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The source for back issues of Clint's Corner. Forget a trade? Were Clint's predictions correct? Here's every edition, verbatim.

For 9/12/2002

Perspective...

Lest you think I was going to begin my column this week with a few paragraphs of "I told you so's" directed at the Steelers and their fans, think again. While the significance of this game was well documented in the weeks and months prior to September 9, now that the game is over it's simply just one game. If you're still talking about the Steelers and not the Jets, you would not last long on Bill Belichick's staff.

The Patriots performed better than even the most optimistic among us in Patriot Nation could have hoped for. We knew the defense was solid, but to once again shut down the Steeler running game and make Stewart appear lost? How about the offense? Check the box score - but 30 of 30 points came from the "O". No scoring needed this time from special teams or the defense. Quickly putting to rest fears of a Sophomore Jinx, Tom Brady enjoyed one of his finest outings ever in his still blossoming career. We here in New England knew our Super Bowl Champions were no fluke, but 30-14? It couldn't have possibly gone any better.

All of this is great, but the 1-0 Patriots are no different than exactly half of the NFL at this point in the season. In fact, 8 of the Patriots next 9 opponents are also 1-0. At this time last season, the NFL's eventual "final four" were a collective 1-3 while the Carolina Panthers were 1-0 on their way to 1-15. This is the first time Bill Belichick has won on opening day in New England. The last coach to do that was Pete Carroll, who in 1999 defeated the preseason AFC favorite Jets in the Meadowlands. Carroll's Patriots in fact jumped out to 4-0 before finishing the season 8-8 and out of the playoffs.

We've got 15 games to go. The battered Steelers, with their cup cake schedule, could quickly regroup and still find themselves in position to host a playoff game or two in January. The 1-0 Patriots cannot rest on the laurels of a single regular season victory, even if it was perhaps the single greatest regular season game in franchise history.

Pass the tissues...

Last Monday night was right up there as not only one of my greatest Patriots memories of all time, but as one of the greatest moments for me personally period! (Don't ask me to rank, as my wife sometimes reads my columns) The grand opening of Gillette Stadium, the unveiling of the World Championship banner, and the rematch/ grudge-match against the Black & Gold, in search of the elusive R-E-S-P-E-C-T… believe me there were few dry eyes in the house around 8:45 pm.

Just when you thought the Patriots could not be any hotter following the parade in downtown Boston last February, they're back and the tickets are hotter than ever. People seated around me in section 133 claimed to have spent hundreds of dollars for the $99 seats they were sitting in. (Why just one fan got singled out and kicked out recently for reselling tickets to one game on eBay is beyond me. The policy is clear and well publicized, but not even close to being consistently enforced - but that's another story.) With the Red Sox having their annual September foot in the grave, the Patriots are once again the only game in town.

When I was in college during the '88 through '91 seasons, the Patriots were a distant 4th out of 4 on the Beantown radar screen. When I'd mention I was a season ticket holder, I'd always get a quite genuine response of "Why?" When I'd drive the 5 hours south to attend the home games, no one could understand what I could possibly be thinking. My how things have changed. Before a sold-out state of art venue of 68,000+, Bob Kraft thanked the season ticket holders who had supported the organization through thick and thin - and one can only assume he was addressing approximately 1/3 of those in attendance as many a game throughout the 80's and 90's drew fewer than 30,000 fans. I for one am damn proud to have been among those he was thanking.

Out of the frying pan...

The task at hand in week 2 is far more challenging than the one the Patriots passed with flying colors last week. If the Patriots don't agree, they'll quickly become a .500 football team with an 0-1 mark in their division. The Jets had a very solid preseason, defeated a fired-up Buffalo team on the road last week, and have what appears to be a very formidable roster on both sides of the ball. Let's not forget that had the Jets been on the other side of their 17-16 loss to the Patriots last season, they could easily have been the #2 seed in the AFC instead of the Patriots. How quickly we sometimes overlook the fine line between success and the perceived lack thereof in the NFL.

If the Patriots were not to be dismissed having scored 14-points on special teams in the AFC Championship game, then why should the Jets be looked upon any differently just because Chad Morton returned two kickoffs for scores last Sunday? The Jets are a good team and fully expect to compete in and win the AFC East in 2002. There are many in the local and national media who agree. I for one cannot envision a much tougher scenario, especially coming off of a short week.

This is by no means a "must win" game in week 2, but although lacking the hoopla of the Monday Night game, it's more important. Top to bottom, the AFC East is the toughest division in football. Splitting each of your season series to finish 3-3 will not cut it. The champion of this division will need to win a minimum of 4 divisional games, which means a road victory or two is a must while holding your own at home. The Jets already have a divisional road victory in hand. The Patriots will not host a divisional rival until December 8, making the road games all the more important, and the Patriots will not see the Jets again until week 16. The Patriots would obviously prefer not to enter the home stretch 1-2 or 0-3 in divisional play.

Tall order? You bet. However, if I didn't think the Patriots were up to the task, I would not be catching a 6 am bus bound for the Meadowlands next Sunday. If you happen to be in the neighborhood of section 306, be sure to stop by to say hello (or talk trash).

Win-Win...

Love him or hate him, I'll bet you tuned in to see how Drew Bledsoe would do in his debut as a Buffalo Bill. I touched upon this in my last column, but although I know it makes sense to cheer against Drew to increase the value of the #1 draft pick, I found myself cheering for him just as I did when he wore the Patriots uniform.

When Bledsoe led his offense out onto the field down 7-points late in the 4th quarter, it was the put-up or shut-up moment that everyone, including Drew, had been waiting for since the trade was finalized last April. While we in New England are now accustomed to seeing a patient surgeon go to work in such situations in the person of #12, Bledsoe was his typical gun-slinger self, firing passes 40-yards down the sideline to receivers running fly patterns.

It didn't work. After gaining one first down, Bledsoe threw two incomplete passes and was then sacked on 3rd down. With just over 3 minutes remaining in the game, the Bills were going to punt away and hope their defense would give Bledsoe another chance. But wait - the Jets were called for roughing the punter, giving the Bills new life near mid-field. Bledsoe went on to complete two huge 4th down passes, the latter being a 29-yard touchdown pass off a pump-fake on 4th and 9 with 30 seconds left in the game. I was ecstatic - but why?

The icing on the cake came on the first play of overtime. The Jets won the game on a kickoff return. The Bills lost, but it wasn't "Drew's fault." He played a great game, led a memorable last minute comeback, and even won over a lot more fans with his crushing block on DT Jason Ferguson early in the game. Buffalo fans are happy to have Drew Bledsoe. Patriot fans are happy to have Tom Brady. The Bills are 0-1 and the Patriots are 1-0.

Could anyone have scripted a better week 1? Aside from the lowly Lions perhaps blowing out the Dolphins in Miami, probably not. See you next week.