Skip to main content

Jets Likely Send Belichick Packing with Loss in 2023 Season Finale

 JETS 17 - PATRIOTS 3 

For many members of the 2023 New York Jets, they weren't even born, or at least in diapers, when Bill Belichick fatefully decided to write on a napkin, "I resign as HC of the NYJ," and handed it to then Jets team President Steve Gutman in the winter of 1999/2000. 

Days after those 1999 Jets wrapped up a disappointing season with hopes at 8-8, and Bill Parcells "retired" to the front office, many assumed that Belichick would take over and keep the momentum that Parcells started in 1997 going for years to come. 

We all know what happened. 

Belichick resigned. He held that awkward press conference at the Jets old digs in Hofstra and was out the door. Days later he became the HC of the NEP. 

Bill Belichick - Getty Images

After a 5-11 season in 2000, Belichick ran into a pot of gold when Tom Brady came in for an injured Drew Bledsoe and the rest as they say is history. 

Six Super Bowl titles, 17 AFC East titles, 11 trips to the AFC Title game. The Patriots under Belichick and Brady became the dynasty to end all dynasties. The Jets in turn became the Washington Generals to the Patriots, Harlem Globetrotters. 

While the Jets got the Pats number in the early Rex Ryan years, including pulling out an upset in the divisional round of the playoffs in January of 2011, it wasn't enough. 

The Jets could never match the Pats under Belichick.  And heading into this season finale, New England had won 15 in a row against New York. Wild.

So on this snowy afternoon in Foxboro, Massachusetts with both the Jets and Patriots reeling at 6-10 and 4-12 respectively, the Jets inked out a 17-3 win over New England in what is likely Belichick's final game as Patriots Head Coach. 

While it was little consultation to Jets fans who watched in horror as the man who was once their Head Coach for all of five minutes become the 21st Century answer to Vince Lombardi and Don Shula with the hated Patriots, a win is a win. Even if it cost the Jets draft position. 

The Jets-Pats game on Sunday was a total slopfest. Indicative of two teams sputtering down the stretch. If you watched that game -- it likely set football back 90 years. It was awful. Hopefully you switched over to the Jaguars-Titans game which had higher stakes and better quality football on display. 

Breece Hall - Getty Images.

 

By the fourth quarter the Jets rode the legs of Breece Hall, arguably the team's best offensive weapon who gashed the Patriots for 178 yards, highlighted by a 50-yard touchdown run, followed by a two-point conversion to ice the game at 17-3. 

Hall finished the season six yards shy of 1,000, with 994 yards rushing. A bit of shame, because everyone knows that Hall is as talented as any back in the league right now. 

And to think the Jets found him sitting there in the second round of the 2022 draft. What a steal. 

Speaking of finding gold in the draft. Many fans were upset that Gang Green didn't tank the game for a higher pick.  While the Jets wound up with the 10th overall pick in the draft, many fans were upset, thinking that a good player won't drop that far. 

That's ridiculous thinking. Just look at the two great players the Jets have on offense. Garret Wilson was the 10th overall pick two years ago. Hall was the 36th overall pick. It's not where you pick. It's how you pick. 

Now it is up to Joe Douglas and company to get to work, and find a way to replicate that off-season of two-years ago. They need to. It's now or never for Douglas and Robert Saleh in 2024 to run it back with a healthy Aaron Rodgers and a re-tooled team next fall with eyes on ending another skid: 13 playoff-less seasons. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jets, Dolphins and Patriots Playoff Breakdown

Here are the formuli that could get the Jets into and out of the playoff party this season: 1) If the Jets win against Seattle and Miami, they win the AFC East based on a better conference record (8-4) than the New England Patriots, even if New England wins out as well. 2) If the Patriots win out and the Dolphins win out and finish at 11-5, the Jets would be 10-6, or 9-7, and probably out of the playoffs. Both New England and Miami would make the playoffs, with the Dolphins as a divison winner and the Patriots as a wild card. The Patriots make the postseason if Baltimore loses one of its final two games. 3) If the Patriots win out and the Dolphins and Jets split, then the Patriots win the AFC East. The Jets will have to hope that they beat Miami to win that tie-breaker and, further, hope that they have a better conference record than the Baltimore Ravens in order to clinch the sixth seed. 4) If the Patriots and Ravens win out and the Dolphins and Jets split their final two games, then ...
8 comments
Read more

Francisco Lindor Remains Red Hot as Mets Top Phillies

 Francisco Lindor remains the hottest player in Queens right now.  The Mets shortstop blasted two more home runs, including a three-run blast in the bottom of the eighth inning, Monday night to help propel the Mets to a 5-4 win over Philadelphia.   Lindor who typically struggles in the month of April is putting together a heck of a month. Monday's two hit effort was the 10th game in the last 11 where Lindor has recorded a hit. In fact in the month of April alone this year, Lindor was hitting at .311 coming into Monday's action.  On the year, Lindor is batting .284 with five homers and 13 RBI.  Lindor's efforts proved to be prophetic, as the Phillies Alec Bohm crushed a three-run bomb off Edwin Diaz in the top of the ninth to cut the Mets lead to a single run. Fortunately for New York, Diaz was able to shut the door with strikeouts of Trea Turner and Bryce Harper.  New York (16-7) has now won five in a row.  
Post a Comment
Read more

Mets Keep Rolling into Phillies Series

 The New York Mets are feeling pretty good about things right now!  The Amazin's swept a four game series from the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, winning 7-4 Sunday afternoon. It was the first time since 1986 that the Amazin's had swept such a series from St. Louis. We all know what happened later that season.    Well, not to get too far ahead of ourselves, because the 2025 version now faces a very stiff challenge. The Mets will face their arch rivals the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday with only two games separating the two teams in the NL East.  The Mets took out Philly in the NLDS last October, so this figures to be a heck of showdown. The Mets begin a month long stretch against teams that are likely postseason contenders like the Phillies, D-Backs, Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers.  If the Mets (15-7) are this good, we will know for sure in a month.
Post a Comment
Read more