Tim Clayton
The Flag: The umpire, Tony Michalek, threw a flag almost immediately. It was the first time the penalty was called.
The Push: Patriots defensive tackle Chris Jones pushed his teammate Will Svitek into the Jets' offensive formation.
The Kick: Kicker Nick Folk attempted a 56-yard field goal in overtime. It was wide to the left, but then came a second chance.
Rex Ryan conducted his standard day-after-game interview session on Monday via conference call, so we are left to imagine his body language as he responded to questions about his role in illuminating his new favorite obscure penalty, the call that boosted his Jets to a 30-27 overtime victory against New England.
Did he raise his eyebrows, cock his head and shrug — a Ryan special? Did he shuffle his feet and gaze at the floor, perhaps toward the patch of skin where his next tattoo, of kicker Nick Folk, could go? Or maybe, just maybe, he pumped his fist, cupped the telephone and mouthed, with an expletive tossed in, "Ha! We got 'em!"
That, sadly, would be the unlikeliest of all. But it would also be a fair representation of his feelings toward New England. Bullied in five straight meetings, by an average of 13.2 points, the Jets on Sunday exacted a measure of revenge that extended beyond the outcome. Aside from outplaying the Patriots, they outsmarted them. Outcoached them, too.
When New England defensive tackle Chris Jones violated a rule implemented before the season by pushing his teammate Will Svitek into the New Orleans Saints' field-goal formation last week, no penalty was called; no one among the eight-man officiating crew noticed. The Jets did. On Sunday, Jones employed that same tactic, shoving Svitek forward as Folk hooked a 56-yard attempt. A penalty flag was thrown immediately by the umpire Tony Michalek, and the extra 15 yards helped Folk drill the winner from 42 yards.
"Let's just put it this way: we watch every single play," said Ryan, who declined to say whether he, or a member of his staff, alerted the officials at MetLife Stadium to watch New England with increased vigilance. In his weekly spot on ESPN Radio, Ryan said that his twin, Rob, who is the Saints' defensive coordinator, did not notify him.
"I don't care if it's Week 16 or whatever," Ryan said on the conference call, "we're going to watch every play of the opponent. That's what we do as coaches." He added, "We're aware of opponents' tendencies and everything else."
The Patriots' everything else, in particular. For so long, the Jets emulated them. They hired Eric Mangini. They strengthened their secondary as a response to the Patriots' collection of receivers and tight ends. They wanted New England's division championships, 10 in 12 years, and three Super Bowl titles. Ryan said last year that he had "never stopped not thinking about the Patriots." You get the idea.
So, given how closely the Jets monitor all intelligence emanating from the Belichick bunker — and, in general, how diligently teams prepare for each other — it seemed unlikely that the Patriots' technique would go unnoticed another week. It was unclear whether New England's coaches knew about the maneuver; had ordered it, trying to exploit an ambiguity in a new entry to the N.F.L. rule book; or were merely unaware of its nuances.
"Look, it's our job to understand the rules," Coach Bill Belichick said on Monday. "Whatever the bottom line is, we didn't do it properly. So, what else is there to say?"
According to the transcript provided by the Patriots, not much. Belichick, for instance, was not asked whether he thought that the Jets had tipped off the referee Jerome Boger — as is their right. It is not an uncommon practice around the league, nor is this an isolated incident in their history with New England. Just last season, the Jets, alarmed about their difficulty to substitute when the Patriots deployed their no-huddle offense, expressed their concerns to the officials.
Gamesmanship and subterfuge are stalwarts of a rivalry that precedes Ryan, dating to Bill Parcells; to Belichick's abrupt resignation as "HC of the NYJ"; to the Jets' stealthy negotiations — and shrewd offer sheet — that netted Curtis Martin; to the Patriots' clandestine filming of Jets defensive signals in 2007, which became the controversy known as Spygate.
Ryan hurled himself into the enmity almost immediately after being hired as the coach in 2009, vowing that he would never kiss Belichick's rings. He told his players Saturday night that he knew they were better than New England. They just needed to prove it, which they did, with a little assistance from Rule 9, Section 1, Article 3, (b), which states: "Team B players cannot push teammates on the line of scrimmage into the offensive formation."
It was introduced during the off-season, established for player safety measures, The Jets, linebacker Demario Davis said, "were very aware of that rule." They were aware of it because when pushing was legal last year, Davis said, he was among the players who would ram a lineman into the opposing formation. They were also aware of it because every training camp, officials visit teams to detail rule changes for the coming season, and in early August they arrived at Jets camp at SUNY Cortland. There they showed the team a video tutorial — "what's legal and what's illegal," said defensive tackle Damon Harrison — and answered questions.
Coaches emphasize the rule changes during camp, officials reinforce them during practice, and players are reminded during the season. In their team meeting every Friday, the Jets go over the penalties emphasized by that week's crew. Last week, the special-teams coach Ben Kotwica instructed his unit not to push on field-goal attempts.
Harrison, the player shoved by Jones and Svitek, noticed the push but said that it did not immediately register to him that New England had committed a penalty.
"I don't think guys are out there doing it purposely," Harrison said, adding, "I know as a New York Jet that we were informed of the rule and that's why we don't do it anymore."
When the fifth question about the infraction was posed to Ryan, he seemed to grow a bit impatient. He said he was not worried that the Patriots made a mistake because "we outplayed New England, and I think that's why we won the game."
Over the phone, he might have smiled.
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