Jets and Patriots renew hostilities in 'Tuna Bowl lll'

Foxboro Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.,
Monday, Oct. 19

AT A GLANCE: Thanks to Bill Parcells, the portly chef who took his utensils to New York after being denied the chance to buy groceries in New England, this once-bland AFC East rivalry has taken on a spicy flavor.

When it came to New York-Boston rivalries, Jets-Patriots always took a backseat to Knicks-Celtics, Rangers-Bruins and, of course, Yankees-Red Sox — until Bill Parcells came along.

The man known as "the Big Tuna" is largely responsible for turning Jets-Patriots into a blood feud that makes Hatfields-McCoys seem cordial by comparison. And it all started over some groceries.

A four-year coaching stint in New England had gone well for Parcells, who guided the Patriots all the way to the Super Bowl. But Parcells wanted a bigger say in the Patriots’ personnel matters, and, when it became evident that he wasn’t going to get his wish, a deal was brokered, and Parcells became head coach of the Jets. At his farewell press conference in New England, Parcells said that, if the Patriots expected him to cook a meal, they could have at least let him help shop for groceries.

Using his own time-tested recipes, Parcells has helped turn the greasy-spoon Jets into a white-linen team. Although they take a 2-3 record into Monday night’s game, the Jets have become a better team than they were two years ago under Rich Kotite, the Chef Boyardee of head coaches.

The Patriots, meanwhile, have managed to make do without Parcells. With Pete Carroll running the kitchen, the Patriots have served up a 4-1 start that has fans in New England licking their chops.

The Jets have lost six of their last seven games against the Patriots but managed to cover the spread in four of those games.

WHEN THE JETS HAVE THE BALL:

The two big questions for the Jets are: (1) Who plays quarterback? (2) How will RB Curtis Martin’s thigh injury affect his availability?

Glenn Foley returned to the starting lineup last week after missing two games with a rib injury, but he played poorly in a 30-10 loss to the Rams and was pulled in favor of Vinny Testaverde, who had led the Jets to victories in the two games Foley missed.

Martin was held out of last week’s game, even though he had been able to practice on a limited basis during the week. It is believed that Parcells kept Martin on the bench because he wanted the former Patriot runner to be at full strength for his first game against his old team. If Martin plays, he’ll encounter rugged MLB Ted Johnson and a Patriot defense that stymied the Kansas City running game last week in a 40-10 win over the Chiefs.