Jason Taylor: The One Jet that Gets It

ESPN Boston:

As for Brady's on-field demeanor, which rubbed some Jets the wrong way Dec. 6, Taylor acknowledged that it caught his attention.

"I know people talk about him celebrating or whatever, pointing at the sideline, I've heard things about that. He was pretty demonstrative up there when we played him up there last time when they scored a touchdown," he said. "I come from a school of thought that if you don't want someone to celebrate or be excited, say something to you, or do something that you might perceive to be offensive, then don't let them score and they won't do that.

"I respect Brady as a competitor, and as a person No. 1. I think the things he's done on the field this year have been nothing short of amazing. He's a guy who plays with a lot of passion. As an athlete, you can appreciate it. If he's not on your team, it will obviously tick you off. But again, keep him out of the end zone and you won't be offended by it."

Finally, amidst all the gibberish coming out of Jet camp, we finally have some common sense. First, you had Braylon Edwards crying because the TB12 train left his asshole feeling sore, then you had Rex Ryan saying that this so-called 'rivalry' is personal (just like his foot-fetish video, and pictures of Darrelle Revis sniffing Michelle's feet) between him and Belichick, then we have Antonio Cromartie acting like Tom Brady stole one of his kids. It's ridiculous, the circus they're running over there in Florham Park. Apparently, someone in Green and White finally gets it: Jason Taylor. I'll be the first to admit I pretty much hate Jason Taylor. I completely agreed with Bill Parcells on the whole Dancing with the Stars fiasco, and I think he's a huge tool for going on Dancing with the Stars to begin with. Okay, so the real reason I hate him is because he is -- should I say used to be -- really good and has always been a division rival. Whatever the case may be, he's the one guy in that room full of cheaters, drunk drivers, and amnesic fathers to actually say something logical. Don't like the way Brady celebrates? Don't let him score. You think the Patriots appreciated Braylon's dougie? But no one cried about it, they just made sure it didn't happen again.

Trent Dilfer says Stopping TB12 &co. is "Very Simple" -- Has Also Just Been Offered 31 Defensive Coordinator Positions

ESPN AFC East Blog:

For two months, Tom Brady has been more difficult to decipher than hieroglyphics. ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer claims to possess the Rosetta Stone. And he's about to share it with us and the New York Jets, whom Brady and the New England Patriots shredded 45-3 barely five weeks ago. "So how do you stop Tom Brady?" Dilfer posed. "Very simple: Understand his starting point. "

Dilfer goes on to say teams should "Make him go to No. 2 and No. 3" and "Slow him down." Well gee, Trent, thanks for that one. How do you stop him? You stop him. Well no shit Sherlock. In case you haven't noticed, Trent, let me recap the Patriots offense, post-Moss: Consistently inconsistent. Since Randy Moss was traded, six different receivers have led the Patriots in receiving yards, including a slot receiver less than a year removed from major knee surgery, a 5'7" tailback who was cut by the Jets, two rookie tight ends and a career kick-returner. My point is that you can't pinpoint and "take away" Brady's first option because he doesn't have one. Brady doesn't even know who his first option is. Brady's No. 1 target is the guy you can't cover: the guy who is open. Why? Because Brady is the best there is, yes even better than the almighty Peyton Manning, at finding the open guy. Peyton can get away with throwing to covered receivers because he is so talented he can literally "throw receivers open." (I mean that in the real sense of the term, not the over-used ESPN usage of the term, used every time some scrub QB on a 6-6 WAC team throws a touchdown pass in the Let's All Swap Blood Samples Until We All Contract AIDS To Raise AIDS Awareness Bowl). But he's not as good as Brady at going through each receiver to find the open guy. My point is, you can't "force" Brady go to No. 2 and No. 3 when he's just as likely to throw to No. 4 and No. 5 as he is to throw to No. 1.

The formula for beating Brady actually is fairly simple: get pressure on him with a 3- or 4-man rush. This enables you drop 7 or 8 into coverage, making it difficult for his receivers to get open. However, you have to find a way to get pressure with only a 3- or 4-man rush. If you don't get pressure, his receivers will get open -- even against Darrelle Revis. How do you get pressure with the 3- or 4-man rush? That's the million dollar question. I don't think Trent Dilfer has the answer.