What's up guys... though all the hype is surrounding the QB's, I really think this game will be determined by the ST match-up. #1- Do we have a kicker who can get it through the uprights? #2- Can we pin them deep on punts so put even more pressure on an inexperienced QB? #3- Can we get a big play on a KO return to spark the crowd and the team? These, to me, are the keys to the game. I'll be at the game... GO JETS
Article From ESPN I don't have enough posts to provide link. The knee injury that ended quarterback Tom Brady's season was a monumental blow to the Patriots and it also may have blown the AFC East wide open. The division just got a lot more interesting, which makes the Week 2 Patriots-Jets matchup special. A Jets franchise that traditionally has built through the draft switched gears and signed a bunch of pricey free agents in the offseason, then watched quarterback Brett Favre fall into its lap. With Brady sidelined, the talent gap between these teams has been all but closed, making the matchup of coaches Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini more meaningful than ever. Because these are two very different teams from a year ago and Belichick and Mangini have adaptable coaching styles, in-game adjustments will be especially critical this week. Teams seldom make great halftime adjustments in the NFL because of the lack of time. Instead, look for changes to be made as soon as the first series of the game is over. Most defensive coaches will save their best stuff for the second half, but Belichick devises ways to fix problems immediately and attack weaknesses he finds. No NFL coach is better able to adjust to the flow of a game. Belichick and Mangini have backgrounds on defense, but both likely spent plenty of time with their offensive staffs this week. Each is keenly familiar with the other's schemes and tendencies, so they'll have a lot to say about game plans and adjustments on both sides of the ball. Still, nowhere will those adjustments be more apparent -- or more important -- than in the ways both coaches attack the opposing quarterback. Brett Favre has seen it all, but Belichick definitely will come up with something that takes Favre out of his comfort zone or preys on his weaknesses. A meticulous notetaker with a healthy respect for history, Belichick likely has held on to schemes and pressure packages designed for Favre that he couldn't use in the past because of personnel or matchups. Over the years, Favre has become a more stationary target in the pocket, which Belichick can exploit by using a lot of different alignments, blitz angles and pre-snap movement to create pressure. He'll probably combine this with varied back-end coverages, including zone-man combos. Some coaches are too conservative to try this but it might keep Favre off balance. For his part, Mangini has been able to find ways to slow the high-powered Patriots offense before by targeting weak links on the Pats' offensive line and using back-end coverages designed to bait Brady while staying sound. Brady's absence changes the complexion of the matchup, but that's only one of the differences. Athletic outside linebacker Calvin Pace appears to be the piece that was missing from the Jets' pass rush. He gives Mangini more freedom to move personnel around in the 3-4 and disguise pressure schems. Though quarterback Matt Cassel is no rookie and has seen plenty of the scheme during his time in New England, finding the fourth pass rusher against a 3-4 is one of the biggest obstacles for any NFL passer with limited game experience. The key to getting opportunities against Cassel, however, will be stopping the run. With defensive tackle Kris Jenkins on board, New York's front seven is far better equipped to do that. If the Jets' linemen maintain their pad level and points of leverage while the linebackers focus on gap responsibility, Cassel could routinely find himself in second- and third-and-long situations. Brady forced an opponent to defend the whole field, but New England's offense will be limited by Cassel's experience. He'll have to read through his progressions and won't be able to attack on all levels unless by design, as Brady had. How the coaches manage such weaknesses -- and attack those of the other guy -- in the heat of the moment should determine the outcome of this one. Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.
