Patriots ready to fight the Law
The Patriots barely missed out on Ty Law.
In his first day back on an NFL roster, Law told the New York media yesterday that when it came to securing his services, there were three teams in the mix — New York, Cleveland and New England. And while he chose the Jets over the Patriots, the veteran cornerback acknowledged a piece of his heart would always reside in Foxborough.
“There’s always going to be a relationship with the Patriots organization and the fans,” said Law, who was with New England from 1995 until 2004 and helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls in that time. “I just chose to come here to New York. I’m a Jet right now, and they’ve got to be the enemy.”
“It didn’t surprise me that he signed with somebody,” said New England coach Bill Belichick, who acknowledged he had been in touch with Law as lately as a “couple of months” ago.
“We’ve played him [before]. I think we all know what Ty’s skills are.”
While player movement between the Jets and Patriots is always a hot topic — especially with Belichick and New York coach Eric Mangini at the controls — there’s not as much novelty in the face that Law has landed with the Jets this year because this is his second go-round with New York. After leaving New England after the 2004 season, he spent a year with New York, finished that season with 10 interceptions and was voted to the Pro Bowl. But since then, it’s been a slow and steady decline for Law. He had just six picks in two years with Kansas City, and became a free agent at the end of last season.
However, it’s clear he believes a reunion with Mangini could turn things around.
“I think I made the right decision overall,” said Law, who worked with Mangini when the current Jets coach was an assistant in New England. “They made me feel good about coming back because I was real close to going elsewhere, but it’s a good situation to reunite with Eric Mangini.”
Law remains a question mark for tomorrow’s Patriots-Jets game at Gillette Stadium, although Mangini said Law was in excellent shape and might be able to play tomorrow against the Patriots.
“I think we will have to see how it goes,” Mangini said, “but I would say there is definitely a shot.”
Patriots defensive lineman Ty Warren wasn’t among those who were surprised to see the 34-year-old Law return to the NFL. Warren recalled an occasion when he was a young pro, pulling up for a morning meeting at Gillette Stadium and seeing Law out for a morning run along Route 1 before the day even started.
“I talked to Ty before the season even started, and I knew he would still be playing somewhere this year,” Warren said. “I didn’t know it would be this late, but it’s definitely going to be a little bit weird. We did play against him after he left here that one year, but Ty is Ty. It’s like Manny [Ramirez] is Manny; Ty is Ty.
“I know that Ty has a good work ethic,” Warren added. “I’m sure he’s been staying in shape. He’s probably been talking to them for a couple of weeks, knowing that this was to come.”
