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Calvin Pace: Patriots' quick offense 'borderline illegal'

Tom Brady can move the New England Patriots' offense so quickly, it looks illegal.

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Or at least close to illegal, according to New York Jets linebacker Calvin Pace.

"It's borderline illegal because sometimes the guys aren't always set when they snap the ball," Pace said Wednesday, via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. "But it's smart. Why not hurry a team up? I wish we would do it. For a defense, it just puts pressure on you."

The Jets have bad memories of the Patriots' up-tempo attack. New York was badly burned by it the last time these teams met, in Week 10 last season. The Jets couldn't get their proper personnel on the field as Brady picked apart a gassed unit. The 37-16 pasting propelled New England to another AFC East title.

"It's very difficult," said linebacker David Harris, who will have the tall task of quickly and efficiently communicating plays to New York's defense. "You'll see defenses not even lined up and they're already running a play. They get a lot of extra yardage because of it. It causes guys to lose their mind. You can see it on film."

The Patriots' offense torched the Denver Broncos in Week 5 with the scheme, picking up a team-record 35 first downs. They had less success in Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, leading chirpy cornerback Richard Sherman to declare New England ran a "gimmick offense."

Gee, you think Rex Ryan has studied Pete Carroll's game plan this week?

Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.

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