Sorry, Stego. (But only a little).

My heart stopped several times this evening.

What a game.

I hate the prevent defense. Hate it, hate it, hate it. But that was a sensational catch by Randy Moss. Though the Jets should have jammed him, as they’d been doing all game.

Where the hell do the Patriots keep getting these great quarterbacks? Matt Cassel was amazing, I have to say. Four-year college benchwarmer, hasn’t played since high school, but he gets better every game, and tonight he looked like the reincarnation of Johnny Unitas. And he was what, a seventh round draft choice? And Brady was a sixth rounder? Scott Pioli has an amazing eye for quarterbacks. The Jets back-up is Kellen Clemens, a second round choice and a major college star, but in the NFL so far he has been less than ordinary. Let’s just hope that Brett Favre never goes down.

Much as I despise him, Evil Little Bill is still a great coach. Just when it looked as though the Jets were going to blow the P-men out on their own home field, BB goes to a no-huddle offense, and exhausts Gang Green’s gigantic man in the middle, Kris Jenkins, negating our most effective defensive player. No one else thought of that, all season. Fortunately for truth, justice, and the American way, Jenkins was able to find a hidden reserve of strength in the fourth quarter, when it counted, but… I may despise Belichek, but I never make the mistake of underestimating him.

But enough props to the Patriots. The Jets won. Finally. When Moss caught that TD with one second left, I felt like a dagger had been thrust through me, and the words “Same Old Jets” came inevitably to mind. It felt like we’d already lost. These were the Patriots, after all. Even when we won the overtime coin toss, things looked grim… especially after the first two plays, when the Jets faced third-and-fifteen.

Then Brett threw that rope to Dustin Keller, and the world changed.

Favre was… well, Favre was Favre. He’s done it before, he’ll do it again. Jericho Cotchery had that astonishing catch, snatching the ball out of the air in the crook of his elbow while falling forward with a defender draped all over him. Leon Washington returned a kickoff for a TD. But Dustin Keller was the one who really made me sit up. It looks as though the Jets knew what they were doing when they traded up into the end of the first round to get him (and a good thing, since their other first round pick, number four overall Vernon Gholston, shows every sign of being a bust). Tannenbaum and Mangini struck gold with Keller, I think. We have our tight end for the next decade.

Anyway… great game, great win, and I’m a happy boy.

Life is magical and full of joy.

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