Jets lag behind Woodhead

By Chad Finn

December 7, 2010

2 minutes to read

You want a stat? We’ve got a stat for you. It comes courtesy of the NFL Network’s Mike Lombardi and his Twitter feed. We checked his math and it matches up. This is good. Here goes.

In the eight games since the Patriots traded Randy Moss, the former defense stretcher extraordinaire (allegedly) has 18 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns. His teams — the Vikings and Titans — have gone 1-7 in that stretch.

Also since the Patriots traded Randy Moss, Danny Woodhead has 27 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns. The Patriots have gone 7-1.

We don’t know if he stretches the defense, but he sure does know how to annoy one.

Woodhead, who joined the Patriots on waivers from — yep — the Jets before their Week 2 matchup in mid-September, continued his emergence as a key cog in the Patriots offense last night, tormenting his former team by catching four passes for 104 yards, including a 50-yard run on a short shovel pass from Tom Brady in the third quarter to set up their sixth and final touchdown.

“It was just something that we just ended up falling into and it ended up working,” Woodhead said of the play. “Obviously we are happy when something like that happens, and it was a player where my linemen had made a couple of great blocks, a receiver made a great block. All I really needed to do was run the ball.”

He also ran for 11 yards on two carries, made an open-field tackle on special teams, and reminded Jets coach Rex Ryan time and again of the mistake he made when he let Woodhead go on September 18 to make room on the roster for receiver David Clowney.

But he said revenge wasn’t his motive.

“This is where I am. I’m a New England Patriot,” Woodhead said. “Was I over there? Yeah. But that’s not something I dwell on because I’m a New England Patriot, and I’m going to do my best for this team.”

Woodhead isn’t and wasn’t the only Patriot to do his best in the well-rounded offense, which in the Week 2 28-14 loss to the Jets fell into the trap in the second half of forcing the ball Moss’s way.

Brady, who simply has to be the front-runner in the MVP race after throwing four more touchdowns (to bring his total to 27) without an interception (he has just four this season and none in the past seven games), expertly utilized his array of post-Moss weapons once again.

Wes Welker had seven catches for 80 yards and a score. Deion Branch had three catches for 64 yards, including a 25-yard TD that materialized from a Woodhead pick. (We’re calling it what it was.) Aaron Hernandez had a one-yard TD catch, and Brandon Tate had a four-yard TD grab.

“It feels great to be a part of this,” said Hernandez. “One of the biggest game, probably the biggest game I’ve ever played in, and it’s just an honor to come out with this type of victory.”

When the Patriots weren’t putting the ball in the air, they were running through the Jets’ usually stout defense. BenJarvus Green-Ellis picked up a hard-earned 72 yards on 18 carries, and scored two more touchdowns, giving him 11 rushing scores this season.

“There are a lot of good players on this team,” Woodhead said. “Coaches do a great job of putting us in positions to succeed, and I think you saw that a little bit tonight.”