PatsPropaganda

Here’s the final installment of A Deeper Look at Two Rivals, a piece that we took part in with some great Jets bloggers. 

thejetreport:

PART III: JETS VS PATRIOTS: A DEEPER LOOK AT TWO RIVALS

In Part I of “A Deeper Look” the roundtable broke down the quarterbacks, coaches, and the season so far for both clubs. In Part II we looked at how the team’s fared during free agency, team weaknesses, and discussed the rivalry itself. In Part III, we play word association, define the current mood of the fan bases, and predict the game plans from both sidelines .

Special thanks once again go out to contributors Joe Caporoso from Turn on the Jets, Mike Dussault of Pats Propaganda, WFAN’s Jeff Capellini, and NBC’s Bruce Beck.

PART III:

15-What is the mood surrounding the fan base in the week leading up to the matchup?

The Jet Report: Jets fans that we’ve talked to, seem to feel that it’s a great time to be playing a big game. Both sides of the ball are growing, all of the locker drama seems to be in the rearview mirror.

Caporoso: Excited and hungry. I think there is a feeling that the division is there for the taking and now is the week to bury New England and run to an overdue AFC East.  

Capellini: I think for the first time in a long while the Jets fan believes his or her team should win. They are now expecting a victory. It adds more credence to the fact that though Rex has not yet made good on his promise to win a Super Bowl, he has, without question, turned the culture of this franchise 180 degrees. And he did it in less than three years. That’s what expecting to defeat a juggernaut like the Patriots shows more than anything else.

Dussault: Given what Patriots fans are used to and the general nature of New Englanders there are not a lot of fans feeling great about the Pats this week. I however think things aren’t really as bad as everyone who is piling on says they are. The fact is that they Pats have lost two games in a row to two pretty good teams by a combined 12 points. In neither game did they put forth a great effort. They’ve been sloppy and haven’t been communicating.

I see all their problems as fixable on both sides of the ball and I truly believe this team could make a legitimate run at the Super Bowl. But this week just about everyone else will tell you they are an untalented, undisciplined football team that is past their expiration date. Sunday will reveal a great deal about the ‘11 Pats.

16- Let’s play word association. Give us an answer that is five words or less:

JETS:

Caporoso: Ground and Pound

Dussault: Home playoff game on the line

The Jet Report: Rex changed the franchise

Capellini: Not going away anytime soon.

PATRIOTS:

Caporoso: Brady and Belichick

Dussault: Something to prove

The Jet Report: Belichick changed the franchise

Capellini: The standard of excellence

BRADY:

Caporoso: Uggz

Dussault:  Make better decisions

The Jet Report: Brady or Peyton? Brady

Capellini: A true field general

SANCHEZ:

Caporoso: Improving

Dussault: Keep it simple

The Jet Report: Comeback kid, room to grow

Capellini: Fans will owe him apologies

WOODY JOHNSON:

Caporoso: Big spender

Dussault: Balls to hire Rex

The Jet Report: Silent but deadly. Love Woody

Capellini: No interference is a good thing

ROBERT KRAFT: 

Caporoso: Admirable

Dussault: Stays out of the way

The Jet Report: Classy. His players love him.

Capellini: One of the great owners

JETS FANS: 

Caporoso: Hungry

Dussault: Super Bowl or Bust

The Jet Report: Schizophrenic. Maniacal. Loyal. Unstable. Hilarious.

Capellini: Often unrealistic but very deserving

PATS FANS:

Caporoso: Smug

Dussault: Spoiled

The Jet Report: Witnessed alot of great football

Capellini: Often snobbish but very educated

17- Can we realistically consider the AFC East a two team race now between the Pats and Jets or do you feel that upstart Buffalo can go the distance and truly contend for the division title?

Caporoso: I will keep this short, yes. Buffalo is done and we will see that play out in their upcoming 3 game road trip.  

Dussault: I don’t think the Bills are out of it yet, not with their schedule. Fred Jackson was off against the Jets, he’ll be better next time. They match up extremely well against the Patriots as well. Though I still am pretty sure week 17’s Pats vs. Bills will be meaningless for one reason or another. 

Capellini: Yes, a two-team race. The Jets should handle the Bills in the rematch and I expect the Patriots will beat them as well when they meet at Gillette. Sunday’s game could very well decide the division, even with seven games to play.

The Jet Report: If the Pats and Jets collectively slip up, then the upstart Bills COULD, in a “Chad Pennington leads Miami to the divisional title” kind of way, steal the AFC East. Buffalo won’t go 12-4 however. They’ll need to be vultures.

18-Keeping the entire potential AFC playoff field in mind, where do the Jets and Patriots currently fit in, in terms of being serious Super Bowl contenders?

Dussault: I’d say both are serious contenders to represent the AFC. They have different strengths but the Jets D and Pats O are both capable of winning two playoff games (maybe three). That said I’m not sure either team can keep up with what we’ve seen out of Green Bay so far. 

The Jet Report: Both are worthy of being in the conversation however, the NFL is a week to week league. Think about these two teams prior to their LAST meeting. The Pats were hot and the Jets were in a funk. Now it’s the exact opposite. 

The Jets are beginning to spread it out and play with balance on offense. The defense is becoming stingy again. If both units grow, then the Jets are a threat. The Pats probably could use a true number one WR. However, they have Brady, the TE twins, and enough other weapons to score points. New England’s defense HAS TO get their act together though. Otherwise  Brady will have to put the whole team on his shoulders throughout the entire postseason. 

19-Give us your scouting report: How do the Jets beat the Pats on Sunday night?

Beck: The Jets need to exploit the Patriots secondary. The Giants did not do that until late in the fourth quarter — and it was almost too late. McCourty will be terrific but there are cracks in that unit.  I know the Jets love to talk about “ground and pound” but Sanchez has to throw down field in this one. Pressure is a key for Gang Green. When Brady is out of the pocket and on the run, he’s far less accurate. It’s imperative not to allow him time for a cup of coffee in the pocket. 

Capellini: If Schottenheimer puts together the type of game plan he had against the Bills and Sanchez holds things together, I think the Jets could win this game convincingly. The Patriots are ripe for a beating, mostly because they seem to have lost whatever psychological edge they have had against the NFL.

Yes, they beat the Jets the first time, but 30-21 at home over a team that was in complete disarray on both sides of the ball doesn’t exactly convince me they can repeat it, especially since the Jets have seemingly righted many of their wrongs on the offensive line and defensively.

Caporoso: Hit Brady early and often and force a few turnovers and mix in downfield play action passing with a successful rushing attack.  

20-Give us your scouting report : How do the Pats beat the Jets on Sunday night?

Dussault:  Offensively the Patriots must establish the run. I expect the Jets to be focused on crowding the field with DBs so look for the Pats to roll out a lot of two tight end sets, often with tackle Nate Solder in at TE. When they pass the protection must hold up and give Brady time.

Kevin Faulk should be a big plus in this area with his blitz pickup skills. As we’ve seen recently Brady is capable of being rattled, but if he has that extra moment and feels comfortable in the pocket he will move the ball. As always it will be about balance and not making critical turnovers as Brady has done the last few weeks.

Defensively the Pats will need a big game from Gary Guyton who’s not a player I’m a fan of. The loss of Spikes could be a killer especially against the Jets. If Guyton is able to play okay in the run game it will prevent the Jets from starting to roll. Otherwise it comes down to communication in the secondary and making sure everyone is on the same page at all times. When that happens this defense is pretty good. When it doesn’t they can be torched. Keep the Jets run game in check, take away Keller and the quick inside slants and they should be okay.

Caporoso: Force Mark Sanchez into one of “those” games. Pick on Antonio Cromartie and the safeties to create big plays on offense.  

The Jet Report: We hate to put this on two guys, but Sanchez and CB Antonio Cromartie are two guys whose mistakes seem to loom large in losses. Therefore, if we were playing the Jets, we’d be aiming to attack them both, first and foremost. When Wes Welker roams free, the Pats offense looks like a video game. Brady must be able to utilize him the way he likes to. Finally, the Pats have to win the epic Mangold vs Wilfork battle up front. 

Follow the roundtable on twitter:

twitter@thejetreport

twitter@turnonthejets  (Caporoso)

twitter@greenlanternjets (Capellini)

twitter@patspropaganda (Dussault)

twitter@BruceBeck4NY 

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