Gaffney catching on quite nicely

FOXBOROUGH -- Twelve games into his Patriots tenure, wide receiver Jabar Gaffney has 11 catches and 169 yards against the Jets in two games. He has 77 yards against the rest of the league. Too bad New England doesn't get a fourth game against the men in green, or Gaffney might break all sorts of personal records.

With 65 yards on three catches in the mud bowl game in Foxborough Nov. 12, Gaffney set the scene for yesterday's 104 yards on eight catches in his first playoff game after four postseason-less years as a Texan. Acting as the go-to receiver for Tom Brady, Gaffney had his best performance as a Patriot and one of the best performances of his career.

"Tom's been harping all year that if we get open, he's going to get us the ball," said tight end Daniel Graham, who had a 1-yard touchdown reception in the 37-16 win. "Today was Jabar's day. He made some big catches. He's been making catches, big catches for us since he got here. I think the comfort level with him is finally there and it's peaking at the right time."

Though Gaffney left Gillette Stadium before speaking with reporters, he more than made his presence felt when he was on the field. With three catches for 34 yards on the opening drive alone -- Brady connected with Gaffney on his first three passes in a possession that ended with a Corey Dillon touchdown -- Gaffney proved he can be a factor in New England's playoff run, something that would have been questionable as recently as October. That was back when he was unsigned, just waiting for a phone call from a team willing to add his name to its 53-man roster.

"He's worked extremely hard," Brady said. "He fits in very well here because he's smart, he's tough, he loves playing football. He's very coachable. This isn't an easy offense for a receiver. So over the course of eight, nine [actually 13] weeks he's really picked things up. He's playing really well for us. Made some really nice catches. We were definitely trying to get him the ball."

Signed Oct. 9, Gaffney has had bouts of inconsistency. On a number of occasions, including on a play early in the second quarter, the receiver has been a few inches short of a spectacular catch. With the Patriots on the Jets' 41-yard line, Brady took a chance into the end zone, sending in a ball that, though Gaffney had to reach a bit, should have been caught.

But, on this day, it was hard to fault him for his single miss.

"He's learned all of the positions," coach Bill Belichick said. "He's played X. He's played Z. He's played in the slot and he's a smart kid, a good route runner. He's done a great job of picking up the system. He works as hard as anybody. He's given us some quality plays this year. I was just happy for him and all of the receivers, the tight ends. Offensively we had a lot of production across the board, a lot of different guys. That's what you always like to see, is that kind of balance and good team execution."

Prior to his breakout yesterday, Gaffney had just one 100-yard receiving day, a four-catch, 109-yard performance in a win over the Bears Dec. 19, 2004, when he was still with Houston. It was a great day for the receiver, sure, but to reach that plateau in a playoff game, when it really mattered? Not much could be better than that, short of similar games deeper into the postseason.

Asked if this was the best he can remember out of Gaffney, his teammate both with the Patriots and at the University of Florida, receiver Reche Caldwell laughed, likely thinking about all the 100-yard games Gaffney amassed back in Gainesville, including a 2001 season in which he averaged 108.3 yards per game.

"In the pros? Yeah," Caldwell said. "And it came at a perfect time."

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.