"Hey! Gotta gotta pay back!!

Revenge!! I'm mad, the big payback.

Sold me out, for chump change (yes you did!!)

You handed me down, and that's a fact.

I can do wheelin', I can do dealin, but I don't do no damn squealin.'

I can dig scrappin' but I can't dig that backstabbin' Oh No!!

Get ready you Mother, for the big payback!

Let me hit 'em hit'em!! Hey Hey!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I'm mad!! I want revenge, the big payback!!

Give me those hits!! I want some hits!! I need those hits!!"

Excerpts from "The Payback" by James Brown

Oh yeah, somebody's going to get hit come Sunday - the New York Sputtering Prop Planes and their pilot - Eric Mangini, AKA Ratboy, AKA Topo Mangenius (‘Topo' means Rat.)

Back in week one, NE whupped the Jets in New York by 24 points, 38-14. Jets head coach Mangini whined to the league officials that the win was not deserved because the Pats spied on them, employing illegal video taping. Since week one the two teams have gone in opposite directions. The Jets became miserable failures, while the Pats have played with a huge chip on their shoulder, making the rest of the league pay for the insinuating insult that they need to cheat to win. They sit undefeated at 13-0, winning by an average margin of THREE TD's per game. They look to be on an easy path to the Super Bowl, but there is one other date they have circled on their calendar - December 16, for that is the day when Rat Boy and his prop planes come to town.

Last week the Pats, off close wins to Philly and Baltimore, decided to switch back to "Take No Prisoners" mode and wiped out Pittsburgh by 21 points. Can you imagine what they are gonna do to the Jets??!!

Consider this play calling from last week: in NY, Mangenius went for a FG on 4th & 10 from the Cleveland 20, down by 5 points with only 1:47 left. Meanwhile, up in Foxboro, NE was up by 21 points with under 2:00 to play and Beli and Brady were passing the ball downfield!

This week, we could see old-time NCAA-type ball, Spurrier and the Gators vs. C. Michigan circa '97 NINE TD's team type of ball. Up by 56 points with two ticks left, Beli may just have Brady throw a bomb to the end zone, a little in-yer-face exclamation mark for Mangenius.

New England may make history three times this season - they might go undefeated, they will be saddled with the biggest point spread in history (next week, when the fish out of water flop into town) and they may beat a team by the widest margin ever (this week vs. the prop planes.)

A little note on the line. I made it 25. It opened at 27. It has been bought down to 24 and the ‘net is ripe with bettors saying "See?? I told you! 27 is too high, all the wise guy sharp money came on the Jets +27 cause the wise guys know the Jets will cover." I don't think so. What is more likely is that they also now hold -24, leaving themselves a rare, full FG scalp.

The line will rise during the week, as public money comes in because the BIG PUB OP is that the Jets are going to get killed. And in this case, I agree with Joe P.  Beli is ruthless under ordinary circumstances, this week he is going to show Mangenius NO MERCY! The Pats goal this weekend is not the usual Sunday goal - to win - it is to destroy. It is to embarrass. It is to publicly humiliate. It is to crush, to break, to annihilate. Which do you think more likely, Ratboy, who kicks a FG down by 5 with the clock running out can stop the slaughter, or Beli achieves it, with a smile on his face? That's an easy choice for me.

This game is going to make Custard's effort at Little Big Horn seem like a minor setback. The Pats will have the 24 point spread covered by halftime. And in the second half they will really open it up.

But even if I exaggerate, the Pats will still cover just by scoring their usual 30 +. Despite all the scoring the Pats are doing this season, remember this - Beli is a defensive minded guy. The one thing he wants more than his O to hit a score with two zeros attached, is for his D to bring him a score with one zero - alone, a singular number. That is where his game planning will go this week - towards a shutout. I'm looking forward to this game more than seeing a possible rematch of the Walrus and Bret in GB come January.

Selection/Review

Banged out another winner with a rare play ON the G-men last week, 11-7 in this space now. This week, what, are you kidding me - LOOK ABOVE. I wasn't kidding. The books could not make this line as high as it should have come out, it would have drawn one way action on the Jets and despite the fact that would have made them a lot of money books don't operate to win, they operate not to lose (how else do you explain 5% GP in ANY business environment, much less a casino where 40% and 50% are the norm?)

Take the Pats!

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