New York Jets
On January 7, 2007, the Jets played rival AFC East champion New England Patriots. The Jets had both beaten and lost to the Patriots in the regular season. While the Jets took an early 10-7 lead after a field goal and a 77-yard touchdown catch and run by Jerricho Cotchery, which was the second longest pass play in Wild Card history, the Jets were not able to score another touchdown, and the Patriots closed out the game after two turnovers by the Jets offense. The Jets postseason ended with a 37-16 loss. One notable aspect of the game was the rivalry between Patriot head coach Bill Belichick and Jet head coach Eric Mangini. The two were not on good terms, and their relationship was widely publicized before the game. Regardless, at games end, the two embraced.
The 2007 season opened with high expectations from fans, as the lackluster 2006 running game was boosted by the addition of former Chicago Bears running back Thomas Jones. But with a tougher schedule than the one faced in 2006, commentators were skeptical. Unfortunately for the New York Jets, the commentators were right. Chad Pennington, who a year earlier had been named NFL Comeback Player of the Year, having overcome what many thought was a career ending rotator cuff injury, began to be hampered by his weakened arm as opposing defenses were not forced to stretch their coverage due to Pennington’s inability to throw the ball fast or far. After the team struggled to a 1-7 start, second year quarterback Kellen Clemens replaced Pennington as the starting quarterback. Though Clemens showed himself to be a strong, athletic quarterback, he was unable to turn the ailing team around due to an offensive line that could not keep him safe long enough to throw effective passes. Clemens earned his first professional win on November 18, as the Jets defeated the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers, 19-16, in overtime. The Jets would go on to finish the season 4-12 and earn the sixth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
On September 10, Bill Belichick was accused by the Jets of authorizing his staff to film the Jets’ defensive signals from an on-field location, a violation of league rules. The Jets confiscated the video camera used by video assistant Matt Estrella to film the signals during the game and filed a complaint to the league office, detailing the accusations.
