Sports Redux: Pats Give Them Something To Cry About

Charles Krupa / Associated Press The only thing that would have made yesterday even more perfect was for Wes Welker to intercept a Mark Sanchez pass. The combination of Welker (15 receptions and 192 yards) and the defense (five turnovers, four of them interceptions) led to a satisfying 31-14 smackdown of the Jets that erased last week’s turmoil and transferred it to Rex Ryan’s Kleenex budget. Alas, this one had rout potential that never fully materialized. Leigh Bodden’s intereception and runback for a touchdown ("pick-six" is what the kids are calling it now, and we heartily approve) put the Pats on the board early; the offense kicked in shortly thereafter and built a 24-0 lead after touchdowns from Moss and Maroney (who played well enough for us to not throw anything at the screen). The momentum shifted a little when the Jets blocked a punt for a TD very late in the first half and then drove down the field after halftime for another score, but the defense kept NY from getting anything else going in the second half. Every time Sanchez dropped back to pass, it seemed, the Pats were in hot pursuit. And every time Sanchez got the ball away, it seemed, there was a Patriot there to intercept it. Even Vinny Testaverde was underwhelmed by the young Jet. Offensively, we’ll leave it to Bob Ryan to sing the praises of Welker , who set career highs with his numbers and threatened Troy Brown’s team record of 17 catches. Tom Brady put up solid numbers (28/41, 310 yards), and Maroney got 77 yards, which we reiterate pleased up very much, and that was that. Any hangover from FourthAnd2Gate, Coach Belichick? "I think the whole team just had it….I definitely felt it Wednesday. I thought that whatever happened over the weekend was gone, we were onto the Jets." So the Pats are 7-3, tied with Cincinnati and the Chargers

for the second best record in the AFC, which would mean a first-round bye (right now, we think the Pats have it based on all the tiebreakers, but we’re not experts). Next week’s going to be huge: a trip to New Orleans to face the 10-0 Saints, who are explosive, have their fans in a drunken frenzy (not that, you know, you can tell in New Orleans) and will be eager to face the Pats on a Monday night. That one could be fun. While the Pats were taking care of business against one New York team, the Celtics were scrapping by another one. The troubled C’s needed overtime and a Kevin Garnett buzzer-beater to beat a miserable Knicks team. ESPN’s Chris Sheridan sheds some light on why this team isn’t as good as we thought. The Globe, meanwhile, zeroes in on Rajon Rondo, who’s a terrible free-throw shooter . Part of that was the mugging he took from Eddy Curry (a flagrant foul that kind of turned the game around down the stretch), but certainly not all. The C’s have a couple days off to regroup before Philly comes to town. And if you’re one of the few people around here who is interested in college football, there was brutal news today; the Northeastern football team is packing it in after 74 years and zero Rose Bowl appearances. The school says the football team was a money-losing proposition and the school needed to use its cash for different things. "This is a very emotional decision. I’m sure that people are going to be angry, and disappointed, and confused," said Athletic Director Peter Roby, who stressed that scholarship players will be encouraged to finish their degrees, or get assistance if they want to continue playing somewhere else. BU axed its football team in 1997.

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Sports Redux: Pats Give Them Something To Cry About