National Football League

Brady, Belichick continue to impress

Published Dec. 4, 2010 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

It’s amazing and crazy to think that the loser of the Jets and Patriots battle on Monday night will be forced to play on the road in the first round of the playoffs while the winner will be in the driver’s seat for home-field advantage throughout.

We focus on the game of the year and go around the league with a game of boom or bust, SCHEIN 9 style.

1). The Patriots offense is better than the last time they faced the Jets

No Randy Moss, no problem. This is an absolute boom. And it shows the true greatness of both Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

Brady, currently getting my vote for league MVP, has been ridiculously good, even by his own “one of the best and most clutch quarterbacks of all-time" standard. With no truly dominant receiver, Brady is back to spreading the ball around brilliantly to a bevy of targets, whether it is the receivers, tight ends or backs out of the backfield. The numbers are eye-popping, with 23 touchdowns against only six picks. Actually watching him work his magic is even more impressive than stats.

Wes Welker has been his usual great, productive and reliable self out of the slot. But the real difference, in my opinion, has been the emergence of the young tight ends.

Aaron Hernandez has 36 catches for 462 yards and plays like a receiver. Because of off-the-field issues, multiple playoff teams from a year ago didn’t even put Hernandez on their draft board. Belichick doesn’t get scared off by these issues, trusting his locker room leadership. And Belichick’s tight relationship with Hernandez’s college coach Urban Meyer helped the sell. Fellow rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski is averaging 12 yards per catch and has six touchdowns. These cats are true matchup nightmares for safeties and linebackers, and they have given Brady a new and needed dimension this season.

Deion Branch has been reliable since his return to New England. Brandon Tate, although not much of a factor recently in the passing attack, draws attention going deep.

And as important as anything else, the Patriots actually have threats out of the backfield.

Jets castoff Danny Woodhead has been a blessing. As Colts Coach Jim Caldwell told us on Sirius NFL Radio, “He’s been filling that Kevin Faulk role perfectly for them.”

Woodhead has been an incredible difference maker on third downs as a receiver and runner. Plus, BenJarvus Green-Ellis has solidified the running back position, thought to be in shambles earlier in the year. Think about it. The Patriots were still messing around with bust Laurence Maroney in September before shipping him off to Denver. Fred Taylor has been a total non-factor. Faulk is done for the year. The “law firm” gives defenses something to think about and respect, with 627 yards on the year. And if the Patriots and Brady actually get balance with the run, you can’t stop them.

And let’s be sure to tip our hat to the offensive line, a recent winner of the Madden Prilosec OTC Offensive Line of the week honors, announced on Madden Football on Sirius NFL Radio. The boys up front and Green-Ellis helped clinch the win against Minnesota. Logan Mankins is back and playing like one of the elite guards in the NFL. They are supremely coached under the great Dante Scarnecchia.

A lot of people, myself included, thought Belichick was nuts to trade Moss. As it turns out, it was pure genius. Nobody is bigger than the team, and the Patriots offense is humming.

2). The Jets defense will bottle up the Patriots on Monday night

This is a bust despite the incredible respect I have for both Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

The Jim Leonhard season-ending injury is a killer. He makes the defensive calls. He makes clutch plays. Leonhard is a great player in Rex’s system. And do you think Brady is going to target Hernandez and Gronkowski if they are lined up against Eric Smith and Brodney Pool? The Jets have struggled against such immortal tight ends as Joel Dreesen and Evan Moore this year. And the Jets have struggled with the short and intermediate pass in recent weeks. Enter Welker.

Plus, despite Calvin Pace coming off of his best game of the year against Cincy, the Jets' pass rush has been inconsistent and New York blew fourth-quarter leads against the Browns and Texans.

3). The Jets should have kept Danny Woodhead

Let’s be fair here. This is a bust.

I love this Woodhead story. And he has been amazing and integral to the Patriots success. But when the Pats signed him before the last Pats / Jets game, everyone thought it was gamesmanship.

4). Mark Sanchez will bounce back from the Cincy game and lead the Jets to a win in New England

On Sanchez bouncing back, it is a boom. Sanchez was great against New England in Week 2 and he has proven that a bad game or moment this year won’t snowball into multiple bad moments, as it did last season. But I like the Patriots to win a close one 28-27.

I think Santonio Holmes playing for the first time in this rivalry is a huge deal and he will have a big game. But despite how poorly the Patriots are ranked in pass defense, you have to respect Belichick’s scheme. And young defensive backs Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung are making plays.

The best game plan for the Jets remains the ground and pound with Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson, setting up play action to Dustin Keller, taking cracks with Holmes and Braylon Edwards.

But beating Brady at home is too much.

5). The Rams can think playoffs.

This is a boom.

When Chris Long joined us on Sirius NFL Radio this week, he agreed with my take that it is healthy for this previously dormant club to think about the prize, while still maintaining focus on the next game. The Rams have the giggling Derek Anderson and the Cards this week. That’s one step closer to winning the worst division ever.

And by the way — how dominant was Long in closing out Denver last week? The game has really clicked for him under Steve Spagnuolo this season.

6). Blame Gary Kubiak

BOOM!

How did the savvy Bob McNair give him a contract extension at the end of last year?

Did you see the defense give up that third-and-19 to Brent Celek, Mike Vick and the Eagles on Thursday night? Classic Texans.

In addition to Kubiak being awful with game management, he hired Frank Bush last January to run his defense. That same offseason, the Saints hired Gregg Williams, the Packers appointed Dom Capers and the Broncos picked Mike Nolan. Hmmm.

7). The Raiders will beat the Chargers again

An absolute bust.

Give Phil Rivers his due. But Eric Weddle made a great point when we talked on Sirius NFL Radio this week. Ron Rivera is a fantastic defensive coordinator, and the Chargers are getting major contributions from unheralded players. And Shaun Phillips is putting together a Pro Bowl season.

8). The Colts are ripe to fall to the Cowboys

I know Indy has lost two straight. Indy can’t run or stop the run. But it is Peyton Manning against Jon Kitna. You do the math. It’s a bust.

9). Todd Haley gets revenge on Josh McDaniels

Ah, yes, Handshakegate. Haley didn’t shake McDaniels’ hand for running up the score against KC. In truth, McDaniels was right. You play four quarters. In truth, it doesn’t matter. Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe have become unstoppable, the game is in KC and the perception with the Chiefs is that McDaniels was bush league in his approach. The blurred line on perception and reality kills Denver. It’s a major boom.