"Blame it on Mo.

Mo Lewis did it. He started all this.

Where would the Patriots be if not for that Mo Lewis hit on Drew Bledsoe in 2001? Would Tom Brady have ever gotten the opportunity to show his greatness? Would the Patriots be playing for their fourth Lombardi Trophy in the last 11 years when they play the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5? Would Bill Belichick still be the Patriots head coach?

Belichick, according to a coach who was on the Jets staff back then and who requested anonymity, was telling Jets coaches on the sideline before that game that he expected to be fired.

"He and [then offensive coordinator] Charlie Weis were saying, 'We're going to get fired,' '' the coach recalled. "They were struggling and they didn't want Bledsoe as the quarterback, but they couldn't get rid of him because he had too much power in the locker room.''"