So at least we know why the Patriots struggled a bit in pass protection at times. They had six foot, 190lb Todd Lyght playing left tackle for them much of the night. At least that’s what Jon Gruden told us, several times. He wasn’t corrected directly, though at one point Ron Jaworski commented after Gruden and made sure to say MATT Light.

Some other quick hits:

  • The Patriots might be feeling a little peeved that the national media can’t get their names straight. In the ESPN pregame, Cris Carter referred to Patriots linebacker “O.J” Mayo.
  • Nice to see Frank Gifford in the pregame. His last years on MNF were painful, but he looked pretty good in his short stint.
  • The ESPN graphics had some new looks, but the down and distance markers “on the field” appeared to blur out players a little bit a few times.
  • Jaworski focused quite a bit on Brady’s knee, and showed us on the film how he felt that the knee was impacting Brady’s performance, specifically on throws.
  • It almost seemed like a reversal of the Joe Namath situation, with Suzy Kolber clinging to Tom Brady after the game, and doggedly chasing him across the field just to get a brief comment. She was charged with getting a Brady interview after the game, and she would not be denied. Most reporters would’ve just given up.
  • I love Randy Moss press conferences. I wish he’d do them every game. He is just as entertaining at the podium as he is on the field. He was the one who told us first that Brady had entered the huddle with 5:32 left and said that the Patriots would win the game, despite trailing by 11 at the time. Moss also said at one point “I’ve always been a fan of the Ryan brothers” when asked about the matchup with Rex Ryan and the Jets this Sunday.
  • The game worked out well for ESPN as it earned a 10.3 rating, representing an average of 10,224,000 households (14,001,000 viewers – P2+), the largest audience for any program on cable television in 2009.

What else stood out to you?