Few people in the upper ranks of the New England Patriots organization had gotten much sleep one particular week early in 1998. Bill Parcells, the former head coach and someone many in the organization despised, was the cause. Behind his back, some Patriots employees used to joke about adding a holiday to the calendar called ''Punch Bill in the Face Day.''

Obviously, there was no love lost when Parcells skipped out on his contract with the Patriots and jumped to the Jets. Then the enmity intensified that week two years ago when Parcells, as coach of the Jets, signed one of the Patriots' best players, running back Curtis Martin, to a six-year contract. Worse, the $36 million contract included a poison pill that was a $3.3 million roster bonus. If New England matched the deal for Martin, a restricted free agent, it could wreck its salary cap.

Parcells knew this, and the Patriots knew that he knew, which only infuriated them more. After looking for holes in the contract that were not there, the Patriots finally made a decision that would change the fortunes of both franchises for years. They decided not to match the offer, let Martin walk and take the first- and third-round draft selections as compensation.

In hindsight it was one of the worst decisions for the Patriots and one of the best for the Jets.

Somewhat lost in the chaos of the Jets-Patriots Tuna Bowl last night -- from the news media buildup, one would think this was some XFL fight to the death with chain saws pay-per-view event -- is the loud impact of the quiet Martin. A simple free-agent signing can still be felt, both here and in New England.