Willie McGinest had a performance for the ages this past weekend against the Jags. He set an NFL post-season record with 4.5 sacks and also set the all-time post-season record with his 16th career sack, passing Reggie White and Bruce Smith on the same night. Oh, and his team won 28-3. Not a bad night for Mr. McGinest.

McGinest has been with the Pats for 12 years now and is a big reason for their success in recent years. He is as clutch a player as you could want on defense and always seems to save his best performances for the most important games. He's not out there padding his stats against the cellar-dwellers. He does it when it counts.

After the game, McGinest reflected on passing White and Smith for the all-time post-season sack record. ''It's an honor to be in the same company with those guys. I knew about it before the game but it didn't cross my mind. I was just trying to give our team the best chance to win." And that's the way it is with McGinest. He doesn't get much of the limelight, but he's as big a reason as any for the Pats' success. He's a big performer on the field and an important leader in the locker room.