Patriots Vs. Jets - the Bitterest Feud in the NFL?

Many rivalries in the NFL have lasted since the inception of the league. Green Bay vs. Chicago has been a match-up of historic significance for years. Though some NFL rivalries may have a longer history, no rivalry has been as dramatic or dizzying as the roller coaster that is the New England Patriots vs. the New York Jets.

For starters, there are simply no inter-city rivalries that pack the hatred of New York vs. Boston. Every time two teams from these train-tracked towns take the turf, court, or field against each other, it reeks of intensity from the very beginning. The New York vs. Boston sports rivalry has chronicled itself in the annals of time for over a century, consistently concocting some of the craziest and most memorable match-ups sports fans have ever witnessed. From the New York Giants stopping the Patriots path to perfection, to the Boston Red Sox winning the ALCS after coming back from a 3-0 series deficit for the first time in Major League history, New York v. Boston has become more notorious than Roe v. Wade.

Add to that history, all of the history between the Patriots and Jets, and the concoction calls for a catastrophic outcome. With what seems to be a player carousel, where former Patriots become Jets and vice versa, the bitterness is inherent in that the blood remains the same, so to speak.

Just last season, the Patriots signed former Jets HB Lamont Jordan, and the Jets signed former Patriots CB Ty Law the week before a crucial match-up with their long-time rival. Though the signing of Lamont Jordan wasn't heralded as a blockbuster free agent signing, Ty Law's move to the Jets was big because Law was one of the integral pieces in the Patriots first Super Bowl run

Already this off-season, the Patriots signed former Jets TE Chris Baker, and former Patriots special teamer LB Larry Izzo was signed by the Jets. Both will line up against each other on special teams for kickoffs and punts.

And of course, the coaching tree partnership and relationships involving Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, and Eric Mangini have spiced things up a bit since both teams know what the other is doing not only on the level of a division rival, but philosophically speaking both teams understand what the other is all about since their schemes are relatively similar.

And who could forget Spygate? It all started with the first game of the 2007 NFL season, when the Jets caught a Patriots video assistant on their sideline during a game. The scrutiny has not left the shadow of the Patriots since then, and who knows if it will anytime soon. The Jets nearly single-handedly tarnished the entire New England Patriots dynasty by catching them in the act.

The bitterness and craziness between these two teams far surpasses that between many other division rivals. Although rivalries such as those between the Cincinatti Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers, or the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders, are also well-chronicled, those hardly share the never-ending drama saga quality of Jets vs. Patriots.