New England Patriots defeat New York Jets, 20-10

FOXBOROUGH - The longest-tenured member of the Patriots' defense stood in front of his locker, satisfied with the effort of a unit that allowed just 3 points.

Linebacker Tedy Bruschi has experienced different types of victories over his 12-year career with the club, and he agreed that this one had a distinct old-school flavor to it.

Call it a throwback win, delivered by the 'D'.

As the Patriots were rolling to Super Bowl victories in the 2001, 2003, and 2004 seasons,...

FOXBOROUGH - The much-anticipated postgame handshake was - like the game - cold and uneventful.

There was no midfield snowball fight featuring the head coaches. No Greco-Roman wrestling match between Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini. There was just a short, civilized grasp of frozen fingers. End of game. End of story. For now. You never know, of course. Maybe we'll learn later that Matt Estrella was playing Radio Nowhere into the headset of Chad Pennington. Maybe we'll f...

FOXBOROUGH - Next.

For all the hype and Shakespearean plot twists, the Patriots much-anticipated rematch/grudge match with the New York Jets yesterday at Gillette Stadium was just another ho-hum victory for a team that has turned winning into a routine ritual.

Like the postgame handshake between Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his former protégé, Eric Mangini, the Patriots' 20-10 victory was anticlimactic.

Scoring a season-low 20 points, the Patriots didn't serv...

FOXBOROUGH - Here's a shock: Eric Mangini wasn't going anywhere near Spygate. Just a tough division game against a quality foe, you know?

"My emotions are related to the fact that the players prepared hard and fought hard and put themselves in a position to win against a very good football team," deadpanned the Jets mentor. "To me, it was a disappointment because of the opportunities we had today."

Four Jets trips inside the red zone generated zero touchdowns. That m...