While the title of this post is a little misleading - I'm still worried about the young secondary and the inability to run the ball consistently - I refuse to overreact to the Patriots 28-14 loss to the Jets yesterday.
The reason is that for all the bravado on behalf of the Jets, the Patriots are still the standard of success in the AFC East. The Jets pulled this act last year - talking a big game and winning at home against the Pats in Week 2 - but in the end the Patriots won the division title.
This situation reminds me of the Hulk Hogan-Ultimate Warrior feud in the early 1990s. Hogan was the reigning champion and the Warrior was the out of control upstart looking for Hogan's championship belt. Yes, the Warrior did pin the Hulkster for the title at Wrestlemania VI but a year later the strap was wrapped back around Hogan's waist.
(The fact that Wrestlemania VI was held in Toronto - outside of the United States - is often ignored when discussing reasons why Hogan lost to the Warrior. The Hulkster represented the Red, White, and Blue and he lost at least half of his powers while in the land of the Maple Leaf. Had to be said.)
The Jets are like the Ultimate Warrior. Their appearance on HBO's "Hard Knocks" and their love of the media is just like the Warrior bouncing around the ring and acting like the top rope was electrified. It did lead to success but his act wore thin quickly and his reign at the top of the WWF was a brief one.
On the other hand, the Patriots are the Hulk Hogan (WWF version) of the NFL. They might not always win but in the end, they stand for what is right about their sport. They play hard, they have stable leadership, and they don't self promote.
So if the Jets want to celebrate an early season home win in a game that they needed more than the Patriots did, that's fine. In the end, the Patriots will be the ones on top of the AFC East and will be in a good position to contend for another Super Bowl.
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