posted January 5, 2007 at 20:25 EST in NFL Free Picks

NEW YORK JETS +8.5 AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS -8.5

The spread of this game is reaching the stratosphere, and for good reason.

The shocking 10-6 New York Jets, who were 4-12 last season, improved beyond description, but still have little chance in this one against a team that has found a way to keep things powered with all kinds of free agency losses and coaching losses, the 12-4 New England Patriots.

Head coach Eric Mangini will get heavy consideration for Coach of the Year for the job that he has done this year. Mangini served under Bill Belichick for six seasons before obtaining the Jets job… and it showed that he knew much about his former squad. This cat found a way to beat New England in their house in Week Ten, lost to them only by seven in Week Two, lost only by ten to Chicago the weekend after they beat the Patriots, and pretty much defeated everyone else that they were supposed to defeat in teams like Detroit, Oakland and Houston. But this situation they enter is a little different.

 

The Patriots still have Coach Bill Belichick, the only head coach in the history the league to win three Super Bowls in a four-year span. And quarterback Tom Brady, who, in starting in those Super Bowl wins joined a cherished club with Bradshaw, Montana and Aikman as the only quarterbacks to have three or more Lombardis. These two mainstays are still here, and gentlemen and ladies, they ain’t going out lightly.

Other than the Jets defeat and a December 10th shutout in Miami, where they didn’t show up, losses to Indy and Denver were the only blemishes in a season where they beat five opponents by 20 or more points. And four of those five blowouts were on the road. The Colts, also 12-4, only did that once. The Jets did it twice.

As is the norm in Foxborough, the Patriots have once again completed a season where they utilized all sorts of weapons on offense and took care of things on the other side with a veteran defense. The majority of the best teams in the league get good production, around 300 or more yards, from five different receivers, and the Patriots demonstrated that with wideout Reche Caldwell, tight end Benjamin Watson, multi-positional Troy Brown, running back Kevin Faulk and wide receiver Doug Gabriel, now with the Raiders. The first four that still remain will be looked on to take care of the Jets.

 

Talking about these Jets, they did the turnaround with quarterback Chad Pennington, who had career highs, in his seventh season, in completions (313) and passing yards (3352). Also, wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery combined for 2059 yards, and good field position thanks to the best kickoff returner in the league, Justin Miller.

The defense had a bend-but-no-break mentality throughout the course of the season and was good against air attacks, but their run defense was not as good and most likely will be exploited by the two-headed rushing attack of Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney.

The Jets have had wonderful season, but no one really expects them to win this one; a victory here would go down as one of the biggest upsets in the history of NFL playoff football, and the Patriots know it. New England’s playoff preparation is legendary, and Mangini knows all about it, but his players do not. The players on the other side do.

{$nfl-lines-New England Patriots$}

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