New England Patriots Report

Patriots on best behavior

October, 5, 2011

10/05/11

10:30

PM ET

By ESPNBoston.com

AP Photo/Charles KrupaJets-turned-Patriots defensive lineman Shaun Ellis at work at Wednesday's practice.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Judging from the boring sound bites, you'd think Patriots vs. Jets on Sunday is just another game. We all know better. But the Patriots were on their best behavior and downplayed the matchup on Wednesday, writes ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg:

At one end of the locker room, reporters flocked to talk with safety James Ihedigbo. The fact that his biggest contributions come on special teams didn't matter, Ihedigbo used to play for the Jets, including during last year's playoff win over the Patriots.

So what did New York do defensively to take New England out of its game that day?

"I don't know," Ihedigbo said. "I can't think that far back."

That far back? It hasn't even been nine months. There were babies conceived that day (probably more in New York than Boston) that haven't even been birthed yet. But Ihedigbo wasn't the only one with selective amnesia.

Those returning members of the Patriots that watched a 14-2 regular season get dashed in a 28-21 loss to the Jets also offered shrugs when asked if that game could provide additional motivation this week.

"That was a long time ago," said Brady. "So that game doesn't have much bearing on this week. We're a different team."

Echoed safety Patrick Chung: "That was last year. We're not worried about that. This is a new team, a new season."

Forgive us if we don't quite believe you.

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Mike Reiss

Mike Reiss first started covering the Patriots in 1997 with the team's official newspaper, Patriots Football Weekly, before moving on to the MetroWest Daily News in his hometown of Framingham. From 2005 to 2009, he covered the Patriots for The Boston Globe, while also writing on the NFL. He started his popular Patriots blog in 2004. Send any questions or comments for Mike to his mailbag. Follow him on Twitter (@MikeReiss).

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