Supreme Court won't hear New England--New York Jets 'Spygate' appeal

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court said Monday it won't review a decision throwing out a lawsuit stemming from the New England Patriots' 2007 "Spygate" scandal.

The high court refused to revive a New York Jets fan's class-action lawsuit against their football archrivals and coach, Bill Belichick.

Carl Mayer, a lawyer in Princeton, N.J., known for filing legal actions against New Jersey politicians, is a Jets season ticket-holder. He wanted millions of dollars from the Patriots and Belichick, claiming they deceived customers by secretly videotaping Jets coaches' in-game signals. His lawsuit claimed fans spent large sums to see games that were essentially rigged.

The suit alleged that the Patriots taped the Jets' signals in their twice-yearly contests for seven years, and sought triple damages for Jets fans based on a rough average of $100 a ticket. Mayer sought $185 million in damages for Jets fans alone.

The Patriots were caught taping signals at the Jets' 2007 home opener in Giants Stadium, a game New England won 38-14.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000 for that incident, and stripped New England of a first-round draft choice.

A U.S. District Court judge and a federal appeals panel dismissed Mayer's class-action lawsuit. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia said Mayer failed to prove any legal right to damages.

The Supreme Court, without comment, refused to reconsider that decision.

The case is Mayer v. Belichick, 10-867.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Patriots--Bills Recap

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The New England Patriots have been nearly unbeatable since Tom Brady stopped throwing interceptions more than two months ago.

Now they'll probably be even tougher to stop when the playoffs begin after securing the AFC's top seed -- and home-field advantage through the first three rounds -- with a 34-3 win Sunday over a familiar pushover, the Buffalo Bills.

Brady threw three touchdown passes, including two to tight end Rob Gronkowski, and extended his streak of attempts without an interception to 319. That topped the NFL mark of 308 set by Bernie Kosar with Cleveland in the 1990-91 seasons.

"I guess I'm glad I'm not throwing interceptions," Brady said, shrugging off the record.

He was more pleased with helping the Patriots (13-2) finish first in the AFC for the third time since 2003, and clinch their eighth division title in 10 years.

"It never gets old," Brady said. "We never get tired of winning."

Brady finished 15 of 27 for 140 yards, and had his eighth straight game with two or more scores. Alge Crumpler had a 4-yard touchdown catch, Danny Woodhead scored on a 29-yard run and Shayne Graham kicked two field goals.

The Patriots round out their season by hosting the Miami Dolphins next weekend and are marching to the playoffs riding a seven-game win streak -- their longest since going 16-0 in 2007. Brady's leading an offense that has scored 31 or more points in seven straight games. He has also thrown only four interceptions, and none in his past 10 games, since throwing two in a 23-20 win over Baltimore on Oct. 17.

The Bills (4-11) have had a hard enough time beating their division rival to begin with, having now lost 15 in a row and 20 of their past 21 against New England. And they made it even more difficult on themselves by committing seven turnovers.

"I killed the team today," said quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who lost two fumbles and threw three interceptions. "You can't do that on any day when you play a team that is that good and that efficient on offense."

Turns out the only thing that could slow the Patriots was Mother Nature. Bad weather in the northeast prevented the team from traveling home. The Patriots were instead forced to bus an hour east to spend the night in Rochester, as most hotels in the Buffalo-area are booked due to the city hosting the World Junior Hockey Championships.

That's fine with Patriots players, even though they had already missed Christmas with their families after traveling to Buffalo on Saturday.

"We got a 'W,' and that's our biggest present, being able to come into the locker room and being able to see that hat and T-shirt," nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. "That's something to be proud of."

Just as significant for Wilfork was how the Patriots' young defense is beginning to jell.

"I know a lot of people counted us out. But all year, we knew what we had in this locker room," he said. "This football team is getting better. We're not where we want to be by any means, but we're definitely moving forward."

The game Sunday was over before halftime when the Patriots scored 24 unanswered points after the Bills opened with Rian Lindell's 26-yard field goal.

They went ahead for good on Woodhead's touchdown, which came after linebacker Gary Guyton forced Fitzpatrick to fumble on Buffalo's third possession. And the Bills' string of turnovers didn't end until the last time the Bills touched the ball -- and then gave it away with 1:51 left, when C.J. Spillermuffed a punt.

In between, the Bills had their final 11 drives end with four fumbles, three interceptions, two failed fourth-down attempts, a punt and halftime.

"We played bad," Bills coach Chan Gailey said after watching his team inexplicably unravel in its home finale, and after winning four of its past six. "Turnovers, penalties, not stopping the run, every bit of it. Everybody on the whole team, all of us take the blame for that."

Brady broke Kosar's record with his 17th attempt early in the third quarter, when Gronkowski dropped a pass over the middle at the goal line. The two hooked up on the next play for an 8-yard touchdown.

Brady has thrown for a touchdown in all 15 games this season, keeping alive his opportunity to become only the seventh NFL player to have thrown a TD pass in all 16 games.

Bill Belichick is so accustomed to Brady's efficiency that he didn't even know what his quarterback had accomplished.

"I didn't realize he broke that. That's great," Belichick said. "Tom does a great job of managing the game and taking care of the ball. I think he deserves that."

Packers--Patriots PREVIEW

Beating the New England Patriots at home is so difficult, no team has done it in regular-season play in more than two years. Tom Brady hasn't lost a regular-season game in Foxborough since 2006.

For a team missing its starting quarterback, the task of beating Brady in New England may be downright impossible.

Brady and the red-hot Patriots could have a chance to clinch the AFC East title and a first-round bye Sunday night when they host the Green Bay Packers, who will be without Aaron Rodgers.

New England (11-2) is in the midst of several remarkable streaks. The Patriots have won 15 consecutive regular-season home games since losing to Pittsburgh on Nov. 30, 2008. They've won five in a row overall -- a span in which they have not turned the ball over once while the defense has racked up 13 takeaways.

Despite all that, coach Bill Belichick will never let his club rest on its laurels.

"I don't think it really matters what the record is or who we played last week or even what the score was last week," he said. "Sometimes you go from a bad game to a good game. Sometimes you go from a good game to another good game.

"Sometimes you go from a good game to a bad game. We've seen plenty examples of those."

Not lately, they haven't. Starting with the last 28 points of a 45-24 Thanksgiving Day win over Detroit, the Patriots have outscored the opposition 109-10. Most impressive was a 45-3 demolition of the then-East co-leadingNew York Jets on Dec. 6.

If the Jets lose at Pittsburgh on Sunday, a victory over the Packers would give New England the division title and a first-round bye.

Brady, looking to extend his NFL record of 26 consecutive regular-season home wins by a quarterback, may be playing the best ball of his career. He has thrown 19 touchdown passes with no interceptions in his last eight games. Brady has now gone 268 consecutive pass attempts without an interception -- 40 shy of Bernie Kosar's all-time record streak bridging the 1990-91 seasons.

Brady's production has improved since the Patriots traded wideout Randy Moss in October, replacing him with Deion Branch -- a favorite target from earlier in Brady's career. Branch and fellow receiver Wes Welker each caught eight passes despite frigid, snowy conditions in last Sunday's 36-7 victory at Chicago.

"They're great players," Brady said. "They're extremely consistent, dependable, tough, very skilled. They can run a lot of routes. They have a lot of variation to what they do. We're always trying to put them in different positions. They both played a huge game last week, and they're both threats out there.

"If they're open, they're going to get the ball. They both know that. It's great to have them both."

Thanks to the Patriots, Green Bay (8-5) remained within one game of the NFC North-leading Bears despite an anemic offensive showing in a 7-3 loss at last-place Detroit last week. More struggles could be in store with Rodgers not playing.

Rodgers left the loss to the Lions in the second quarter after suffering his second concussion of the season, and was ruled out Saturday after not receiving medical clearance.

Third-year backup Matt Flynn, who went 15 of 26 for 177 yards and an interception in relief last week, will make his first career start in Rodgers' place. Practice squad quarterback Graham Harrell, a Texas Tech product who has never appeared in an NFL game, also took snaps this week.

This is a vital game for the playoff hopes of Green Bay, which is also currently one game behind the New York Giants for the final wild-card spot. The remaining schedule is tough but could work in the Packers' favor, as they host the Giants and Bears the final two weeks.

"I'm not discouraged, because we've still got an opportunity," cornerbackCharles Woodson said. "As long as you've got an opportunity, you control it. We've got a big game, and it's a game we feel like we can win -- and we've got to win."

The Packers have won their last two visits to New England by identical 28-10 scores, but haven't played there since 2002. The Patriots routed Green Bay 35-0 at Lambeau Field in 2006. Brady threw for 244 yards, four TDs and no interceptions in that contest, while Rodgers went 4 of 12 for 32 yards in relief of Brett Favre.

Patriots to Jets: Who's the boss in AFC East? THIS TEAM!

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It was not about a bounce here or there, an officiating call here or there, a coach's decision here or there.

What transpired Monday night in Gillette Stadium was unequivocal.

The New England Patriots slobberknocked the New York Jets. The domination was systematic from the head coach to the offense to the defense to the special teams and on down to the equipment manager.

The Patriots obliterated New York 45-3, the worst loss of the Rex Ryan era and the fifth-largest blowout in Patriots history.

And these teams were supposed to be equals. Each had a 9-2 record, knew control of the AFC East and probably the entire conference was at stake and had 10 days to prepare.

Jets coach Rex Ryan announced a week earlier he "came here to kick Bill Belichick's ass." After Belichick ransacked Ryan's team, the Jets' bravado was muted.

"We know that this division goes through New England," Ryan said, "and we thought we were going to put a stranglehold on it."

The Patriots piled up 405 yards on the Jets' vaunted defense. The Jets' offense was impotent against a defense with a poor track record. The Jets' special teams were woeful. Ryan made coaching blunders. His players seemed mentally overmatched. The Patriots were sharp like a sickle.

The Jets simply weren't in the Patriots' league.

"I've seen a lot of crazy stuff in the NFL," Jets right tackle Damien Woody said. "I never envisioned coming in here and having this happen."

The Patriots proved they're the NFL's best team. The Jets showed they were a fraction of that, failing to compete from the opening kickoff and falling behind 17-0 with a minute left in the first quarter.

[+] Enlarge

William Perlman/US PresswireDevin McCourty had one of three New England interceptions. Mark Sanchez went 17-for-33 with a 27.8 passer rating -- his lowest of the season.

"This," said Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, "was a good-old fashioned butt kicking."

The Jets have beaten one team with a winning record -- the Patriots in Week 2. In their three other games against teams over .500, the Jets haven't produced a touchdown and have been outscored 64-12.

Had the Jets won Monday night, you better believe they would've declared themselves the team to beat.

The Patriots, while they earned that privilege, did the opposite. They emphasized the mistakes they made. They noted they didn't play that elusive infallible game.

Patriots quarterback Tom Bradystormed into the locker room at halftime and shrieked at his teammates about a lackadaisical couple drives. The Patriots were ahead 24-3.

"It wasn't perfect out there," Brady said in his postgame news conference. "I think there were a few plays we can definitely do better on. Communication within the whole offense needs to continue to improve. But, all in all, it was a fun night."

Brady, in fact, did record a perfect 158.3 passer rating against the Detroit Lions in his previous game. Versus the Jets he notched a mere 148.9 rating. He completed 21 of his 29 attempts for 326 yards and four touchdowns to four different targets with zero interceptions.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Danny Woodhead, against the team that cut him, caught four passes for a game-high 104 yards.

The Patriots' defense played its best game of the year. The Pats went in ranked 32nd in total defense, 32nd in pass defense and 32nd in third-down efficiency. They'd allowed fewer than 18 points once.

The Jets exploited nothing. Their offense was negligible despite 152 rushing yards. Sanchez completed barely half his passes and short-circuited some drives with three interceptions.

The Jets certainly expected to win Monday night. Should the lopsided result be chalked up to underestimating the Patriots or overestimating themselves?

"You know, that's a great question," Woody replied, staring off to the ceiling tiles. "They're a really good team. No question about it. But we played terrible. When you play against a really good team that's humming on offense, and you don't play well in any phase of the game, this type of stuff can happen to you."

There were two recurring thoughts in the Jets' locker room: 1) They must turn the page and concentrate on the Miami Dolphins on a short week of preparation; 2) They might get the chance at a trilogy with the Patriots.

Whether the latter is something to wish for is hard to say.

"They're not going to feel sorry for us, and we don't want anybody to feel sorry for us," Jets linebacker Bart Scott said. "We'll take our medicine, and we deserve whatever comments are written about us of who we are and what we are. We got big shoulders. We'll take it, and we'll move forward. I'm not flinching. We still got a lot to play for."

Monday Night Football Review : Jets-- Patriots

NEW YORK (AP) -- The showdown is set, and Rex and the Jets are ready.

Immediately after New York topped Cincinnati 26-10 on Thursday night -- with no overtime or last-minute heroics needed this time -- the Jets turned their attention to their next opponent.

Yep, those pesky New England Patriots.

"It's the marquee game of the year," Jets coach Rex Ryan said Friday.

With both winning on Thanksgiving, they are tied for the NFL's best record at 9-2. That sets up the meaty Monday night matchup at New England.

"It's not going to get much bigger than that," Ryan said. "So, the fact that it's a divisional game, I guess the only way it would be better if it was the last game of the regular season. But this is pretty good right here."

No doubt about it.

"Ridiculous," right tackle Damien Woody said. "I can't even put it into words."

The Patriots are coming off a convincing 45-24 victory at Detroit, and have won 25 straight at home with Tom Brady as the starting quarterback. The Jets beat them at Foxborough in 2008, when Matt Cassel filled in for an injured Brady. New York has won eight in a row on the road, including going 5-0 this season.

"We've got a good opportunity here ahead of us," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "So, we're going to relax here, kick back for a couple days, try to take this opportunity to rest and spend a little time with our families and be ready to roll here next week with the Jets."

New York holds the tiebreaker over New England in the AFC East because the Jets won the first meeting this season 28-14 in Week 2 at the Meadowlands. The Jets could make a major statement with another win over their rivals.

"I watched that game (Thursday)," Ryan said. "Obviously, they're playing great. They're making big plays on defense, but their offense, that's where you start with. They seemed at times, almost looked like they were unstoppable. I'm pretty confident where our team is right now. We've got the exact same record."

But maybe not the exact same respect.

While many media members and fans are calling the Patriots legitimate Super Bowl contenders, the Jets have some skeptics despite their record. The concern comes from the fact that they had to squeak by lesser teams in overtime in consecutive weeks in Detroit and Cleveland, and then needed a touchdown with 10 seconds left Sunday to beat Houston.

Their game Thursday night appeared headed for the same type of frenzied finish, but Brad Smith sparked New York in the second half with a 53-yard touchdown run and an 89-yard, one-shoed kickoff return for a score.

"We're enjoying this win, but they were in the back of our minds," Smith said of the Patriots. "Seeing how they played and the rivalry we have and just the great games that we have against them, we're excited."

For those who say the Jets have yet to put together a truly dominant performance, Ryan bluntly says, who cares?

"The truth of the matter is sometimes your offense needs to pick up your defense," he said. "Sometimes your defense needs to pick up your offense, and sometimes special teams got to pick up both. We've won that way. We've found different ways. That's the mark of an excellent football team."

But is that enough to beat a Patriots team that's cruising? And, will those flaws catch up to them in the postseason?

"I know we're confident going anywhere to play," Ryan said. "They're certainly confident playing at home in particular, but, hey, it's going to be, in my opinion, the best two teams in football squaring off against each other and we'll see what happens on the field."

Ryan was especially encouraged by the defense having what he thought was its best game. After struggling in the past several games to close out opponents, the Jets got the job done against the Bengals with three sacks, including a game-sealing safety.

"If this group communicates and we don't have mental mistakes, then we're going to be tough for anybody to move the ball against," Ryan said.

The performance by the defense and special teams made up for a lackluster game by Mark Sanchez, who had been terrific the previous three.

"I just took a step in the wrong direction," said Sanchez, who was 16 of 28 for 166 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

"He knows that there's accountability to himself, his teammates, everybody," he said. "The defense responded and I expect Mark to respond."

Ryan said "it's a good possibility" wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (groin) and defensive backs Dwight Lowery (concussion) and Marquice Cole (hamstring) will all be recovered in time for the game. Good thing because the Jets will need everyone at their best, Ryan included, going up against a Belichick-led team that's been so impressive.

"I pride myself on being a good football coach," Ryan said. "With the guys that I have around us, I feel confident, but I'm still not in Bill Belichick's class, and I know that. But I know one thing: He's going to get my best shot."