 34 points on a fearsome and experienced defense that included the likes of Tedy Bruschi, Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel and Rodney Harrison. So how'd that work out? Rather, what happened Sunday at the Meadowlands says less about the Jets than the Patriots, who were lucky to get by the Buffalo Bills on the first Monday night of the season. For a while now there has been this feeling, accepted with little question, that the Patriots would pick up where they left off in 2007 just as soon as Tom Brady came back from his knee injury . That's not going to happen. Bill Belichick -- as evidenced by his hilariously rude inability to acknowledge rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez after the game -- will only get meaner. And barring cataclysmic injuries, his Patriots will get better. But they'll never be what they were. Maybe now you know why Belichick ran off the field with a second still on the clock against the Giants in Arizona. I'd say he already understood what's taken everybody else so long to comprehend, that the 2007 Patriots would go down as the best team never to win a Super Bowl. You don't get a second chance at 19-0. A level of play that close to perfection is a highly perishable commodity, especially in professional football. Already, much has been made of Rex Ryan's defense, and the way it stymied and confused Tom Brady, one of the coolest quarterbacks ever to play. In fact, Ryan's defense looks to be doing wonders for the Jets and their self-esteem. But it's not as if Brady and the Patriots had never seen it before. In the 12th game of their undefeated regular season, the Patriots went on the road to play the Baltimore Ravens, its defense also coached by Ryan. To that point, it was New England's toughest test of the season, as Brady had to come from behind to win, throwing his 41st touchdown of the season to Jabar Gaffney with 44 seconds left. This time, against another blitzing Rex Ryan defense, there would be no comeback. For all the talk of Brady and Randy Moss, the offense managed to score a mere nine points. Worse still, at least for the Patriots, was the idea that a Belichick-coached defense could no longer feast on its meal of choice, rookie quarterbacks. Sanchez was 11-for-17 with a touchdown in the second half. Brady threw 24 incompletions, more than the Jets attempted the entire game. In fairness to the Patriots, they were missing their best defensive player, linebacker Jerod Mayo. Still, let's not pretend this is the same defense. Seymour is a Raider. Asante Samuel is an Eagle. Vrabel is a Chief. Rosevelt Colvin is out of football. So are Bruschi, Harrison and Junior Seau, all retired. In fact, only four defensive starters remain from the '07 team. On offense, they're relying on old guys at the skill positions. Sammy Morris is 32. Kevin Faulk is 33. Fred Taylor will be 34 in January. Joey Galloway turns 38 in November. Their best days are behind them. Same for New England. I don't know about the Jets. But these aren't the same old Patriots.

On the Mark

 I don't know what the Cowboys' new slogan is, but I know what it should be: "New Stadium. Same Quarterback." Guess Jessica Simpson's off the hook, huh? Just nine months after signing Milton Bradley to a $30 million deal, Cubs GM Jim Hendry suspended him for the rest of the season. Gee, who could've seen that one coming? Can't understand what these Chargers fans are so upset about. In '07, they started 1-3. In '08, they began 0-2. For a Norv Turner team, 1-1 smacks of progress. Actually, I think the Chargers just got overconfident when LT sprained his ankle. Watching Tom Brady the other day, I found myself hoping that Gisele didn't make him sign a pre-nup. Asked when the USC coaching staff informed him that he'd be starting at quarterback in place of Matt Barkley, third-year sophomore Aaron Corp replied: "They never really did." Then again, if you're going to run the ball on 3rd-and-6 from the 7-yard line of an opponent who was 0-12 last year, what do you care who's starting? Looks like Pete Carroll could go down as the Bobby Cox of college football. I've seen guys slip and block more punches than Floyd Mayweather. But they were in kung fu movies. From the Washington Post: Delonte West, caught speeding in a three-wheel motorcycle, was packing "a Beretta 9mm in (his) waistband, a Ruger .357 magnum strapped to his leg and a shotgun in a guitar case slung over his back." According to police, carrying the shotgun was legal. Just what you want: laws that endorse the illusions of bipolar ballplayers who think they're auditioning for "Mad Max" sequels. Sounds like Rick Pitino was getting dating advice from John Edwards. Seriously, how long before Jerry Jones is starting for the Cowboys?
Tagged: Chargers, Patriots, Tom Brady, Cowboys

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