An unexpected crash for Patriots

Subject: An unexpected crash for Patriots Mon Jan 17, 2011 4:27 pm

FOXBORO — This ending wasn’t supposed
to be in the script. Not a loss to the hated Jets. Not in the divisional
round. Not after a first-round bye. Not at Gillette Stadium. Not with
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady [stats] in the house.

In many ways, this was worse than getting smoked by the Ravens last
year. Getting beat, 28-21, yesterday by the Jets had a much worse sting.
And much worse aftershocks.

There really weren’t Super Bowl expectations with the team that got
buried last year by Baltimore. This year’s team was not only considered
the best in football at the end of the regular season, most pundits had
them pencilled in as the AFC’s representative at the Super Bowl in
Dallas.
The Pats were on a roll, winners of their last eight games, and with
Brady playing as well as he had been during the year, and the defense
creating turnovers at a record rate, it wasn’t outlandish to dream of a
fourth championship. Sure, getting beaten up by the Ravens was
humiliating a year ago in the first round. But this was the dreaded
Jets. This was allowing Rex Ryan, Antonio Cromartie, Bart Scott and all
the rest of Gang Green to gloat and say their way works, too. This was
letting all of their trash talk and venom reign.

This was a nightmare.

“There was a lot of bad football,’’ wide receiver Deion Branch said. “I
think we picked the wrong time to play our worst game of football. It’s
bad. It’s not good. ... We expected bigger things, that’s why it’s so
disappointing.’’

The Patriots [team stats] played a brand of football that wasn’t
anywhere similar to what we witnessed during the 14-2 regular season, or
especially during the last eight games.

Supposedly, lessons were learned after last year’s embarrassing loss to
the Ravens. Supposedly, they were building toward a much better
postseason ride. Then they showed up and played like they weren’t ready
for the big stage. They were manhandled at the line of scrimmage on both
sides of the ball. They made mistakes all over the field.

You want bad signs? How about Belichick benching Wes Welker for the
first series because of the wide receiver’s foot-laden press conference?
How about Brady throwing his first interception in 340 attempts? How
about deciding it was a good idea to go for a fake punt, down only 7-3
with 1:14 left in the half at the Pats’ own 38? A botched snap later and
the Jets were on their way to a 14-3 halftime lead.

It all resulted in giving the Jets confidence they could pull off the upset.

The offense was out of synch most of the game. The defense couldn’t come up with the big plays — or the turnovers — when needed.

Branch put it all on the players.

“(Belichick) gave us two weeks of his best football (in preparation for
the game),’’ Branch said. “We let him down. We didn’t put our best
football out on the football field. That wasn’t coach Belichick
football. That didn’t represent nothing he taught us for the two weeks.
Nothing.”

It was a huge letdown. They created expectations for so much more. And
when the Jets opened their mouths last week and ripped into Brady, it
was almost a given the Patriots would pay them back on the field.

Said Belichick: “It’s a one-game season. If you don’t play well, you’re done.”

A nightmare, indeed.

» The 2008 crash isn’t over, only covered up