Top Ten Border War Moments
10. Joe Namath's Beer Goggles
Dec. 20th, 2003. In this late season Saturday Night game, and Joe Willie was there being honored as a member of the Jets all-time team. His near sexual assault of an unsuspecting Suzy Kolber took all the focus off of Chad Pennington on a night when the then media darling Chad was throwing five INTs on the way to a 21-16 loss. It would've been hard to kiss Suzy with Pennington's penis lodged in her mouth. Joe's just a happy guy...Oh boy is he happy...
9. 1988: Mark Gastineau Hits on My Lady
True story: My Sweet Irish Rose sang the National Anthem at Foxboro Stadium before the Pats 14-13 win in Week 11. After the song, Gastineau came up to her and told her she was great. Lucky for him I wasn't in the picture yet, because if the guy tried to mess with my woman like that, I'd have dropped the gloves and introduced him to The Hammer and The Anvil, post haste. Then I would've banged Brigette Nielsen, just to put the exclamation point on it.
8. Curtis Martin and the Poison Pill
Early in 1998, the Jets tender a contract offer for the Pats fourth year RB. Martin is clearly on his way to becoming the best RB in Patriots history. But to match the Jets offer, the Pats will have to bite the bullet on some expensive guaranteed bonuses. Plus they get a 1st & a 3rd round draft pick back, so they let him go. Martin goes on to become one of the great rushers of all time, an iron man and a class act. Then Pats GM Bobby Grier uses the picks to draft a quadraplegic and Stork from "Animal House."
7. 2007 Wild Card Game
Pats win in Foxboro, 37-16 at Foxboro, but it wasn't that close. One Pats drive died at the Jets 11 with a fumble, and one Jets TD was a 77 yarder by Jerricho Cotchery on a broken play. It was the beginning of the end of the Eric Mangini Era, as he'd never be called "Mangenius" again without it being meant ironically.
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6. Parcell's Phone Bill
While the Patriots were making the run to Super Bowl XXXI, everyone on Earth knew he was heading to the Jets to take over as their Coach/GM/God the second the 1996 season ended. Everyone except for Dale Arnold and Eddie Andelman, who managed to never bring up the topic while Tuna was on their show every week, and Parcells himself who answered every question he did get with the Frankie Pantangele "Wha? The... who? Jets? I don't know nothing 'bout that..." thing. After Parcells took over in New York, the Pats let it be known that he spent the '96 season making literally hundreds of phone calls on behalf of the Jets from his office in Foxboro.
5. 1985 Wild Card Game
Patriots win 26-14 in the Meadowlands for their first playoff win since the NFL merger. They set the template for their playoff run with solid special teams (4 Tony Franklin FG's), aggressive defense (3 sacks by Garin Veris), forcing turnovers (a 15 yard fumble return TD by LB Johnny Rembert), and not letting Tony Eason do anything to blow it.
4. Tuna Bowl I
Week 8, 1997. Not since Rocky I has someone been so triumphant in a loss. The Jets were coming off a 1-15 season, the Pats off a Super Bowl year. But Parcells almost single handled willed his team to victory only to lose in OT. The Jets tied the game with 31 seconds to go on a Neil O'Donnell-Keyshawn Johnson hookup. On the ensuing kickoff, the Pats Derrick Cullors fumbled, Jets ball. Rookie K John Hall's 29 yard game winner was blocked and the Pats won in OT. It would be the start of three years worth of humiliations at Parcells' hands.
3. Mo Lewis Guts Drew Bledsoe
Week 2, 2001. Give credit to Lewis for a good, clean play. And to Bledsoe for going back in the game after a hit so hard it set off car alarms in East Rutherford. But the hit ushered in the career of a figure of such importance that every year on Sept 9 we should all put pine trees in our living rooms and swap gifts.
2. HC of the NYJs
Parcells retired from the sidelines to move up to the Jets front office. As per their arrangement, Bill Belichick was set to be introduced as their next head coach. On the way to the press conference, he handed his (almost) boss a handwritten note scribble on a piece of scrap paper that said "I am resigning as the HC of the NYJs" then met the media in a press conference that was so bizarre, if it happened today, in about two weeks it'd be used in a commercial with skinny college kids saying "Coach, would you stay for a cold refreshing Coors Light?
1. The Revenge Bowl.jpg)
December 16, 2007. A 24 ½ point spread. The Pats cover, Brady sets the passing TD record (he needs 5) , Moss sets the receiving TD record (3), and the Pats set the single season scoring record (54). At halftime the Jets deliver Mangini's sacrificed corpse to Belichick as tribute and beg him to stop the vengeful, biblical plague he has unleashed upon them. He refuses.