I start my new career as a teacher (finally). The Jets mercifully pull Sanchez, and win. And the best photos of the year

Big day for me today.
My professional teaching career will finally begin.
Got a phone call Sunday night from the New York City Dept. of Education automated substitute teacher line, asking me if I wanted to work on Monday.
The call surprised me for several reasons, mostly because after just finally getting registered and approved last week, I was told I wouldn’t even be in the system for another week or so.
But hey, after three months of waiting to be allowed to sub, I’m not complaining.
And  so off I’ll go, to a school I won’t name in a borough I won’t name, to sub in a grade I won’t name (hey, not about to get myself in trouble by talking in too much detail about my new gig yet).

Should be an interesting and challenging life as a sub. At the very least, I’m sure it’ll give me good stories to tell all of you.

I just hope kids don’t still throw erasers at subs; I can’t duck as well as I used to.

**My jaw dropped toward the table at my favorite local sports bar at about 3 p.m. Sunday, when something I’d been hoping and praying for finally happened:
Rex Ryan, after months of stubbornly refusing to bench the woefully performing Mark Sanchez, actually pulled the plug and took out the man we all know isn’t the answer at quarterback.
And while we expected Tim Tebow to one day get a chance this season, it was third-stringer Greg McElroy, who may turn out to be the best quarterback on the roster, who got in the game.
I was thrilled. As were the fans at MetLife Stadium, and I’m sure, the Jets players. McElroy wasn’t sensational in the win, but against the beyond-putrid Arizona Cardinals (Ryan Lindley might be the worst NFL starting QB I’ve ever seen, though to be fair, he’s Arizona’s third-stringer, too), being efficient and OK was enough.

McElroy led the Jets to the 7-6 win, and we fans got to smile. Rex, sweetheart, bubeleh, please leave McElroy in next week. Give the kid a chance; it’s not like the Jets are making the playoffs anyway.
And besides, now that the win screwed up the Jets’ chances of a Top 5 draft pick, might as well try to win a few games.

Some other NFL thoughts from a pretty darn exciting Sunday:
– I think it’s crazy the NFL went ahead with the Kansas City Chiefs game a day after one of their players, Jovan Belcher, murdered his girlfriend and then shot himself in front of the Chiefs’ head coach and general manager. There’s no way that the team or coach could’ve been emotionally prepared to play a game after something like that. The Chiefs did play, and won, in a very surreal game at Arrowhead Stadium (thankfully, the Chiefs offered no such “moment of silence” for the murderer.)

I’ll be very curious to see if any brain damage or head injury issues result from his autopsy; sadly it’s always possible now, with history shown that brain injuries can cause violent acts.

– In less-important football news, gotta be impressed again by Andrew Luck. Down 12 in the fourth quarter, he rallied the Colts to beat Detroit on the last play of the game. Man, Colts fans are gonna be spoiled; Peyton Manning, then Luck playing QB for them.
– How in the world did the Ravens let Charlie Batch, Charlie freaking Batch, beat ‘em 23-20? Why do I have a feeling these two teams will meet again this year in the playoffs?

**Finally today, I love great photo montages, and the Reuters news agency has put together its best photographs of 2012. The one above looked cool to me because it’s pure joy in the middle of a crowd, but there are so many other incredible images in this gallery (especially No. 14 and No. 18), it’s well worth your time to check out.

Gail Collins’ new book explains how Texas took over America. The Jets are an utter disgrace. And kids eating ice cream for the first time: priceless

“Homeland” is back! I am very happy. I will be doing weekly recaps and thoughts on each episode, but will save those until Tuesday, since I know not all of you can stay up late Sunday night to watch it when it airs live on Showtime at 10. So glad the best show on TV is back. And the first episode was awesome.

It’s not enough that so many of us just shake our head at the craziness that is Texas. We really should look at how destructive and dangerously trend-setting it is for America.
From health care and social services (worst in the nation) to polluting the air (also near the bottom) to being the biggest textbook publisher in America, thereby setting the agenda for what kids around the U.S. are learning, Texas has an outsized effect on the U.S. (Plus, they’ve sicced both George W. Bush and Rick Perry on us, which is a plague all it’s own).

Gail Collins of the N.Y. Times, a really smart op-ed writer, has decided to examine Texas and figure out why the hell it’s always puffing itself up when there are so, so many things wrong with it in her newest book, “As Texas Goes.”
I just read it last week and really enjoyed it as a book, but it scared the hell out of me.

Besides Texas’ rightward slant on everything, it was depressing to see how much it has held down its own citizens, actively stolen business from other states, and slanted our nation’s textbooks.

I don’t want to give away all the fun stuff in the book (and it is a really fun read, Collins is really witty), but it’s truly staggering to think that this state sets much of the Republican agenda, and sometimes the nation’s.

Check out more about the book here; I definitely recommend it.

**Here’s something I know I wish I could’ve had recorded in my own life: Little kids eating ice cream for the first time, and how deliriously happy it makes them.  This should make you smile on a Monday, and make you hungry for some Ben & Jerry’s… (my favorite is the kid at :31)

**Finally, football. Here were some phrases thrown around via text among my Jets support group/posse that I communicate with every Sunday in the fall:
1. Disgraceful
2. Pathetic.
3. Kotite-level incompetence (I was particularly proud of that one).
As bad as I expected the Jets to do against maybe the NFC’s best team Sunday, they played worse in getting shut out by the Niners, 34-0. The less I say, the better.

Except two things: 1, This coach and GM ought to be embarrassed by the level of talent on this team right now, and 2, They had better draft or sign a quarterback for next season. Because Mark Sanchez will never become a successful QB in this league. He’s getting worse every week.

Some other quick-hit thoughts from Week 4:
– A friend who shall remain nameless texted when the Bills were up 21-7, saying the Patriots were done, headed to 1-3, not that good, etc. I told him it was way too early to say that.
Um, yeah, the Pats won 52-28. Scary how good that offense can be.

– Fantastic endings to the Carolina-Atlanta and Washington-Tampa games. Matt Ryan led his team from his own 1 into field goal range to keep the Falcons unbeaten, and RGIII beat Tampa on the last drive when Billy (Shank) Cundiff finally made a field goal after missing three others.

– The real refs were back! And yeah, they made some bad calls, but SO much better than those imposters.

– How good are the Texans? So pleased the Jets get them next week. That’ll be fun.
– Peyton Manning, that’s more like it. You helped me to a (likely) fantasy win this week.
– The Chargers are going to fall apart like they usually do, right? Because they look damn good right now.
– Finally, the Giants just can’t seem to beat the Eagles. Stupid penalty at the end by Ramses Barden, but you know, the guy has hardly played. I was still hoping Tynes made that kick at the end to punish Andy Reid (and all other coaches) for that split-second timeout they always call right before a game-deciding kick.

Such a stupid rule that you can do that.

The Jets season continues to spiral downward. The sensational 49ers. And the best surprise kid’s video, ever

This is how a season blows up.
Players talking badly about coaches behind their back. Neither offense nor defense playing well at the same time in the same game. The players after yet another loss spouting things like “we’re getting there,” and “this was better.”
This is what my New York Jets have come to, five weeks into a season that was supposed to be so much better.
My boys lost again Sunday, to New England, in depressingly familiar fashion: They fell behind by double-digits early, mounted a comeback late, but once again when the chips were down, the defense couldn’t make a stop to give the offense one more chance.
So frustrating, and not just because they lost to the Evil Empire, Coach Hoodie, and the Golden Boy quarterback Tom Brady.
Couple quick thoughts on the game:
– Why, for the love of Emerson Boozer, must the Jets start every game in the middle of the second quarter? For a year and a half now they give away the opening 15 minutes. Sunday they didn’t get a first down until their fifth offensive drive. I’m sorry, but when you start the game badly every week, that’s coaching.
– I liked that the Jets finally got a pass rush going. Too bad Brady still carved them up when he needed to. Damn he’s good.
– Shonn Greene, welcome to the 2011 NFL season. That was his first good rushing game.
– I don’t want to hear another word about how good the Jets defense thinks it is. Once again Sunday, for at least the 7th or 8th time in the last 3 years under Rex Ryan, the Jets D had a chance to make a fourth-quarter stop, to give the offense the ball back with a chance to win the game.
And once again, the D melted like butter at a picnic in August. Brady led the Pats down for a game-clinching field goal, and that was that. Awful.

Some other NFL thoughts on another interesting Sunday…

– Nice to see the Raiders rally in honor of the great Al Davis, who died Saturday. Course, Matt Schaub of the Texans threw a horrendous interception at the end of the game by the goal line to help, but hey, a win’s a win.
– What a hell of a statement by the 49ers Sunday. Winning 48-3 in the NFL, against a 3-1 Tampa team? Wow. That was pretty shocking.
– The Panthers and Cam Newton don’t win much, but they sure are fun to watch.
– Awful loss for the Giants. Eli Manning, you gotta be better than that. Giants can’t be losing to Seattle at home.

**This is fantastic. Watch as a little girl finds out that she’s going to Disney World for her birthday. The look on her face when her Mom tells her is just so priceless.

Riffing on “Hard Knocks” and “Weeds.” And Fox News, oh, Fox News

Watched two fantastic TV shows Wednesday night, two of my favorites.

Episode 3 of “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets” on HBO was

outstanding. So much good stuff packed into an hour. Rex Ryan losing his mind in excitement over a big hit by a Jets rookie named Chauncey Washington. The human drama of a player tearing his Achilles and being out for the rest of the season now. The hilarity of linebacker Bart Scott asking if the magician hired for the team party can “pull (holdout Darrelle) Revis out of a hat.”

NFL Films and HBO do such a magnificent job with this show, completely bringing you inside the locker room. I’m a little surprised they haven’t focused more on guys like Jason Taylor and Braylon Edwards, but otherwise, it’s been fantastic, with two more episodes to go.

And then there was “Weeds,” the second episode of the new season. I love how they seem to take this show in a new direction every year. Frankly, I was getting a little sick of Esteban and his goons (though somehow I really wish Helia and Conrad, from the first few seasons, would come back. They were hilarious).

Great episode of  ”Weeds” this week, as the Botwins flee Mexico and become the Newmans. The scene with the bonfire, where they all burn their old identities while “Rabbi Andy” presides over the service? Freaking brilliant. I can’t wait to see what act of psychopathy (is that a word? Don’t think so) Shane will pull next.

If you have Showtime and you’re not watching “Weeds,” shame on you. If you don’t have Showtime, get it just to watch “Weeds.” It’s subversive and brilliant.

**Finally, sometimes Jon Stewart’s material just writes itself.  Fox News tried to get its audience all whipped up about a shady Saudi Arabian billionaire who is “funding” the New York City Ground Zero Muslim community center.

Except, he’s the same guy who’s Rupert Murdoch’s partner in News Corp. Oops. Watch and enjoy:

Coming late to the party on “Psych.” I tweet, therefore I am. And psyched up for “Hard Knocks.”

Sometimes, like most men, I have to be hit over the head with something before it registers.

For years my wife has told me that I would love the USA show “Psych.” It’s funny, incredibly 80s-reference dominated, and completely lightning-fast with the jokes. If you’ve never seen the show, it stars James Roday as Shawn, a “psychic” detective in Santa Barbara, and Dule Hill (Charlie from “The West Wing”) as his straight man/partner Gus. Corbin Bernsen is in it too, as a police chief.

Mindless entertainment, but awesome. Yet I resisted. Last year they did an amazing and hilarious episode completely based on lines from John Hughes movies, and still I didn’t watch.

Finally this season I’ve gotten into it. And it’s awesome, again. The rapid-fire delivery of the actors totally makes the show, and you spend a few seconds after each joke thinking about what you just laughed at, and miss a joke.

The acting is great, the writers are clearly having a great time and don’t care if you don’t get all of their pop culture references. I once had an editor tell me that once you make a pop-culture reference in a story, you lose 1/3 of the audience. He may have been right, but it’s still funny if pulled off properly.

Anyway, I highly recommend “Psych.” Wednesdays on USA.  80s lovers, I guarantee you’ll laugh.

**Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages: I have an announcement. I’m taking my talents to South Beach (oh wait, sorry, that was LeBron James’ script. How did that get here?).

No, seriously. My announcement is that I’ve finally joined the Twitter-verse. That’s right, tonight I sent my first Tweet. Man, it felt refreshing and a little tingly.

If you’re Twitter-inclined, please consider following me. I’ll post links to my blog, links to other great writing, and basically rant and rave in 140 characters or less (that will be a HUGE challenge for me. I’m not, shall we say, brief in my thoughts).

Find me there at twitter.com/michaeljlewis75. Thanks.

**One of the true highlights of the summer for me comes tonight. My beloved Jets are the subject of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” a totally awesome reality/documentary HBO does every summer inside the training camp of an NFL team.
I’m addicted to it normally anyway, ever since we saw Tony Siragusa and Shannon Sharpe hazing rookies on the Ravens’ “Hard Knocks” a few years ago.
But now, with my team being in the spotlight? Should be awesome. The storylines are so good: Rex Ryan, uncensored. LaDainian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor (still can’t imagine him in green and white, and still hate him), trying to show they’ve got something left. Santonio Holmes, a star on a new team. Bart Scott’s bark. Darrelle Revis’ holdout.

So much good stuff. Can’t wait for the season, and can’t wait for tonight’s first episode.

My 1 day a year as a Hollywood reporter. And the best commercial in a long time

Sunday was the Daytona 500, and as you can imagine, it’s the biggest sports event my newspaper here in Daytona Beach covers every year.

And man, do we cover it. The amount of trees killed for the auto racing copy we put in

the paper for the last two weeks … well, it would be enough to make Al Gore and Ed Begley Jr., run up a tree and hide. Of course, after all our coverage, there may not be any trees left.

I know absolutely nothing about NASCAR, and care even less. So because of that fact, I am asked one day a year to do something I never do at any other event all year: Celebrity-watch.

Yes, at the Daytona 500 every year, I spend one day pretending I work for TMZ or Gawker. My job at the Speedway is to channel my inner Liz Smith: seek out the celebrity fans, write down what they say, ask a few questions, write my story, and go home.

At first I thought it was demeaning and silly, but then I realized: Would I rather do this, or try to explain why Jeff Gordon’s pit stop was slow and why he couldn’t pass Tony Stewart coming out of Turn 3? (I don’t even understand what I just wrote there).

Anyway, it has led to some interesting encounters. I got a fist-bump from Nick Lachey once, after I’d walked with him 200 yards from the media center to the garage while doing an interview (Me and Nick, we bonded in those four minutes).

I got a 1-on-1 interview with Jets coach Rex Ryan last year, which was a true highlight. And I also got my favorite quote, maybe ever, from U.S. Olympic snowboarder Hannah Teter in 2006, when, after winning a gold medal at the Torino Games, she told me:  ”The Olympics are the biggest competition in the world for us, besides the X Games.”

Seriously. She said that.

Anyway, yesterday was a pretty light celebrity day. Sarah Palin was at the 500, and I tried to get up close to her to see what pearls of wisdom I could glean from her right palm, but alas, couldn’t get near her. I got to talk to Tim McGraw and ex-NFL coach Jimmy Johnson, which was kind of cool, because I’ve always admired Jimmy’s hair. McGraw, actually, seemed super-nice and real down to earth, as did Harry Connick Jr., who is indeed quite handsome in purpose.

One day a year of this stuff is enough for me. I just think all these sites like TMZ and Gawker cultivate such a ridiculously unhealthy obsession with celebrities, and it does bother me that in some ways, I do the same thing by writing about star athletes.

I don’t, however, follow them into the bathroom and stake out their house. So in my mind, that allows me to get up just a little higher on my moral high horse.

**It’s pretty hard these days, I think, to really move people with a commercial. But Procter and Gamble absolutely did it with this fantastic Olympic ad. Enjoy:

Pinch me, the Jets are 60 minutes from the Super Bowl. And some Golden Globes thoughts

I have resided in sports nirvana just once before. It was on June 14, 1994, when something I never thought would happen in my lifetime occurred: The New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup.

I never thought a moment in sports could ever make me that happy again.

Dear readers,  the professional football team I root for is 60 minutes away from giving me that feeling again.

Unbelievably, improbably, ridiculously, the New York freaking Jets, a team that couldn’t beat the Ryan Fitzpatrick-led Buffalo Bills earlier this season, won their second straight playoff game on the road Sunday.

They beat the San Diego Chargers, a team many thought had too much offense, too many weapons, and too strong a pass rush.

But by God, the Jets did it the way they’ve done it the last seven weeks: Pound the ball with the running game, play excellent defense, hang around, hang hang around, make a few passing plays with our rookie QB Mark Sanchez, and then put the game away in the fourth quarter.

I mean, this game unfolded exactly as the Jets hoped it would. They didn’t do much early, but they kept the game reasonable (7-0 at halftime).

They got some tremendous breaks, yes, as Nate Kaeding, who just never misses against other teams, melted down and missed 3 field goals (although 1 was from 57 yards, which wasn’t his fault), but were 40 yards or less.

But the Jets earned this win every which way, and I cannot tell you how excited I am that they’ve got a shot next Sunday in Indianapolis, to go the Super Bowl.

God, just saying it gives me goosebumps.

Some ruminations from today’s 17-14 win:

– Rex Ryan, God bless you, you’re the Jets coach I’ve been waiting my whole life for. Not just because you’re smart and funny and know what you’re doing, but because today, and always, you don’t play not to lose, you play to win. Fourth and 1, at the Chargers 28, up 17-14, little over a minute to go.

EVERY other Jets coach in my lifetime either kicks the field goal there, which makes it 20-14, but gives San Diego the ball back with a (slight) chance to win, or even worse, punts it, to try to pin the Chargers deep.

But Rex said, nope, I trust my line, I trust my running back (Thomas Jones), and dammit, we’re not giving them the ball back. And the Jets got the first down,( with me on my knees, on the floor of Houligan’s, with my hands clasped). Game over. Fantastic. A coach with balls.

–What a tremendous game by the Jets defense. They got just enough pressure on Philip Rivers to rattle him a little, and the Chargers’ run game was totally shut down, and Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates were held pretty well in check (though Gates did make a sick catch in the first half). You hold the Chargers to 7 points through 3 1/2 quarters, that’s damn impressive.

– Sad to see LaDainian Tomlinson a shell of his former self. Man, did he get old.

– Lot of people criticized the Jets for trading up to get Shonn Greene in the draft last April. Not hearing those people now. How about the strength of this kid, to run through tackles on his way to the end zone in the fourth quarter?

– Darrelle Revis, that interception in the fourth quarter was spectacular. Just spectacular. And Mike DeVito, the nose tackle no one talks about, had a fantastic game pressuring Rivers.

– Can’t say enough about the Jets’ offensive line. Nick Mangold, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Damien Woody, Brandon Moore, and Alan Faneca did such a great job run-blocking, and protecting Sanchez today.– Rich Cimini of the Daily News said this was the Jets’ biggest upset win since Super Bowl III. Hard to argue.

—Man the Chargers totally lost their poise Sunday. Stupid penalties after the whistle, Vincent Jackson kicking the challenge flag and taking a 15-yarder? Just stupid.

– I’m sure Norv Turner will get criticized for the onside kick attempt with just more than two minutes left, but I thought it was the right call. Ah, Norv. So good to see you on the other sideline.

–Finally, there’s this: Everything is going right for the Jets the last four weeks. Everything. Why won’t it continue? Especially with the Super Bowl just 240 miles from my home?

This week, I’m going to honestly think about how much I’d be willing to spend on Super Bowl tickets. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be doing that this year.

What a country, America.

**OK, some quick thoughts on the Golden Globes, since this post is running way too long:

– Thought most of the big awards went to the right people; was thrilled to see Toni Collette rewarded for the underappreciated “United States of Tara” on Showtime (seriously, check it out on DVD if you can, it’s a great show), and equally thrilled that “Glee” won for best musical or comedy (though “Modern Family” getting a win would’ve thrilled me, too.)

– Christina Hendricks of “Mad Men,” wow, that was quite a dress.

–Robert Downey Jr.’s speech was very funny.

– Did James Cameron look like a guy who had just signed the Declaration of Independence, or what? Seriously, he was channeling John Adams or something.

– Sorry to see Jane Lynch from “Glee” not win, though Chloe Sevigny is awesome in “Big Love.” So glad to see good TV getting rewarded.

Ah, the Jets, making all of New England feel better. More NFL thoughts, and the finale of “Curb”

Voicemail message from my father, approximately 5 p.m., as New England took a 21-0 lead:

“Why don’t you leave the bar, go home, talk to your wife, have a nice dinner, anything else but watching this.”

The man is a fountain of wisdom. I was sitting at Houligan’s, having just finished off a nice pulled pork sandwich (Mmm, pulled pork), and I was watching the Patriots systematically take apart the New York Jets.

The Pats ran on the Jets. They threw on the Jets. They stuffed everything the Jets tried to do on offense. They completely befuddled and confused Mark Sanchez (more on him in a minute).

So, I left. It’s not the first time I left a Jets game, and it won’t be the last.

Course, I get home, and I check the score, and it’s 24-14, so I start watching again, and of course they never got any closer and lost, 31-14.

Very few positives to talk about in this game, so let’s deal with the negatives, shall we?

– This defense is not only not good, not only can’t they tackle well, but they can’t cover a bedspread right now. What happened to Kerry Rhodes? Guy used to be great. Bart Scott, anytime you want to earn that contract, go right ahead. The pass rush was OK, but never there when it was needed.

– How does the Jets coaching staff come out SO woefully unprepared for the first half? They got outgained 273-34. That’s insane.

– I know Mark Sanchez is a rookie. And I do have faith that he’ll be a good quarterback one day. But man oh man, the kid keeps making the SAME mistakes over and over. Trying to throw into triple coverage. Throwing off the wrong foot. I just get worried that he doesn’t seem to be making any progress here. But I don’t want to bench him. Look, Peyton Manning was awful as a rookie, too.

– Four and six wouldn’t feel so bad if they hadn’t started 3 and 0.

Some more Monday NFL thoughts:

– I know this will never happen, but let a sports fan dream for a minute: Indianapolis is 10-0. New Orleans is 10-0. Wouldn’t it be incredible if they met in the Super Bowl, after BOTH having gone 16-0? I think the Internet might explode if that happened.

– Two more reasons I never, ever wager on NFL games individually: Kansas City 27, Pittsburgh 24.  Oakland 20, Cincinnati 17.

– I think Jack Kent Cooke and Tom Landry were spinning wildly in their graves Sunday, as the Cowboys and Redskins combined to play one awful football game. I knew it was bad when the Cowboys fan sitting near me whooped at one point, really loudly. What happened, I asked.  Skins missed a field goal!, he exclaimed.

–Who’s that guy in the picture above, you ask? Daytona Beach’s own Eric Weems, now an Atlanta Falcon. He caught at TD pass Sunday against the Giants. He’s a great kid; I’ve interviewed him a few times and he just never put on the attitude some guys have. He’s a great story; 5-foot-9, undrafted out of Bethune-Cookman University, makes the Atlanta practice squad for a few years, and now finally is getting his shot. Good stuff.

Finally, the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” season finale aired Sunday night. It was pretty funny, especially the stuff when Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David were just riffing off each other. I also loved that they finally addressed the whole “George Costanza really is just Larry David” thing; that was always out there but never talked about.

Last week’s episode was still this season’s masterpiece, the equivalent of “Crazy Eyez Killah” and “The Producers” episodes from years past.

Anyway, good to see Cheryl back, and the still-pretty Elisabeth Shue, too.

For you “Curb” fans, here’s a little best of video I found on YouTube.

I agonize over the Jets again, Belichick turns stupid for a minute, and ruminations from the supermarket

OK, nine games.

Not bad, New York Jets. Nine games in, and I can officially call it a season.

No playoffs, certainly not at 4-5 with the Pats coming up next week. No Super Bowl (ha!). No real reason to expect things to change in this, my 28th year of fandom (I was too young the first six years of my life to really appreciate this lovely franchise).

I really don’t feel like re-hashing all the things the Jets did wrong in their excruciating 24-22 loss to Jacksonville Sunday, but a few must be brought up:

– The defense is off for TWO weeks, and the Jets play like that? Awful tackling. Pressure on the QB in the second half, but not much in the first. And the pass defense on the final drive was atrocious.

– Braylon Edwards, you want a big contract? You HAVE to make that catch on the 2-point conversion the 4th, after the Jets put together a fantastic drive to take the lead. Don’t give me any garbage about the hit knocking the ball out; you have to make that play. If he does, I think the Jets lead by 3 and the game goes to overtime.

– I know it didn’t cost them any points, but Mark Sanchez, what the hell was that throw on the second interception, when the Jags’  defensive end, Quinton Groves was RIGHT THERE in front of your face, and you threw it anyway? Thankfully Groves forgot how to run at the end there, and tripped over his own feet at the 4-yard line. But still, terrible decision by our franchise QB. He did, however, have a great 4th quarter to redeem himself.

–Only my beloved Jets can try to let a guy score at the end of the game, which was the right thing to do, and fail at that, too.

– Rex Ryan, you’re a defensive coach. A brilliant coach, we’ve been told. One of the great minds in the NFL. Yet this is now twice in the last six weeks, when your offense gets you the lead, all you need is one stop to win the game, and your defense, which talks more trash than any team has a right to, can’t get it done. This was the freakin’ Jaguars, for God’s sakes, not the 1989 49ers or the 1998 Minnesota Vikings!

– More timeouts burned needlessly by the Jets in the second half. Didn’t we already go through this during the Herm Edwards Era?

Ugh. Just awful. This team is just not that good. The rookie QB is learning, the rookie head coach is learning, and it looks like 7-9 is in our future.

Thank God Duke basketball is getting underway. I need a good team to root for this winter.

**Some other NFL thoughts from a wacky Week 11:

– Bill Belichick made one of the craziest coaching decisions I’ve ever seen this side of Ray Handley and Art Shell Sunday night. After his Patriots pretty much dominated Indianapolis, Belichick decided to go for it, up 34-28, on 4th and 2 from his own 28-yard-line. Why? Clearly, he had no faith in his defense stopping Mr. Peyton Manning, but still, they’d stopped the Colts a few times already, and don’t you at least have to try?

Of course, the Pats didn’t make it on 4th down, and the Colts had great field position, and of course Peyton Manning made a superb throw on the score that won the game. Doug Hennig never made as many escapes as Indy’s No. 18. My friend Pearlman just wrote a blog about his greatness.

**Fantastic, hard-hitting Bengals-Steelers game Sunday. What an amazing turnaround by Cincy. Quick, someone call Ickey Woods and see if he still knows how to shuffle.

**OK, everyone who thought the one-win Rams would have a pass attempt that could beat the undefeated Saints on the last play of the game Sunday, please raise your hand. This is yet another reason I don’t gamble on the NFL.

**Finally, I love supermarkets. Always have. There’s just something about food shopping that makes me feel like a grown-up. Seinfeld has said this before, and he’s totally right: As a kid in the supermarket, you have to beg your parents for food. As a grown-up, you can buy whatever the hell you want.

Anyway, two ruminations from my Sunday evening trip to the store:

– One way I always know the new year is coming is when the milk’s expiration date is past January first. This is the earliest I ever remember it happening, but I got a carton with a “Jan. 6, 2010″ date on it. I was excited.

– It’s 2009. Hasn’t anyone at the company that makes Comet (Prestige Brands, I just learned) figured out a way to put a real, closeable top on the bottle yet, instead of that stupid adhesive tape that never sticks after you open the bottle? I mean, seriously, is this really so hard?

This is the stuff I think about. And you wonder why I have trouble sleeping…

Finally, Jets kick the Patriots’ butt. And a word on the Emmys (and cockroaches)

Nine years I’ve been waiting to see this sight.

Nine goddamn years I’ve been waiting to see Tom Brady leaving the Meadowlands with his head down. Nine years I’ve been waiting to see Bill Belichick, who I will never, ever forget should’ve been the New York Jets coach before he wussied out and quit after one day, running off the field in shame.

Yes, it’s been a long time since my beloved Green and White defeated the evil New England Patriots at home. Man what a great Sunday it was, as the Jets won, 16-9. A punishing, aggressive, harassing defense tortured the heck out of Giselle Bundchen’s husband, holding him to three measly field goals.

Guys like Bart Scott and Darrelle Revis and David Harris and Lito Sheppard and Shaun Ellis (really, the whole Jets defense played great) got after Brady and the Pats’ receivers all day long. Did the Jets greatly benefit from Wes Welker not playing? Of course. Welker is awesome. But the Jets’ defense was superb in all areas. Revis, in particular, totally shut down Randy Moss, and unlike in some games in his past, it looked like Moss was trying.

And the offense? It was good enough. I was a little worried about Mark Sanchez in the first half, but the kid turned it up. You don’t understand how nice it is for a Jets fan to see a quarterback zip the ball into receivers; after the last seven post-Vinny Testaverde years, we just haven’t seen that.

I was, of course convinced that after Jets coach Rex Ryan stupidly tried to throw the ball on 3rd and 3 with 2:30 left in the game and the Jets holding a 16-9 lead (come on Rexie, it’s 3rd and 3, a toss to Leon and we get the first down and the game’s over!), that Brady was going to march down the field and tie it.

What’s funny is that after the game, Bart Scott said he knew that’s what Jets fans were thinking (hey, just because he’s new doesn’t mean he doesn’t know the pathetic history of our franchise!). But dammit the Jets D stepped up and stopped the Pats.

I know, I know, the Jets are 2-0, and they’re in first place in the AFC East, but I’ve been down this road too many times before to get too excited. But you have to love how this team is playing: Aggressive, smart, tackling well (best Jets tackling team since the Parcells years) and making enough plays to win.

Good stuff.

Couple more NFL-related thoughts from a pretty awesome Week 3:

**Something’s just not right yet with Tom Brady. Maybe rust from all the time off, or his receivers aren’t good enough, but something isn’t clicking. As you can imagine, my heart’s bleeding for the guy.

** Chad Johnson (I refuse to call him by his stupid other name), you’re a wimp for only doing the Lambeau Leap into the arms of a Bengals fan in Green Bay. But damn impressive win for the Cincy boys.

**OK, you go gamble on the NFL: Houston scores seven points, all on defense, against the Jets last week. Then, against Tennessee, one of the best defenses in the league, the Texans score 34.

**Couple of real good late games, Pittsburgh-Chicago and San Diego-Baltimore. The Bears, well, they downright stole that win, thanks to Jeff Reed missing a couple of field goals he normally makes. And the Chargers, well, they absolutely, positively should’ve won that game. Except their coach is Norv Turner, and once again that’s why they lost. I can’t believe he actually has one of the 32 head coaching jobs in the NFL. It defies logic. I really thought my mother could do better.

At the very least, she’d make sure they had nutritious, low sodium pregame meals.

**Hell of a Sunday night game. Eli Manning will never be as good as his brother. But damn, he’s getting closer. Fantastic final drive for the Giants. Clutch, clutch win over Dallas in Jerry Jones’ new castle. And can I just say how absolutely freakin’ stupid the rule is that you can call timeout a split second before the guy makes the kick? So stupid.

****************************************************************************************************

OK, so I won’t reveal any of the Emmy Award winners Sunday night in case you haven’t watched them yet, but can I just ask: Is Neil Patrick Harris becoming the next Billy Crystal?

He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s talented and can sing and dance, and he used to be Doogie Howser. He was an awesome host Sunday and I think we should just give him the job permanently. I thought it was hilarious that he introduced the presenters with their most obscure roles ever.

Also, during my favorite segment of these award shows, the “In Memoriam” part (I’m weird, I know), I was shocked to hear that Mr. Bentley died. From “The Jeffersons,” remember? I loved that character.

******************************************************************************************

Finally, a personal horror. Woke up earlier than usual Sunday; started to do laundry. Pulled out a bunch of towels from the laundry basket and I’ll be damned if I didn’t see the largest freakin’ dead cockroach I’ve ever seen.

This thing was like the Mark McGwire of insects. I screamed for the wife. She screamed. She kills cockroaches at our house, while I’m on body removal (it’s the opposite for spiders. Don’t ask, we all have our phobias).

I disposed of it. Kept doing the laundry.

The horrors of everyday life.