NFL grudge match

0 Comments | USA TODAY, December, 2007 | by Tom Pedulla

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and New York Jets counterpart Eric Mangini meet at the end of Sunday's game at Gillette Stadium, it may be the handshake that shakes the NFL.

A rivalry based on proximity when the Boston Patriots first played the New York Titans as part of the old American Football League at New York's Polo Grounds in 1960 has escalated into a clash fueled by enmity.

"The last 10 years has really been the zenith of this rivalry," former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason says, "and Sunday it will be at its highest point because of what went on in Week 1."

A decade-long series of incidents boiled over during New England's season-opening 38-14 win that started the Patriots on a run that has them one...