The forgotten man

TALES FROM THE TAILGATE
Pats 26, Dolphins 23 (11/23/'98): You can chart the ups and downs of NFL franchises since 1970 by looking at the schedule of each season's Monday Night Football games.

The Steelers and the Cowboys have rarely disappeared from the Monday night roster for more than a season, a testament to just how few bad stretches both franchises have had. Teams such as the Lions and the Seahawks, on the other hand, have had long periods out of view of the MNF cameras. Check out the early '70s and you'll see the Len Dawson-led Kansas City Chiefs played on Monday night ten times in the first seven years of MNF. In this decade the Chiefs players haven't had to get off their couch on a Monday night in five years. The Patriots, in their early years of bumbling, stumbling franchise, only made a few MNF visits but this decade it seems a month doesn't go by without Brady and the Pats stepping into the Monday night spotlight. I'm sure fans around the rest of the NFL feel the Pats are playing almost every Monday night.

This week's battle against the Saints is the latest in a decade of big Monday night games the team has played. Like the game in New Orleans, most of them have been on the road. The Patriots are 3-1 at home on Monday nights this decade. Not a lot of tailgating memories to go along with those games. But as we get ready for a match-up of two great quarterbacks -- Brady vs. Brees on Monday night -- it reminds me of my favorite MNF tailgating memory. Involving another great quarterback who is now the forgotten man.

Drew Bledsoe.

The Pats #1 draft pick in 1993 is one of the players most instrumental in turning the franchise around. Like Tom Brady. Ty Law. Tedy Bruschi. Bledsoe deserves as much credit as anyone. He didn't win a Super Bowl as a starter but he jump-started a franchise with some of the most amazing passing performances of the past two decades. He was that good. And he was that tough. I was a Brady guy early on. Mostly because you could tell he had that undefinable quality that all great players have. His abilities have improved each year, but from the beginning you could see he was hard to rattle and had the knack for making the big play. Just like the quarterback who came before him. Bledsoe hard to rattle? Tough? As tough as they come. It may be hard to remember now after the way his Pats career ended, but on back-to-back weekends in November '98 he led the team to two miraculous victories. In the second of those games (against the Bills) he did it while playing with a broken finger on his passing hand.

The first of those games was a Monday nighter against Miami at Foxboro Stadium. Pete Carroll was in his second (and thankfully next-to-last) season as head coach. The Pats started off 4-1 but limped into the game against the Dolphins at 5-5. We could see the foundation that Bill Parcells had built slowly being eroded like a beach cliff under a Cape home. But for two nights Bledsoe almost single-handedly put the team back on solid ground.

We tailgated on a crisp winter night, eating, drinking, and mocking Carroll's "pumped and jacked" mentality to coaching. All rah-rah. Perfect for college. But it very rarely works in the NFL. You either have a dour tactician (Landry, Noll, Belichick) or an in-your-face motivator (Lombardi, Parcells, Cowher) at the helm of the best teams. Cheerleaders as coaches don't usually work out. And when a cheerleader replaces a motivator it usually spells disaster because the players are so glad the guy yelling at them is gone that they ease up and lose their edge. That was the '98 Patriots.

Besides our coach, the other topic of conversation that night was the announcement earlier that month that Robert Kraft had a tentative deal to move the team to Hartford. Hartford! In Connecticut! There was even talk they would change their team colors to match that of the NHL's Hartford Whalers. Green and white. Uh, those are Jets colors. Our team was sliding back into irrelevance and our franchise was moving to Connecticut. We were not in a very good mood as Brendan grilled up some tuna steaks in honor of the Dolphins. (You can't legally buy dolphin.)

Miami was 7-3 and led by Dan Marino nearing the end of his career and coached by Jimmy Johnson who spent most of the game pleading with the refs for penalties. It was a back-and-forth affair. Bledsoe connected with tight end Ben Coates for a touchdown early in the game. In my book, the Bledsoe-to-Coates connection is still the all-time best passing tandem in the team's history. Coates would pull in nine passes for nearly 80 yards. But it was Bledsoe that was the story of this game. Hell, he was the story of that whole year. In the midst of a season where the team was disintegrating, Bledsoe held things together by throwing for more than 3,600 yards, 20 TDs, and an 80.0 passer rating. Of course he threw many killer picks, but that was Drew. I've wondered how Tom Brady would do playing on a team like the '98 Pats. Someday I might find out. If he plays like Bledsoe did that year then that's a hell of an effort.

Miami took a 23-19 lead with just over three minutes to go in the game. Bledsoe led the Pats from deep in their own end to almost midfield at the two minute warning. On a second-down play Bledsoe dropped back to throw and on his follow through hit his passing hand on a defender's helmet. The Pats took a timeout and he came over to the sideline holding his hand and started to make some practice tosses to test it out. At the same time backup QB Scott Zolak (yes, that one) started warming up. "Zolak's coming in," Mark said. "We're moving to Hartford and Zolak's coming in. The Parcells magic is officially gone."

But Zolak did not come in. Bledsoe, even though he would later be diagnosed with a broken finger, came back onto the field. And then took another timeout. He burned two timeouts without ever taking a snap with 1:42 to go in the game. He came over to the sideline and took some more practice tosses. He returned to the field, with only one more timeout to waste, and on 2nd-and-10 airmailed a pass over Terry Glenn's head. He shook his hand some more and started to walk off the field as if he was coming out of the game. But again he stayed in and threw a pass to Coates for a short gain. Fourth-and-six and the Pats have to go for it. Carroll started signalling vehemently for a timeout. The players clearly saw him but ignored him and lined up to run a play. (Yes, Carroll was toast as the coach right then and there.) Bledsoe hit Shawn Jefferson on a curl for a first down with 34 seconds to play. On the next play, in the face of a corner blitz, Bledsoe let one rip into the left corner of the end zone that landed right in Jefferson's hands for a touchdown with 30 seconds left for the amazing victory. The crowd went nuts. Moving to Hartford? Not tonight!

Bledsoe, broken finger and all, led the Pats on a 26-play, 84-yard game winning drive. He finished with 423 yards passing. And as the game ended he ran around the field, responding to the roar of the crowd, pumping his fists and soaking in the moment. The next week, also at home, he played the entire game against the Bills with his broken finger taped to his other fingers, and again led the team to a last-second come from behind win, this time hitting Coates for a touchdown with no time left on the clock. He had many, many great moments as the Pats QB. The record-setter against the Vikings that turned their '96 season around. The AFC championship later that year. The AFC title game in '01 where he came in for an injured Brady and put one final shining moment on a great career with the team. But those two games in '98 were the two most amazing back-to-back victories that old Foxboro Stadium ever saw.

Bledsoe's career, and the team's fortunes, began to slide from that point as the Pats finished 9-7 that year and then 8-8 the next. Among all the sins of Carroll's years here, the biggest one is his ruining of Bledsoe. Parcells was tough on Bledsoe and that's what he needed. It motivated him. Carroll coddled him and his skills eroded. He was never Baryshnikov, but his footwork just got worse and worse until he become the most stationary target in the game. And then he took a hit by Mo Lewis that changed his -- and once again the team's -- fortunes. He left the field and Brady came on ... and hasn't left since.

That's the other thing that Drew Bledsoe had. Class. When he was getting the crap kicked out of him playing for a mediocre team he took his lumps, kept his mouth shut, and kept coming out every Sunday battling his hardest. When he lost his job to a young QB who would soon prove to be among the best, Bledsoe kept his mouth shut, helped Brady get better, and by not stirring up a controversy played a key role in the first Super Bowl run.

I have a bulletin board in the basement with lots of ticket stubs, pins, stickers, etc. from all the Pats games. In the middle is the cover of the 1994 Globe's NFL preview with a photo of Bledsoe under the headline "A new era is dawning." A lot of things have come and gone from that bulletin board, but the faded picture of No. 11 still hangs right where I put it 15 years ago.

Accidents will happen

WEEK 11
Patriots 31, Jets 14 (11/22/09): You would think that some time during more than 16 years of tailgating one of our group would have gotten into a fender-bender before the game. There have been a few close calls and a few post-game mishaps (Billy) but we have survived crazy Route 1 traffic all these years without an incident. Until yesterday.

I arrived at the non-Pats lot across Route 1 where we have tailgated most of this season. Mark has dubbed it the Enchanted Forest. There's dirt, trees (a.k.a. bathrooms), and no security. A relaxed atmosphere. Just how we like it. I got there early to stake out a spot. A little too early since the game was at 4 and I hadn't eaten and the food was arriving with Mark, Topher, and Bergs. But they called to say they were almost there so I poured a beer and headed over to the entrance to meet them when they pulled in and bring the tailgating supplies over to my car. I waited. And waited. And waited. No sign of them. I checked my cellphone and there was a new voice message.

"Hey, it's Bergs. We just got into an accident about 500 yards from the lot. Call me."

Crap! I'm hungry! I mean ... Oh no, is everyone OK? I called Bergs back and he said that they were almost at the lot when the driver of the car that was on their right decided she wanted to be on their left. So she turned and smashed into the right-front of Topher's car. (No obligatory woman-driver jokes allowed). The damage was bad and the wheel was smashed in. A tow truck and State Troopers were already on the scene. It's never good when Troopers get involved and your car is loaded with various items to help you enjoy an afternoon of food and football. "Call Shep," Bergs said. "We need a lift."

Shep and Matt were just a little bit behind, stuck in the traffic caused by some accident up ahead. I called his cell but he had already talked to Mark. "We're gonna pull up, transfer all the stuff out of Toph's car, and we'll be in the lot grilling in no time," Shep reassured me. Another 15 minutes went by and I called Shep back to check on their progress. "We're heading your way now," he laughed. "You'll know it's us when you see the Beverly Hillbillies truck pull in." As soon as he hung up I saw his white pickup turn into the lot, packed high with tables, grills, chairs, boxes, coolers. I would not have been surprised to see Granny perched in her rocking chair at the top of the pile.

The truck pulled up beside me and Toph rolled down the window. "No man left behind," Mark said as they pulled into their spot. We started unpacking and setting up when Topher added "No man left behind, but we forgot to take the bottles of tequila, whiskey, and vodka." I pointed him to the milk crate of bottles that made it in my car and he smiled. "Help yourself," I said. "You're not driving." Everyone finally was able to kick back and enjoy the music, the drinks, and the lamb, sausages, scallops in bacon, and steak.

And then we went to the game. Where more accidents took place -- for the Jets. Leigh Bodden stepped in front of a Mark Sanchez pass midway through the first quarter and took it 53-yards for a touchdown to put up the first big play in what was a scoreless game. Asante Samuel-like. The first of three picks for Bodden. Brady would hit Moss for a touchdown. Maroney (enough with the fumbles) added a TD run and the Pats built a 24-0 lead. A day that started out with Toph's car getting smashed and towed away was turning out to be a great day. A 24-0 lead over the Jets will do that.

New York made a run to cut to 24-14 but the game, like many the Pats have played over the past decade, never felt in doubt. And it wasn't. Maroney went in for another score and Brady spent the rest of the game playing catch with Wes Welker. Who had 15 catches for 192 yards. The difference between the Pats Week 2 loss to the Jets and their win yesterday? Wes Welker. Sometimes I almost forget just how important he is. After Brady -- no offense to Moss or Faulk -- Welker is the guy that makes this team go. Both Brady and Welker are looking just about all the way back from their injuries and that means the offense will be hard for any team to stop.

The Pats will need to have the offense clicking on all cylinders when they go to New Orleans to play the 10-0 Saints on Monday Night Football. Like the Colts game, it's a chance for the Pats to show themselves that they are at the point where they can win the big game. It's going to take the cliched "60-minute" effort to get to 8-3. There won't be any room for accidents.

Official review

Fourth-and-two! I know. We're moving on. Getting ready for the Jets. A big divisional game. But... I just have to take one more look at the play. And the spot of the ball.

The place to go for the last word on controversial plays is the NFL Network's "Total Access" show each Wednesday evening. That's when Mike Pereira, the VP of Officiating, looks at several questionable or disputed calls throughout the league from the previous Sunday in his "Official Review" segment with Rich Eisen. Pereira, a former official, examines the plays from all angles and tries to explain why the call was made and, more importantly, if the call was correct. Pereira does a tough job well. As do almost all NFL refs. He very rarely says a call was flat-out wrong. Although he has done it and in those instances will say "This is a call we have to get better at making and we're talking to the officials about that." Name me another sport where the head of officiating comes on TV each week to discuss the calls. Can you see Major League Baseball doing that? More often than not Pereira backs up the call made on the field. I don't always agree with him but it's clear that he's telling it as he sees it and not just covering for his guys. Most times after he's done with his explanation my reaction is "OK, I buy that."

Naturally last night the topic of conversation focused on 4th-and-2. Eisen usually saves the biggest call of the week for the last of three or four plays to help build the drama. Not this time. Eisen got right to it. Pereira's first words? "Boy is it a tough play." You can say that again Mike.

Pereira backed his side judge's "bobbling" call that resulted in the spot that did not give the Pats a first down. The key to his defense is that Tom Stabile made a "very decisive decision." He gets points for making his decision -- right or wrong -- quickly and decisively. It's nice that his ref made a decisive call. Well done. That doesn't address if he got the spot right. He then claims that Stabile "saw the bobble and that's what is great." And that he gave "a good, clear bobble signal." Again with the points for the way he made the call. But back to that matter of he "saw the bobble." He says Stabile was where he was supposed to be to make the call. Well, he's the side judge and he was on the sideline so, yes, he was where he was supposed to be. But was he in the position to make the call? Check out the replay. Faulk catches the ball. Shifts it in his hands as he brings the ball down and to his chest, and holds it all the way to the ground. Faulk has his back to the sideline. Nine times out of 10 the receiver is facing towards the line of scrimmage, thus giving the ref a good view of the ball. In this case it is pretty clear that Stabile can see the ball in Faulk's hands until Faulk brings the ball in front of his helmet, which is almost instantaneously. I know, this is a little too Zapruder, but bear with me.

Pereira said the key to spotting the ball is to determine where Faulk first controls the ball "after the bobble" because that is where the spot would be. "The receiver gets forward progress at the exact moment he controls the ball," Pereira explained. Agreed. Problem is, and neither Pereira nor Eisen address this, is that Stabile has no way of knowing when that is because he has no view of the ball shortly after it hits Faulk's hands. So how exactly can he know when he gained control? He can't. And that has been my problem with the spot from the moment it happened. Where were the other refs who had a better view of the ball the whole time? I see officials hold lengthy conferences over some of the easiest calls and yet on this very crucial and, as Pereira himself said, tough call there was no discussion. None. At all. There should have been. That's all I'm saying.

Look at the replay. The spot was wrong. Faulk's bobble was only at the very first second of the catch and then he gained control. Beyond the 30 yard line and what would have been a first down.

OK, I'm moving on. Time for the Jets. Mark is preparing lamb marinated in sour cream and thyme. That will make me feel better.

Taking the fourth

WEEK 10
Before last night's loss to the Colts, Bill Belichick was the best coach I've ever seen. Today he still is. You might not get a lot of people to agree with that after last night. But it's true. And no, Ron Borges, I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid. I'm not a member of the imaginary "In Bill We Trust" club that you drag out like the old, dusty cliche that it is. I'm a longtime football fan who knows a great coach when he sees one. Great coaches make decisions on and off the field that don't work out sometimes. Some of those decisions that don't work stand out more than others. Like last night's fourth-down call.

So today we've added a new catch phrase to our sports lingo here in New England. "What would you have done on fourth down?" If I heard that question asked once on the radio and television today, I heard it a thousand times. Me? I would punt there 100-out-of-100 times. Doesn't make it the right decision. Just the one I would make.

So why did Belichick make the opposite choice? Oh, of course there are a lot of armchair opinions on what he was thinking. It's amusing how people think they can know what's going on in someone else's head. They can't. But that didn't stop the opinions from pouring out nonstop. I tuned into talk radio at several points today: driving my daughter to school at 7 a.m.; heading out for coffee around 10; running some errands around 1; and returning home around 5. The talk was the same each time. The exact same. I'm guessing it was the same all day. That's the beauty of sports-talk radio. You don't really have to listen to it to know what is being said.

Many offered the opinion that the coach thought his defense was tired so he didn't want to risk putting them back on the field. Others thought he just has no faith in his young D and didn't think they could stop Manning no matter how many yards he had to go. Others (you know who you are) thought it was Belichick's massive ego that got the better of him. He made the biggest call of the season to prove that he's smarter than everyone else? That one I really have a hard time with.

The call looked a lot like the one Belichick made against the Falcons earlier in the season. The Pats faced a 4th-and-1 from their own 24-yard line with just over five minutes to go in the third quarter ahead by six. They went for it and got the first down. The experts saw that as a lack of confidence in the defense. At the time I wrote that it looked more to me like a challenge to his offense, one of the best in the league, to take over the game. Last night's call struck me the same way. When the Pats came up short on third down and Belichick stopped Brady as he was coming off the field a friend texted me "Is he going for it here?" I responded "You know he is." I just figured Belichick thought they could get two yards. It seemed like too big a risk to me and since they lost the game it looks like it was too big a risk. But the call didn't surprise me.

And the reactions today sure don't surprise me. And that includes those of Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison. They think the Pats should have punted. That's their opinion. Doesn't make them right or wrong. And nowhere in there did I hear them say they think it was stupid or a display of ego run wild. As Bruschi said in a part of his quote that was often left out of the sound bites "Bill was doing what he thought gave the team the best chance to win just like he's always done." Exactly.

I was surprised that people didn't focus more on the spot of the ball. I know. Blaming the refs is lame. I agree. If you need two yards throw it five just to be sure. But... Faulk had the first down. And then the side judge came running in making the international signal for "bobbling" and spotted the ball short. Only problem is that Faulk had his back to the side judge. Watching the replay you can tell that there was really no way for him to see the ball and if it was being bobbled or not. His view was blocked. And yet he made the call. X-ray vision maybe? The refs who could see the ball didn't make the bobbling signal. Maybe that's because the replay showed Faulk had pretty good control of the ball right where he caught it. Across the 30-yard line. In the more than 30 years of watching football I have never seen a ref make the bobble call for the spot of the ball. On in bounds plays? Hundreds of times. But never for the spot. I'm sure it's happened but I've never seen it. The Pats needed to get to the 30 and Faulk was over the 30 when he caught it. If they get the spot what are people saying today? I'm saying they were lucky to get out of there with a win but oh what a win.

I briefly listened to Mazz and Felger on the drive home. (Who was the guy who thought putting Mazz and his whining voice on the radio was a good idea? Now that's a decision I really don't agree with.) They were debating how much of a hangover the team will have after this game. Going so far as to speculate that the team will be in a funk all week and could lose to the Jets next Sunday. They might lose to the Jets, but it won't have anything to do with the loss to the Colts. Football doesn't work that way. Never has. Anyone who doesn't get that just isn't paying attention.

The Pats get stomped by the Steelers early in the '03 season. Totally embarrassed. What happens? They lose only one more game. The Pats are discovered to be taping opponent's defensive signals after a game against the Jets. A storm of controversy. What happens? They destroy the Chargers and go on to an undefeated season. A hangover? Doesn't happen. When Belichick or any other coach says "We're moving on to the next game" that's exactly what they are doing. That's the beauty of the sport. Each week is its own entity. Ever hear of "On any given Sunday"? Sure, the loss to the Colts will have ramifications come time to decide playoff seeding. But as for next week's game with the Jets? Not a factor.

The NFL Network's Warren Saap weighed in, playing the Tom Jackson role ("The players hate their coach.") in the aftermath of last night's loss. "Now the ballclub is questioning if the next thing he tells us is correct." I seriously doubt Sapp has talked to anyone in the Pats locker so how he knows what they are thinking is puzzling. Right Mr. Jackson? The team played a great game against the unbeaten Colts on the road and were up 31-14 early in the fourth quarter. So clearly Belichick and his staff had done something right to that point. It's hard to believe that one decision that doesn't work out erases all that. He put the ball in the hands of Tom Brady and his selection of weapons. Hard to say that was stupid. At least for me.

I heard Belichick compared with everyone from Yoda to Bill Buckner to Grady Little. I just can't take that kind of nonsense seriously. Is he supposed to be perfect? You can't screw up every now and then? (Borges knows about that). The Pats, without several key starters, went into Indy and were taking it to them. Then Indy and Manning gave it right back to them. That's what makes this such a great rivalry. No game is ever over.

This game just adds another epic chapter in the rivalry. What a chapter. Even when the Pats went up 31-14 early in the fourth quarter you knew that Manning would lead a charge. "I'm still nervous," my nephew texted me. I texted him back "Because it's Manning." That team is too good. They are never rattled. No different than when the Colts drove to put the first touchdown on the board and the Pats responded with 24 straight points. Two heavyweights going toe-to-toe.

There were so many great moments in the game that it's too bad the ending has dominated all the talk. Starting with Dwight Freeney wearing a Yankees cap in his photo when the Colts D was introduced. That should have drawn a 15-yard penalty for taunting.

The Colts scored first and shot off some indoor fireworks that, ooops, set the artificial turf on fire. "The Colts offense is on fire as well," Al Michaels cracked. Nice one Al. Did Leno write that? The other big question of the night other than why did Belichick go for it on fourth down was why was the dome roof closed? According to weather.com the temperature was 52 degrees and the forecast was for clouds but no rain. And yet the roof was closed. I thought the Colts built the retractable roof to show their team can handle the harsh elements that comes with playoff football. I guess 52 degrees is a little too harsh.

The Brady-Moss connection then took over. Brady to Moss for 55 yards. Brady to Moss for 63 yards. Brady to Moss for a 5-yard touchdown at the start of the fourth and fatal quarter. "I absolutely love what they are doing here," said Chris Collinsworth after the Pats took a 31-14 lead. I loved it too.

The Colts then responded by going 80 yards in two minutes for a touchdown. That was the key moment in the game as I see it. The Pats have gotten younger and quicker on defense for that very moment. The Pats D ran out of gas in the '06 AFC title game and one year later in the Super Bowl. The young guys were supposed to change that. They didn't. That's the thing that's most concerning after the loss. This was the biggest test of the year for Meriweather, Bodden, McGowan, Mayo, and the defense. And they failed. They'll get another test in two weeks against the Saints. They'll need to find a way to stop a team for four quarters, not just three, by then.

The Colts continued to close the gap -- with the help of an outrageous interference call on Darius Butler, there I go blaming the refs again -- and then Belichick made his decision that will be talked about long into the winter if the Pats have to go to Indy in the playoffs and lose.

If only Brady had been able to complete a pass -- say to Kevin Faulk -- for the two yards that the Pats needed. Then they could have run out the clock and taken home a much deserved victory.

Oh, that's right. He did.

In the Zone

Like everyone in the New England area I was not too happy that CBS had decided the game we all wanted to see while we waited for the Pats-Colts was Jets vs. Jaguars. Not Steelers vs. Bengals. Who makes these decisions? If there are no good games to choose from then, OK, give me the Jets so I can enjoy rooting against them. But when the 6-2 upstart Bengals are going to Pittsburgh to play the 6-2 Steelers in an NFC North clash with huge playoff implications then I want to see that. But we get the Jets.

Fortunately I get the NFL Network's newest creation -- the RedZone channel. It's not like having the NFL Ticket on satellite where you can watch every game played. But it's darn close. And for the price I would say it's actually better. The premise of the channel is that they will cut to any game (or any two games using the "double box") when a team gets in the red zone. "You'll see every touchdown today live,'' says Scott Hanson, the host of RedZone and my personal guide to all the action. And then he said the words that made my day ... "We don't do commercials." The NFL just gets it. There's no way that the league that created the Super Bowl, Monday Night Football, the "America's Game" series, and the commercial-free RedZone is going to screw things up by expanding the season to 18 games. No way.

But back to the RedZone. It's a rapid-fire delivery of football. One second you are in the Meadowlands, then cut to Carolina, then off to Pittsburgh, then back to the Meadowlands, then off to Minnesota. You can watch four or more games almost simultaneously. It's like the early rounds of March Madness used to be when it was on ESPN. They way it still should be.

The 1 p.m. games kick off -- and the RedZone kicks into gear. There are eight games. I'm putting my remote down and letting Scott do the work for me.

1:15: There's Brett Favre. He's just standing there. There seems to be a TV timeout yet we are at the Lions-Vikes game. Oh, no. Don't tell me the RedZone is just another method to recruit more members into the cult of Favre.

1:18: Off to the Bengals-Steelers game. Carson Palmer hits Mr. Ochocinco for 16 yards on a 3rd-and-10 on the opening drive. Big play. But wait. The Bengals are on their own 30-yard line. That's not the red zone. The RedZone channel shows plays from all over the field? Sweet.

1:20: The Broncos, trying to break a two-game losing streak, have a good chance to do that at Washington. Kyle Orton launches a bomb to Brandon Marshall for a 40-yard touchdown. This should be an easy one for Denver.

1:22: Cut to the Meadowlands. I just can't get away from the Jets. The Jags have the ball at the NYJ 33 on a 3rd and 2. The Jags have Maurice Jones-Drew. Jets coach Rex Ryan knows there's a run coming so he has the Jets ready of course. The ball gets handed off to Mojo who breaks through the line, makes a cut and busts into the open, rambling for a 33-yard TD. Cut to a shot of Mt. Ryan looking not-too-happy. I push the remote further away.

1:24: Favre again. This time he is playing. I'm surprised it took so long to get back to him. Brett throws an incompletion and the Vikings will settle for an early field goal. Is this the day Favre plays like the career leader in picks?

1:32: Things are happening fast now. And RedZone is everywhere. The Saints are looking to stay undefeated against the Rams. Brees throws for Shockey but it's picked off. Swing to Washington and the Skins are driving to tie up Denver. Jason Campbell throws a short TD pass. Maybe this won't be so easy for the Broncos.

1:34: Back to Pittsburgh and Troy Palumalu is walking off the field with his hair in tow. He's limping. He doesn't look good. That's a huge loss for the Steelers and a big break for Cincy. The Steelers kick off after a field goal and Bengals return-man Bernard Scott takes it 96 yards for a touchdown. Steelers are reeling.

1:37: The games are moving into the second quarter and, as Scott tells me, "they are all shaping up into some great battles." If he's trying to sell me on RedZone he can relax. I'm sold.

1:40: The Jags are down at the NYJ 11-yard line. David Garrard scrambles in for a touchdown. A loss today would kill the Jets before they even get to Foxborough next week. I'm OK with that.


1:42: Marc Bulger connects on a TD pass to put the Rams ahead of the Saints. That touchdown is followed by a whirlwind series of plays from several games: A touchdown pass by the Bills; a pick by Jason Taylor for Miami; a Delhomme-Smith touchdown for the Panthers as they look to upset division rival Altanta. Finally a cut to Minnesota and Adrian Peterson busts a 22-yard touchdown run. Maybe he's the reason the Vikes are winning. Naaaaah.

2:13: Broncos QB Kyle Orton seems to hurt himself on a play right at the end of the half. Things are really not going so well for Denver.

We hit the half for the 1 p.m. games. I don't know about Scott Hanson but I'm a little tired. I guess he isn't because he immediately launches into a recap of the first half of all the games. I immediately launch into a turkey sandwich and a beer.

2:41: The games are back on. First stop New Orleans where the unbeaten Saints are deadlocked with the Panthers at 14. Courtney Robey takes the kick for New Orleans and takes it all the way to the house. Touchdown! This is gonna be a busy half for my man Scott.

2:44: Over to Minnesota. The Lions, trailing by just a touchdown get the ball to start the half and ... fumble! The Vikes recover. I know what Lions fans are feeling. It sucks. A few plays later Adrian Peterson takes it in from 1-yard out for a touchdown. Peterson again? Why isn't the greatest human ever to walk the planet getting to throw touchdowns?

2:47: Back to Pittsburgh where the Steelers are leading 9-3 early in the third quarter. Roethlisberger drops back and throws a pass at midfield that is picked and taken down to the Pittsburgh 14. That might be the mistake the Bengals needed.

2:54: The third quarter is winding down and the Saints are inside the 10-yard line looking to break open their game against the Rams. Brees hits Colston who tries to jump over a defender for a score, but ends up fumbling into the end zone for a touchback. Big missed opportunity right there.

3:02: We are in Minnesota. The Vikings (my pick in an NFL survivor pool) have their hands full with the lowly Lions. The Vikings Ray Edwards launches himself at the QB, knocks him and the ball flying. Big play. Wait. Penalty flag. Helmet-to-helmet hit. Lions keep the ball and then score to cut the lead to seven. A Lions upset would be great.

3:09: All eight early games are still up for grabs as a graphic on the screen shows. "This is what makes the NFL so much fun," says Scott. I know, he works for the NFL. But he's right.

3:12: The Jets are losing 21-13 (OK, I want to see some of that). Sanchez hits Braylon Edwards in the corner of the end zone but he can't get his feet down. Then Edwards drops one. He is a great addition to the Jets but they got away from their running game when he arrived. Field goal.

3:15: Falcons trying to comeback and avoid the upset against the Panthers. Matt Ryan rolls to his right and hits the tight end for a touchdown. Falcons go for two to tie the game. Announcer doesn't like the call. He's right. Falcons are stopped and trail 21-19.

3:19: Vince Young is trying to win his third straight game since taking over as the Titans starting QB. He drops back to pass, sees nothing, and takes off for the end zone. He looks just like he did when he led Texas to the National Championship in college football a few years ago. If he could improve slightly throwing the ball he really could be a heck of an NFL QB.

3:20: The Steelers, trailing Cincy at home, are driving for a score but Big Ben's pass falls incomplete. The Steelers settle for another field goal to tie the game at 12. I know some Bengals fans who must be fearing the worst.

3:23: The Redskins are driving with a chance to take the lead against Denver. If they can hand the Broncos their third straight loss that would be a big help for the Patriots. Come on Skins!

3:38: Bucs hit a bomb to close within a field goal of Miami. Mark and I were saying we want the Wildcats to win so they stay alive in the playoff hunt and continue to play hard against other AFC contenders.

3:31: Broncos starting QB Kyle Orton is out and not coming back. Backup Chris Simms throws one into the end zone where the Skins pick it off. Come on Skins!

Four games are tied with less than 10 minutes to go. "We've got some great finishes coming up," says Scottie, "and we'll show you them all." What remote?

3:34: The Jets are going for it on 4th and 1 at the Jags 15-yard line. Jets RB Green takes the pitch and heads left. The field is wide open and he takes it down the the 1. Huge play. Crowd cheers. First-and-goal but Sanchez is confused and burns a timeout. Crowd boos. But it's OK because Thomas Jones hurdles over the pile to score. Jets retake the lead, 22-21. Jets miss the two point conversion. Are the Pats the only team that can make those?

3:37: Whip around to Pittsburgh where the Bengals are in the red zone. How great would it be if the Bengals knock off the Steelers for the second time a week after completing the sweep against the Ravens. Bengals kicker Shayne Graham hits his fifth field goal for a 15-12 lead. It's a battle of field goals. Turns out the Jets-Jags game is better. CBS was right.

"We're in Week 10 and we have not had this happen,'' Scottie says breathlessly as if he's watching the results from Florida in 2000.

3:40: Bills driving against the Titans. Not sure why we are checking on this game so often. Other than the throwback unis that are great.

3:41: Skins Devin Thomas takes a swing pass, dodges four tackles, and takes the ball down inside the Denver 15 with the score tied 17-17. First and goal. Under four minutes to go. "That six-game winning streak must feel like a long time ago to the Broncos," says Dan Dierdorf. Third and goal. Skins stick with the run and Ladell Betts pounds it in. Skins lead! Josh McDaniels is starting to age.

3:45: Big Ben and the Steelers are at their own 30 and running out of time. Third down. Incomplete pass. Punt. This is the same Pittsburgh team that went into Denver and won a hard-fought game? The top 10 teams in the league are really very even.

3:48: Jason Elam lines up to kick a field goal that can put the Falcons ahead late in the game. He kicks it and shanks it to the left. Maybe the Falcons aren't a playoff team like I thought.

3:50: 1:20 left in Pittsburgh. The Steelers face a fourth down to keep their drive alive. He steps back, gets rushed, and tosses up a lame duck that falls incomplete. Bengals win! They are 7-2 and are in the driver's seat to win the AFC North. The number of experts who predicted that before the season? Zero.

3:51: Washington is driving for what would be a clinching touchdown. Betts takes the hand off and takes it in for a score. The Skins are going to pull off the huge upset. McDaniels is getting a real taste of head coaching in the NFL now.

3:54: The Jaguars, who started on their own 17, have moved the ball into Jets territory. Garrard hits his receiver down to the Jets 14 to set themselves up for a game-winning field goal.

3:57: Falcons have one last chance to pull out the game. Matt Ryan drops back and sends one deep but it's intercepted. The Falcons are going to fall to 5-4 while the Panthers get to 4-5 after starting 0-3. Just one of several surprising turnarounds this season.

4:02: Jacksonville has run the clock down to three seconds and Josh Scobee comes out to win it. The kick is up. It's good! J-E-T-S go D-O-W-N.

4:08: Saints pull out another win to go to 9-0. That's the fourth game they looked like they were going to lose where they got a little lucky. One more win and they will be unbeaten for the Monday night game with the Pats in two weeks. They'll need more than luck in that game.

4:13: The Wildcats kick a field goal to beat the Bucs. Four games in a row come down to the last play. Teams such as Miami, Carolina, and Tennessee are right around .500 but are good teams. And they are playing all out to try to stay in contention for a wild card spot. Makes for good football. An afternoon of swinging around the league proves how entertaining the NFL is right now.

The 4 p.m. games have started and the RedZone starts all over again. Packers-Cowboys. Eagles-Chargers. I just can't watch three more hours of whiplash football coverage, can I? No. Time to walk the dog and get a brief breath of air. And then time to prepare the food and drink for tonight's big game. I won't need the NFL RedZone to watch that one.

The rivalry

The unstoppable force vs. the immovable object.

There have been some great rivalries in the Super Bowl era of the NFL. The Packers and the Niners in the '90s. The Broncos and the Browns in the '80s. The Steelers and the Raiders in the '70s. This decade it's been the Colts and the Patriots. A rivalry that may have surpassed them all.

The two teams have staged some epic battles since Tom Brady joined Peyton Manning on the field in the fall of 2001. Brady's first win as a starter came against the Colts as Manning threw three picks and the Pats won 44-13. That was just the first in eleven games the two teams have played against each other since, with meeting No. 12 coming this weekend. Once again it's the game of the year. There are big regular season games (the Steelers-Denver game last Monday for example), but the Pats-Colts has grown into sports theater.

Act I: The Pats, led by Brady and Belichick, take the next five meetings following the 44-13 romp. The victories are some of the most memorable games in team -- and league -- history. Instant classics. They include the 38-35 win in the Dome in '03 with Willie McGinnest cutting in from the right edge and taking down Edgerrin James to finish off one of the game's greatest goal-line stands. That gave the Pats home-field advantage in the playoffs and brought the Colts to cold, snowy Foxborough for the AFC title game. Pats 24-14. Ty Law catching everything Manning threw. Manning doing the "Manning face" time and time again. The Colts complain about the Pats secondary hitting their receivers too early and too often. The next season the league changes the rules to give the receivers (read: Marvin Harrison) more room to roam. The teams squared off in the opener with the Pats carrying a grudge and Willie playing a key role again, sacking Manning and pushing Vanderjerk back far enough to miss a sure game-winner as time expired. Another Pats win that came with home-field advantage. Another playoff battle in the cold and snow. This one a clock-killin' Corey Dillon tour de force in a game where the Gillette crowd stood from start to finish, willing their team to a 20-3 victory. So much for rule changes.

Act II: The Colts came into Gillette in November of '05 and stopped the Pats' dominance dead in its tracks with a 40-21 beating. A game I was at. You could see the momentum in the rivalry visibly shift. I also witnessed the Colts 27-20 win the next season that gave Indy home-field advantage in their second AFC Championship clash in three years. Arguably the greatest AFC title game ever played. A game I had wanted for years. The Colts and the experts gave the New England weather a big part of the credit for the Pats victories against the Colts during their Super Bowl run. I was certain the Pats, always a good turf team, would beat Indy even worse on a fast track. And for one half of football I was right. As the Pats rolled up a 21-3 lead it looked like a romp. But the Colts staged a comeback that I thought was impossible, winning 38-34 in a wild back-and-forth second half. The Colts went on the win their first Super Bowl since sneaking off to Indy and they earned it.

Act III: The script is still being written in what is likely the final act between these two teams with Manning and Brady at the helm. The Pats won in Indy in '07 on their way to an unbeaten regular season, and the Colts responded by squeaking one out against the Brady-less Pats last year. The winner of this week's game will have a big advantage in the battle for playoff seeding. It usually does. The Colts have won 17 consecutive regular season games. Just a few games shy of the league record held by, of course, the Patriots. A record the Pats can protect. The Pats are 7-4 against the Colts since '01 but have been on the short end of the score often in the past few years. If they are going to have a legitimate shot to win their fourth Lombardi, this is the game where they show it.

Pats vs. Colts. It's the game of the year. Again.

At the half

The NFL officially hit the halfway mark two weekends ago but the Patriots were on a bye so it didn't register here. Now that the Pats have played their eighth game in Week 9 it's time to rank, again, the top 10 teams. The depth and balance of the NFL has never been better. Any team on this list could win the Super Bowl. Name another pro sport where 10 teams have a shot at the title? There have been some big changes in slightly more than a month. Like, what happened to the Giants?

1. Indianapolis Colts (8-0): One thing that hasn't changed is Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. They may have barely pulled out a win against the Texans, but that is exactly what makes them the best team in the NFL. Like their nine-game winning streak to close out the regular season in '08, the Colts are that veteran team that never gets rattled and knows how to win. Indy, like the Pats, has been hit by some key injuries. And they have yet to lose. Yet.

2. New Orleans Saints (8-0): The Saints seem to be head-and-shoulders above the rest of the NFC at this point. Brees and the offense have already scored 303 points. 303. The Pats record is in serious jeopardy. The next closest team is the Vikings with 244 points. New Orleans just keeps piling up the touchdowns. Can they win in the playoffs? It's still too early to go there. What we do know is that they will almost certainly be playing their playoff games in the comfort of the Dome. If the Pats can't get that fourth Lombardi, the Saints are the team I'll be rooting for.

3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1): A Viking-Saints NFC title game would be one of the best ever. No doubt. (If it was paired with a Pats-Colts AFC title game -- oh what a day that would be!) Brett Favre and the Vikes bounced back from their tough loss to the Steelers by going into Green Bay and handling the circus atmosphere of Favre's return to Lambeau with ease. They are the class of the NFC North. For what that's worth. Will there be a Favre fade again this year?

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): The defending champs, who were nowhere to be found on most rankings at the quarter pole, are back in the mix. Largely because Polamalu and his hair are back. That's trouble. Big Ben already has two Super Bowl titles to his credit so maybe it's time I acknowledged the guy's a heck of a quarterback. The Steelers get the nod at #4 over the Pats because they did what the Pats couldn't -- go into Denver and get a win.

5. New England Patriots (6-2): The Patriots passed their first test in the stretch of four huge November games with their win over Miami. Now it's on to the game everyone has been waiting for since the schedule came out. At Indy. Sunday night. We'll know a lot more about just how good the Pats can be come midnight Sunday. The Pats are looking strong going into the game. The offense is showing solid balance and the defense is playing as physical a style as any team in the league. They'll need to be even better on both sides of the ball going forward.

6. Denver Broncos (6-2): I know, the Broncos beat the Patriots in their first "real" challenge of the season. Josh McDaniels did his best Howard Dean impersonation on the field after that game but it was fitting. So why put the Pats ahead of a team that beat them? The Broncos have lost two-in-a-row since then, and Kyle Orton is starting to play a little more like Kyle Orton. Thus the Broncos' offense is suspect. If the Pats get another shot at Denver -- even in Denver -- I think they'll win that game.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2): The Bengals probably should be higher. Maybe as high as #4. After their tough-luck loss to Denver in the opener, the men in stripes have gone into places like Green Bay and Baltimore and won. And they beat the Steelers. Those are quality wins. But the Bengals still have to prove they can maintain their level of play into the second half. They get a big chance to do that in Pittsburgh. They don't have to win to prove they are a contender, they just have to give the Steelers a real battle. Because after that their schedule gets a lot easier.

8. Dallas Cowboys (6-2): The 'Boys get the last spot for the 6-2 teams. Until they beat the Eagles they were not a top 10 team, their winning streak being built on the likes of the Chiefs and Seahawks. But going into Philly and knocking off the Eagles is proof the Cowboys are starting to figure it out. Tony Romo has found someone to share a little of his man-love of Jason Whitten -- Miles Austin. He's became the playmaker that Roy Williams (and TO) were supposed to be. And the defense is starting to play up to its capabilities. Of course as long as Wade Phillips is high-fiving in his too-snug sweater I really can't take this team seriously.

9. Arizona Cardinals (5-3): The defending NFC champs get this spot mostly due to the fact that they will probably win the weak NFC West. That makes them a playoff team. Road wins against the Giants and Bears are a sign that Kurt Warner and the offense is capable of winning away from the desert. But the loss at home to the Panthers in between those two games is a sign that they will be winning the division with a 9-7 record again. And this time I don't think there'll be any magic carpet rides to the Super Bowl.

10. Atlanta Falcons (5-3): A lot of contenders for the 10 spot. Certainly the Chargers, Giants, Eagles, and Texans can all make a claim they are as good as the Falcons. And they are. But the Falcons get it because Michael Turner is running like Michael Turner can. Add that to Matt Ryan and the Falcons' offense is difficult to stop. And they played the Saints as tough as you can without beating them. Falcons are a playoff team.

Dishonorable mention: The Baltimore Ravens and Ray Lewis. Someone should put together a YouTube video of Ray Lewis's pre-game scream-a-thons spliced together with the Ravens' D getting shredded. Lewis beating his chest ... cut to a picture of Ray Ray getting smoked by Hines Ward. Lewis yelling "We'll hit them all day!" ... cut to a picture of Ray Ray on the ground as OchoCinco pulls in a touchdown. Aren't his teammates sick of his act? Everyone else is.

What a luxury

WEEK 9

Patriots 27, Wildcats 17 (11/8/09): I'm not sure what was the best part of the day. The beautiful 60 degree weather in November. The Pats' gutty victory over the Miami Wildcats. Or the fact that Mark and I watched the game from the comfort of the luxurious Fidelity Investment Clubhouse. Let's call it a three-way tie.

The first of the four crucial November games is in the books and what a game it was. The Wildcats are one of the most unusual teams the NFL has seen in years. As the Wildcat fan wearing a Marino jersey sitting next to me said "They aren't a very good team but they are tough to beat." So true. And they are fun to play.

The Wildcats waited till midway through the second quarter to finally bust out what we had all been waiting to see -- the wildcat offense. At that point the Pats were leading 10-3 but could/should have had a 17-3 lead or more. The red-zone woes of the first few weeks of the season made an unexpected return. Some missed plays. Some not-so-great calls. (Next week in the game of the year would be a bad time for any more of that.) The Wildcats turned to their unorthodox attack with just more than eight minutes to go in the half. Till that point Chad Henne and the Miami offense hadn't done too much. That changed quickly.

Miami got the ball at their own 20 yard line. The crowd was enjoying the glow of the weather and the pre-game tailgate. I was settled into my nicely cushioned seat checking out the shiny stats card with each team's rosters on it that they hand to those in the luxury suites. I wasn't quite paying attention to who was on the field for the Wildcats at that moment. Seems neither were the Patriots. The quarterback was not #7 (Henne), but #6. And #6 took the snap, ran left, faked a pitch, and rambled 33 yards before the Pats defense finally realized what was happening and tackled him. "Who the heck is that?" I said out loud. Marino jersey guy couldn't wait to tell me. "That's Pat White. Their second round pick out of West Virginia. They got him just to run the option. He can't throw but he can run." Every sentence that came out of Marino jersey guy came with a "but." "They aren't very good but they are tough to beat." "They won the division last year but they really weren't a playoff team." "Parcells is doing a great job but I wish he was coaching."

For me it's "The Pats D has played surprisingly well this season but I wish they could learn to stop this wildcat offense." Miami took the ball into the red zone and they had no trouble scoring as Ricky Williams (on the bench for my fantasy team) took the option pitch and ran into the end zone mostly untouched. 10-10. "We have a game," Mark said as he came back with his double tequila on the rocks. "A game we have to win." Thanks to Tom Brady and Randy Moss, they did.

The biggest play was the Brady-to-Moss slant pass that went for a 71-yard touchdown after Moss stiff-armed the defender to the ground. Miami had just opened the second half with a machine-like 16-play, 10 minute drive to take a 17-16 lead. It's what the Wildcats do best of all. Eat clock. In large chunks. And then the Pats did what they do best. Strike quickly and erase all the hard work of the other team in a flash. Up 22-17 the Pats lined up for a two-point conversion. When and when not to try for a two-point conversion is one of the favorite topics of football fans. There are as many schools of thought on the two-point play as there are on a public option for health insurance. "It's too early to go for two," Mark said. And I agreed. We had been talking about just that during the tailgate with Shep and his sons Matt, Zandy, and Russell. Belichick, unlike most other coaches, seemed to get that you don't chase points too early in the second half. But there was Brady and the offense lining up for two. "That's a mistake," I said. "If they miss it they could be beaten by two field goals." Mark agreed. Brady took the snap. Stepped back and casually lobbed the ball to Moss who caught it for two. Pats up by a touchdown. "Perfect time to go for two," Mark laughed. I agreed.

The Brady-to-Moss TD is what will be remembered as the key play of the game. It wasn't. There was an innocuous 3rd-and-11 on the Pats 39-yard line with 13 minutes to go in the first half and the Pats up 7-3. It was a key possession early in the game. The kind that gets lost later in the highlight reels of one-handed catches and Joey Porter missed tackles. Brady dropped back and saw a blitzing defensive back coming in untouched on his blind side. Most QBs throw the ball away and walk to the sidelines to make room for the punter. Brady took a few quick steps to his right to delay the hit and threw across his body to Wes Welker cutting, as he always does, across the middle in the opposite direction. Brady hit Welker on the run and he took it 12 yards for a first down.

The Pats held the ball for eight more plays and five more minutes before Gostowski added a field goal. What could have been a sack and decent field position for Miami turned into points for the Pats. It's the kind of play that wins games. The kind that Brady has been making for years. Watching the highlights later I heard Dan Dierdoff saying after that play "Tom Brady is back. Tom Brady is back." Brady looks to be just about all the way back from his injury. We'll know for sure come next Sunday night.

As we were getting in the escalator to leave the Fidelity Clubhouse (pre-game visit by the cheerleaders, couches in front of a fireplace, TVs everywhere, hot drink bar with an "Irish Kiss" -- just to name a few of the comforts) Mark turned to me and said "I could get used to this." He was talking about the life of luxury we had just enjoyed, but he could have also been talking about Brady leading the Patriots to another great win in a big game. I guess we are already used to that luxury.

We are the champions

TALES FROM THE TAILGATE
Pats 30, Steelers 14 (9/9/'02): A day I never thought would come. The Pats were raising a Super Bowl championship banner. The joy from the moment when Vinatieri's kick went through the uprights in New Orleans was still with everyone as we gathered in the lot in front of our brand new stadium! A Super Bowl title and a new stadium! Were we in Pittsburgh? Dallas? San Francisco? No. We were in New England. After nearly 30 years of rooting for a team sure to break your heart, I was getting ready to watch my team raise a banner as the best in the NFL. In a brand new stadium. Surreal.

It was 80 degrees on a Thursday night in September. The NFL had come up with a new way to spread football throughout the week by having the defending champ open at home on a Thursday night. The Pats were re-matched against the Steelers, the team that they had upset on the road in the AFC title game to advance to the Super Bowl. Everyone remembers "The Snow Bowl" against the Raiders and, of course, the Super Bowl. The game in between often gets overlooked. The Pats walked into Steel Town and punched them in the face to take the AFC championship. The Steelers still think they were the better team and deserved to win. Of course after Spygate broke players such as Hines Ward said things like "Hey, I knew they were cheating! Where are our championship rings?" On the fingers of the Pats, right where they belong. Spygate or not, the Pats beat the Steelers because of Troy Brown's special teams play (which you don't need illegal videos for) and Steeler QB Kordell Stewart's not-so-special play. Simple as that.

Bitter Steeler players were quoted before the season-opening game as saying "There's nothing like knocking off the champs." The champs? That's right. We are the champs!

The parking lot was like Mardi Gras. Fans shot off fireworks. Music blasted. People danced. The food was better and the drink was sweeter. We were the champs. We arrived inside Gillette Stadium and made our way to our new seats... in Section 109 at the 45-yard line. It was official: me, Paul, Bergs, and Shep had died and gone to heaven. The new stadium was impressive. And this was before KraftWorld, a.k.a. Patriot Place, came to be. There was a big ceremony planned with former players introduced and a highlight film of the team's Super Bowl run on the big screen. Nick Carter sang the National Anthem (OK, not everything was magical). One of the loudest cheers came for the announcement that the new stadium was built with private money and without PSLs, the dreaded personal seat licenses. If I ever meet Bob Kraft in person I know just what to say. "Thanks for not charging me thousands of dollars for the right to pay you thousands of dollars to buy my tickets." He could have gouged the fans (of which he was a long-suffering one) and he didn't. A class act that should never be forgotten.

The players were introduced as one, just like the Super Bowl. The roar for Vinatieri was deafening. Then the lights went out and Mr. Kraft started "You've been waiting 40 years for this" and the roar got louder. U2's "Beautiful Day" played, just like in the Super Bowl, and a spotlight hit the south end zone where the championship banner was unveiled. It was like New Year's in Times Square. Hugging. Cheering. Laughing. Kissing.

The energy from the ceremony carried over to the game. The Steelers scored to tie the game 7-7 in the first quarter and then the Patriots steamrolled them. Scoring the next 23 points. Brady and the offense had almost 350 yards for the game and Kordell Stewart reprised his role of mistake-prone QB by throwing three picks. Final score 30-14.

At one point during a TV timeout in the fourth quarter, Queen's "We Are the Champions" blasted out over the new stadium's speakers. The crowd began to sing along ... "Weeee are the cham-pions, my friend. And weeeee'll keep on fighting ..." It was almost a Patriotic moment. President Bush would have gotten teary. A group of Americans singing as one about winning. The crowd continued to sing louder and louder and then, as the commercial break ended and the players lined up for the next play. the music, as it always does, stopped. But the crowd did not. "Weeee are the cham-pions. Weeeeee are the cham-pions ..." 60,000 plus singing a cappella till the final line. "Weeee are the cham-pions! ... of the woooooorld!" That night we were.

Bye bye birdie

WEEK 8
Bye week. No Patriots game. A time to reflect. A time to enjoy a quiet fall Sunday. A time to look at the wins and losses already in the books and look ahead to the games (and tailgates) ahead. And a time to deep fry a turkey and drink some bourbon. Bye week was officially dubbed "Bourbon and Bird" day at my house. Might be a tradition in the making.

The bye week is also the time to watch as much football as possible. No Patriots? No problem. That's the thing about the NFL. It's the only sport where you will settle in for a day of watching other teams play. Vikings vs. Packers. Colts vs. Niners. Eagles vs. Giants. Jets vs. Dolphins. All games I wanted to see. That's why the NFL is king.

The enjoyment of the bye week depends a great deal on how good your team is. The week off is a drag when it's lousy. You spend the day watching other teams play real football. Each game a reminder of just how bad yours is. The only time your team is mentioned is usually as the punch line to a bad joke by the announcers. But when you have a contender, the bye week is a lot of fun. You can watch the pregame shows and hear your team in the discussion about which ones can win it all. You can watch the other games and see how yours measures up. And since your team is off they can't lose! A great weekend.

The story of Week 7 was ... drum roll please ... Brett Favre. The man whose name is synonymous with every virtue you can think of returned to Lambeau Field. The frozen tundra. The turf where he built his legend. It was a Favre moment worthy of all the attention. Finally. Favre's Minnesota resurrection has gone much better than did his brief stop with the Jets. Although some might remember that in Week 11 Favre and the Jets were sitting at 8-3 and looking like one of the best teams. Five weeks later the Jets -- and Favre -- were down and out of the playoffs. Vikings fans should keep that in mind as they celebrate their team's 7-1 record. Favre's first game in front of the Packers fans that hailed him for so many years was very entertaining right from the start. There were boos as he came onto the field. Lots of them. And it a gave me a chuckle.

It also made me think what would happen if Tom Brady retired (we're talking years from now) then came out of retirement and played for the Rams and then retired again only to return a second time -- this time for the Jets. I would be pretty unhappy. But Bobby Orr didn't finish his career as a Bruin. Carlton Fisk didn't finish his career as a Red Sox. Hell, Adam Vinatieri won a Super Bowl kicking for the Colts! If fans aren't used to seeing their players in the team colors of their opponents yet then they never will be. I know I am used to it. But Favre, like Brady, is different. He was the Packers. While he annoyed the rest of the football world (except everyone who sits at an ESPN anchor desk), he was worshipped in Green Bay. Like Brady here. If Brady returned to Gillette in Gang Green I wouldn't boo. How the hell could any Pats fan boo Brady? I wouldn't give him an ovation. Save that for his Hall of Fame induction ceremony and I don't mean the Pats Hall of Fame. But you don't cheer for Jets QBs. Ever. Except when they are sacked.

Favre and the Vikes beat the Packers to take control of the NFC North. If Favre and the Vikings blow their lead and miss the playoffs then Favre should retire and stay retired this time. The Vikes (along with the Colts and Saints) continue to play solid football heading to the halfway mark. The same thing can't be said for a few other teams. Things sure change quickly in the NFL these days.

The Giants were knocked around by the Eagles for their third straight loss while the Cowboys put up their third straight win. The Giants are now in third in the NFC East. I didn't see that coming. The Ravens, after stumbling badly, rose up and handed the Broncos their first loss. The Colts beat San Fran, sending the once-surprising Niners to its third straight defeat. And the Miami Wildcats went into the Meadowlands and beat the Jets. After their Week 2 win against the Patriots the Jets seemed on the verge of a big season under new coach Rex Ryan. Just a few weeks later and the NYJ are fading fast at 4-4 and only 1-3 in the division. The Jets come to Gillette in two weeks. The Pats can pretty much knock them out of division contention with a win. But first they have to handle the Wildcats.

The bird and bourbon are done. At least till Sunday's tailgate.