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Granted, it took until late in the third quarter before the Pats managed to tack onto a modest seven point lead and pull away from the Jets for good. But I disagree that the final score, which points in every way to a one-sided rout by New England, is misrepresentative of the contest. <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> �I always felt we were very close to breaking it wide open,� Tom Brady said of the matchup. Right you are, Mr. Brady. The Pats controlled their AFC east rivals basically from the beginning, but only really started to open things up after the Vince Wilfork fumble recovery late in the third, which was capitalized on for a field goal. Prior to that, the Jets held the Patriot�s relatively in check with their strategizing. <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> But what qualifies a rout anyway? In a blowout victory, doesn�t one team have to break things open eventually against the opposition? The answer is obvious, but the follow up to that is, does the fact that the Patriots separated themselves by a wide margin late in the game as opposed to the first half make the victory any less decisive? <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> Absolutely not. <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> What we saw on Sunday was an impressive showing in all three phases of the game by the New England Patriots. If anything, it was the Jets who were over-represented. Had it not been for a Corey Dillon fumble and a missed tackle by Pats safety Artrell Hawkins (which enabled a seventy seven yard Jerricho Cotchery touchdown), the scoreboard would have looked even more lopsided. <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> That�s not to discredit Mangini�s Jets or what they did. As a matter of fact, the game was a push-pull chess match of sorts for the better part of it, with Mangini showing signs of where he, or better yet from whom, he received his education. Where the Pats would switch up their D-line formation to give Pennington a different look, the Jets would do the same on the next series. Where the Jets were caught substituting by a Brady-led quick snap, the Jets were mindful of the same. In short, aside from being a very physical game, the matchup we saw on Sunday came down to strategy and smart design- a Jedi mind game between the two coaching staffs. <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> Unfortunately for the Jets, the force was with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> �I think we had a great plan. We had a great plan,� Brady emphasized post game. The Pats star QB threw for 212 yards with 34 completions and two touchdowns on Sunday, bettering his career post season record to 11-1 since his start with the Patriots in 2000. What�s more is that Brady managed to control the tempo of the game to the Patriot�s advantage, and send a blitz-crazed, muddling Jets defense off its axis. The Jet�s game plan was simple: confuse and pressure Tom Brady. In the end they accomplished neither. Off the record, Brady is playing as good, if not better than he has at any point during the season. �He�s the field general,� said Ben Watson after the performance. �When I was in college, he was out there winning super bowls. There�s no quarterback I�d rather have right now.� <BR><IMG SRC="patsthree.jpg" ALIGN="RIGHT" BORDER=0 VSPACE=5> Another Brady cheerleader, and justifiably so. With Brady on top of his game, the AFC�s fourth seed might just be a legitimate contender. <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> But let�s not start waving the pom-poms or building any parade floats just yet. Showing on deck, the Pat�s have some fierce competition lined up in the form of the number-one seeded San Diego Chargers. A preview of the match-up would have the Chargers set as low favorites, but that line relies more on the Pat�s playoff history than it does San Diego�s reg. season statistics. The Chargers were ranked first in the NFL in multiple categories, including average points per game (30.8) and best record (14-2). <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> On top of that, and certainly the main force behind those numbers, is their all pro running back Ladainian Tomlinson- the 2006 NFL offensive player of the year and MVP. LT set a record for rushing touchdowns scored in 06 with 31, topping Shaun Alexander�s previous 28. It can be said that the Charger�s offense begins and ends with this one man, and if the Patriots can limit his production, they stand a good chance. Another key of the game for New England is getting to QB Philip Rivers early in the game, which is his first in the playoffs. <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> All that, and also put up a shit ton of points. It�s going to take a lot to get passed the Charger�s high powered offense. But if the Pat�s can triumph in this match up, it means a return visit to the AFC championship. <BR><IMG SRC="tab.gif"> At any rate, by the time you hear from me next week, devoted reader, we will all have seen one hell of a game, no matter the outcome. <BR> <BR> <B>Tell me, Tell me. <A HREF="mailto:josh@southcoast247.com">josh@southcoast247.com</A>.</B> <BR><BR><BR> <SPAN CLASS="LARGETEXT"><A HREF="pats.shtml">Read more from STATS ON PATS WEEKLY...</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> </SPAN> <BR><BR><BR><BR> <DIV ALIGN="CENTER">  <SCRIPT LANGUAGE=JavaScript>  </SCRIPT>  <BR></DIV> </TD> <TD VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH=225 BGCOLOR="#CC9900"> <SPAN CLASS="TEXT"> <IMG SRC="http://www.southcoast247.com/column_images/ev_calx.gif"> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.trumba.com/scripts/spuds.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> $Trumba.addSpud({ webName: "southcoast-calendar-arts-entertainment-nightlife-clubs", spudType : "upcomingfader" , teaserBase : "http://www.southcoasttoday.com/static/247calendar.html" }); document.write('<br /><a href="http://www.southcoasttoday.com/static/247calendar.html"><font color="#ffffff">View All Events</font></a>'); </script> <noscript>Your browser must support JavaScript to view this content. 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