•Many players were reportedly laughing as they left a team meeting where they were told of Mark Mangino's resignation. Perhaps they had also been sent this photo of an unknown flyer with a familiar waistline and hairline. (Thanks to Dr. Mongoose for the pic. Update)

•In other, more successful college football news, Oregon is heading to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1995, where they'll face Ohio State. The automatic bid system seems like a good idea until you get a matchup of two fairly decent teams emerging from horrible conferences.

•Days after a sliding clinic with Joe Girardi, Mark Sanchez injures his knee while sliding. It doesn't matter, because the Bills and the Bills, and the Jets keep their playoff hopes alive. Thankfully, the media's collective knees are fine, so they'll be able to cover Sanchez's poise with their customary reverence.

•The revolving doors at third in Philly and short in Boston bring in their newest warm bodies; Placido Polanco to the Phillies and Marco Scutaro to the Red Sox. We're one Orlando Cabrera short of a Three Tenors of Utility Infielders.

•A day after signing Billy Wagner, the Braves add Takashi Saito. I like it. You want to recreate Atlanta's dominant pitching of the turn of the century? Sign guys who were at their most effective back then.

•Albert Pujols launched a center for adults with Down syndrome. At this point, he's the only unimpeachable athlete we have left. I will now ignore media coverage for the next ten years to preserve this image of him.

•••••

Friday. Rock.

The Jets' loss was so demoralizing that today's Daily News referred to it variously as a "slap in the face," a "kick in the gut" and a "kick in the pants," an anatomically improbable combination of blows generally not seen outside of Street Fighter II. Sanchez called his performance "embarrassing." He completed 10 of 29 passes and finished with a quarterback rating of 8.3, and now, for the season, he has 10 interceptions against five touchdowns. The Bills buried Mark Sanchez's poise on a cold and gusty day at the Meadowlands as if it were the corpse of a corrupt trade unionist.

Rich Cimini, New York Daily News:

The Jets have become an undisciplined team, losing their poise at all the wrong times.

What's more, I counted a single "poise" in the run-up to the game, this one in the Canadian press, courtesy of Jets coach Rex Ryan. And even he sounded sick of the word:

David Naylor, The Globe and Mail, quoting Ryan:

We knew he had the poise and all that stuff ...

Is this the end, then? Is the poise gone? Was it even there to begin with? These are deeply unsettling questions, and surely Ryan asked himself some variation on them yesterday when he turned to the bench and briefly considered replacing Captain Poise with his backup, Kellen Clemens. He didn't, but that doesn't mean he won't at some point this season. And who is this Kellen Clemens, you ask? Just to remind you, here is how one newspaper characterized Clemens' NFL debut in 2007:

New York Post headline:

QB SHOWS POISE IN FIRST START

The Dolphins took down the Jets last night, 31-27, in a contest that was less about the result than it was about which fresh-faced quarterback, Chad Henne or Mark Sanchez, could be heaped with more meaningless compliments both before and after the game. This one, too, went down to the wire.

On Henne's side of the ledger:

Chris Joseph, Miami New Times:

Henne's poise will be key.

PhinPhanatic:

... poise in the pocket

Tom D'Angelo, Palm Beach Post:

... showed he has some pocket poise

Ray McNulty, Palm Beach Post:

... kept his poise in the pocket

Chris Burke, FanHouse, quoting Braylon Edwards:

Chad took it to a new level with his poise.

For Sanchez:

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News:

... displayed great poise

Chet Gresham, SB Nation:

... has guts and poise and all the intangibles

Daniel Rathman, NESN:

... exhibited ... poise in the face of adversity

Edgar Thompson, Palm Beach Post:

... the poise of a veteran

And, now, on both sides of the ledger:

J.P. Pelzman and Jeff Darlington, Sporting News:

... which quarterback — Sanchez or Henne — can keep his poise about him.

Chris Joseph, Miami New Times:

And while all the pre-game talk was about how much poise Mark Sanchez had to go along with that pretty face of his, in the end, it was Henne who not only displayed poise, but also a laser-rocket arm to go with that poise.

Ray McNulty, Palm Beach Post:

"That was a heck of an education for the guy tonight," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said of Henne. "He had a couple of opportunities at the end to bring this team back, and he handled it with poise."

Both quarterbacks did.

Rex Ryan, Jets coach, on Henne:

He seems to have poise just like our quarterback does

I count 11 "poise"s or implied "poise"s for Henne to just eight for Sanchez, who could've used some help this week from the usual "poise" junkies, Steve Serby and Greg Bishop, both of whose prose was noticeably "poise"-free. This "poise" rivalry between Sanchez and Henne certainly bears watching. They are the NFL's two great ambassadors of "poise," Poise Marino and Poise Montana, and maybe somewhere in the NFL there's another young, relatively unformed quarterback, perhaps running the taxi squad now, but who will one day play efficiently in a winning effort and thereby complete the triad. Where are you, Poise Elway?

CBS 2 (HD!) reporter Hazel Sanchez—that's not her real name, she just writes it all over her notebooks—went out on the street to get the female perspective on the dreamy QB. The verdict: women love him, men want to be him, and though he may not be the newest ride at the park, he's got the longest line.

"His body, his hair, his face …" one woman swooned to CBS 2 HD before nearly needing to be resuscitated.

"That No. 6 … he is so sexy. Oh my God!" added Nagee Bowe.

"He's pretty hot. I think I'd watch football, basketball, hockey, ice skating, if he was in it," said Amber Chapman of Washington Heights.

"Oh that butt. I can't miss it," one woman said.

"He looks like JFK Jr. I think he's good looking," Jill Schneider said.

"He's like stunning!" another woman said.

Sure, if you're into "conventional" good looks. But does Sanchez love them back?

When asked if he feels there's the potential for distraction, Sanchez quipped, "Maybe in the city but I'm in Jersey."

Ouch. Sorry, Jersey Girls. I guess you're stuck with these guys. But it's like Henry Kissinger said, "Poise is the ultimate aphrodisiac."

No Denying Big Apple Buzz Surrounds 'The Sanchise' [CBS]
MARK SANCHEZ OBJECTIFIED BY FEMALE JOURNALIST [BigLeagueScrew]

According to ESPN.com, via Schefter, Edwards has been traded to the Jets. This is a somewhat surprising move for several reasons—one of which is that the Jets are actually kind of good and handing a headcase to their rookie quarterback will certainly not help his poise. Also, the NFL is still investigating whether Edwards violated their conduct policy by punching a friend of LeBron James, so that's another headache they don't need.

ALSO: Michael Crabtree is finally a 49er, but he's pretty much already squandered his rookie year and will likely be playing catchup for his entire career so we don't have to think about him anymore.

Source: Braylon Edwards of Cleveland Browns traded to New York Jets [ESPN]
San Francisco 49ers, Michael Crabtree agree to contract [ESPN]
Braylon heads to Broadway [PFT]

In due time, of course. Before the game, however, things were as normal:

Jeff Duncan, Times-Picayune:

... the poise of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Mike Triplett, Times-Picayune:

... impressive poise in the pocket and in the spotlight.

Dan Parr, Pro Football Weekly:

... showing ... poise, intelligence and adaptability.

Rich Cimini, New York Daily News, quoting Jets owner Woody Johnson:

... the young man's poise.

Photo caption, ESPN.com:

... has played with poise.

Deke Bellavia, WWL-AM/FM, quoting Saints coach Sean Payton:

... has poise.

Richard Marsh, Bleacher Report:

... poise under pressure.

Dave Hutchinson, Newark Star-Ledger, quoting Jets coach Rex Ryan:

... clearly has that kind of poise ...

Jason Brown, Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

... legendary poise ...

Steve Serby, New York Post, after last week's victory over the Titans:

... never lost his poise ...

Before today, Serby's journalism had accounted for eight "poised"s, including this two-fer back in mid-August: "You name it — poise, swagger, moxie, accuracy, leadership — Sanchez brought it all to the table. ... Sanchez looked poised and decisive." He has out"poised" the New York Times' "poise" junkie, Greg Bishop. Serby is to "poise" what Reilly is to teeth. He deploys "poise" the way Hemingway used "and." And now? What have you to say for Mark Sanchpoise today, Steve Serby?

Steve Serby, New York Post:

... saved his poise and deadly accuracy for the postgame press conference.

Photo via GQ

In today's paper, Bishop, whom we've met before, writes of the Jets:

The two constants have been the poise of their rookie quarterback and the defense.

To which we can now add a third: a beat writer who doesn't seem to have access to a thesaurus. Bishop's stories have accounted for six "poise"s since Aug. 6.

Sept. 25: "... Sanchez's poise, pocket presence and decision-making" (this appeared online under the headline, "Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has already shown the poise of a more experienced player")

Sept. 15: "... the poise exhibited by Sanchez ..."

Sept. 13: "... displayed poise rarely seen from rookie quarterbacks ..."

Aug. 6, quoting coach Rex Ryan: '' ... wanted to see poise ..."

This has now officially gotten out of hand. Sanchez had a nice broken-play touchdown run yesterday and a largely unremarkable day throwing the ball. The English language fairly bulges with hollow compliments for a performance like that. Sanchez was self-possessed. He was serene. Assured. Phlegmatic. He played with confidence and aplomb and equanimity. Any of those, and a thousand more, would serviceably evoke the notion of a quarterback who looks like a quarterback and doesn't constantly throw the ball to the other team's safety, which is all "poise" really means in this context anyway. Deadlines are a bitch, and all writers have their crutches, but for a reporter at our country's paper of record to turn time and again to the same lame cliché shows a distinct lack of — oh, what's the word? — sangfroid.

Photo via GQ

It's Sloppy, but Jets Are 3-0, and That's No Mistake [New York Times]

The piece is basically a 1,587 word pot shot at Jets fans, as written by a 19th century English countess or Kelsey Grammer after a couple of mimosas. And if you happen to have an Olde English Dictionary on hand, you'd understand why Jets fans want Ventre's head.

Fans of the New York Jets have a unique place in the hearts of America. Of course, congenital defects, clots and LDL cholesterol also fit that description. The typical Jets fan is male, about 26-35, built like Weeb Eubank, and has been wearing the same No. 12 jersey since the sixth grade, a garment that usually has been spared the indignity of repeated machine washings. The most important day in the life of a Jets' fan is Draft Day, when he and his brethren gather inside a New York ballroom or arena to greet the franchise's selections with catcalls and language that would make a Merchant Marine drop anchor so he could cover his ears.

Goodness! Catcalls in ballrooms! Merchant Marines dropping anchor! Garments without Repeated Machine washings! So far some good, friendly joshing. But here it takes a turn for the nasty:

The arrival of the gifted and chronically upbeat Sanchez, coupled with the installment of Rex Ryan as head coach, sent tremors through Jets Nation. No longer would Jets Fan have to comfort himself with a 24-ounce draft and a chili-covered knish, although he certainly left that option open. The team's fortunes were on the upswing. Joy to the %$#@! world.

The USC product [Mark Sanchez] is supremely confident without being abrasive. He is so appealing that Jets Fan has to resist the temptation to put cheese and onions on him.

BURN!

It's Ryan who might be the catalyst for turning the Jets into the Raiders East. And we all know how they're doing.

The previous Team That You Love To Hate was the Patriots, but for different reasons. The Patriots rarely opened their mouths; in fact, it was Belichick's sullen inscrutability, which spread throughout his roster, that rankled observers and opponents more than any overt attitude. Tom Brady, the team's poster boy for goodness and victory, was always maddeningly efficient rather than brazenly antagonistic.

The Patriots got your goat by frustrating it; the Jets do it by hitting it with a shovel.

That's tolerable when you're 2-0. But if Ryan and the Jets lose a few; if they suffer a key injury or two; or if the clock strikes midnight and Sanchez starts to bear an uncanny resemblance to a pumpkin, then foes, fans and media alike will being [begin?]to return the uncouth favors.

And if I were Jets Fan, I would continue to sharpen my grousing skills, just in case. It's still early in the season, and next year's draft day will be here before you know it.

You hear that, Rex? UNCOUTH FAVORS — like insulting your dad with this semi-obscure Ann Landers reference: "Buddy [Ryan] was never a student of the Ann Landers school of football etiquette."

DOUBLE BURN!!! (I think.)

Believe it or not, Ventre has actually written way more offensive stuff in the past about the Pats, sweatshops and how Bill Belichick's hoodie is destroying humanity:

Don't forget, too, that aside from Brady and Belichick, the rest of the Patriots make minimum wage or thereabouts. That's why so many of them leave to go to other teams. They're the Northern Marianas sweatshop of the NFL. Season-ticket holders not only get access to exhibition, regular-season and playoff games, they also get garments at cost. I understand the Patriots' defensive backs coach is a 10-year-old boy named Eduardo.

[...]

Does society really need to see more camera shots of Belichick on the sidelines in an old sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off? The Super Bowl reaches approximately 1 billion people in over 230 countries and territories. What we're saying to the world, in essence, is that this is one of the most successful men in the U.S. at his profession, and if you work hard enough, you too can someday dress like him. I imagine that might slow human initiative around the globe.

Some of the highlights from Jets blogs:

What barbaric fans we are drinking beer and eating hot dogs. This guy wouldn't last a second at a game without his latte and veggie burger. He sounds like a diehard Rachel Maddow fan to me...just another reason to hate NBC, MSNBC because they employ people like this to bash people who don't live in their little fantasy world.

That "writer" is a doosh. I bet his parents wished they'd had a boy.

The guy has never been to an NFL game in his life. what he describes is not a "jet" fan, but a football fan. i have been to philly and foxboro and they destroy us in the white trash department...

Extremely unprofessional, arrogant and poorly structured. And for what purpose? It's not like Rex just beat his wife or four Jets raped a nun.


That's right: "poorly structured"! Right back atcha, Michael.

Ryan turning Jets into team everyone can hate: N.Y. overshadowing 2-0 record with boorish behavior prompted by its coach [NBC Sports]

Clifton Brown, Sporting News:

Sanchez's poise. ...

USA Today headline:

... Sanchez's poise creates excitement for N.Y. Jets

Peter King, Sports Illustrated:

What made his performance more surprising was his poise.

Tom Pedulla, USA Today:

Extremely poised performer.

Boston Globe headline:

... showed poise

Shalise Manza Young, Providence Journal:

... continues to show poise.

Manish Mehta, Newark Star-Ledger:

... showing poise under fire.

RealScouts, Sporting News:

... showed a great deal of poise ...

Rich Cimini, New York Daily News:

... showed remarkable poise.

Patriots Insider:

... displayed a lot of poise ...

Aaron Wilson, National Football Post:

... displayed poise and touch ...

Greg Bishop, The New York Times:

... displayed poise rarely seen from rookie quarterbacks ...

Dave Hutchinson, Newark Star-Ledger:

Displaying the poise of a veteran ...

Barbara Barker, Newsday:

... displayed the poise of a veteran ...

Marcia C. Smith, Orange County Register, quoting wide receiver Chansi Stuckey:

... has poise, humility and can handle the pressure like a veteran.

Wallace Matthews, Newsday, quoting Joe Namath:

... has poise, but he's been playing football for a little while. He's supposed to have poise.

Mike Vaccaro, New York Post:

... precocious poise under pressure ...

Matt Bowen, National Football Post:

... looked poised and mature ...

Rich Cimini, New York Daily News, quoting Rex Ryan:

... clearly has that kind of poise and that awareness ...

Dave Hutchinson, Newark Star-Ledger:

... poise and a plan.

Michael Lombardi, National Football Post:

His poise, his command and most of all his leadership skills ...

Gary Myers, New York Daily News:

... has the arm, poise and charisma.

Jennifer Toland, Worcester Telegram:

... certainly has charisma and looks, and ... poise, presence and talent, too.

The Jets talked a lot of smack last week and for the first time in 40 years they backed it up. (OMG, MARK SANCHEZ IS JOE NAMATH! Only not as "handsy.") They owe it all to a robocall from Ryan to Jets season ticket holders, reminding them that when you are at a sporting event it is acceptable—nay, even encouraged!—to voice your support for your favorite team through a series of "yells" and "cheers." No one had ever tried that before against Tom Brady and the Patriots and, shockingly, it worked! Genius! Enjoy your game ball, Faceless Horde!

Seriously though, Ryan said he wasn't going to kiss Bill Belichick's rings and now Bill Belichick can kiss his ass. At least until November when they meet again in New England. But you're the man for at least a few days, Rex. Even if your team might be stupidly messing around in that whole 49ers/Michael Crabtree debacle. Hey, what's football without a little tampering?.

Ryan praises role of loud crowd in Jets' victory [Newsday]
Rex Ryan's Jets back up all the talk, beat Tom Brady and Patriots, 16-9 [NYDN]
Jets' bombast bordering on the ridiculous [Dan Shaughnessy]
Patriot Pratfall: The View From New England [NY Times]
[Photo via Daily News]

* * * * *

Here are some other big winners, who did not win quite as big:

Lane Kiffin: Tennessee did not get embarrassed by Tebow and The Swine Flu this weekend. So that's like a victory, right? Florida is a terrible Best Team Ever! [Orlando Sentinel/USA Today/SI]

Ray Lewis: HEY, DREW DEEP BALLS! WOULD A GLORY HOUND RUN THROUGH A PUNCTURE-WOUND SIZED HOLE IN THE SAN DIEGO FRONT AND WIN THE GAME BY HIMSELF? (But also win it for the team! But also for himself!) NOW YOU SHALL WATCH ME DO MY DANCE! [Baltimore Sun]

Frank Gore: Barry Sanders was the last guy to have two 79-plus-yard runs in the same game. That was the season he ran for 2,000 yards. The Lions later got bounced from the playoffs and Sanders retired a year later. What I'm trying to say is that Matt Millen should be the GM of the 49ers. [SF Chronicle]

Milton Bradley: America's surliest baseball player finally got his wish—he doesn't have to play for the Cubs anymore. [Chicago Tribune]

Charlie Weis: As long as Mark Dantonio has a job, Charlie Weis is going to be okay. [Lansing State Journal]

1. J-E-T-S! GAY GAY GAY! Worst chant ever? Worst chant ever. Good thing the word "jets" only has four letters in it, or else the Jersey steakheads cheering this team on would have no fucking chance in hell of ever spelling it right. The Jets are the team you root for if you're the sort of person who not only embodies Jersey trash, but embraces just such an embodiment, self-consciously overexaggerates it because you think it's somehow charming. You know the kind of people I'm talking about. I'm not just talking about the B&T chick with press-on nails and a cheap French manicure (the manicure for people who don't want to look French!). I'm talking about the kind of chick who does that AND purposely uses words like "mootzarell," or actually says "fuhgeddaboutit" even though no one ever really says that unconsciously. I'm talking about the kind of person who tells you they have relatives in the mob even though they don't. I'm talking about the kind of person who is simultaneously trash and poseur trash. It's a neat twin-bill. That's the kind of dipshit you get when you run into a Jets fan on the street, a strained caricature of a low-rent human being. Someone who decided being regular Jersey trash wasn't good enough, and decided to become the Disneyfied version of it instead. Hey Jets fans, you're about as authentic as the inside of a fucking Bertucci's. Get fucked and die.

2. Hey Sanchez, goony goo goo! Rookie QB Mark Sanchez has already bagged $28 million in guaranteed money, AND he's banging model Hilary Rhoda to boot. He gets to live in Manhattan and experience all the joys of being a rich, handsome young man in the best city in America. Now, ask yourself, if YOU were Mark Sanchez, would you really give much of a shit about being good at football? I wouldn't. The guy has cash and pussy all around him. He's won life already. Does he really need to work 90-hour weeks and try and get a Super Bowl title? And waste away precious time that could be spent banging chicks in the bathroom at the Hudson Hotel library bar? I say that's downright foolish. Irresponsible, even. You're practically compelled to waste your career away when you're in that sort of position. Call it Leinartitis. It's just hard to sit down and think only about football when you've got so many other fun things to do. Not many QB's are dedicated in quite that way. Tom Brady bagged himself plenty of supermodels, but until well after he had proven himself. Mark Sanchez doesn't really have to do SHIT if he doesn't feel like it.

There's also the fact that Sanchez spent most of his college career throwing to wide-open receivers with the rush fifteen yards away from him. He may as well have been playing 500. Any pressure to live up to supposedly soul-breaking media scrutiny is easily dodged with a thrice-daily hot tub orgy. In other words… he's gonna be a fucking bust.

3. Fuck you, Rex Ryan. Thomas Jones had a stellar year last year. Rookie Shonn Greene shows a lot of promise (when not nursing some sort of Beanie Wells type injury). And a lot of people think Leon Washington is a decent fantasy sleeper. Well, go ahead and throw all three of those gentlemen away, gang. Because Ryan has already said that he'd rotate the three backs just as the Ravens rotated their three backs last year. That means, if you own a Jets running back, you are fucked sideways. Say hello to the new Mike Shanahan. Although, I must say, I like the cut of Ryan's jib. He's like his dad, only he isn't a moron. Given the doodoo reception Eric Mangini has gotten in Cleveland, the somewhat rash decision to switch coaches last year is suddenly looking like a swell idea.

4. Seriously though, their fans are assholes. Reader Bryan used to work security at the Meadowlands. Here's what he had to say:

I used to work security at the Meadowlands 3 years ago. The most overwhelming thing about these idiots is that they don't know how to react when they see women. Any girl that was even remotely attractive (which in this crowd amounted to being slightly better looking than Large Marge from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure) and didn't come to flash their milky gifts better get used to being showered with beer and the "C" bomb. Not to mention the assholes that would threaten to follow them to their cars. Imagine - a girl who didn't show up to strip for this crowd of fat fucks - the nerve!!! These jackoffs make the guys who assaulted Jodi Foster in "The Accused" look mild mannered. The amount of girls that would ask security for escorts to the bathroom every week was insane. Really, Woody Johnson should give away rape kits as a promotional item…

Incidents involving security at a Jets game vs. a Giants game is around 10:1 every year. And it's not fighting with the opposing teams' fans - it's a lot of fights with their own fat, toothless brethren. Perfect example - I worked the Jets - Pats blowout in 2007. We had to break up 3 different fights in the same section during the 4th quarter - and all 3 involved Jets fans fighting with one another.

5. Hey, you fucks won a Super Bowl. Stop acting like you're the most tortured fanbase in sports. You've got nothing on Buffalo and Cleveland fans.

6. Everyone hates Fireman Ed! More from the readers...

Fireman Ed? The jack-ass who sits on another man's shoulders and leads the "J-E-T-S" chant that was obviously created after a night of acid trips and watching the Electric Company? His favorite player growing up was Paul Warfield, who just happened to play for the Miami Dolphins. It would be like finding out Jack Nicholson rooted for Bill Russell growing up. This guy is your de facto spirit squad captain, Jets fans? Fucking lame…

Fireman Ed. Fuck you. I see you in the endzone with your cock and balls firmly placed against your gargantuan tard friend who hoists you up. I see you lead the most annoying cheer this side of "fly eagles fly." Stop at all costs. I've been told by a few people that you supposedly got fired from the NYFD. Good for you. Fuckface…

I'll tell one quick story: the Jets moved from Shea Stadium to Giants Stadium in 1984 in an effort to force New York City to give them a better deal on a proposed Jets-only stadium. The city called their bluff, and the team has been playing in another team's stadium ever since.

Fast-forward to 2004: plans for a new Jets stadium on the West Side of Manhattan fall through thanks to cronyism. The Jets backup plan is a stadium in their original home, Queens. OK, fine, we can all live with that. Then we find out that the Queens plan was only leverage, and the REAL plan was to build a new stadium in New Jersey. At the Meadowlands. With the Giants.

Of all the shitty, soul-crushing, kick-in-the-nads moments in this franchise's history, this one is the most mind-boggling. Memo to Woody Johnson: get feline AIDS. Then die of feline sarcoma. You grundlefaced meatus licker.

Meatus licker? That reminds me of something…

7. If I have to hear Berman talk about how they played at the Yale Bowl one more fucking time. There's no homerism quite like Nutmeg State homerism.

Wanna be part of the Deadspin NFL previews? It's simple. Just email me here and give me some reasons why the team you hate most sucks. If it's because you dated a fan of the team and she turned out to be some crazy bitch who keyed your car, all the better. I'll throw any good material into the post and give you proper credit. We've got the AFC West, AFC North, and AFC East to go.

They sprinted through the tunnel toward the victorious visitors' locker room. Quarterback Brett Favre and cornerback Ty Law, two of the oldest players on the Jets, bounded up the ramp like children in a footrace instead of golden oldies with 32 years of combined N.F.L. experience.

That was when they beat the Titans. Here's when they lost to the Niners:

These are the same Jets who sauntered into Tennessee last month and dropped the Titans from the ranks of the unbeaten, the same Jets who vanquished the ghosts of Patriots past the week before with a victory in Foxborough, Mass.

But those Jets - the ones who elicited talk of an all-New York Super Bowl with the Giants - have looked like the same old Jets in recent losses to Denver and San Francisco, the same old Jets of 40 years of tortured history since their last Super Bowl victory.

Every Greg Bishop game story is a bronze-plated rendering of Football History. It's the Jets, for crapsake! Less opera, more soap opera. "The people who read his stories are the Jets fans who have been students of this team long before he came around," a Jets fan wrote me after the San Francisco story went up. "I don't need the beat reporter to tell me any of this—I want news, I want insight that I couldn't get from CBS."

Another Jets-loving friend calls him "a fancy-pants version of Randy Cross...He might as well be writing about the Seahawks. He certainly gives the impression of someone who's doing time on the beat because the Giants slot is taken."

The Nets have changed their road uniforms for the upcoming season to just say "Nets" instead of "New Jersey", which means thousands of NBA fans in other cities will be watching a visiting team and have no idea where they came from. This prompted Senate Minority Whip Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove) to look around at the big NY signs on Giants and Jets paraphernalia and say, "Heyyyy, wait a second...."

"New Jersey's professional sports teams, the Nets, Jets and Giants, have no problem feeding at the taxpayer funded trough, yet seem to forget who their benefactors are when they order the teams' uniforms," O'Toole said. "The taxpayers of this state have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into infrastructure upgrades in the Meadowlands where all the teams play their home games. Is it too much to ask that professional sports teams that benefit from the support of the New Jersey taxpayer recognize the state on their uniforms?

No, I suppose it isn't, sir. Of course, one could also make the argument that pro sports teams don't deserve taxpayer-funded anything because they are filthy rich corporations that don't need government largesse to stay in business. Instead, you would rather insist that the Nets continue to embarrass your entire state by admitting that they belong to you.

At least the Devils don't hate you! (Yet.)

O'Toole slams Nets for dropping 'NJ' from uniforms, suggests withholding state subsidies for teams that don't show Jersey pride [Politicker NJ, via Hugging Harold Reynolds]

You see, the New York Jets' kicker isn't just one of those dumb jocks who misses three field goals in one game. He follows the news and has a working knowledge of history. He went to the University of Michigan, and he graduated. Also, he thinks Barack Obama is really a socialist Muslim whose policies are meant to cripple the country, and for some reason, Feely isn't a fan. (Or, you know, something like that.)

Worldly, well-spoken and capable of alluding to the foundation of character traits that makes Amuricah great? Sign this guy up for The Great American Panel, and spell his name right, if you can.

So last night, when Feely hobnobbed with Hannity and two other white men, the conversation dealt with Iran. Hannity cited Reagan and Solidarity — what else would he do? — and when he turned to Feely for insight, the placekicker didn't whiff. He quoted the 19th-century clergyman Phillips Brooks (not Phillip Brooks, mind you), and even better, he referenced leadership in the process. He talked about character and honor. He brought up Iran, and North Korea, and some dude named Chavez. It was almost like he had an offensive coordinator feeding talking points in his ear.

Per Feely's Twitter bio — the ADD version of Wikipedia — the kicker is a "golfing fanatic, fishermen, Christian, with political aspirations." Wonder which party has his vote.

Nate Silver, start breaking down the polls: Feely 2012!