Post by Will Brinson

When the New England Patriots and New York Jets meet Sunday, the biggest matchup to watch will be Darrelle Revis and Randy Moss. That's because they're they've been talking it up and they're a pair of elite players.

However, Revis might not be shadowing the unappreciated future Hall of Famer the entire time -- Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that Revis will also cover Wes Welker, in order to "take away what the Jets perceive to be the Patriots No. 1 offensive threat."

Two things; first, this is a smart move by the Jets. Moss is really, really good, but so is Welker, and if they can successfully use Revis to stop Welker and Tom Brady from moving the chains, it'll be a lot harder for New England to take shots to Moss.

That being said, the real gamble here is leaving either Kyle Wilson or Antonio Cromartie alone on Moss -- if Brady and Co. figure out the coverage and adjust so they're taking shots at Moss when he's not on Revis Island, you'd have to think they stand a better chance of scoring some long TDs.

(Unless, that is, Revis is still not quite in full season shape and dealing with a hamstring . Then this is just "very convenient.")

And of course the notion that "Welker is better than Moss" coming from the Jets' locker room shouldn't motivate Moss to get off said island at all either.

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Posted by Will Brinson

The Jets haven't been talking quite as much publicly since losing to the Ravens. There's a good chance you hear a little private chatter, though, coming from one ex-Jet.

Danny Woodhead, a wide receiver/running back combo who cut last week by the Jets so they could add David Clowney, has reportedly signed by the Pats, according to Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald .

Provided that the report is accurate (the Pats haven't announced the move, but they do have a open roster spot following the trade of Laurence Maroney), you can all but bet that Woodhead is sitting somewhere with Bill Belichick and other members of the Pats coaching staff, being grilled about any/all knowledge he has of the Jets.

Considering that he just got dumped, there's not just a good chance he's talking, but a really good chance he knows everything the Pats would like to hear about the Jets.

On the other hand, there aren't that many secrets or surprises the Jets could bust out on offense, so maybe he won't be too helpful after all. After all, you don't have to be an NFL player to say "swing pass to LaDainian Tomlinson" and "check down."

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Posted by Will Brinson

Randy Moss said he wants to feel appreciated (he also said he doesn't feel wanted, but that was the early part of his public contract discussion). Well, the comedy troupe Improv Asylum put together a little video to let him know that he IS appreciated in the city of Boston and among Patriots fans. It's a pretty funny video (the "professional escort" commenting on Wes Welker killed me) -- the only downside is that you'll be singing "Raaaaaaandy!" for the rest of the afternoon.



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Posted by Andy Benoit



This week, Tom Brady’s criticized Patriot fans for leaving the Week 1 game early. Brady went so far as to say he didn’t think Jets fans would leave early (ouch). This got us thinking…which NFL team has the best fans? And which has the worst?

We posed the question on Facebook and Twitter (@CBSSportsNFL) . Here are the best responses we received:

Matt Kelly: "The answer is obviously Green Bay Packer fans. What other sports team has had its home games sold out consecutively since the 1950's??? And a season ticket waiting list that is decades long??? GO PACK GO!!"

Keith Merriweather: "Detroit has the best and most loyal fan base. Can you say 0-16 and 2-14 and still Ford Field is packed every home game. Man the Lions been losing for so long we cheer for them to keep from cryin. P.S. This is our year, Let's Go Lions!"

(Andy’s Note: You have to admire Keith’s optimism, but Ford Field is not “packed” for every home game; the Lions had blackouts last season and they just narrowly avoided a blackout for their home opener this week.)

Sean McCullen: "I do give props to Chiefs fans. Give that team, with its 5-36 run going into this year, to Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans ... -- Blackout City, baby!

Also, I find it funny many of you think ...we're the worst here in Philly. Not saying we're the most, but you'll find no fan base in the entire league more passionate than us. None. We're there through thick or thin. You call us the worst. Why? Be/c ESPN reports every little thing that happens here. (Stuff) happens everywhere. Get over it!"

Sean followed his response with a P.S.: “Eagles fans rule! Cowboys fans who've never flown over Texas let alone been there are the worst, by far.hing that happens here. Shit happens everywhere. Get over it!”

Cody Thomas Browns fans, of course! I give credit to any fan who adores their beloved, yet never improving, team. Gotta love 'em tho

Michael Williams: "I'm answering this a different way: best female fans! That title has to go to the Steelers, followed closely by the Browns. Female Steelers fans rock more black and gold, in jerseys, than any other female fanbase ever. It must be something about Midwest women, but all the Steelers and Browns female fans seem to really know their football." Kareem Cornelius: "If you think the Raiders have the worst fans you most be going be length of rap sheets, not anything having to do with fandom. Any fanbase that dresses like it's Halloween and fills the Black Hole for games when the team sucks and the stadium blows, with as much as there is to do in Oakland, is an excellent fan base? Raiders fans are knowledgeable too. At the Dolphins-Raiders game in Miami in 2007, Oakland had the game in hand and tried running up the score once running the clock out was a possibility. Dozens of Raiders fan stood and booed their head coach's shortsighted decision, knowing that it risked injury and a potential turnover. Raiders fans are smarter than Wade Phillips and damn fine fans!"

Christopher Haines: "Packers fans, on the other hand, are by far the best. Who else has sold out an int...er-squad scrimmage?"

Michael O'Connor: "Hey....You will never have an experience anywhere in the league like Game Day at Arrowhead stadium! From tailgating for 5 hours before the game w/BBQ to die for.... to the experience of our new revamped stadium ....To the 12th man factor of the best fans in the NFL.... The Kansas City Chiefs and Arrowhead have the loudest.... smartest....and most die hard fans in the NFL Hands Down.... Now You can all stop commenting.... THERE IS NO COMPARISON!"

William Pirozzi: "Steeler fans by far were all over the world just ask snoop he is a big steelers fan."

Matthew Vince: "What is the criteria? Are the best fans the ones with the greatest knowledge or the sheer number of fans is what makes them great? If it is number, then Washington will have to be mentioned, if it is knowledge, Philly fans are probably the way to go...and it kills me saying it 'cause I love the 9ers.

Posted by Will Brinson

On Friday, Joe Namath hosted the first edition of "Broadway Blitz," his own show on Sirius NFL radio. We wrote about said show on Thursday , and said "there's almost a near guarantee that we'll be discussing his comments here at some point in the next few weeks."

In hindsight, we were wrong. CLEARLY, it wasn't going to take that long for Namath to say something on the air that gets everyone all rabble-rabbled up. In fact, on Friday, the former Jets quarterback dropped this little ditty, via Pro Football Talk , when Adam Schein asked him if "Hard Knocks" was a mistake:

"I think so," Namath said. "I think it is for any team that's going to work to do their best to get to be their best. It's what we call 'distractions.' You're going to spend more time away from thinking about your position, your job, and the details of it when you've got other things going on around you that you're partaking in. It has to be a distraction and you can't have spent as much time on your mental preparation and homework as you would have without the distractions. So, yeah, I don't think it was a positive."

He also went on to discuss Mark Sanchez ("the only flaw is his age and experience at this point" -- hrrrrrrrrrrrrm) and the Patriots, who he called a "stronger team," before declining to actually confirm that the Pats defense was better this year.

All-in-all, Namath's review of his boys was significantly less enthusiastic than a Jets fan would probably want -- then again, if there's been anyone praising the Jets this week following that Monday Night stink-bomb against the Ravens, we'd love to meet them.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

Different town, same situation for new Denver RB Laurence Maroney. Namely, he’s injured, and he won’t play this Sunday with his new team.

But still, Maroney is walking around with a smile on his face.

New city, brand new start.

"I'm not going to say I needed it, but it is always helpful to have a fresh start, a clean slate and start over from the beginning," Maroney told the media, including the Denver Post. "All I want to do is come out here and help and do anything possible to help the team win."

Maroney was traded, along with a 2011 sixth-round draft pick, from New England for a 2011 fourth-round pick earlier this week.

Maroney, a former first-round pick, had a history of injury problems with the Patriots, and right now, he's dealing with a thigh issue, though he said he hopes to return by next week's game.

But with RBs Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter ahead of him on Denver's depth chart, it's unclear how much playing time Maroney will receive once he’s healthy.

For now, that doesn’t really matter to Maroney.

"It's one of those things where you know Denver is going to run the ball and it’s one of them things with 'Buck' and 'Know', I'm not coming in there trying to take anybody’s plays away or anybody’s shine, I just want to come in and fit in and help the team win, just be part of a winning team," Maroney said.

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Posted by Will Brinson

We covered the early games, um, earlier, but there's so much NFL goodness going on this weekend that we split our preview into two parts. Listen to the first part here.

And listen to the second part below -- it features Andy and I discussing whether or not the Jets will score an offensive touchdown this week against the Pats (although we probably should have made the bet for the season), why Seattle and Denver are so similar geographically, why on Earth the NFL forced Oakland and St. Louis to play a game this year, who will emerge victorious from the Manning Bowl, and if Mike Singletary can motivate his team enough to handle the defending champs on Monday night.

Click play below or make it easy on yourself and Subscribe via iTunes .

If you can't view the podcast, click here to download .


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Posted by Andy Benoit

Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo doesn’t believe what he hears about Darrelle Revis’ sore hamstring. It was mentioned to Mayo on the WEEI Dennis and Callahan Show that the Jets cornerback might be faking the hamstring injury.

“When I saw that story, I thought the same thing. Look, he’s healthy, he’s 100 percent healthy. I’m not buying into that,” Mayo said.
Asked if he would want the Jets to know if he was at less than full strength, Mayo said, “I wouldn’t want anybody to know. For him to come out looking like that, it’s just a decoy. So then everybody can be like, even if he goes out and has a great game, everybody will be like, ‘Oh, he’s the greatest, he has a tender hamstring, he’s coming out, running back sticks and stuff like that. I’m not buying into that.”

What went unsaid is that Revis’ last hamstring injury was a negotiating ploy (remember when Revis sat out during minicamp?).

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