The Border War started in January 1997 when the New York Jets attempted to hire Bill Parcells as their coach. The New England Patriots blocked it, so the Jets tried an end-around, making Parcells a consultant. Patriots owner Robert Kraft, livid, released a statement, calling it "a transparent farce."
I have a feeling Kraft was thinking the same thing Tuesday upon learning the Jets had filed a tampering charge against him for innocuous comments about Darrelle Revis.
Eighteen years later, they're still going at it. It took only two months for Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles to be indoctrinated into the culture of Jets-Patriots enmity. Congrats, guys, you're made men now.
This, of course, was totally avoidable. If the league had made a prompt ruling on the Patriots' tampering charge from January, stemming from Woody Johnson's end-of-the-season remarks about Revis, it probably would've pre-empted any retaliatory strikes. But the NFL being the NFL, its so-called investigation has moved at a glacial pace, creating suspicion and fueling the acrimony between the two teams. Maybe it was waiting for TMZ to uncover a secret videotape.
It seems like the Jets, who believe the Patriots' accusation is without merit, were waiting with a trap at the league meetings in Phoenix.
On Monday, at about 3:30 p.m. ET, Kraft spoke to reporters and answered questions about Revis' departure. He didn't make any comments that screamed "Tampering!" Mostly, he talked about how he wishes he could've kept the star cornerback, but that he sided with Bill Belichick's belief it was in the best interest of the team to move on.
Translation: Belichick would sooner mow Johnson's lawn than devote 15 percent of his salary cap to a 30-year-old player not named Brady.
Nevertheless, the Jets studied Kraft's comments, pouncing on the phrase "I speak as a fan of the New England Patriots: We wanted to keep him." It was a harmless comment, but they were looking for something -- anything -- to formulate a counter-charge.
About 30 minutes later, Johnson did his thing with reporters, appearing noticeably subdued when discussing his new trophy cornerback. Maybe he knew he had his ammunition, and he didn't want to say anything to compromise his position.
You don't have to be a legal scholar to recognize Johnson's original comments from December ("I'd love for Darrelle to come back") were closer to a tampering violation than those of Kraft. By definition, Johnson committed a textbook violation, but he claims it was a slip of the tongue, telling Kraft in a subsequent phone conversation that he "misspoke."
The Patriots refused to let it slide, so the Jets decided to give the Super Bowl champs a taste of their own medicine.
This is so middle school, don't you think? Johnson and Kraft should be summoned to the principal's office for a stern lecture. The appropriate penalties: no recess and no video games for a week.
And don't even think of using the private jets.