The New York Jets hope of taking over sole possession in the AFC East were crashed after their devastating loss the New England Patriots (45-3) Monday night in Foxboro.

You could almost hear Dandy Don Meredith singing “Turn out the lights …”, after the Patriots took a 17-0 first quarter lead. By half time it was 24-3.

But this is NFL football, and most of us expected to see the Jets come out of the locker room, hell-bent on kicking Patriot butt – but who would have “thunk” it. The Jets never got over their shell-shock from the first half!

While Tom Brady and the Patriot offense added 21 more points, the Patriot defense, ranked 31st in the NFL, shutout (and shut up) the Jets in the second half. The final score 45-3.

Why did the Jets lose so badly? Are the Patriots that good? Is the Jets Bark bigger than it’s Bite?

The answer is both, plus another factor – Tom Brady! Here are some tidbits to back it up:

• With Tom Brady at QB, the New England Patriots have won last 25 consecutive games at home.
• Brady hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 228 passes.
• Brady has thrown at least one TD pass in all 12 of the Patriots games in 2010.
• Brady followed up a 4 touchdown, perfect 158.3 QB rating against Detroit last week with a 4 TD passes and 148.9 QB rating against the Jets.
• 8 different receivers caught Brady passes against the Jets.
• An ex-Jet, Danny Woodhead, had 4 receptions for 104 yards. Wes Welker had 7 catches for 80 yards and 1 TD. Deion Branch, Aaron Hernandez and Brandon Tate were each on the receiving end of a Brady TD pass.
• Brady is the NFL MVP
• The Patriots have the #1 ranked offense in the NFL.
• The Jets allow an average of 19 points per game – 6th worse in the NFL.
• The Jets score on average 22 points per game – 14th in the NFL.
• The Jets average 356 yards per game – 12th in the NFL.
• The Patriots have beaten Baltimore, San Diego, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and the Jets.
• The Jets record of 9-3 comes against teams with a combined record of just 39-68, with only one of those teams being over .500 (the Patriots in Week 2, who were 1-0).

The Jets can take one consolation from the game; it only counts as one loss. If they can come to terms with this loss and play better football, they may still have a chance to snatch first place in the AFC East division title from the the Patriots. But it won’t be easy and they’ll need some help!

The Jets play the Miami Dolphins (6-6) at home, travel to take on the Steelers (9-3) and the Bears (9-3), and return home for the season finale against the Bills (2-10).

The rest of the Patriots schedule is away at Chicago (9-3), home at Green Bay (8-4), away in Buffalo (2-10). They finish at home against the Dolphins (6-6).

But one question remains:  Will the Jets get out of their seats after their near-fatal crash in Foxboro?

We’ll have to wait a week!

Sources: new york daily news, sportsillustrated.com

The New York Jets made a bold move in signing rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez to the biggest contract in franchise history. The Jets are betting that Sanchez can lead the Jets to their first Super Bowl in 50 years.

Sanchez, drafted fifth overall, signed a 5 year deal worth $50 million. The deal guarantees Sanchez $28 million with incentives that could reach more than $60 million.

The Jets huge investment is the writing to on the wall for Kellen Clemens, the “other” Jets QB. Clemens was expected to start before Mark Sanchez was signed.

“For me, this is the tip of the iceberg,” Sanchez said yesterday. “There is so much more I want to accomplish. This doesn’t assume that you’re going to be successful. It’s going to take a lot of hard work.”

If the Jets had any reservations about signing a rookie QB to such a large contract, they only needed to look at Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, the first pick in 2008, who let Atlanta to the playoffs.

Hopefully the signing of a new QB, combined with a new head coach, will mark a new beginning for the post-Mangini Jets.

Eric Mangini, the former New York Jet coach, is reported to have had an outstanding interview with the front office of the Cleveland Browns.  He is now the favorite to become their next head coach.  The Browns wasted no time in their coaching search, after firing Romeo Crennel immediately after the 2008 NFL regular season.

If Mangini gets the job, sources intimate with the Browns internal affairs expect that George Kolinis, the director of pro personnel for the Baltimore Ravens, would become the team’s general manager.

Can “Man-Genius” turn Cleveland around?

For the first half of the 2008 season, Eric Mangini seemed a lock to sign a long term contract with the NY Jets.  But the collapse of the Jets at the end of the season caused the front office to find a scapegoat.  Managini became the sacrifical lamb.

The NY Jets fans, as all New York sports teams fans, are extremely demanding.  They become outspoken that it was time for a change. 

If the Browns do offer Mangini the coaching post, it is uncertain what will happen to the current Browns assistant coaches.

No decision has been made but sources say it will be Mangini!