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Moss dazzles as Patriots crush Jets

Sep 9, 2007 - 11:10 PM EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Randy Moss apparently has had no trouble adjusting to life with the New England Patriots.

Moss had 183 yards and a touchdown in his Patriots debut as New England rolled to a 38-14 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.

With the convincing win, the revamped Patriots (1-0) made a clear statement to the Jets (0-1), who went 10-6 last season and were tabbed by many as a preseason contender to unseat New England from the top spot in the AFC East.

"I'm so proud of our players today," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "I thought they went out and played a real good football game. We did a lot of things well during the game."

Most of those predictions had been fueled by the Jets' success last season under first-year coach Eric Mangini, who previously had worked as an assistant under Belichick.

Under Mangini's guidance, the Jets split the 2006 regular-season series with the Patriots before ultimately getting thrashed by New England in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

The Patriots, who lost in heartbreaking fashion to eventual Super Bowl champion Indianapolis in the conference championship game, opened their checkbook this past offseason, adding linebacker Adalius Thomas and wide receivers Donte' Stallworth and Wes Welker.

But the biggest acquisition was the mercurial Moss, who was traded to New England on draft day after spending two uneventful seasons with the Oakland Raiders.

Often criticized for his on-field antics and his problems off the field, the 30-year-old Moss missed most of the preseason with a hamstring injury, leaving many to question how well he would adapt to playing in a new offense with All-Pro quarterback Tom Brady.

But Moss answered the call and then some on Sunday, hauling in nine receptions while posting the third-highest single-game yardage total in his career.

"I've been in the league long enough that catching balls and running after the catch comes natural," said Moss, who also registered the third-highest single-game receiving total in Patriots history. "The biggest thing that I wanted to focus on this week was making sure my mind was fresh and tough enough to play, because I had not played this season."

The presence of Moss certainly was comforting to Brady, who completed 22-of-28 passes for 297 yards and three TDs. The three-time Super Bowl winner played most of the game virtually untouched in the pocket, as the Jets did not record one sack.

"Randy was a great player before he got to the Patriots and he's still a great player," Brady said. "He's a competitor. He's fast, smart, tough, physical. He has a bunch of great receivers that complement him well."

"I thought New England did a good job today with their mixture of running the ball and having the big people available," Mangini said. "When you have to commit to stopping the run, you bring him up in the box, which creates the opportunity for deeps plays."

Brady also meshed well with Welker, who finished with six catches for 61 yards and a TD. Stallworth was not a factor in his Patriots debut, catching one pass for 19 yards.

"We showed we have balance on offense and (the Jets) have to defend everybody," said Brady, who has won his last seven road games vs. the Jets. "It's complementary football."

New England took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on Brady's 11-yard scoring strike to Welker, but New York forged a tie when Chad Pennington hooked up with Laveranues Coles for a seven-yard TD with 4:20 left in the first half.

The Patriots took the lead for good three minutes later when Brady found tight end Ben Watson for a five-yard TD, capping a nine-play drive covering 73 yards.

New England pushed its lead to 21-7 in historic fashion to open the second half courtesy of kick returner Ellis Hobbs, who reeled off a 108-yard TD return on the first play of the half.

It was the longest kickoff return in NFL history, breaking the previous record of 106 yards last set by Roy Green of the St. Louis Cardinals on October 21, 1979.

Hobbs also tied the record for the longest play in NFL history. Devin Hester (2006) and Nathan Vasher (2005) of the Chicago Bears both have recorded 108-yard TD returns on missed field goals over the past two seasons.

Hobbs received the opening kickoff of the second half deep in the right corner of the end zone. The 5-9 speedster reversed his field to the left and broke a tackle near the 20-yard line before following a convoy of blockers up the left sideline for the historic score.

"When you start going, you can feel it opening up," Hobbs said. "I was running backwards and the ball continued to float.

"They pay me to return balls, so why not give them something to celebrate. Once I got to their 20, I heard everybody screaming and I looked up at the giant screen. It was showtime."

Pennington gave the Jets a major scare with just over 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter when he was sacked by defensive end Jarvis Green and limped off the field with an injured right ankle.

The injury-prone Pennington attempted to hop off the field but twice fell to the ground. However, he eventually returned to the contest and finished 16-of-21 for 197 yards and two scores.

Pennington did not offer much insight into the extent of the injury following the game.

"It's the kind of thing that you get playing basketball," said Pennington, who was replaced by Kellen Clemens in the fourth quarter.

"We will be looking at Chad and obviously analyzing where he is," Mangini said. "We will just have to see as we go."

Moss delivered the decisive blow with 7:11 left in the third quarter, hauling in a perfectly thrown 51-yard TD strike from Brady to make it 28-7.

"It was a real good read by Tommy," Moss said. "I read the defense, the corner was down and the safety was back to the right, so I came all the way across the field. Tommy has faith in me, and we had good protection."

Pennington found Coles again for a 1-yard TD to cut New York's deficit to 28-14 late in the third quarter, but New England tacked on a field goal and a late score in the fourth to complete the rout.

Laurence Maroney ran for 72 yards on 20 carries while Sammy Morris chipped in 54 rushing yards for the Patriots, who amassed 431 yards of total offense.

Conversely, Thomas Jones struggled in his Jets debut, gaining just 42 yards on 14 carries. Coles finished with 59 yards on seven receptions while Jerricho Cotchery had six catches for 57 yards for the Jets, who went just 4-for-11 on third down.

"There were a lot of positive things in the game and a lot of things we can build off of," Mangini said. "It has got to be more consistent through four quarters."