So Rex Ryan and Kerry Rhodes have decided to consult the Anthony Smith guide to game preparation.  First off, Ryan’s voicemail to season ticket holders shows his ignorance.  Jets’ fans are not ignorant.  They may be testy, but they are intelligent.  So he insults them by explaining how he "needs their help" on Sunday.  Duh, you think they aren’t going to go nuts for Mark Sanchez, and boo like crazy when the Patriots exit the tunnel.  And Rhodes, where to begin.  First off, it’s not classy.  Second, it rarely pays off.  Name one player beside Broadway Joe who guaranteed victory that we remember.  Third, you don’t give the Patriots bulletin board material.

The Patriots’ do have their work cut out for them.  The Jets are not a bad team and Rex isn’t a bad coach.  But honestly, they beat the Texans.  Granted, the Pats needed a miracle to get by the Bills.  If you watched the Jets-Texans game, you saw Houston do little to adjust.  While the Jets blitzed again and again, Houston continued to send only two or three receivers out.  They should have spread the field and run quick routes into the holes in the zone left by blitzing linebackers.  The Texans didn’t have the personnel to do that.  The Patriots do.

Tom Brady can read the blitz and make the quick decisions needed to find the holes.  Wes Welker is the perfect receiver to get to those holes and maybe break a tackle or two after the catch.  Kevin Faulk can stay in and stop one blitzer or split wide and make the clutch catch when needed.  Oh, there’s this guy named Randy Moss too.

The game will likely be decided by the New England defense.  They need to force Mark Sanchez into poor decisions.  Even if he doesn’t turn the ball over, they still need to keep the Jets out of the end zone.  They need to buckle down on third downs and win the field position battle.  With Jerod Mayo out, that means Gary Guyton will be the starting middle linebacker.  With only Adalius Thomas and Eric Alexander as other options, look for more of a base 4-3.

If Burgess and Banta-Cain can apply some pressure from the outside, things will be looking up.  Vince Wilfork needs to win the matchup with Nick Mangold and Jarvis Green needs to show Belichick made the right move in trading Seymour.  On offense, I see Brady throwing the ball a lot.  They might even employ the no-huddle and try and tire out the Jets D.  I see a close game all afternoon long.  Patriots win 27-24.