A Fan of the Game

As you know, I have been a Jets fan since they played in the old Polo Grounds as the Titans in 1962. So, you know that like the 49ers and Raiders, the Bengals and Browns, and, the Giants and Jets (especially since they have played in the same venue since 1982) rivalries abound in football. There are others but these are not the rivalries I am talking about today.

Instead, there is a rivalry that has existed since Kennedy was President and that is the Jets (Titans) and the New England (formerly, Boston) Patriots. This past Sunday, the effects of that rivalry were never more evident. And they didn't even play each other.

The Jets were playing the 0-5 Steelers, a game which they were favored to win, even though they were playing a team with a top ten QB. The Patriots, on the other hand, were slight underdogs to the 5-0 Saints. As you know, both these teams have top five QBs, and the unexpected could always happen.

Which it did.

Tom Brady came out gunning to win this game and so did Drew Brees. It was a back and forth game, which at halftime was 17-7 Patriots. But as you would expect, minutes into the third quarter, it was tied at 17. Each team played like neither wanted to win, and with 1:13 to go in the game, it was 27-23 Saints.

Brady got the ball deep in his own zone and went to work. This guy has shown he can play under great pressure and not break a sweat. There are few in the NFL that are cut from that cloth, including the Sheriff and the man who was standing on the sidelines, Brees.

He played the field, the sidelines, the clock, like a Master. Ping, ping, ping with no timeouts left and all of a sudden, he was on the Saints' 30 with about 38 seconds left. Plop, plop! Two incomplete passes, one of which was on the two.

Suddenly, the clock was down to 10 seconds and he dropped back to pass. He flits the ball to the end zone and up went a pair of hands. His rookie receiver had the ball and had the temerity to get toes down, clutching the ball and watched as the ref signaled TOUCHDOWN. And there was plenty of time left, about five seconds to go.

The Pats won the game, 30-27 and ended up taking the 5-0 Saints to the woodshed, both teams bloodied for the wear, and both teams ended the day at 5-1. As a fan of the game, I can tell you this was probably the most dramatic finish in several years.

As a Jet fan, I had to tip my hat to Brady and his boys for the lesson of playing like it was a scrimmage, playing for beers. And my Jets? Well, suffice to say that Rothlisberger played like it was 2003 instead of 2013. Jets lose to the now 1-5 Steelers, 19-6.

Season done. How many days to pitchers and catchers?