GaryMrMets
12-27-2005, 02:19 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/story/378127p-321226c.html
Monday nightmare
in ABC finale
Patriots hammer overmatched Jets
BY RICH CIMINI
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Vinny Testaverde didn't want to go home. One hour after throwing a touchdown pass on what might have been the final throw of his NFL career, Testaverde, dressed in a black overcoat and black fedora, played catch with his kids on the field in an empty Giants Stadium.
The kids were dressed in No. 16 jerseys as the 42-year-old quarterback threw a toy football to his favorite receiving corps. Finally, at 1:10 a.m., Testaverde left the field. It was the perfect end to an imperfect night.
Delivering the worst prime-time show since "My Mother The Car," the Jets added another miserable chapter to their crazy, rotten season, falling to the Patriots, 31-21, last night. A television era ended, as "Monday Night Football" concluded its run on ABC after 36 years and 555 telecasts. It should've been stopped after 554.
Yes, the Jets (3-12) were that bad, going the first 2-1/2 quarters without a first down and finishing with only 171 total yards. The only feel-good moment occurred shortly after midnight, when Testaverde dropped back one last time and lofted a 27-yard scoring pass to Laveranues Coles.
It wasn't exactly Ted Williams homering in his final at-bat - only a few thousand fans stuck around for the bitter end at Giants Stadium - but it was a highlight. And there have been precious few of those for the Jets. "For me, that would be a great way to go out, throwing a touchdown pass," said Testaverde, who is expected to retire after the season. "I couldn't have scripted a better ending."
Testaverde (3-for-7, 63 yards) seemed a little surprised, maybe disappointed that he didn't get in sooner, but he didn't complain. He entered with 3:20 remaining, when the place was nearly empty. He probably played before more fans at his alma mater, Long Island's Sewanhaka High School, but he insisted he was "just happy to get in."
It was his first touchdown pass of the season, enabling him to become the first player in NFL history to throw a scoring pass in 19 different seasons. He deserved to get in sooner, but the Jets can't even manage a proper curtain call. It's been that kind of a season.
If Don Meredith had been in the TV booth, he would've been belting out his famous ditty ("Turn out the lights ...") before the end of the first half. At that point, the Jets trailed 21-7, unable to contain the Patriots' all-planet playmaker, linebacker Mike Vrabel. The Jets made Vrabel the best offensive player on the field, surrendering a pair of short touchdown passes to the 261-pound linebacker. Vrabel, known for his Super Bowl heroics on offense, became the first player since 1982 to score two touchdowns and record a sack in the same game.
Perspective? Vrabel has three touchdown receptions this season, only two fewer than the Jets' $5 milion-a-year receiver, Coles.
The game was so lopsided that, in a stretch between the second and third quarters, the Patriots held the ball for 31 consecutive plays. It was methodical dominance. "I told our team, 'That's what a playoff team looks like,'" said Herm Edwards, adding, " If we have any aspirations of being something like that, we have a lot of work to do in the offseason."
Mercifully, the Jets' season ends Sunday, when they face the Bills (5-10). The Jets (3-12) have a chance in the Reggie Bush sweepstakes, the only drama remaining in a lost season. The Patriots (10-5), regaining their championship form, beat the Jets for the sixth straight time. "The only good thing about this is, it's only one season," Edwards said. "It's not a bunch of seasons."
The Jets opened the Monday night era in 1970 with an ugly loss to the Browns, so there was some symmetry to last night's debacle. In fact, it was the same score, 31-21.
Aside from Ty Law's 74-yard interception return for a touchdown, which made it 7-7 in the first quarter, the Jets didn't show a pulse until late in the game, when Coles scored on passes of 11 and 27 yards in garbage time.
This was a step backward for the Jets, who had shown signs of improvement in recent weeks under Brooks Bollinger. On this night, Bollinger (11-for-19, 100 yards, one interception) appeared utterly confused by Bill Belichick's defense. Maybe Bollinger had stage fright; it was his first Monday night start. "They're a great football team, and they showed it tonight," said Bollinger, 1-7 as a starter.
The Patriots, led by Tom Brady (18-for-29, 185 yards, two TDs), ran a staggering 83 plays, controlling the ball for 43:21 to the Jets' 16:39. "That's ridiculous," John Abraham said.
The defense was equally at fault, allowing TD drives of 67, 61, 78 and 74 yards. Edwards talked to Testaverde about coming in for the fourth quarter, but it turned into the late, late show.
"I thought it was going to happen earlier in the game," Testaverde said, "but I'm just glad I got in."
And he didn't want to leave.
Originally published on December 27, 2005
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/153-jets1.JPG
Linebacker Mike Vrabel celebrates after scoring second touchdown of game on night Patriots outclass reeling Jets.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/788-jets2.JPG
The Patriots' Corey Dillion scores a TD.
Monday nightmare
in ABC finale
Patriots hammer overmatched Jets
BY RICH CIMINI
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Vinny Testaverde didn't want to go home. One hour after throwing a touchdown pass on what might have been the final throw of his NFL career, Testaverde, dressed in a black overcoat and black fedora, played catch with his kids on the field in an empty Giants Stadium.
The kids were dressed in No. 16 jerseys as the 42-year-old quarterback threw a toy football to his favorite receiving corps. Finally, at 1:10 a.m., Testaverde left the field. It was the perfect end to an imperfect night.
Delivering the worst prime-time show since "My Mother The Car," the Jets added another miserable chapter to their crazy, rotten season, falling to the Patriots, 31-21, last night. A television era ended, as "Monday Night Football" concluded its run on ABC after 36 years and 555 telecasts. It should've been stopped after 554.
Yes, the Jets (3-12) were that bad, going the first 2-1/2 quarters without a first down and finishing with only 171 total yards. The only feel-good moment occurred shortly after midnight, when Testaverde dropped back one last time and lofted a 27-yard scoring pass to Laveranues Coles.
It wasn't exactly Ted Williams homering in his final at-bat - only a few thousand fans stuck around for the bitter end at Giants Stadium - but it was a highlight. And there have been precious few of those for the Jets. "For me, that would be a great way to go out, throwing a touchdown pass," said Testaverde, who is expected to retire after the season. "I couldn't have scripted a better ending."
Testaverde (3-for-7, 63 yards) seemed a little surprised, maybe disappointed that he didn't get in sooner, but he didn't complain. He entered with 3:20 remaining, when the place was nearly empty. He probably played before more fans at his alma mater, Long Island's Sewanhaka High School, but he insisted he was "just happy to get in."
It was his first touchdown pass of the season, enabling him to become the first player in NFL history to throw a scoring pass in 19 different seasons. He deserved to get in sooner, but the Jets can't even manage a proper curtain call. It's been that kind of a season.
If Don Meredith had been in the TV booth, he would've been belting out his famous ditty ("Turn out the lights ...") before the end of the first half. At that point, the Jets trailed 21-7, unable to contain the Patriots' all-planet playmaker, linebacker Mike Vrabel. The Jets made Vrabel the best offensive player on the field, surrendering a pair of short touchdown passes to the 261-pound linebacker. Vrabel, known for his Super Bowl heroics on offense, became the first player since 1982 to score two touchdowns and record a sack in the same game.
Perspective? Vrabel has three touchdown receptions this season, only two fewer than the Jets' $5 milion-a-year receiver, Coles.
The game was so lopsided that, in a stretch between the second and third quarters, the Patriots held the ball for 31 consecutive plays. It was methodical dominance. "I told our team, 'That's what a playoff team looks like,'" said Herm Edwards, adding, " If we have any aspirations of being something like that, we have a lot of work to do in the offseason."
Mercifully, the Jets' season ends Sunday, when they face the Bills (5-10). The Jets (3-12) have a chance in the Reggie Bush sweepstakes, the only drama remaining in a lost season. The Patriots (10-5), regaining their championship form, beat the Jets for the sixth straight time. "The only good thing about this is, it's only one season," Edwards said. "It's not a bunch of seasons."
The Jets opened the Monday night era in 1970 with an ugly loss to the Browns, so there was some symmetry to last night's debacle. In fact, it was the same score, 31-21.
Aside from Ty Law's 74-yard interception return for a touchdown, which made it 7-7 in the first quarter, the Jets didn't show a pulse until late in the game, when Coles scored on passes of 11 and 27 yards in garbage time.
This was a step backward for the Jets, who had shown signs of improvement in recent weeks under Brooks Bollinger. On this night, Bollinger (11-for-19, 100 yards, one interception) appeared utterly confused by Bill Belichick's defense. Maybe Bollinger had stage fright; it was his first Monday night start. "They're a great football team, and they showed it tonight," said Bollinger, 1-7 as a starter.
The Patriots, led by Tom Brady (18-for-29, 185 yards, two TDs), ran a staggering 83 plays, controlling the ball for 43:21 to the Jets' 16:39. "That's ridiculous," John Abraham said.
The defense was equally at fault, allowing TD drives of 67, 61, 78 and 74 yards. Edwards talked to Testaverde about coming in for the fourth quarter, but it turned into the late, late show.
"I thought it was going to happen earlier in the game," Testaverde said, "but I'm just glad I got in."
And he didn't want to leave.
Originally published on December 27, 2005
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/153-jets1.JPG
Linebacker Mike Vrabel celebrates after scoring second touchdown of game on night Patriots outclass reeling Jets.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/788-jets2.JPG
The Patriots' Corey Dillion scores a TD.