I apologize for missing Week 15, I had a problem with my PC, but we’re back with Week 16.

01. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (11-3)

Steelers are riding a five game winning streak and amongst those five recent victims are the Patriots, Cowboys and Ravens, not to mention a losing but very talented Chargers team back when SD was still very much alive. So they can’t be accused of feasting on an easy schedule.

02. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (10-4)

If there’s anyone hotter than the Steelers its these Indianapolis Colts who ran their streak to seven in a row on Sunday. Granted beating Detriot is nothing to brag about, nor is beating the likes of Cinci and Cleveland (their two prior victims), but its hard to win seven in a row in the NFL regardless of the opposition, and just for the record, one of the teams they have beaten during this streak was Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh.

03. CAROLINA PANTHERS (11-3)

Another hot team would be the Carolina Panthers who have now won three in a row and seven of their last eight ball games. That sets up an epic battle @ the 11-3 Giants on Sunday night for the NFC’s #1 Seed.

04. NEW YORK GIANTS (11-3)

They’ve hit a little rough patch, but you can’t dismiss a seasons worth of excellence. I actually expect them to bounce back verses Carolina and secure that #1 Seed, but I wouldn’t bet monopoly money on that prediction. Carolina is for real and that game can go either way.

05. TENNESSEE TITANS (12-2)

Talk about a great week of matchups, not only do we have Carolina @ the Giants for the NFC’s #1 Seed, we also have Pittsburgh @ Tennessee for control of the AFC’s #1 Seed. WOW, did the NFL schedule makers hit the Jackpot this week or what?!?! As for this ranking, its not an over-reaction to Tennessee losing a game, Houston is a good young team and they can beat anyone. This is more about losing BIG AL Haynesworth and stud DE Kyle Vanden Bosch for at least the remainder of the regular season. That might cost them the #1 Seed, and perhaps a lot more if they’re not back and full steam for the post season.

06. DALLAS COWBOYS (9-5)

That injury to Tony Romo and failure to win a game in his absence may cost this team a playoff spot when all is said and done. They’ll probably have to win out verses Baltimore and at Philly. But you better believe there are some GM’s in the NFC who are hoping these guys don’t make it. Yeah they’re all nuts in Dallas, including the owner, but do not for one second doubt that this team is loaded with talent, and that makes them a very dangerous team.

07. NEW YORK JETS (9-5)

The Jets have really hit the skids following that five game winning streak, when frankly they looked “super” and talk of Super Bowls was not off the wall. Now I would remind you this is still the same team that marched into New England and Tennessee and left with their scalps. Still the same collection of talent and there have been no serious injuries to speak of either (Thank GOD). So this team has the horses, of that I am certain, they just have to get out of this funk and get back to playing inspired football. To steal a line from Rocky III, they need to get back that “eye of the tiger” they had when they were the hunters as opposed to the hunted. If they can do that this team will win the AFC East, and then anything is possible. But if they don’t, if they can’t find that eye of the tiger, all of this talent will be wasted.

08. BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-5)

This team came “this close” to beating Pittsburgh and I’m still not sure they didn’t get jobbed on that touchdown reversal. Having said that, they’ll be in Dallas on Saturday and a loss probably knocks them out of the playoffs, but the same is true for the Cowboys so they’re getting Dallas’ best effort. As I said earlier, did the NFL schedule makers hit the Jackpot this week or what?!?!

09. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (9-5)

Here’s another team nobody wants to play in January. Now that Matt Cassel has hit his stride as a Quarterback and Randy Moss is making big plays, this is once again a very dangerous football team.

10. ATLANTA FALCONS (9-5)

How bout those Falcon Eddies! It was only a few weeks ago when these guys dropped 45 on the Panthers and last week they upended the Bucs in a hard fought low scoring affair. They’re showing they can win games in different ways and this week they have another big one verses the first place Vikings. I’ll say it again, the NFL schedule makers really hit the Jackpot this week.

11. MIAMI DOLPHINS (9-5)

One Game at a time and this week its all about the Seahags for the Jets, but don’t think I’m not scared to death of the Dolphins in two weeks. I Just keep thinking, why didn’t we follow Green Bay’s example and trade Chad Pennington outside the division? I love Mike Tannenbaum, but this could be a colossal mistake. If you’re a Jet fan I know that thought is tormenting you, but you have plenty of company.

12. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (9-5)

If this team had a Good Quarterback they would be lethal, which is why I don’t understand why they didn’t make a huge run at Chad Pennington, especially as a dome team where arm strength is not as much of an issue. If this team had CP they might win the Super Bowl this year. They would be in that mix for the #1 Seed with a good chance to win the whole kit & kaboodle.

13. ARIZONA CARDINALS (8-6)

There’s no doubt they have letdown and lost their edge since essentially running away with first place in an awful division, so I wouldn’t be so quick to call them over-rated. If they get rolling again they can score points by the bushel basket with arguably the best WR core in football and a QB who has been both a league and Super Bowl MVP. This team has the ability to upset a favorite in the playoffs.

14. DENVER BRONCOS (8-6)

These guys are banged up and inconsistent, but they’ll win the AFC West and Jay Cutler will give them a punchers chance in January. He is a franchise Quarterback and that’s what a franchise Quarterback gives you, a punchers chance, even on a suspect team.

15. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (8-5-1)

They are playing so much better as of late, but that tie verses Cincinnati looms large and will probably cost them a post season berth. By the way, notice the comment in my Eagles ranking from week fourteen

16. CHICAGO BEARS (8-6)

They’re hanging in there, winning their last two, but they’ll have to run the table and hope for some help.

17. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (9-5)

They have the inside track for a wild card, meaning if they win out they’re in, but they have a tough one verses San Diego this week, who are still mathematically alive (just barely, but it gives them a reason to play hard), therefore I expect Tampa to lose. But they’re home and I could be wrong.

18. HOUSTON TEXANS (7-7)

If you’re on the playoff bubble and you absolutely need to win games, this may be the non playoff team you least want to play. They got off to a miserable start, but they’ve turned it around and next year they will be everyones preseason sleeper. Unfortunately for the Bears they drew the short straw and they finish this season in Houston.

19. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (7-7)

Without Question this is the NFC’s most disappointing team based on the results not equaling the talent.

20. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (6-8)

… and these guys own that distinction in the AFC

21. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (7-7)

Even here at 21 it feels like I’m ranking these clowns too high. I mean I always knew they were over-rated and much like Tampa I never bought into their early success, but losing to the Bengals when your entire season is on the line, well that is just inexcusable.

22. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (5-9)

22 and 24 may have been a tougher call if not for JAGS 20 PACKERS 16 on Sunday.

23. BUFFALO BILLS (6-8)

Someone on the JI message board (name escapes me?) beat me too it, but I’ll say it here cause it needs to be said. Hey J.P. Losman, stick that (Elam/Ellis) in your highlight reel.

24. GREEN BAY PACKERS (5-9)

SEE #22

25. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-9)

Mike Singletary has these guys playing hard, and don’t we know it.

26. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-11)

Two weeks ago these guys came within a whisker of beating the Patriots in a game where they outplayed NE and probably should have won, and last week they did get a W, so this team is not mailing it in and the Jets better bring their A-Game to Seattle, which is long overdue.

27. CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-10)

Romeo may be coaching the Jets defense next year. He’ll certainly be available, but I believe Rob Ryan may be available as well and that would be my first preference. If you are getting the feeling I don’t see Bob Sutton back in 2009, that is definitely my wish. If I never see that read & react, bend but don’t break, three man rush, absolute wussified scheme again, that would be too soon.

28. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (2-12)

They stink and the coach is atrocious, but they are playing hard.

29. CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-11-1)

They stink too, but don’t tell that to Philly and Washington.

30. OAKLAND RAIDERS (3-11)

I’m just glad Denver lost to these morons so we’re not the only contenders who have to suffer that indignity.

31. ST. LOUIS RAMS (2-12)

This team is flatout abysmal and in just about any other year they would be a mortal lock to rank dead last.

32. DETROIT LIONS (0-14)

But alas this is not any other year and we’re two weeks away from football infamy. Verses the Saints and @ the Packers. Lose those two and its 0-16 for the hapless Lions.

01. NEW YORK GIANTS (11-1)

The only clown on this team who’s shooting himself in the foot is Plaxico Burress. The rest of them are shooting at the opposition, and man they are shooting to kill.

02. TENNESSEE TITANS (11-1)

Four days after losing their first game to the Jets they headed to Detroit in a bad mood and proceeded to beat those hapless Lions to a pulp. If there was a mercy rule in football this one would have been stopped at halftime.

03. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (9-3)

It’s not often you will see the Patriots get manhandled, but that’s exactly what the Steelers did and they did it in Foxboro. With back-to-back 400+ Yard Passing days on his resume Dick LeBeau released the hounds on Matt Cassel and when the carnage was finished Cassel had been sacked five times, hurried and hit on numerous occasions, and had thrown for only 169 with two INT’s.

04. NEW YORK JETS (8-4)

I see no reason to drastically over-react off one loss following five consecutive wins and a streak that saw the Jets winning seven of eight. They were probably due for a clunker, they certainly played that way on Sunday, like they were begging to get beat, and the Broncos were all to willing to oblige. For further explanation see my prior blog entry (disappointed, but not discouraged), but I still believe the Jets are a TOP 5 team and those back-to-back wins at NE and Tennessee still resonate heavily with me.

05. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (8-4)

They’re not dominating as they have in years past, this week barely squeaking past Cleveland (10-6), but that was enough to secure their fifth straight win so the Colts are officially on a role.

06. DALLAS COWBOYS (8-4)

This team is loaded with talent and in my view they are the only real threat to the Giants in the NFC. If Dallas doesn’t keep the Giants out of the Super Bowl, I don’t believe any other team in the NFC can. Having said that, it will be very interesting to see if the Cowboys can knock off the Steelers in Pittsburgh this week. I think they will, but we shall see.

07. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (9-3)

I’ve been sleeping on this team all year and waiting for them to fold, I just didn’t think they were very good, but at this point I think it’s obvious I was mistaken and they are not going away.

08. CAROLINA PANTHERS (9-3)

This week they get the Bucs in their building on Monday night football with sole possession of first place in the NFC South on the line. Both teams are an identical 6-0 at home and .500 (3-3) on the road, so I have to like the Panthers in this one.

09. BALTIMORE RAVENS (8-4)

These guys have quietly won six of their last seven, losing only to the Giants, and they have blown some teams out of the building during this run.

10. DENVER BRONCOS (7-5)

Newsflash for Mangini & Sutton: Jay Cutler is really good, and when you give him that much time to pass he will cut you to pieces in any kind of weather. I don’t care if you deploy six DB’s or six hundred, if you only rush three and you don’t hit this kid he will shoot you down like a dog. Let that be a lesson to you guys should we meet Denver again in the post season.

11. ATLANTA FALCONS (8-4)

I know the Chargers have really hit the skids, but that is still a talented football team and for these young Falcons to go on the road and beat them, I’m impressed.

12. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-5)

This team is still extremely dangerous and very much alive for a playoff spot, or even a division title if the Jets pull another stunt like that no-show on Sunday. This week they are in Seattle and having last played on Thanksgiving we can only hope those ten days to prepare will serve the Seahawks well.

13. ARIZONA CARDINALS (7-5)

They’ve hit a little bit of a rough patch as of late, but they should get back on the winning tip verses the dreadful STL Rams and they still have a very comfortable three game lead in the NFC West.

14. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (7-5)

Don’t look now but the Purple Gang is on a bit of a roll having won four of their last five, culminating with Sunday nights dismantling of the Bears (34-14) with first place in the NFC North on the line.

15. MIAMI DOLPHINS (7-5)

Just like New England, these Dolphins are still very much alive for a playoff spot or perhaps even a division title if the Jets and Pats should falter. The AFC East is far from settled and those wild cards are sill very much in play as well.

16. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (7-5)

After a hot start the Skins are starting to fade, but is anyone really surprised?

17. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (6-5-1)

UPSET SPECIAL: I have a feeling these guys will derail the Giants this week, and I mean beat them outright. Call it a hunch.

18. CHICAGO BEARS (6-6)

Despite having lost at Minnesota on Sunday it’s important to note the Bears did split their head-to-head matchups with the Vikings and their division records are an identical 3-2, so the division title remains a possibility if the Bears can get on a little roll.

19. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (6-6)

The Saints have too much talent to be such a picture of mediocrity, but that’s exactly what they’ve been all year, consistently inconsistent and unable to put together any kind of winning streak. In short, they are what their record says they are.

20. BUFFALO BILLS (6-6)

These guys have really hit the skids since that 5-1 start, but they can do us a big favor this week if they can upsend those pesky Dolphins at Orchard Park.

21. GREEN BAY PACKERS (5-7)

I thought this team would win their division, and they still might, they’re only two games out, but now they’ll have to run the table to have any chance and hope for some help.

22. HOUSTON TEXANS (5-7)

I like some of the young pieces they have in place for the future.

23. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (4-8)

Somebody is paying for this debacle and my money is on Norv.

24. CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-8)

Norv Turner, meet Romeo Crennel … on the unemployment line.

25. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-8)

WARNING: Mike Singletary has this team playing hard and they would love nothing more than to wreck someones season. The Jets will see their best effort this week and the Jets better be ready to dial up the intensity a few hundred notches following last weeks comatose performance.

26. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-8)

Much like San Diego, New Orleans and perhaps one or two more, this team should be right in the mix for that much coveted “Under-Achievers of the Year” award.

27. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (2-10)

Crazy as it sounds, this team is dangerous with Matt Hasselbeck and Deon Branch back in the line-up. Needless to say I hope they can pick-off the Patriots this week, and they might with ten days to prepare, it’s not impossible, and I don’t look forward to the Jets playing them in three weeks either.

28. OAKLAND RAIDERS (3-9)

Despite losing to the lowly Chiefs on Sunday I still have them ranked ahead of KC because the Raiders have more talent and their wins over the Jets and Broncos are more impressive than the Chiefs win over them, if that makes any sense?

29. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (2-10)

Isn’t it just like Herm to finally win a game when Chiefs fans are hoping to lose for the higher draft pick. He’ll win another too, you’ll see, just to give the KC faithful an even greater case of agita.

30. ST. LOUIS RAMS (2-10)

For the first time in months they played a competitive game verses Miami, but of course they did us no favors. Close but no cigar.

31. CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-10-1)

This team is a complete Joke. Why couldn’t we close out the season with the Rams, Bengals and of course you know who ….

32. DETROIT LIONS (0-12)

FOUR MORE, Lions, only four more, only four away from football infamy, so don’t let us down now, finish what you started, only four more and it’s a done deal.

• Vs Vikings
• At Colts
• Vs Saints
• At Packers

Common Lions, don’t screw this up, YOU CAN DO IT, all you need to do is lose four more games and that should be a drop in the bucket compared to twelve in a row. Anyway, we’re all counting on you and we know you will get this done.

My initial reaction to that debacle verses Denver was pretty even keeled, what with the Patriots getting hammered as well and no significant changes in the standings. I mean we pretty much ended the day where we started it, sole possession of first place in the AFC East with a one game lead and the best record within the division (3-1), and the overall #3 Seed in the conference. So initially I took that loss in stride, but upon further reflection I’m more upset today than I was last night.

In fact, as the week wore on and as I witnessed the hype surrounding the Jets explode into the stratophere, and I definitely made my contribution (see last weeks power rankings), and as I saw the players buying into it (they said all the right things, but they looked too giddy to my eyes), I started to get a really bad feeling about this game in the pit of my stomach.

See I’m a big believer in things like “pride commeth before the fall”, so that scared me to death, a lot more than the Broncos scared me, but that feeds right into my phobia as a Jet fan. I looked at the Broncos, decimated by injuries, and I didn’t have that healthy respect you must have for every NFL opponent, especially a first place team coached by Mike Shanahan and Quarterack’ed by a young gun like Jay Cutler who I all but got on my hands & knees and begged the Jets to draft a few years back.

So I should have known better, but worse than that, I knew I should have known better. I knew I was feeling too relaxed, as a Jet fan I knew that instinctively, and as a Jet fan I automatically project that same hubris on to the team. I assume they feel likewise, such is the phobia associated with 40 Years and counting.

So all things considered by the time we kicked off the ball to start yesterday’s disaster I was already a basket case. Supremely confident and simultaniously cursing myself for being supremely confident, and scared to death the Jets may have fallen into the same trap.

Which brings us back to our beloved Jets and that old saying …

Just because you’re paranoid that doesn’t mean someone isn’t out to get you.

Sure enough they did fall into that trap. We baited them all week, told them how good they are, fattened them up for the kill, and they took that bait hook, line and sinker.

What you saw yesterday was a lethargic, sloppy football team just begging to get beat and the Denver Broncos were all too willing to oblige them.

And make no mistake about it, that was a total team collapse, players and coaches alike. The Jets didn’t get beat in all three phases yesterday, they got beat in four, offense, defense, special teams and coaching. Shanahan schooled Mangini yesterday. He and Jay Cutler flatout devoured that ridiculous dime defense Mangini & Sutton are so in love with. They ate it for lunch just like Matt Cassel and Kurt Warner.

Can somebody please tell “Dumb & Dumber” you don’t win championships in the NFL if you don’t hit the Quarterback!

Can somebody please explain to these two clowns that if you don’t get after a Quarterback like Jay Cutler, Kurt Warner or even Matt Cassel, they are going to tear you a new @$$ and I don’t care if you have a hundred DB’s on the field!!

How many times do these guys have to play with the same fire and get burned to realize that fire is hot?

How many times are these two gonna play in traffic and get flatout steamrolled before they realize it’s not a good idea?

MESSAGE TO MANGINI & SUTTON: The definition of insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.

TRANSLATION: IT DOESN’T WORK, DAMMIT!!

IT DOESN’T WORK!!

HIT THE FRIGGIN QUARTERBACK!!

PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!

As for that other wiz kid, Brian Schottenheimer, why are we running trick plays in a monsoon when we were moving the ball fine on that drive without gimmicks, verses a smallish defense decimated by injuries, and why aren’t we just blowing them off the line of scrimmage?

Yeah I know, if Cotchery catches that pitch it’s probably a big play with nothing but real estate in front of him, but that pitch is a dangerous play in a monsoon and in my opinion it should not have been necessary.

This Jets O-line should have been allowed to overwhelm that under-sized and short-handed Denver defense with a steady diet of messers Jones & Washington, then Favre can audible into pass plays if they stack the line of scrimmage, but there should have been no need for risky gimmicks where multiple players have to handle the ball on a single play in monsoon like conditions. In my view that was totally assinine.

As for the players, I’m not letting them off the hook, they didn’t come to play and they know it. I don’t care what they say for public consumption, they know the truth and the truth is they looked lethargic and borderline disinterested. There was no sense of urgency from this team as we have come to expect. Everyone let down their guard including Favre & Jenkins, two of the Jets MVP’s, and they paid a heavy price.

When you have that kind of total team let down, where even your “best players/veteran leaders” let down, even consumate professionals like Jerricho Cotchery, and your coaches get schooled to boot, well that usually spells D-E-F-E-A-T and yesterday was no exception. The Jets got their heads handed to them and that’s exactly what they deserved for that half-hearted effort.

Having said all that, it happens. That’s what happenes in this league the moment you let your guard down and start reading your press clippings. That can happen to any team and it usually does. Even great dynasties like the Steelers of the 70’s, 49ers of the 80’s and Cowboys of the 90’s never went undefeated when they were clearly better than everyone they played, because that’s human nature and it happens.

And it’s not only about letting down either. It’s important to remember the other guys get paid too and it is hard to win football games in this league. The moment you forget that, even a little tiny bit, is the moment you are ripe to be taken.

Again, even if you don’t let down you can still lose to a lesser team in this league if they bring their A-Game, which is what I believe happened earlier in the year verses Oakland. I don’t think the Jets let down in that game. I think the Jets, with so many new pieces, had not yet meshed and the Raiders played extremely hard (and well) on that particular day. I think it was a combination of those two things, but not necessarily a lack of effort from the Jets.

In fact I don’t believe we have seen a half-hearted effort from the Jets all year, until yesterday, and while I admit that is always infuriating for the fans, myself included, I understand that it happens and I’m just glad it wasn’t too damaging in the standings.

But I will say this, it better not happen again cause next time the ramifications may be a million times worse. They can still blow this division title with one more stunt like yesterday, and they can kiss any shot at that #2 Seed Goodbye as well. For that they will need to run the table to 12-4, then hope, and nothing else will suffice.

So that’s it, fellas, you just used up your final mulligan. Henceforth it’s peddle to the metal and we better not even be talking about let downs again unti the Fall of 2009.

I think I can speak for all Jet fans when I say we’re bitterly disappointed with yesterdays effort, but that doesn’t mean we’re discouraged. Some are, but not all.

Speaking for myself, I’m disappointed but not discouraged. I still believe in this team. I still believe this team can go as far as it wants to go if it’s willing to pay the price.

This team is talented, talented enough to accomplish great things in my view, but greatness doesn’t come cheap and wanting it is not enough.

EVERYBODY WANTS IT

Question is, how bad do you want it and what are you willing to do to get it?

Do I think this team is willing to pay the price?

YES, despite yesterdays let down I believe this team is willing to pay the price. I don’t believe Brett Favre is still playing this game for anything other than another ring, I believe Kris Jenkins desperately craves his first, and I believe this team will bounce back from this debacle in a big way.

Unless I have badly misjudged this team and their intentions, unless I have badly misjudged the collective character of this team and the overall work ethic/desire (yesterdays let down aside, which in my view was more a product of hubris than work ethic and desire), I believe they want it bad enough and they are willing to pay the price, and I’m hoping this slip up will only strengthen their resolve, players and coaches alike.

So I’m disappointed over yesterday, more than I was last nite, and I’m sure the players are disappointed as well, mostly at their own lack-luster effort, but I’m not discouraged.

I STILL BELIEVE

HAMS WEEK 13 POWER RANKINGS

THANKSGIVING SPECIAL (TOP 12 ONLY)

==========

01. NEW YORK JETS (8-3)

In his Post Game Press Conference following “JETS 34 TITANS 13″ Brett Favre refused to take the bait and call his (our) NY Jets the best team in football, and that’s okay, he can be humble and he doesn’t have to say it, because I’M GONNA SAY IT

First of all, we can stop lamenting that home loss to the Pats and/or minimizing that road win at New England based on Matt Cassel. In case you haven’t noticed, this kid has been doing a terrific John Unitas impersonation and he is on the verge of becoming a very wealthy man. Every GM in the league who needs a Quarterback has Matt Cassel dead square in his crosshairs, top of the list, that’s what happens when you run like Steve Young and light it up like Dan Fouts.

So you can say he’s not Tom Brady and that would be true, but it’s hard to play the position any better than Matt Cassel is playing it now and suddenly that split verses New England looks a lot more impressive. That home loss to the Pats does not seem so bad and that road win at Foxboro seems like a monumental accomplishment.

If you know anything at all about football and if you are paying attention, you know that is true. Gone are the days when you can dismiss the Matt Cassel led Patriots as an easy mark, and now that mere idea seems like pure follie.

So you better believe that road win at Foxboro was a tremendous accomplishment verses one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL, even now, without Tom Brady and with Matt Cassel. I’ll Gurantee you every GM of every contending team in the AFC is thinking the same thing … I hope those guys don’t qualify for the playoffs.

Having said that, all the Jets did for an encore this week was to so thoroughly dominate the leagues last remaining undefeated team, in their own building, that even the most pessimistic of the faithful must now come to grips with what I’m sure must seem like a surreal proposition to long suffering Jet fans … the team they root for has morphed into a Juggernaut and it’s not a fluke.

You may get lucky and upend a team like the Pats or the 10-0 Titans on the road, but when you hit that daily double on back-to-back weeks, brother that’s not luck and that’s not AGS (Any Given Sunday) either, that’s serving notice on the rest of the league … there is a new Juggernaut in town.

Lastly, some people will say the Giants should be #1 and I can’t argue with that. They are the defending champs and my respect for that football team is immense. I watch them dismantle teams every week, all sixty minutes, and I know they are a force to be reckoned with. But right now I’ll take the NY JETS on a neutral field verses anyone … ANYONE … NY Giants included.

02. NEW YORK GIANTS (10-1)

You want to rank the Giants #1, go right ahead and you’ll get no argument from me. In fact I know most people will rank them #1, Jet fans included, and I understand why. But I repeat, right now I like the Jets verses anyone on a neutral field … ANYONE … NY Giants included.

03. TENNESSEE TITANS (10-1)

04. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-4)

Rumors of Indy’s demise were greatly exaggerated and Peyton Manning will be a “tough out” in January if his Colts qualify for the tournament as now seems likely. In fact he is the main reason I’m ranking them this high. Any team with that Quarterback is extremely dangerous.

05. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-4)

Belichick has loosened the reigns on his neophyte QB, no more Game Manager, he’s swinging for the fenses with Matt Cassel and right now that kid is NOT letting him down.

06. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (8-3)

Right now they’re the #2 Seed in the AFC by virtue of the tiebreaker and the Jets have two primary mission statements. Win the AFC East and leap the Steelers for that all important #2 Seed.

07. ARIZONA CARDINALS (7-4)

There’s no shame in losing to the Giants. Cards have plenty of company.

08. DALLAS COWBOYS (7-4)

Two in a row since Romo’s return and their talent makes them dangerous. This is one of those scary teams no-one in the NFC wants to play in a one game elimination tournament, except the Giants who are playing with such confidence and at such a high level they could care less about the opponent.

09. BALTIMORE RAVENS (7-4)

They put a massive beatdown on the Eagles and Ed Reed is still running.

10. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (8-3)

I don’t love them, but they’re winning and they did beat Carolina head-to-head.

11. CAROLINA PANTHERS (8-3)

I know, they just lost at Atlanta, but they also dismantled the Falcons at Carolina so it’s a season split.

12. ATLANTA FALCONS (7-4)

If I had to vote for Coach of the Year and I had to cast that vote today, I would vote for Mike Smith who has done a miraculous job in Atlanta with a rookie Quarterback. Matt Ryan might be the real deal and a brilliant young talent, but he’s still a rookie and this team was an absolute disaster only one year ago.

01. TENNESSEE TITANS (10-0)

02. NEW YORK GIANTS (9-1)

If you saw them steamroll the Ravens on Sunday you know it’s hard to argue there is a better team in the NFL than the G-Men, but undefeated must be honored with the top spot until somebody knocks them off and guess who gets a crack at the Titans this week?

03. NEW YORK JETS (7-3)

Yes my friends, it happened, it really happened, and this is a day of independence, for all the Jet fans and their descendants!

• GAME RECAP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOEq-ImGWJ0 
• STARRING: JUDY GARLAND as BRETT FAVRE
• 

04. CAROLINA PANTHERS (8-2)

The Lions put a little scare into the Panthers for three quarters, but Carolina pulled away in the forth quarter and won by a comfortable nine point margin.

05. ARIZONA CARDINALS (7-3)

Other than the Jets this is my favorite team to watch this year. I’m a big Kurt Warner guy. He might be the most under-rated Great Quarterback whoever lived. He reminds me of HOFer Dan Fouts, and these Cardinals, with Fitzgerald and Boldin and company, remind me of Air Coryell. This team is fun to watch, unless you’re playing them, in which case they will scare the daylights out of you.

06. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (7-3)

It wasn’t pretty and the gamblers are about the storm the NFL Gates with torches and pitchforks in hand, but don’t lose sight of the important football ramifications. Pittsburgh drove the nail in San Diego’s coffin.

07. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (6-4)

A lot of teams in the AFC were wishing these guys would go away quietly this year and not qualify for the playoffs, but I don’t think we’ll have any such luck. Looks like some team will have to beat Peyton Manning in January, and while certainly doable, that is not a pleasant idea.

08. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (6-4)

Huge showdown at Miami this week, both teams standing at 6-4 but Miami already holding a head-to-head win over the Pats. I don’t think it’s accurate to call this a must win or to suggest the loser is toast, but if the Pats lose this one, in the immortal words of Tuco in the Good the Bad and the Ugly after Blondie missed the rope from which Tuco was hanging with his first shot, they will feel the devil clutching at their heels. Needless to say, Miami would really like to have this one too.

09. DALLAS COWBOYS (6-4)

Last week I said I expected the Cowboys to save their season in Washington with Romo back at the helm. Well it wasn’t easy, but mission accomplished and now they have a chance to make some noise.

10. MIAMI DOLPHINS (6-4)

The Raiders took them right down to the wire, but Miami won and that’s all that matters. That sets up a gigantic division game verses the Pats in their own building. The good news for the Jets is that one of these teams will definitely lose this week barring a tie. The bad news is, one will definitely win.

11. DENVER BRONCOS (6-4)

Nice win over the surging Falcons and now they get the team (and man) Mike Shanahan loves to abuse, Al Davis and his woeful Raiduhs, and he gets them in his building. Looks like 7-4 is in the bag.

12. TAMPA BAY BUCANNEERS (7-3)

Jon Gruden is a great coach and this team is further evidence. I look at this team and I’m not seeing it. I’m just not seeing it. But Gruden has them winning and on Sunday they upended the Vikings.

13. BALTIMORE RAVENS (6-4)

When you pride yourself on being physical as the Ravens do, and you get flatout steamrolled as the Ravens did on Sunday verses the Giants, that has to be a huge blow to your collective psychie as a team. It will be interesting to see how (or if) they bounce back verses Philly this week, an Eagles team that is suddenly desperate for a win after tying the lowly Bengals.

14. ATLANTA FALCONS (6-4)

Played well but lost a close one to Denver on Sunday. Now for all of their good deeds, and they have been one of the leagues most pleasant surprises this team, they are facing their first critical game and it comes verses a very a good Carolina team. The Falcon Eddies are home and this is a big one. Not a must win, but a big game nonetheless.

15. GREEN BAY PACKERS (5-5)

Now we have three teams in the NFC North locked in a 5-5 dead heat, GB, Chicago and Minnesota. I’ve said all along I believe the Packers will win this division, and after obliterating Chicago (37-3), one week after toppling the Vikings, I think the Pack has made a statement and is finally taking command.

16. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (6-4)

They played the Cowboys tough in a defensive game that could have broke either way, but the Cowboys took it because the Redskins offense was dreadful.

17. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-5)

Jets fans were screaming bloody murder when the Chiefs played us so close a few weeks back, but you know what, the Chiefs have been playing hard and they’re scaring the heck out of everybody. Sunday was New Orleans turn. They won by ten, but that game was way to close for comfort for most of the day.

18. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5-4-1)

Suddenly the Bengals have emerged as spoilers, first knocking off the Jaguars in a game they desperately needed, then playing Philly to a stalemate in a game the Eagles really needed as well. I’m telling you, folks, whoever coined the phrase “Any Given Sunday” was a genius.

19. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-5)

As I said earlier (See: Packers), they’re tied for first in their division with Green Bay and Chicago so they are very much alive, even at 5-5. However it has been rumored they may lose both of their starting defensive tackles to suspension, Kevin and Pat Williams, and if that happens they’re probably done.

20. CHICAGO BEARS (5-5)

Again, tied for first and very much alive, although Green Bay really blew their doors off (37-3) on Sunday.

21. CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-6)

There was a bunch of games that could have helped the Jets this weekend, but only two teams came through for us, the Giants waxing the Ravens and the Brownies upsetting the Bills in Buffalo on MNF.

22. BUFFALO BILLS (5-5)

5-1 must seem like a lifetime ago in Buffalo. This ship be sinkin’

23. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-6)

They had Tennesee on the ropes, looked like they might even deliver the upset, but the second half was all Titans and when the final dust settled Jevon Kearse was wearing that 10-0 sign around his neck.

24. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (4-6)

You know what the sad part is if you’re a Chargers fan? I mean even sadder than having to watch the incompetent Norv Turner and the rest of these clowns spit the bit. Over the past few years you can argue the Chargers have had the most talented team in the league on paper, and of course a big part of that has been the great LaDainian Tomlinson, and now it appears as if LT may have lost a step and that means these clowns have essentially wasted his prime. If I was a Chargers fan that idea would make me physically ill.

25. HOUSTON TEXANS (3-7)

Too me these guys are like the Browns. Their record stinks and certainly they have under-achieved, but they have some talent and I wouldn’t look forward to playing them.

26. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (3-7)

As a Jet fan I’m scared of this game in week fourteen. I’m not looking forward to playing this game in Candlestick. Ever since Mike Singletary read these clowns the riot act they have been playing with a renewed sense of purpose and that scares me. At this time of year bad teams usually start to mail it in to some degree, but I don’t see that happening on Mad Mike’s watch.

27. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (2-8)

Here’s another team we might be catching at the wrong time. They have been decimated by injuries all year, including Matt Hasselbeck and Deon Branch. Well last week they got both of those guys back and we may be catching them just as they are finally getting healthy.

28. CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-8-1)

Their last two games are a win over Jacksonville and a tie with the Eagles. This team has under-achieved horribly and of course losing Palmer was a killer, but they are suddenly playing the role of spoilers and they seem to be enjoying it. Or should I say they enjoy making others miserable, fore as the old saying goes, misery loves company. That’s another thing that scares me about SF and Seattle.

29. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1-9)

These guys are playing like they are absolutely determined to avoid the #1 Overall Pick. They’re not winning because they’re not very good, but it’s not for a lack of effort.

30. OAKLAND RAIDERS (2-8)

They almost beat Miami and I really wanted that one in the worst way. They came as close as you can come, but alas they didn’t get it done, close but no cigar.

31. ST. LOUIS RAMS (2-8)

In the 49ers comments I eluded to bad teams mailing it in at this time of year, and I said it’s usually a matter of degree. Well these guys have been the poster child and it’s been to the ength degree. They are getting obliterated week after week and no NFL team can be that bad. That usually portends a lack of talent, yes, but a complete lack of effort as well.

32. DETRIOT LIONS (0-10)

Now that they’ve reached double digits the 0-16 watch officially commences, and as I said last week, I look at their schedule and I have a hard time seeing which one they win? I think their best chance is this week, at home verses the Bucs. I’m not too high on Tampa Bay and I think the Lions might get this one. But if they don’t it’s the Titans, Vikings, Colts, Saints and Packers. The only one I’ll give them any chance to win is Minnesota, and that’s only if Kevin and Pat Williams are suspended as rumored. If not, I can’t see them beating the Vikings either. Anyway, if they want to avoid football infamy they better do it this week or they might not do it at all.

I’m getting that 94 Vibe, and I’m referring to the 1994 NY Rangers.

I see a number of similarities, although it didn’t fully register with me until Thursday nights epic in Foxboro. But more on that later.

First there is the obvious Favre/Messier correlation, two living legends in their respective sports who in the immortal words of Reggie Jackson, did not come to New York to become stars, they brought their stars with them, and indeed these are two proverbial straws that stir the drink as well.

But where this really becomes interesting, or should I say eerily similar, is that both men were essentially recruited to slay the metaphorical dragons. Both franchises had gone decades, many decades, without a championship. Both had an entire generation of fans who had (have) never seen their teams win a championship.

In fact lets call a spade a spade, both franchises were deemed to be cursed if you believe in such nonsense. I don’t, but I do believe that perception creates a losing enviornment. It creates a sense of doom that follows an organization around like the plague.

With the Rangers it was the constant chants of “1940″, while with the Jets it has been the constant fallback position of “Same Old Jets” at the first sign of trouble. That constant negative re-enforcement is hard to overcome. Very hard to overcome.

That, in essence, is the real dragon. That is the curse. In that sense the curse is real, but the curse, or the dragon so to speak, is that over-riding sense of doom that permeates an organization that has experienced generations of futility.

In that instance I believe it takes a very special individual who can rise above the sense of doom and inspire his team-mates to do likewise. Who can in fact inspire everyone to believe, fans included. His owner, his coaches, his team-mates, the fans, everybody!

Messier was that kind of rare and special individual and I believe Brett Favre is very much the same. I think everyone believes if the game is close, he will find a way. He will lead the way and he will find a way.

I can’t explain why. If you could explain it more guys would do it. I have no idea what makes a George Patton or a Lombardi tick. I Just know when Messier came to the Rangers it was no longer the same.

I sincerely believed the Rangers would win the Stanley Cup on his watch, but more importantly his team-mates and the entire organization from top to bottom believed it too. Brian Leetch, Mike Richter, Adam Graves and many others have discussed this.

It’s no secret. To a man they will all tell you Mark Messier inspired them to believe anything is possible.

His will and his ability to lead by example inspired everyone to believe a Stanley Cup was definitely in the cards. It was a combination of the two. The sheer force of his will and and his sheer greatness as a player that completely overwhelmed “1940″ or any thoughts of a so-called curse.

This was a man who stared that dragon in the eye and said “You’re finished.” But more importantly, that was a man who inspired all of his team-mates and all of the fans to think likewise.

But here’s when it really dawned on me, when that whole 94 Rangers correlation came into much sharper focus, and it happened Thursday night in that epic Jets/Pats classic at Foxboro.

When Randy Moss hauled in that game tying touchdown pass with one second left in regulation I was devistated. I was beyond devistated. I was despondent. I might have been suicidal had I not been in such a complete state of shock.

So there I sat, basically in a coma, when it actually ocurred to me that I have been here before. As a Jet fan I have visited this place too many times to count, but ironically none of those flashed through my mind.

Well that’s not entirely true. They did initially. When Moss first caught that TD Pass a flood of every “Same Old Jets” moment I have endured over the decades immediately flashed through my mind, sort of like the way a mans life flashes before his eyes right before he dies, or so they say, but that was definitely my initial reaction.

Then a funny thing happened. The Jets won the coin toss just prior to overtime and I immediately flashed back to Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals between the Rangers and Devils.

I remembered being only seconds away from the Cup finals when the Devils scored a game trying goal as time was just about expired, and I remembered that feeling of absolute devistation, not at all unlike my feeing when Moss caught that TD Pass with one second left on the clock. In fact it was exactly the same. In both cases I just sat there in a coma. The shock was so overwhelming I could barely move.

Then I remembered .. the Rangers won that game!

Indeed, the pain of going to OT when the Cup finals was so close I could taste it was absolutely unbearable, and yet the euphoria of winning in OT (Matteau, Matteau, Matteau!) is a feeling I will never forget if I live to be a hundred … and I remembered that on Thursday night when we won the coin toss.

And then, when we won the game in OT, when The Great Brett Favre stared adversity in the eye and kicked its @$$ as he has so many times during his brilliant career, I remembered what so many of Messier’s team-mates said following that famous Game 7.

I imagined they had to be devistated when the Devils scored that late goal, and on some level I’m sure they were, they wouldn’t be human if they weren’t, but they all insisted Messier regained their focus when he told them all this means is we have to work for it a little longer than we anticipated, but we’re gonna win this game and when we do it’s gonna feel that much sweeter … and they believed him!

But why wouldn’t they believe him. This was only one game after he guaranteed a win in Game 6 at New Jersey and only went out and scored a hat-trick to make it happen. So of course they believed him, AND NOW, after what Brett Favre did on Thursday night, do you think he team-mates will ever doubt his ability to win a football game if they simply do their part and give him a chance to win it?

Let me tell you something, folks, after what he did on Thursday night, considering the opponent, the venue and the history between these two teams going in, there is not a player in that Jets locker-room who doesn’t believe the Super Bowl is possible, even likely if they do their part, because #4 will lead the way.

And you know what, just like 1994 … I believe it too.

01. TENNESSEE TITANS (9-0)

I suspect they may lose this week in Jacksonville. Call it a hunch.

02. NEW YORK GIANTS (8-1)

You can make a really good case for the Giants at #1. It’s hard to imagine they can be this good after losing Strahan and Osi, one HOF DE and one All-Pro, but Tuck has been Terrific, Kiwi has been solid and they are playing with such confidence on both sides of the ball. Next up it’s the 6-3 Ravens.

03. CAROLINA PANTHERS (7-2)

This week it’s the winless Lions at Carolina and that means 8-2 seems pretty likely, wouldn’t you say?

04. NEW YORK JETS (6-3)

The Jets have now won three in a row and five of their last six. In other words not counting Tennessee and the G-Men, the NY Jets are currently the hottest team in the league. Yes, even hotter than Carolina, but none of that matters if they don’t take care of business this week. This is the BIG ONE, my friends. Win this one and we’ll have visions of “Superbowls” dancing in our heads. Win this one and even the most ardent “Jet haters/Patsie lovers” will have to grant us that much. Win this one and no-one can dismiss that idea as a pipe-dream. That’s what we have an opportunity to accomplish this week, to stamp ourselves as bona-fide Superbowl contenders. As regular season games go, they don’t get much bigger than this.

05. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (6-3)

These guys are absolutely certain they will win Thursday night and frankly I don’t blame them. Just see my prior blog entry and you’ll understand why. They are just counting the minutes till they can kick dirt in our faces for the millionth time. Now if the Jets want to give these guys an attitude adjustment they’ll have their chance come Thursday, but talk is cheap, it’s time to put up or shut up.

06. ARIZONA CARDINALS (6-3)

Kurt Warner has been a league MVP (twice) and a Superbowl MVP. He has the greatest percentage of 300 Yard Passing Games per start (Approx. 46%) in league history for any QB with at least a hundred starts. He is a serious league MVP candidate again in 2008, and if he wins it he will join our very own Brett Favre as the only three time winners of that award in league history. Translation: Though he’s rarely spoken of in these terms, Kurt Warner is a Hall of Fame candidate and he would get my vote.

07. BALTIMORE RAVENS (6-3)

They are playing really good football and young Joe Flacco is looking better each week. It’s time to take the Ravens serious, and very serious if they can beat the Giants at the Meadowlands this week, but that is a tall order.

08. ATLANTA FALCONS (6-3)

Substitute Joe Flacco for Matt Ryan and it’s the same deal. After smoking the high flying Saints it is time to take these Falcon Eddies dead serious. For you older folks who remember the 1970’s, did you like that “Rich Man, Poor Man” reference?

09. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (5-4)

When you beat the Pats and Steelers back-to-back, your season is officially back on the right track. The rest of the AFC shouldn’t sleep on the Colts. If they make the playoffs they will be dangerous and nobody will look forward to dealing with Peyton Manning in a one game elimination.

10. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-3)

Lost to both Mannings on their home turf over the past three weeks, and both losses on late Manning led TD drives with under five minutes left in the game.

11. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5-4)

There’s no shame in losing a close one to the Giants.

12. DALLAS COWBOYS (5-4)

This ranking is based on the return of Tony Romo and what kind of team I believe they are with Romo on the field, and my belief that they will beat the Redskins at Washington on Sunday night, but I’ll drop them significantly next week if I’m wrong.

13. MIAMI DOLPHINS (5-4)

Riding a three game winning streak and they’ll probably make if four at home verses Oakland. Miami and Atlanta in the TOP 13 off of last years disaster for both teams. Even if you think I’m ranking them too high, you have to respect how they’ve turned it around so quickly.

14. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-4)

That was a big win over Green Bay to pull themselves into a first place tie with Chicago atop the NFC North.

15. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (6-3)

Coming off a bye they’ll get the Vikings at home this week, and I believe they’re getting Cadillac Williams back as well?

16. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (6-3)

Coming off a bye they have a huge division game on Sunday night with the 5-4 Cowboys in their own building. Cowboys are coming off a bye as well and barring any setbacks it looks like they’ll get Romo back this week, which means I like the Cowboys in this one.

17. CHICAGO BEARS (5-4)

Came within a whisker of knocking off the undefeated Titans. Close, but no cigar.

18. DENVER BRONCOS (5-4)

Jay Cutler threw for 447 Yards, 167 to uber rookie Eddie Royal (one of my fantasy football guys), as his Broncos prevailed in a 34-30 shootout in Cleveland.

19. BUFFALO BILLS (5-4)

This team was riding high at 5-1 and Adam Schein (SNY) was talkin all kinds of smack, then they started the AFCE part of their schedule and dropped three straight to Miami, the Jets and New England.

20. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-5)

Dismantled the Lions on Sunday and as I said earlier, I smell an upset over the Titans this week.

21. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (4-5)

Barely squeaked by the Chiefs when a KC two point conversion fell incomplete at the gun, but the Chiefs are playing hard and they have scared quite a few contenders including the Jets and Pats.

22. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (4-5)

Much like the Chargers this team is way too talented to be under .500 after nine games, and that means they have under-achieved to this point.

23. GREEN BAY PACKERS (4-5)

Lost a tough division game at Minnesota on Sunday, but they’ll have a chance to redeem themselves this week with the division rival Chicago Bears coming into Lambeau field. This is a game the Packers must win or their playoff hopes will be on life support if not outright dead, and I believe it’s the latter if they lose. But if they win they’ll still have a chance to win their division. The stakes are that critical.

24. CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-6)

If you’re looking for Coach Crennel in Clevelend after this season, I think you might be saying … Where for art thou, Romeo?

25. HOUSTON TEXANS (3-6)

They got absolutely pummeled at home verses Baltimore, 41-13, and now their season is officially spiraling into the abyss. Much like Clevelend I think they should be more competitive than this.

26. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1-8)

Their record stinks and they are what their record says they are, but to their credit they continue to play hard and they have scared quite a few teams as I mentioned earlier. (See: Chargers)

27. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (2-7)

Played Miami close, but lost as usual and did the rest of the AFCE no favors.

28. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (2-7)

What you saw on that final drive Monday night was so comical and so inept that even Herm Edwards was making fun of the 49ers for poor clock management and ultra conservative play-calling.

29. ST. LOUIS RAMS (2-7)

Yeah that’s right, that’s what happens when you mess with the Jets!

30. OAKLAND RAIDERS (2-7)

I really hope they beat Miami just so we’re not the only boneheads in the AFCE who lost to these clowns.

31. CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-8)

Two weeks ago they beat the Jags in a game the Jaguars desperately needed and that made me feel a little better about losing to Oakland. Just a little, tiny bit.

32. DETROIT LIONS (0-9)

Look at their remaining schedule (Panthers, Bucs, Titans, Vikings, Colts, Saints and Packers) and tell me where these Jokers are getting a win? I think the Bucs @ Detroit are probably their best chance.

You may believe the Patriots hate the NY Jets, and you’re not wrong, but I’m here to tell you it goes way beyond normal hate between division rivals. This is not the kind of hate that you are familiar with.

Make no mistake about it, this is not “just hate.”

No No No, It is a lot worse than that.

It is disdain and it is contempt.

That’s what this is all about, this is a hate borne of contempt.

DO NOT confuse this for normal “hate” between rivals.

What the Pats, and especially Bill Belichick, feel for the NY Jets is far more demeaning than hate.

You can hate someone and still respect them or fear them or grudgingly admire something about them, for example the way you may have hated Dan Marino but in your heart of hearts you admired him as a player and probably wished we had drafted him. But we didn’t, he was the enemy and he was a “dangerous enemy”, therefore you built up an animosity or even hate, but in reality it was a hate borne of fear or respect.

That is a normal hate between sports rivals, but that is not what we’re dealing with here.

NOT EVEN CLOSE.

What we’re dealing with here is pure disdain and sheer, utter contempt.

I’m talking about Bill Belichick specifically and the Patriots as a whole.

And why shouldn’t they be contemptuous of this Jets team?

They have been slapping this team in the face for so long, with little resistance, that I don’t blame them for looking down their noses at this team, that’s what happens when you get sand kicked in your face and you do practically nothing about it.

If you let them bamboozle you to that degree, for as long as the Patriots have been putting the bull the NY Jets, and with the Jets even KNOWING Belichick and the Pats hold them in contempt {AND THEY DO KNOW IT!!}, then you deserve to be viewed with contempt … you don’t deserve respect … you don’t deserve the “normal hate” that is usually reserved for a legit rival who represents any kind of threat.

Right now this so-called rivalry is nothing of the kind and Patriots know it. Belichick knows it all too well and don’t think he doesn’t revel in it.

Over the past decade this has been a rivalry like the hammer verses the nail, and guess who’s been the nail?

And you better believe Belichick knows it, as do the Patriots from top to bottom (fans included), and you better believe Belichick loves it.

Other than winning the Super Bowl, I get the feeling he loves nothing more than taking the NY Jets to the woodshed.

But on Thursday nite the Jets get another chance to change all that.

Not unlike week two, only this time even moreso, these guys are wounded and ripe to be beaten, and yet they still believe they are going to pound the Jets into submission … AGAIN … AS USUAL … and they have every right to believe that, especially after week two when they put the kibosh on “Favre Fever” with yet another beatdown in our own building, and this time with the immortal Matt Cassel (not Tom Brady) at Quarterback.

After that debacle I’m sure the Pats are absolutely convinced, one punch in the face and the Jets will fold like the chumps that they are, all we have to do is show them who’s boss … AGAIN … and that will end any delusions they might have about winning this division.

I’m absolutely certain that is how the Pats are viewing this game behind the scenes. There is no real concern about the Jets, NOT REALLY, not on on any level other than “lets just make sure we don’t give these clowns the game, make them have to earn it, make them have to win it, in which case we will slap them silly as usual.”

Like I said, its not hate in the traditional sense. I mean it is hate, but it’s really disdain and a hate borne of contempt, and there’s only one way to deal with someone who holds you in such contempt, and that would be to give this team a beating they will never forget.

Walk into their building and beat the living daylights out of them on national TV and right in front of their own fans, as they have done to us a million times including week two.

Just winning would be nice, I’ll take it, but if you really want to humble these guys, unleash sixty minutes of fury and give them a beating they will never forget. That’s how you turn contempt into “normal hate.” Do that and they will still hate us, perhaps even moreso, but they won’t be comtemptuous.

In the immortal words of Don Corleone, “then they will fear you.”

Well maybe not fear, but that will definitely put an end to this contempt nonsense. It’s a lot harder to look down on someone who just beat the living whiz out of you.

Or as Al Capone famously said, and I mean the real Al Capone, not the re-write in the Untouchables …

“A KIND WORD GOES ONLY SO FAR … A KIND WORD AND A GUN GOES A LOT FURTHER”

Al Capone
1924

Indeed, and it is time for the NY Jets to pistol-whip these guys.

01. TENNESSEE TITANS (8-0)

They’ll maintain this ranking at least until somebody beats them.

02. NEW YORK GIANTS (7-1)

Let this be a lesson for the Jets, a lesson they should heed in two weeks verses the Patriots. What the Giants did to the Cowboys on Sunday, their heated division rivals, was a lesson in how to deliver the kill shot when your mortal enemy is wounded and ripe for the kill. This is a lesson the Jets must learn if they want to win the AFC East.

03. CAROLINA PANTHERS (6-2)

Coming off a bye with the Raiders on deck, so 7-2 seems likely.

04. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-2)

BIG BEN went down but his team didn’t miss a beat when Leftwich stepped in and proceeded to pick apart the Redskins on Monday night.

05. ARIZONA CARDINALS (5-3)

This team is playing good football and Kurt Warner looks like the Kurt Warner from his “Greatest Show on Turf” days in ST. Louis. I hope we can beat the Rams as easily as the Cards did (34-13) on Sunday.

06. NEW YORK JETS (5-3)

For all the angst the Jets have caused us they are technically in first place after dispatching of the Bills at Buffalo, no easy task, and now they have quietly won four of their last five games. Only the Titans and Giants are on the better role. Next up the Rams and Pats over a critical four day span, Rams on Sunday and the Pats on Thursday, four days that may define the Jets season for better or worse.

07. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5-3)

This is a different and more dangerous team with Westbrook in the line-up.

08. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (4-4)

If I’m in the NFC there are two teams I want no part of in the playoffs, Arizona and Nawleans, because both can explode on offense and put 40 on the board if they start rolling downhill. Two scary teams.

09. BUFFALO BILLS (5-3)

I don’t think we’ve heard the last of the Bills. This is a good football team and I suspect they are going to bounce back with a huge effort verses the Pats this week. My gut tells me they going to win that game at Foxboro, but I’m sure Belichick has other ideas.

10. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-4)

If Peyton Manning is still playing, the Colts are still dangerous.

11. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (5-3)

We’re gonna find out a lot about the Patriots over the next nine days with Buffalo and the Jets on the dockett. These are some huge division games. In fact this muddled AFCE picture may be much clearer by next Thursday night. But I won’t count the Patriots out till someone drives a stake through Count Dracula’s (AKA: Bill Belichick’s) heart. I have to see it to believe it.

12. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (6-3)

I’m not a believer and I’m not surprised the Steelers slapped them silly.

13. BALTIMORE RAVENS (5-3)

How bout muh-man Ray Rice rushing for 154 like he was back at Rutgers!

14. ATLANTA FALCONS (5-3)

I didn’t like Matt Ryan in the draft. Thought he had a weak arm and didn’t want to draft him. In fairness to myself I did think he was a much better fit for a dome team like the Falcons, there I thought he would have a better chance to succeed, but I did not think it could be this good and certainly not this fast. Anyway, I was wrong and it looks like the Falcons hit the Jackpot.

15. MIAMI DOLPHINS (4-4)

I could rank them higher and I almost did. This is not last year’s Miami Dolphins, that much is crystal clear, this is a dangerous team and they’ve knocked off quite a few of the so-called big dogs … and suddenly that opening day win for the Jets at Miami looks a lot more impressive in retrospect.

16. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (3-5)

I still believe they will win the AFC West, and if they do this is still a team no-one in the AFC will look forward to playing.

17. DALLAS COWBOYS (5-4)

I knew they were walking into a buzzsaw at the Meadlowlands and without Tony Romo, but I didn’t realize until now what a Glass-Jaw this team has. I mean these guys simply cannot take a punch. They are classic front-runners who just don’t know how to deal with adversity. Talent out the wazoo, but the first sign of trouble and they fold like a cheap suit.

18. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (6-3)

I Just don’t think they’re very good. I mean seriously, record aside, is this a team that scares you in any way? In my view they’re the opposite of the Chargers, they’re the team everyone will want to play in the post season because there is nothing about this team that scares you.

19. GREEN BAY PACKERS (4-4)

They put up a valiant fight at Tennessee and took the undefeated Titans into Overtime. I think this team is better than their record indicates and I still expect them to win the NFC North, but if I’m right they’ll have to start by beating the Vikings at Minnesota this week and that won’t be easy.

20. CHICAGO BEARS (5-3)

I “think” the Packers will win the NFC North, but right now the Bears lead that division and despite a scare verses the winless Lions in their own building, they pulled it out in the end to take a one game lead.

21. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (4-4)

Nice win over a Texans team that was riding a three game winning streak.

22. DENVER BRONCOS (4-4)

It’s amazing to think this team is still in first place, sole possession no less, but it’s true, although not for long if the Chargers can just get their act together for a little while.

23. CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-5)

Poor Derek Anderson must feel like Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places. Seems like only yesterday when he was the toast of the town and living high on the hog, and now, POOF, just like that, Brady Quinn is sitting in what used to be his chair.

24. HOUSTON TEXANS (3-5)

The streak ended at three in Minnesota.

25. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (3-5)

So long as Carson Palmer was out and Ryan Fitzpatrick was in, I really thought the Bengals had a shot at 0-16, then the under-achieving Jags had to go and mess it all up.

26. ST. LOUIS RAMS (2-6)

Jets better not sleep on this team. They’ve fallen back on hard times, but it was only a few weeks ago when they were beating Washington and Dallas back-to-back and then giving the Pats all they could handle at Foxboro. So this is not a team you can take lightly and live to tell about it.

27. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1-7)

They’re not winning, but they are playing hard and they’re not playing bad either. In recent weeks they have scared the living daylights out of the Jets and Bucs, and on opening day they scared the Patriots as well.

28. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (2-6)

This team has been decimated by injuries and it shows. For the most part they are not even competitive.

29. OAKLAND RAIDERS (2-6)

I know, I know, it makes you sick that the Jets lost to this team, right?

30. CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-8)

Too high? Hey, they just beat the Jags and that’s a favor for the rest of the AFC teams on the cusp, so I say lets give them a little love this week for a job well done.

31. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (2-6)

Two weeks ago they got blown out (34-13) at home verses the dreadful and decimated Seattle Seahags. Need I say more?

32. Detriot Lions (0-8)

They scared me on Sunday. I thought we were about to lose our last two remaining winless teams after the Bengals upended the Jaguars and the Lions alomst did likewise at Chicago. But they came through in the end and we still have one possible winless season on the horizon.