EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Decorum and the so-called Border War be damned: Sunday was an old-fashioned butt whuppin'.

There's no other way to put it, really. Tom Brady's uniform stayed as pristine as one of the impeccably tailored suits he wears, Randy Moss really was the "Randy Moss of old," Ellis Hobbs threw conventional kick-return wisdom out the window, and Jarvis Green and Mike Wright will be starring in Chad Pennington's nightmares for at least a few days.

And thus, Opening Day 2007 was a 38-14 rout at the expense of the New York Jets.

It's become a given that New England has a strong defense, but the balance and efficiency displayed on the offensive side of the ball in the Meadowlands is sure to have opposing defensive coordinators clocking overtime as they try to prepare to face the Pats.

It started, as it needs to, with the offensive line. The unit, which took a great deal of heat -- much of it self-inflicted -- after the Pats' preseason game against Tennessee, has been solid since. There were times on Sunday when it seemed Brady could have gotten a snack between taking the snap and making a pass, his protection was so good.

It led to a crisp 22-for-28 passing performance, for 297 yards, three touchdowns, no picks and only one hurry. Chris Hanson was on the field to punt just once all afternoon.

The quarterback knows who keeps him upright, and he made sure to acknowledge the big guys after the game.

"I think the offensive line did a spectacular job. They worked so hard and I think they're so well-coached (by Dante Scarnecchia)," Brady said. "It's a great group and they worked extremely hard and I am proud of the way they played. I think we're lucky to have those guys and they set the tone for this entire offense."

The line was focused and ready, center Dan Koppen said.

"I think guys knew who they had, and it felt good to come out clicking, everyone doing their job and being on the same page," he said.

New England's offensive attack was balanced, with the ball being handed off 34 times and Brady dropping back to pass 28 times.

"Josh [McDaniels, the Pats' offensive coordinator] had a good rhythm with the calls; everyone was comfortable once they saw how the game would go," Koppen continued.

The balance wasn't immediately obvious: five of New England's first six offensive plays and six of the first eight were run plays. But the team methodically ground out a 12-play, 91-yard scoring drive, starting with an 11-yard run from Laurence Maroney on the first play.

Wes Welker scored his first touchdown as a Patriot, and the first touchdown of the Patriots' season, a third-down pass in which he slipped away from corner David Barrett and into the end zone.

Barrett, like more than one of his teammates, had a day to forget.

On New England's next scoring drive, Moss caught a 22-yard pass over his head, likely the epitome of "getting Mossed," the term Hobbs introduced to local lexicon a few months ago.

And those were just the start of the fireworks.

Hobbs, whose swagger may be only slightly less pronounced than his megawatt smile, fielded the opening kickoff of the second half eight yards into the end zone.

When he saw that his teammate was going to bring the ball out, Donte Stallworth's thoughts were, "umm, umm, and then after two seconds, yeah!"

The 108-yard touchdown return was the longest in NFL history.

Then it was Moss' turn again. Again and more spectacular.

The lanky receiver -- Stallworth called him "Stickman" -- was lined up on the right side. He blew past rookie corner Darelle Revis and cut toward the opposite sideline. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma couldn't keep up, and Barrett and Coleman didn't fare much better. Brady unloaded a pinpoint pass -- "that's about as far as I can throw it," he quipped -- and Moss cradled it into his body, running through the end zone with the three defenders trailing him.

"It was just a good read by Tommy. I read the defense; I think the corner was down and the safety was back to the right, so I just came all the way across the field," Moss said. "Tommy had faith in me and believed in me. We just had good protection -- everything we did today was very well executed. The coaches got us prepared all week and we went out there and made it happen."

Moss hadn't practiced in a month because of a hamstring problem, but clearly he and Brady have found a way to create a rapport.

"Randy loves playing football. He was meant to play football," Brady said. "He ran away from the defense. It's not the way we drew it up, but maybe we should draw it up like that."

If flying by the seats of their pants brings wins like Sunday's, the Patriots will try that every week.