By Mike Trovato
Two Heisman Trophies, a BCS Championship, 6 Pro Bowls, 1 Pro Bowl MVP award, 3 Super Bowls, 2 Super Bowl MVP awards, 1 NFL MVP award, and the NFL's All-time single season record for passing touchdowns. This staggering list of accomplishments belongs to Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and of course, Tom Brady. Aside from being quarterbacks in the NFL, there is one other common link between these three men: They have all been backed up by Matt Cassel.
Before this season, Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel had not started a game behind center since his senior year in high school. Given the achievements of the quarterbacks he's backed up, that isn't really much of a surprise.
When Brady tore both his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments against Kansas City in week one, Cassel finally got his opportunity. He led New England to victory that week, and guided the Patriots to a 6-3 record through the season's first ten weeks. Now Cassel's Patriots, New England headed into week eleven's face off against the New York Jets, with the two clubs deadlocked in the standings; both teams 6-3, both holding a share of first place.
The Patriots- minus Brady, halfback Lawrence Maroney, and safety Rodney Harrison- were relying on Cassel to manage the offense, and not turn the ball over. What they got was above and beyond what they ever expected from him. The Patriots offense amassed 511 total yards, as Cassel turned in a career bests with 400 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. He completed just under 60 percent of his attempts (30-for-51), while also leading the team with 62 yards rushing.
Yet, there is more to be said for Cassel's performance than can be explained by just the gaudy numbers. Save the number and name on his jersey, he may as well have been Tom Brady. Down 31-24 with 1:04 remaining in the game, Cassel drove the Pats 62 yards down the field in 8 plays, rolled out to his right, and delivered a bullet out of bounds to where only the hands of Randy Moss could reach.
The strike from Cassel to Moss typified the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick. It didn't matter what defense the opposition ran, or which defensive backs were matched up with which receivers. There was nothing that could be done to stop it.
Despite being draped all over Randy Moss, Ty Law may as well have been the cape to Moss' Superman. Law, who hadn't played in a game since last season's finale, was signed by the Jets on Tuesday, just two days before the battle for sole possession in the AFC East. The 34-year old didn't miss a beat, and with the game on the line, Eric Mangini called upon the 14-year veteran to shut down the single-season record holder for receiving touchdowns.
Law literally yielded no space, but the six-foot, four-inch Moss leaned out of bounds to make the grab, somehow touching both feet in the end zone before hitting the white sideline chalk. As impressive as the catch itself was, it was a mere exclamation point at the tail end of a drive that spanned 62 yards in 61 seconds, and on a rollout play by a quarterback who played the game of his life.
The play was the unthinkable, a display of world-class athleticism. It was the type of play that in an instant made the first 59 minutes and 58 seconds of the game irrelevant. Frankly, it was a Tom Brady type of play. It was the type of play that would have been, in years past, a Jet-killer.
Not this time.
Over the past 12 seasons, the tension between the Jets and Patriots has run a deep course. It all began when Bill Parcells left New England after losing the Super Bowl in 1996 to guess who - Brett Favre's Packers. Parcells brought with him Curtis Martin, and since then, it is as though a pipeline connects the Meadowlands to Foxboro/Gillette Stadium, as countless players have donned both Jet green and Patriot blue.
Things turned in a darker direction in January 2000, when Parcells stepped down, leaving the Jets' head coaching job to then-assistant Bill Belichick. Belichick lasted just one day, and resigned during what was meant to be his public introduction. On January 28th, what was a growing rivalry quickly became hatred, as Belichick accepted the position of head coach of the New England Patriots.
In the eight years that followed, Belichick led New England to supremacy, and 3 Super Bowl victories. The Patriots buried the Jets on countless occasions, including a 9-1 head-to-head record from 2003-07. To add insult to injury, Belichick emerged unscathed (save $500 thousand dollars) from the Spygate videotaping scandal, and the Pats enjoyed a 16-0 regular season, while the Jets floundered to a 4-12 finish in 2007.
Enter Brett Favre. When he signed with the Jets this July, and put the green and white #4 jersey over his legendary shoulders, he did not simply inherit control of the Jets offense. With it, he also inherited the bad blood; the ongoing Jets struggle to overcome the mighty Patriots, the role of savior.
Needless to say, the week 11 matchup was more than a game for sole possession of first place in the AFC East. It was a statement, an opportunity for the Jets to begin the process of emerging from the shadow cast far and wide by the Patriots this millennium. So when Jay Feely booted the game winning field goal last Thursday in overtime from 34 yards out, the Jets surfaced in sole possession of first place for the first time since November of 2001.
The victory was vindication for Jets fans that Favre could be the one to change the nature of the rivalry. For as well as Matt Cassel played, Brett Favre played that much better. The future Hall of Famer played in his share of big games in his 16 years as a Packer, but throughout his streak of 263 consecutive starts, no game in that same 16-year span has been more meaningful to the franchise than this game was to the Jets.
If the Patriots were waiting for the aggressive, errant throw, it never came. Favre delivered pass after pass that exhibited a certain careful, calculated, methodical deliberateness uncharacteristic of the 39 year old quarterback. Favre had his second consecutive turnover-free game, en route to a 2 touchdown, 258 yard performance that yielded only 7 incomplete passes.
Tight end Dustin Keller's emergence as a top threat in the Jets' passing attack could not have come at a better time. The first round pick from Purdue contributed heavily with eight receptions for 87 yards against New England, including a 3rd and 15 conversion in overtime that prolonged what turned out to be the game-winning drive. Keller has caught 14 balls for 194 yards and a touchdown over the past two weeks, and the rookie pass catcher has clearly developed a rapport with his weathered veteran QB.
Gang Green complimented their passing attack with solid performances from their running backs. Leon Washington didn't steal many carries this week, but his 92 yard kickoff return put New York up 17-6 in the second quarter. Washington also added a receiving touchdown. Overall, the Jets ran the ball 39 times for 140 yards, with Thomas Jones receiving 30 of those carries. Jones topped 100 yards for the second straight week and fourth time this season, while scoring his 10th touchdown of 2008.
Though all the attention has been centered on Brett Favre (rightfully so), Thomas Jones leads the AFC in rushing yards, and is quietly on his way to over 1,300 yards and 16 TD's. Further, a case can be made that Jones has been the single most important factor in Jet victories since he arrived in New York.
Yes, THE most important factor.
If you don't believe me, here's some evidence to back up my claim: The New York Jets are 5-0 over the last two seasons when Jones has received 25 or more carries; they are 3-10 in games when Jones runs less than 20 times. In 2008, New York is 0-3 in games in which Thomas Jones did not score. The only Jet victory this season void of a Jones touchdown was Brett Favre's 6 touchdown masterpiece in the 56-35 win over Arizona. And, oh yeah- Thomas Jones has never missed a game as a Jet.
Theories aside, what remains are the facts. The epic battle has been fought, and the smoke has cleared. To the legs of Thomas Jones, the arm of Brett Favre, and the vision of Mike Tannenbaum - give credit where credit is due.
The New York Jets are alone in first place in the AFC East. After seven years of looking up in their division, the New York Jets finally have the view from the top, and they beat the best to get there. David finally beat Goliath.
And speaking of Goliath, the Jets face the unbeaten Titans this weekend, in a game with so many metaphors and so much symbolism, it's not even funny. We can only hope that they don't wear those throwback Titans of New York jerseys, literally sparing us a "Clash of the Titans." That would just be too much.