Belichick Is Loser in Return to N.Y.

This was Bill Belichick’s choice.

His choice to refer to the New York Jets as “they” instead of “we.” His choice to suffer after the Jets came back to beat the New England Patriots, 20-19, on Monday night.

The Jets could have been Belichick’s team. After three years as the defensive coordinator, he was the heir apparent when Bill Parcells decided he had had enough of coaching in January. But Belichick shocked the Jets and threw the organization into turmoil when he stepped aside after less than one day on the job. Then he showed up with the rival Patriots.

Belichick isn’t the outspoken, emotional type. So it’s impossible to know if he is looking back at the Jets with any regret. But this much is certain: he is looking up at the Jets in the AFC East standings, where New York is 2-0 and the Patriots have dropped to 0-2.

Quarterback Vinny Testaverde snapped out of a lackluster game just in time to lead the Jets to two touchdowns in the final 6 1/2 minutes. Both scores came on passes to Wayne Chrebet.

On the first Chrebet maintained his concentration to haul in a ball that was tipped by New England cornerback Antonio Langham. On the second, Chrebet eluded Langham, then showed the balance and awareness to stay in bounds and reach with the ball into the end zone.

The Jets were worried that Belichick’s familiarity with their system would allow him to thwart their offense.

It turned out that all his familiarity did was prevent him from being totally shocked by the turn of events.

“Vinny, as always, is an outstanding quarterback,” Belichick said. “He made some great throws in the end, as I’ve seen him do many times.

“Wayne made some great catches, as I’ve seen him do many times too.”

It was a complete success for the Jets. They exacted revenge on Belichick. They got a victory for Al Groh, the man left behind to coach the team after Belichick departed. And they didn’t lose for lack of Keyshawn Johnson, whose trade to Tampa Bay was the other major Jets’ story of the off-season.

This was Belichick’s first game back in the Meadowlands since he resigned as “H.C. of the N.Y. Jets” in a now infamous handwritten memo.

It didn’t have quite the same buildup as Pat Riley’s return to Madison Square Garden after he faxed in his resignation to the New York Knicks and jetted south to the Miami Heat, but it doesn’t take much to generate a storyline in New York.

The intrigue was much better than the game. After the fans lustily booed Belichick during the pregame introductions, they didn’t have much opportunity to do anything else.

The Jets led, 7-6, after the first quarter, but they didn’t get a first down in the second quarter until there were only 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

Meanwhile, the Patriots’s couldn’t reach the end zone in their first five trips inside the Jets 24-yard line. Adam Vinatieri kicked four field goals to put them ahead, 12-7. After putting their kicker through that much work he almost couldn’t be blamed for missing his fifth attempt, from 29 yards.

As could be expected, the Patriots have been pretty solid on defense under Belichick, who specializes in that department. Now if only they could import St. Louis offensive whiz Mike Martz. And perhaps a few offensive linemen.

In their first two games, New England’s most consistent weapon has been return man Troy Brown. He scored on a punt return in the opener against Tampa Bay and Monday night he returned four punts for a total of 93 yards. That accounted for more yardage than New England’s top rusher (Kevin Faulk, 82 yards) and top receiver Terry Glenn, 81 yards).

Meanwhile Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe was sacked five times. He did manage to stay upright long enough to complete 25 of 43 passes for 229 yards. He rolled right and threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Eric Bjornson that put the Patriots ahead, 19-7, with 9:56 left in the game.

Then Testaverde and the Jets finally clicked. He connected on eight passes (five of them to Richie Anderson) to move the Jets 85 yards and into the end zone on a two-yard toss to Chrebet.

That made it 19-14 with 6:25 remaining.

A crucial sack of Bledsoe on third-and-four from the Jets’ 36 took the Patriots out of field goal range and forced New England to punt the ball with 2:28 remaining.

A 44-yard pass from Testaverde to Dedric Ward got the Jets moving toward their winning touchdown, which Chrebet scored on the first play after the two-minute warning.

Two more incompletions and two more sacks of Bledsoe and the Patriots were through, with the only intrigue related to the postgame formalities.

Groh and Belichick did shake hands.

Several Jet defenders sought out their former coordinator, but he didn’t have much to say.

“I’m sure he was hurt,” Green said. “It was a big loss for him.

“But how he felt, we can’t worry about.”

After all, he isn’t a Jet anymore.

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