First and 10: Michael 37, Fredo 16

1. I suppose we could talk about the wacky tempo of this game, the closer-than-the-final-score tension, the compelling moves and countermoves by a pair of coaches that know each other's tactics and strategies and tics and quirks so well. And I suppose we could talk about the return of the Patriots' duende, that old tough-guy swagger, and the growing belief that this team has picked the perfect time to play it's best football of the season. I suppose we could talk about all those things . . . and we will, right after we get to the obligatory storyline of the day: Belichick hugged him! He hugged Mangini! He did! And he cold-cocked cameraman to do it! Stop the presses! STOP THE PRESSES, I SAY!!!, (Can we let this stupid melodrama die now? Please? We can? Oh, thank God. Now let's talk some football . . . )

2. So much for longing for the departed, huh? Jabar Gaffney (8 catches, 104 yards) comes through with a performance right out of the Deion Branch postseason highlight reel. Stephen Gostkowski boots three field goals, including a 40-yarder, thus silencing the "They should have paid Adam!" banshees for at least one day. And the emerging Tully Banta-Cain does a more than passable Willie McGinest imitation, delivering two sacks. Nope, not a bad day for the replacements at all.

3. His final stats (22-of-34, 212 yards, 2 TDs) aren't all that extraordinary, but anyone who watched the game knows that Tom Brady was masterful today, in particular on the crucial 1-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Graham. Not only did he have the presence of mind to realize the Jets defender had his back to the play, but he made an absolutely perfect throw to the one spot where Graham could get it. You simply cannot throw a better pass than Brady did on that play. I was so impressed, I ended up rewinding the DVR and watching it three times immediately after it happened. What a throw, what a performance, what a quarterback. (Can I fawn anymore here? I know, I sound like Theismann.)

4. Pete Carroll to the Dolphins? It's the hot rumor of the day, and you know I'm jacked and pumped just thinking about it. Carroll is an idiot if he leaves USC - his rah-rah enthusiasm is perfect for the college game, and as we learned the hard way in New England, not so perfect for the NFL. It sure would be fun having him back in the division, though.

5. Talk about coming up big in your walk year. He's coming off like the defensive version of Rod Tidwell at the moment, but I'm starting to think Asante Samuel is going to be worth the ridiculous money some team is going to throw at him next year. (And for the record, I'd wager a Freeman McNeil rookie card that said team will be the J-E-T-S, Jets-Jets-Jets. It makes too much sense not to happen.)


(This here is Freeman McNeil, in case you have no freakin' idea who I was just talking about.)

6. I don't know about you, but this Pats fan has immense respect for the Jets right now. They're obviously well-coached, showed signs of maturity by refusing to make excuses in defeat, and should they add talent to the Vilmas and Rhodeses and Cotcherys, they're going to be a formidable foe for the Patriots for years to come. And count me in as a Chad Pennington fan. He's what Brady would be after a half-dozen Tommy John surgeries. The arm is feeble, but he knows what to do with the football.

7. Okay, so Vince Wilfork doesn't quite have breakaway speed, and if he's actually within 20 pounds of his listed 325, then I'm Nicole Richie. But man, was he immense in every sense today. Not only did he have the presence of mind to pick up the grounded lateral when everyone else was standing around and looking at the pretty lighthouse, but he routinely swallowed up Jets running backs who dared plunge into the line of scrimmage as the Pats limited the Jets to 76 yards on the ground. Wilfork's return to health gives me a shred of faith that L.T. might just be containable.

8. Vinny Testaverde is quickly turning into this team's Human Victory Cigar. I'm sure Jets fans were just thrilled to see a ghost from disappointments past out there putting the finishing touches on the end of their season.

9. Did you catch Shawne Merriman's interview at halftime with the CBS studio crew? The Chargers' All-Pro meathead actually claimed the Jets were outplaying the Pats and would win the game. Wishful thinking there, pal. And what the hell was he wearing? Something from the Kmart "Flashdance" collection? A onesie from Baby Gap? His favorite muscle shirt to show off his 'roided-up guns? Nope, it's not going to be too hard to work up vitriol for this joker this week. Not hard at all.

10. As for today's Completely Random Football Card:


Yep, Jabar's old man wore the green and white. Must have been just delightful for Jets fans, getting tormented by a name from their past repeatedly today.

(Thanks to reader TMurph for the suggestion.)

First and 10: Dolphins 21, Patriots 0

1. In the immediate aftermath of Sunday's debacle, I was annoyed (okay, pissed) at what I'd witnessed. I was convinced the Patriots were setting us up for a one-and-done cameo in the playoffs, and I had the urge to write a dynasty's obituary. Instead, I chose not to write at all, giving myself a few days to sort it all out and try to put the franchise's current state in proper perspective. Well, those days have obviously passed, and so here's where I think they stand: The Patriots, thinner depth-wise than in most years and crippled by more injuries than Colonel Potter's 4077th, are not an elite team anymore, just one of a number of good but flawed teams trying to prove it's more contender than pretender - just like everyone other than San Diego, in other words. The days of expecting every Sunday to bring certain victory are gone, and to be honest, I'm okay with that: a sports fan with a sense of entitlement is an unbecoming sight, and anyone who survive Rod Rust and Victor Kiam, among other eras and errors, knows a Patriots team with a 9-4 record is something not to be taken for granted. And yet, there's no denying that recent history has heightened our hopes, and in that regard it's disheartening to realize that a team that has so exceeded even our wildest expectations the last five seasons is suddenly trending in the wrong direction. Consider this: We like to hang our hats on the fact that the Belichick Patriots are traditionally beasts in December, that they always improve this time of year. But now we're looking at three straight weeks and four out of five in which they've played like a bumbling, second-tier NFC team. They're committing penalties like they're the Oakland Raiders in disguise, and they turn the ball over way too often for a team with grand aspirations. I hate to say it, but it seems they're getting worse, and I can't believe I'm saying that at this point in the season. Sure, maybe they'll find their mojo against lowly Houston, and maybe they'll pin down Jacksonville and Tennessee just the way the Jaguars and Titans did to the Colts, and maybe they'll enter the postseason with a little bit of momentum, the confidence of knowing they can beat anyone on a given Sunday, and wisdom of a three-time former champion. But right now, any dreams of a return trip to Miami in February have to be tempered by the reality of this gruesome first visit. The Patriots have a long way to go to get there again.

2. Yes, Deion Branch shot his way out of town, but only an idiot or Fred Smerlas (synonymous, I know) would dispute the fact that the Patriots would be a much better team at this hour had the Patriots found a way to satisfy dependable ol' No. 83. He's dearly missed, for unlike every receiver on this current roster, he could get open against quality cornerbacks and tight coverage consistently, and anyone who denies that isn't being honest.

3. Ellis Hobbs is so far in Belichick's doghouse, not even Doug Gabriel can see him. I'm curious what his transgression was, other than jumping around like a Chris Canty-esque fool every time he makes a marginally good play.

4. If Vince Wilfork is down for any significant length of time - and apparently, he was hobbling around on his redwood legs with a pronounced limp Monday - I fear the Patriots' run defense will begin to resemble that of 2002, when legendary windbag Steve Martin spent his Sundays flailing around and planning his next interview as ballcarrier after ballcarrier whizzed on by.

5. I refuse to believe the Patriots could do no better for a Josh Miller replacement at punter than Ken (But I'm A Magnificent Holder!) Walter. He's horrible, he was horrible the last time he was here, and there simply has to be a better alternative out there. His return makes no sense except from the perspective that they wanted a reliable holder for Stephen Gostkowski. Which, frankly, is an ass-backward way to choose a punter.

6. The more footage I saw of Maurice Jones-Drew, Fred Taylor and the rest of the Jaguars stampeding of the fraudulent Colts, the more annoyed I became that Laurence Maroney didn't get 25 carries, minimum, against Indy earlier this season. Ask me, Josh McDaniels has a long way to go to prove he's worthy of his OC title.

7. Matt Light is to Jason Taylor as Max Lane was to Reggie White. A human turnstile, a minor nuisance, a speed bump on the way to the quarterback. Man, what a whuppin'. Belichick wasn't exaggerating - Taylor might be the most dominating defender in the NFL this season. He was reminiscent of another Taylor, one who used to wear No. 56 for the Giants.

8. Speaking of Taylor, the Dolphins swiped him in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft, 73d overall. The Patriots' picks up until that point: Canty, Brandon Mitchell, and Sedrick Shaw. Bust, journeyman, bust. Bobby Grier was something, wasn't he? (One more note: Mike Vrabel went later in that third round, to Pittsburgh . . . two picks after the Pats selected the long-forgotten Chris Carter.)

9. I miss the days when Tedy Bruschi made game-changing plays.

10. As for today's Completely Random Football Card:


Hey, look - it's a Patriots tight end who actually held onto the ball once in a while!