Less than one week after being cut by the New England Patriots in 2009, backup quarterback Kevin O’Connell ended up with the division rival New York Jets. There was immediate concern and consternation on the part of many Pats fans that O’Connell had become some sort of traitorous defector with valuable state secrets and insider information; information that was now solely in the hands of the Patriots’ sworn enemy.
Before losing his job with the Patriots and getting released, O’Connell had been on New England’s roster for 16 months. He spent two full offseasons with the team in OTAs, minicamp, training camp, and the preseason, working behind Tom Brady and soaking up as much knowledge of the New England playbook as he possibly could.