Satisfying taste

WEEK 12
I missed much of the first half of the Pats Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit as I was making my way to my sister's house in Portland. I'm thankful for that. The second half -- as well as the meal and drinks that followed -- was much more enjoyable.

WEEK 12: Heaping helping of points.

The Patriots are 9-2 after their raucous come-from-behind 45-24 victory. They are once again tied for the best record in the league -- with their division rival NY Jets. The two teams will meet on Monday night at Gillette in just more than a week. The latest in a string of biggest-game-of-the-year for the Pats will be the biggest one of all. A victory would be a giant step to a first-round bye. A loss and the Pats, even if they finish 13-3, would most likely have to go on the road to places like Indy or San Diego in the first round.

There was a lot to like about the Pats victory over the Lions. The thing I like the most is that the defense allowed just one touchdown in the second half. That's a big change from most of the season. Just because it was against the Lions doesn't diminish it. The young defense, on just three days rest, got stronger as the game went on. All led by Vince Wilfork who is having a Hall-of-Fame level season.

The highest scoring offense in the league had a monster second half. Brady -- after getting the stuffing knocked out of him in the first half -- was unstoppable, throwing four TD passes. He finished a ridiculous 21-for-27 for 341 yards. Woodhead and BenJarvis (scored two more TDs for a total of 9 on the season) averaged more than four yards a carry and made big plays on the ground when needed. Most importantly, the offense once again had no turnovers and made few mistakes.

The Patriots were 7-4 after 11 games last year. It's only a two game difference but this year's team is much more than two games better than the 2009 version. And that's without starters Ty Warren, Kevin Faulk, Leigh Bodden, Logan Mankins (for the first half of the year), and now Stephen Gostkowski. Different players have stepped up each week to give a boost to the core guys. That's a credit to those players and to Belichick and the coaching staff.

As is always the case (just ask the Jets), there is a lot of luck involved in 9-2. Even the 16-0 Patriots had a lot of things break their way. That's part of the equation in a championship run. But the 2010 Patriots are making a lot more plays when it counts. That's the difference this year. That's why they won the game against the Colts and that's why they won on Thanksgiving Day.

They will have to continue to do that down the stretch against some very tough teams in order to be in the best position possible come playoff time. The stretch starts at Gillette against the Jets a week from Monday.

Advantage: Patriots

WEEK 11
Patriots 31, Colts 28 (11/21/'10): Throughout the last decade, year after year, I always had one wish if the Pats made the playoffs: I wanted them to play the Colts. Crazy? Yes. But it's like Celts-Lakers, Bruins-Canadiens, and, of course, Sox-Yankees. Such great rivalries produce great games. Sure, the chance of the team you root for losing is greater because the other team is so tough to beat, but it's just too fun not to wish for. Win or lose during the regular season, I've always left a Pats-Colts game hoping for a January rematch. Not this time.

The Patriots won another classic chapter in the rivalry, but the fourth quarter was a reminder why you don't want to play Peyton Manning in a win-or-go-home playoff game at this point in his career. His team is never out of it as long as he can get a few seconds of protection to make a play. As Belichick says, "60 minutes!" It took all 60 to win this one.

WEEK 11: Familiar face.

Billy and Bergs took that 60 minutes approach to heart. They were the first to arrive at the Enchanted Forest lot, well before 11 a.m. So early, in fact, that the gate wasn't open. The man with the key finally arrived and Billy and Bergs set up camp and waited for us. "I asked the guy if we could get a discount because we were first in the lot," Billy joked when Mark and I arrived a few minutes later. "He didn't go for it." Mark's brother Toph joined us as part of his 50th birthday weekend. The party the night before was the perfect warmup for a chilly but sunny day of tailgating. Shep and two of his sons arrived a little later and we spent the day talking about the Colts and last  week's big win over the Steelers; and eating lamb two ways (one marinated in lemon sauce, another in sour cream), grilled King Crab legs, and linguica. We decided that -- with three great home games yet to come -- this is officially the best season of tailgating we've ever had. Of course the results of the games have been a big part of that. None more so than yesterday.

The game felt a lot like the ones in the early part of the last decade, especially in regards to the interceptions thrown by Manning. It's been a while since I've gotten to see him shrug his shoulders and make the Manning face on the giant screen at Gillette. I had missed that. It's even better in HD.

The first of his three interceptions came on the Colts' opening drive about five minutes into the game with Indy just over midfield and facing a 3rd-and-7. Manning floated one right into Meriweather's hands and he took it back 39 yards to the Colts 30. Replays showed the pass was off because Manning was under pressure, a theme for the day even though the D never got the sack. The interception, followed by Welker slugging in a 22-yard TD pass through two Colts defenders, got the already wired crowd completely fired up. New England fans can still make some noise when it really counts.

The Pats D held the Colts and then Brady led the offense on a 15-play, 82-yard drive that chewed up nearly eight minutes of clock. It was a thing of beauty. My hand was a little soar from high-fiving Mark, Shep, Toph, and everyone else within reach play after play. Should have kept my gloves on. Brady capped the drive with an 8-yard pass to Aaron Hernandez on third down and the Pats took a 14-0 lead and sent the stadium into party mode.

As has often been the case in this rivalry, just when one team looks like it is in charge the other team (this time the Colts) answers back. Manning and Brady traded touchdown drives the rest of the half (ending with Manning hitting Reggie Wayne with just eight seconds left) and the Patriots walked off the field with a 21-14 lead. It was a great first half. But not as great as the second half.

The Pats seemingly put the game away with an electric 36-yard touchdown run by Woodhead late in the third quarter, a Devin McCourty pick, and a Shayne Graham field goal. The Pats held a comfortable 31-14 lead with just more than 10 minutes to go in the game. But with Manning, nothing is comfortable. The Colts went no huddle and Manning quickly put up two touchdowns as the crowd screamed "get him!" again and again. The Pats D never did get him. But they did get a break.

The Colts got the ball with just more than two minutes to play and Manning began what looked sure to be at the very least a game-tying field goal drive. Manning hit Wayne for 15 yards down to the Pats 24 and old friend Adam Vinatieri began warming up his aging but still clutch right leg. The thought of #4 making the tying kick and then possibly the winning kick in OT sure put a damper on my Don Julio glow. Manning was looking as unstoppable as ever. Then he made his third mistake of the game, launching a pass towards the end zone to try and go for the win. Just before he released the ball he leaned out of the way of the rush and the ball came up short. James Sanders (one of Mark's favorite players) leaped into the air and made a great catch, cradling the ball -- and the game -- in his arms as he fell to the ground at the 6-yard line. The Gillette crowed celebrated a great finish to another great Pats-Colts game.

In consecutive weeks the Patriots have gone into Pittsburgh and put a solid beating on the Steelers and then come home and held off a serious challenge by the Colts. Last year's team could not have pulled that off. The victories give the Pats a big advantage against both teams when it comes playoff seeding time. Now the Pats have to turn around and play their third game in 12 days with the traditional early Thanksgiving Day game in Detriot. The holiday season has begun and once again -- really? again? -- the Patriots are one of the best teams in the league. A win over the Colts always proves that.

Belichick was miked before, during, and after the Colts game. Here's the link to the NFL Films video. It's an early gift to Pats' fans.

Belichick Miked Up Against The Colts.

Tangled up in blue

TALES FROM THE TAILGATE
Patriots 20, Colts 3 (1/16/'05): The greatest rivalry of the past 10 years -- maybe in the history of the NFL -- is about to have another chapter written. If it's anything like last year's chapter, well, there'll be a lot to talk about during the postgame tailgate Sunday night.

DILLON: Killin' field.

Peyton Manning and the Colts ride into town for another clash. Once again both teams are at the top of their divisions. Once again there is a lot at stake.

There have been so many great games between the two teams that it's hard to pick a favorite. Each has scored huge wins against the other. That's what makes it such an entertaining rivalry. The Colts have gotten the better of the Pats lately, but back in the winter of '04/'05 it was the Patriots who were dominant.

I've been lucky to see a lot of great games during the past 20 years. Well, mostly the last 10. Some of the best have been against the team in white and blue with the horseshoe on their helmet. (One of the all-time great sports uniforms, by the way). The best of those games came on a cold, snowy January afternoon. The Patriots were on the verge of becoming a dynasty and they took a big step towards that by playing -- and winning -- what turned out to be a classic old-school NFL playoff game.

The Colts came into Gillette in the playoffs for the second straight year. The Pats had knocked Indy out in the AFC title game 24-14 the previous January, torturing Manning with four interceptions in the snow. It was such a beating that the NFL decided to change the rules so that wide receivers (namely Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne) would have more freedom to roam untouched. More accurately, Colts GM Bill Polian decided to change the rules and the league went along with him. The Colts, thanks to those rules, had scored 49 points against Denver in the first round the week before with Manning passing for more than 450 yards. The story line coming into the rematch was how can the Patriots defense stop the unstoppable? Bill Belichick and his veteran players had the answer.

It was one of the more memorable pregame tailgates we've ever had -- despite the snow and 15 degree wind chill. The parking lot was a giant holiday party. Tents were up to protect from the elements but most people huddled outside talking about our favorite subject -- Pats vs. Colts. We had a large fire pit to keep warm, as well as a variety of cocktails to do the same. Since there were about a dozen of us at the tailgate, the pregame meal included everything from shrimp and sausage to lamb and steaks that Shep had marinated for days. My nephews Pete and Nate were planning on meeting up with us. They were bringing their cousin who lived in ... Indiana.

Nate called my cellphone to find out where we were in the lot. "We'll be there in a few minutes," he said. Then he paused, laughed a little, and asked "My cousin Andrew has got his Colts gear on. Is that gonna be a problem?"

"Not at all," I said. "As long as he's not an annoying jerk."

"No. He's cool,'' Nate answered.

I poured myself another drink and scanned the lot for Nate and Pete. I waved as I saw them coming up the aisle. Both were laughing. As I looked behind them I saw why. There was a guy walking a few steps back adorned in a Manning #18 jersey and a big blue horse's head made out of foam -- like the "We're #1" fingers. It was Andrew. Nate wasn't kidding. He sure had his Colts gear on. Everyone in Pats gear gave him a warm New England welcome as he walked by grill after grill.

Everyone watched as he walked up to our tailgate like a room full of guys turn to look as an attractive woman walks into a bar. Pete and Nate said hi to everyone and then introduced Andrew. We all started in on the "Your Colts are gonna get killed" talk. Good natured of course. Except for Billy (see: The Snow Bowl). He walked up to Andrew and greeted him in the way that only Billy can.

"Hey kid," he said. "If the Colts win tonight I'm going to set that foam horse on fire. Even if it's still on your head." Andrew kept that foam head on through the whole tailgate. The kid had guts.

The game -- expected by many to be a shootout or a Colts blowout -- was one that called for guts too. The unstoppable offense got the opening kickoff and went a quick three-and-out. That was the pattern for the game. Manning would throw, and throw, and throw (42 times, in fact), but the Pats D always had an answer. Bruschi. Harrison. Vrabel. Seymour. Johnson. Samuel. McGinest. Troy Brown. Troy Brown? Yup. Troy Brown.

Brown is known for catching the most passes in team history and for his skills as a kick returner, but on this bitter cold day he also played defensive back. As old school as you can get. The Patriots, with a wide receiver at D back, stopped the Indy offense time and time again. Manning would complete a pass only to watch his receiver get smashed and the ball roll on the icy turf. Late in the first quarter the Colts had reached midfield and faced a 3rd-and-9. Manning had Brandon Stokley open across the middle for what would have been a first down. Brown cut in front of Stokley and knocked the ball out of the way. Colts punt. Each possession, each play had the crowd urging the defense on. Each time the defense responded. Especially Bruschi.

Late in the first half, with the Pats leading 6-0, Manning hit running back Dominic Rhodes at the Pats 40-yard line. Bruschi arrived at the same time as the ball and as he tackled Rhodes he ripped the ball out of his hands. Indy turnover. Bruschi came to the sideline and raised the ball to the crowd. The place went nuts.The defense held the unstoppable offense to just three points for the entire game. It was the best performance by any Patriots defense and one of the best by any defense in the playoffs -- ever.

It was matched on offense by an equally impressive running game. The Pats added veteran Corey Dillon during the offseason and he was a key part in the ground attack improving from 27th in the league in '03 to 7th in '04. The combination of Clock Killin' Corey Dillon (1,600 yards that season) and the Pats veteran defense was the real unstoppable force that season. The Patriots dominated the time of possession and dominated their rivals from start to finish.

Rivalries are the essence of sports. The challenge of trying to defeat a great opponent. It makes for great entertainment and theater. As a Pats fan, I love the Colts. How can you hate them? They are a great team and Manning is one of the all-time greats. That comeback in the '06 AFC title game earned them much  deserved respect. Indy is always tough to beat. That's what makes it so much fun when the Pats beat them.

On that January day in '05, the fervent 69,000 rose to their feet on the Colts' first offensive play of the game and never sat down. Whether on offense or defense, first down or third, everyone stood and roared. Gillette was a great homefield advantage that day. Hopefully it will be again this Sunday. I'm ready to stand for three hours.

Nothing regular about it

WEEK 10
Just before driving to Pawtucket to meet Bergs at the East Ave. Cafe (unrivaled beer selection) to see if the Pats could go into Pittsburgh and pull out a huge victory, I texted my nephew Pete: "We need Brady at his best tonight... and for the rest of the season."

WEEK 10: Motivated.

Brady at his best it was. His final numbers: 30 for 43, 350 yards passing, 3 TDs, 1 rushing TD, no picks, 27 barked-out personal challenges to the offense to play harder and smarter.

The Pats are almost impossible to beat when Brady plays like that. He was joined by Gronkowski  (3 TD catches), Chung, Big Vince, BenJarvis, McCourty, Crumpler, and many others on the list of players who were motivated by last week's dreadful loss to the Browns. Maybe the most important performance, as it has been in all the games this year, was that of the offensive line. With Stephen Neal out, the line protected Brady (only hit three times) and opened up lanes for the rushing game. Logan Mankins's return couldn't have come at a better time. The Pats broke 100 yards on the ground against a Steelers D that was giving up an average of about 50. The offensive line is the backbone of the 2010 Pats. It's a solid, veteran backbone to build on. But it all revolves around #12. He looks up to the challenge.

Bergs and I sat at the bar talking to Mark on the phone as the clocked ticked down. A stat flashed on the screen that the Pats are 23-2 in games after losses since 2002 under Belichick. There have been some great regular season victories during that time.

"Where do you rank this one?" Mark asked. Bergs and I agreed that it was top 10 among regular season wins during Belichick's 10 years. Not in simple entertainment value. That list would include the snowball game against Miami and the 31-0 revenge game against the Bills, to name two. This is a list of statement games. Regular season victories that showed just how good the team could be that year -- and beyond.

10. Brady's first start, 2001: Everyone remembers the week before this game, when Bledsoe took a shot to the chest and Brady came in to start what nobody knew at the time was a Hall of Fame career. The Pats lost that game to the Jets, but a week later Brady was making his first start against the Colts in Foxboro Stadium. Brady and the Pats 44, Manning and the Colts 13. Brady didn't throw any TDs and only put up 168 yards passing, but he didn't make any big mistakes and came up with clutch plays on third down when needed. That was the formula for victory the rest of the way. Brady the sixth-round pick outplayed Manning the golden boy. It wouldn't be the last time.

9. Foxboro finale, 2001: Later in that magical year, the Pats played their final regular season game at the old stadium against division rival Miami. Brady was now the story of the NFL, having led the team to a 9-5 record. The Pats came into the last game at their home since the '70s with a chance to clinch the division for the first time in several years. The Patriots, behind a defense that would go on to win the Super Bowl, built a 20-3 lead against the Dolphins and won decisively 20-10. The players and coaches walked around the edge of the field high-fiving fans. They would be doing it again in the Snow Bowl about a month later.

8. Roaring back, 2002: The Pats didn't make the playoffs as defending champs in 2002. But you wouldn't have known that by the way the crowd celebrated this amazing come-from-behind win against Miami in the season finale at the new Gillette Stadium. The Pats needed to win to get to 9-7 and then hope the Jets would lose later that day (they didn't). But Miami, led by Dave Wannstedt (or Wannstoop as my family nicknamed him), was in a better position. All they needed to do was beat the Pats to clinch the division. And they rolled out to a 21-7 lead behind Ricky Williams's 185 yards rushing. The Pats D could not stop him. But, for some inexplicable reason, Wannstoop stopped handing him the ball and instead had Jay Fielder start throwing passes. The Pats D could stop Fielder. The Pats scored 11 points in the last few minutes of the game and then won it in overtime. It erased the taste of a disappointing season and set the tone for the next two years.

7. Steeler smack down, 2010: Time will tell if last night's convincing win in Pittsburgh will be the start of a championship run. There are a lot of other hurdles ahead. But it was very reminiscent of many of the games on this list. Brady made big play after big play. The defense set the tone early and held the Steelers to just 10 points through three quarters. And all that coming off maybe the worst regular season defeat since winning the title in 2001. Brady's fiery sideline statement carried on to the field in the second half. Any game where Brady throws three touchdowns and runs in for another is a statement.

6. New streak starts, 2004: This one came after the Steelers put a beating on the Pats, ending their then NFL record winning streak at 21. The Steelers stomped on New England 34-20 and it was worse than that. Ty Law was carried off the field. The Pats limped to St. Louis to play the Mike Martz coached Rams. There were lots of critics salivating at the thoughts of a Pats collapse. In one of Belichick and his staff's best coaching jobs of those years, the Pats rolled to a 40-22 road win that included a trick Vinatieri to Troy Brown TD pass that Martz is still trying to figure out. The Pats would lose only one more game on their way to title No. 3.

5. Spygate, 2007: One of the team's best home games. The Pats spent the week having the entire world -- Congress included -- climb up their zoom lens. The Jets had ratted on Belichick about the guy with the video camera and suddenly the Pats were the nation's new villains. Nice going, Bill. The team had to somehow get ready to play San Diego, one of their biggest rivals. The Chargers were looking to add insult to the Pats' injured reputation. The only pain being handed out that night was by the Pats. They demolished San Diego 38-14 in an emotion-filled game that had the stadium rocking.

4. OT in South Beach, 2003: The Patriots were 4-2 and still trying to recapture their Super Bowl mojo. Miami was 4-1 and mulling playoff dreams of their own. It was a classic AFC East war in the October Miami heat in a place where the Pats rarely won. Dolphin kicker Olindo Mare had two chances to win the game -- one at the end of regulation that was blocked and one in OT that he missed because he was kicking off the baseball infield dirt. Brady ended it with an 82-yard bomb -- a thing of beauty -- after scrambling to avoid the rush. The ball landed in Troy Brown's arms and he high-stepped his way into the end zone. The Pats wouldn't lose again that year.

3. Perfection, 2007: A perfect final game to the perfect season. The Pats arrived at Giants Stadium just one win shy of the first 16-0 season ever. It was a great game. The Giants, who had already clinched a playoff spot, could have rested guys and not challenged the Pats. But that's not Tom Coughlin's way. The Giants played the game as if it was the Super Bowl, which probably had a lot to do with the outcome when the two teams actually met in the Super Bowl a few weeks later. Brady's record-breaking bomb to Moss capped a great win and an amazing season.

2. Mile High win, 2003: Every team has its house of horrors where they just can't win. Denver was that place for the Patriots. Two weeks after their overtime win in Miami, the 6-2 Pats headed to Mile High for what was expected to be their almost-annual dose of heartbreak. New England has lost many road games over the years, but some of the most painful took place in the shadow of the Rockies. But 2003 was certainly a year when things were different. Denver lead 24-23 with just a few minutes left in the game and the Pats were backed up inside their own 10. A punt there would have given the Broncos the ball at midfield or better and a chance to put the game away. So Belichick told the team to take a safety and give Denver two more points. That allowed them a free kick from a better spot on the field. The Broncos muffed the kick, got pinned inside their 25, and had to punt it back to the Pats. Brady then led the offense on one of his greatest drives, ending with a clutch throw to David Givens in the front corner of the end zone. Belichick gave Charlie Weiss a huge hug. You know it's a big win when that happens.

1. Goal line stand, 2003: Just say goal line stand and every Patriots fan will know what you are talking about. The 9-2 Pats went into 9-2 Indy two weeks after the Denver win (it was that kind of season) and rolled out to a 31-10 lead early into the second half. The team was looking unbeatable. Everything was clicking. Then Peyton Manning and the Colts -- as often happens in the greatest rivalry in football -- responded and made a furious rally to cut the score to 38-34. The Colts then made one last drive down the field in front of their delirious fans -- setting up a 1st-and-goal at the 2-yard line with less than a minute to play. The Pats stopped two runs and a Manning fade pass to force a fourth down winner-take-all play. Willie McGinest, who had been kneeling in pain a few plays before, bolted towards Edgerin James and stopped the Colt running back dead in his tracks. Willie ran off the field with right arm raised and the whole team followed him from there to back-to-back Super Bowls.

The Pats have home games left against the 6-3 Colts, the 7-2 Jets, the 6-3 Packers, and the 5-4 Dolphins to close out the 2010 regular season on January 2. A dominating win in any of those games would make it a contender for this list. But it will be hard for any of them to top my No. 1. (This is the complete game if you have 45 mins to kill. If not, head to the end for the greatest goal line stand in Pats history).

Whooah, we're half way there...

The Pats and the NFL have hit the half-way mark of the season with every team having played at least eight games. Who's the best team in the league right now? That's easy, it's... Hold on, it just changed. It's now... Wait, not them anymore. Now it's... never mind.

So forget who's No. 1. Who are the top 10? There are 15 (out of 32) teams with either five or six wins and another seven with four. Twenty-two out of 32 are at least  .500. So how to rank them? You could write down all the names on pieces of paper and toss them in the air. That's one system. I decided to come up with another one. It's based simply on which teams the contenders have beaten and where (home or road). A road win against a good team is the most difficult thing to achieve. A home win against a bad team the easiest. Road wins in the NFL are bigger than home wins. Margin of victories don't matter. A win is a win. A loss is a loss. That's the basis for my formula:

• 1 PT for every home win against a team with a losing record.*
• 2 PTS for every home win against a team with a .500 or better record.
• 3 PTS for every road win against a team with a losing record.
• 4 PTS for every road win against a team with a .500 or better record.
• 0 PTS for any road losses or a home loss to a team with a .500 or better record.
• -1 PT for every home loss to a team with a losing record, because that's inexcusable.

*Opponents' current record used, not what it was when teams played.

If the Pats had beaten Cleveland I would have gladly put them at the top just for the fun of seeing them there because it wouldn't have lasted long. Then I would have thrown the names of all the six and five win teams in the air to fill out the next nine. But now I'm curious to see how my formula works. My top 10 teams at the mid-point of the season (with points under my formula listed after record):

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2, 18 pts): The Steelers are allowing an average of 58 yards rushing. 58. Some teams give that up on one carry. However, like every other team on this list, a strength is offset by a weakness. They are allowing almost 250 yards passing a game. You can make the big play against Pittsburgh. Offensively they are average right now, as they showed two weeks ago against New Orleans. But they are a veteran team that can go on quite a run if they stay healthy.

2. New York Jets (6-2, 16 pts): Rex Ryan and his Jets are 4-0 on the road. That alone makes them the top team in the league in my book, but my formula puts them second. The Jets are allowing 16 points per game and scoring 22. Second-year QB Sanchez has played solid football and the running game is averaging almost 150 yards thanks mostly to LT's revival. The defense is fourth against the rush, but only 17th against the pass. That will get better. As will the whole team. Their biggest question is will their attitude lead to their downfall.

3. New York Giants (6-2, 14 pts): I thought the G-Men were done under Tom Coughlin. Glad to see they are not. The one thing that took the slightest bit of sting out of the '07 Super Bowl was seeing Coughlin win a title. If you like football you have to like him. He's a heck of an old-school coach. The Giants jumped out of the gate at 6-0 last year but won only three games the rest of the season, ending in disarray. Which is how they opened this year, stumbling to 1-2 three weeks in. Five straight wins and Coughlin and the men in blue are looking, suddenly, like the NFC's best.

4. New England Patriots (6-2, 14 pts): One win away from being ranked at the top. Also one loss away from not being in the top 10 at all. If I wasn't using my formula I'd have the Pats lower. Too many problems. No true running back. A young defense that has had its moments but mostly gives up yards in big chunks. Lots of injuries (losing Gostkowski for the season is a big loss). A passing attack that thrives on the three-and-out. That said, they are 6-2 and have played some very good football. And they have Brady and a pretty good coach.

5. Tennessee Titans (5-4, 14 pts): If it wasn't for my formula I'd have the Titans much lower too. After looking at who they have beaten (Oak, at Giants, at Jags, Philly) and the fact that they are the top scoring offense in the league (averaging 28 pts) and in the top 10 in defense, I have a whole new appreciation for what Jeff Fisher is doing this season. They have the two-headed QB in Vince Young/Kerry Collins and now they have Randy Moss. But they play in the league's toughest division by far.

6. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3, 14 pts): The Eagles under Andy Reid just won't die. They trade Donovan McNabb and still have the fourth best offense in the league. Regardless of whether it's Kolb or Vick running it. Although I think it's much better with Vick. Add to that weapons LeSean and DeSean and the offense is still operating in high gear. And the defense is an opportunistic one led by old friend Asante Samuel and his five picks.

7. Baltimore Ravens (6-2, 13 pts): If not using my formula I'd have the Ravens in the top 3. Who's idea was this, anyway? Baltimore still looks like the most balanced team in the league. Ray Rice. Ray Lewis. Joe Flacco. Anquan Boldin. Ed Reed. Terrell Suggs. That's a core of talented players that few teams can match. They have a tough schedule the rest of the way but they should be battling for one of the byes at the end.

8. Indianapolis Colts (5-3, 13 pts): When the Colts are the eighth best team in the NFL... well, you have a very entertaining league. Manning (the ninth best player in the history of the game, according to the NFL Network) has watched receiver after receiver get carted off the field. And yet he keeps making plays. He really is one of the top 10 players ever. But so is Brady. The problem is the Colts have been hit by injuries equally as hard in the running game, but Manning can't rush the ball too.

9. New Orleans Saints (6-3, 13 pts): The reigning champs may be having some issues, but they are still on track to make the playoffs. If they do (and they will) then all they need to hope for is to be healthy come January and then they can make a serious defense of their rings. They still have Brees and Payton. And unlike last year, their defense is actually pretty good. They will be in the Super Bowl.

10a. Green Bay Packers (6-3, 12 pts): The remaining six-win teams tie for the final spot. I'll put the Pack first because of their D. Clay Matthews. AJ Hawk. Charles Woodson. Tramon Williams. The Pack's defense is nasty. Oh, and the Aaron Rodgers' led offense is pretty good too. All Green Bay needs to do is hold off the Bears. They can do that.

10b. Atlanta Falcons (6-2, 12 pts): Everyone's current NFC pick will move up if they can beat the Ravens at home tonight. My formula puts them in tenth. I would have had them in the top 5. It's that kind of year. Their run defense is solid but their passing defense is not. Their offense is as balanced as you can get. They are clearly one of the strongest NFC contenders. Their lack of big-game experience is their biggest question.

Dishonorable mention: The Wade Phillips era is over in Dallas. It was sure fun while it lasted. Jerry Jones won't get the pleasure of watching his Cowboys play in the Super Bowl in his stadiumopolis. Just as long as they keep showing him in his luxury box during each loss. Hopefully his massive ego will prevent him from hiring Bill Cowher next season. Cowher would be dangerous with that talent.

Brown out

WEEK 9
I thought the Pats would be 6-2 at the halfway point of the season. That was my ceiling.

6-2 it is. That is a good first half regardless of what happened in Cleveland.  In a year when any team can beat any other team, and not just in the old "any given Sunday" cliched way but in a real way, the fact that the Pats are 6-2 is a sign that the team has done a lot more right than wrong so far.

Except for today. That was a day of wrong. The two-win Browns 34, the six-win Pats 14. Can it be chalked up to just one of those games? Or an exploiting of some of the team's weaknesses? The next two weeks will answer that.

WEEK 9: Outsmarted.

The Browns jumped on the Pats for 10 points in the opening four minutes, thanks to a quick field goal drive and then a botched kickoff by Sammy Morris that led to an even quicker Patrick Hillis touchdown. The two teams traded a few punts before Brady led the offense on an 11-play touchdown drive that ended with Hernandez catching a pass that tipped off fellow rookie tight end Gronkowski. The drive began a lot less enjoyably. Brady dropped back and got sacked for a 9-yard loss to set up a 2nd-and-19 from the New England 12. The Pats were starting to look like they did against the Ravens in the playoffs last year.

Then they made a smart decision. They went no huddle early in the second quarter. Brady hit Gronkowski for a 22-yard completion and the offense no-huddled in for a huge TD to cut the score to 10-7. The Pats were back on their feet and back in the game. The winner would be decided by which team could make more plays the rest of the way. The final score will tell you which team that was.

I could go into how the Browns made a huge third down play inside the Pats 20 to keep the next drive alive and then scored on a trick play where student (Mangini) got the best of teacher (Belichick). Or how Gronkowski had the ball ripped from his hands on a first-down play at the Browns' 3-yard line with 22 seconds left in the half that killed an impressive -- and crucial -- two-minute drive. Or how the Pats started the second half with two weak drives while the Browns were putting up 10 more points to push the score 27-7 by the end of the third quarter. Or how rookie QB Colt McCoy rode a great running game to victory. I could go into all of that. But why bother? The spouting heads on radio and TV will be doing that all week. I say plug in your iPod.

Fact is the Browns outcoached, outplayed, and outsmarted the Patriots for much of the game. They deserved to win. Once again the Pats defense allowed more than 400 yards in offense. That just can't continue. That's not bend but don't break. That's bend and about to snap. The offense continues to run hot and cold. Most importantly, the Pats lost the turnover battle and that almost always costs you on the road. There's a lot for Belichick to work on to get ready for the two biggest back-to-back games of the year.

So the Patriots are at 6-2. Next up: At Pittsburgh, which could be 6-2 if they win on the road in Cincy tomorrow night. In a season where there are no sure things, the Pats going into the land of the towels and winning big would not surprise. In fact, I feel good about that happening.

Shut your trap

It'll be three more Sundays before I get to go back to Gillette. I would say I need the break after the past few weeks, but I really don't. I'm ready for the next home game. That will be an evening affair against Manning and the Colts, the first in what will be four huge home games in the second half of the season. After the renewal of the greatest rivalry in sports is done, the Pats will have another huge home game two weeks after that. Monday night against the Jets. Ya, that will be fun. It's been a great season of tailgating and it promises to get even better.

BELICHICK & MANGINI: Et tu, Eric?

But first the Patriots look for their third road win of the season. They only won two all of last year. They get two shots at it in the next two weeks. The second one will be at Pittsburgh -- a huge road game. But first the Pats play the proverbial trap game. In Cleveland. A fitting setting.

After playing against Miami, Baltimore, San Diego, and Minnesota, a game against the 2-5 Browns might not get the juices flowing. But when you are 6-1 there really are no trap games. Every win -- no matter the opponent -- is a step closer to a division title, the playoffs, and the all important first-round bye. Add to that the fact that it's against Eric "The Rat" Mangini and there is no way that Belichick won't have his team up for this one. No way.

The Belichick-Mangini feud is at the heart of the dreaded Spygate. It was Mangini -- who left the Pats to coach the Jets (it's always the Jets) -- who ratted on his former boss about his little video side-business. It didn't seem to matter to Mangini that just the year before he was a clerk manning the counter at the Pats Video Mania store. You would think his conscious would have prevented him from pointing the finger. Instead he gave his mentor the finger -- and a feud was born.

Mangini had a great first season with New York, taking a 4-12 team to 10-6 and a playoff berth. The Jets then met the Pats in the first-round of the playoffs at Gillette (one of my favorite playoff games) and Belichick's team shredded them 37-16. Revenge was sweet. Mangini lasted two more years with the Jets, the last one ending with Brett Favre throwing pick after pick to turn an 8-3 start into a 9-7 collapse. Mangini was gone.

Surprisingly -- no, shockingly -- the Browns hired him about a week later. And Mangenius proceeded to take down all the photos of the great Cleveland Brown players that adorned the walls of the team's facility. And there were a lot of great players from some great team's. Thumbing your nose at a franchise's history (one scarred by the team leaving town for Baltimore) is an interesting way to say hello. The Browns stumbled to 5-11 in Mangini's first year and it was actually uglier than the record indicates.

The team started this year by luring Mike Holmgren in as GM to set the organization back on its feet. I was sure the first thing he would do is fire the Rat. As is often the case, I was wrong. After a face-to-face meeting Holmgren decided to stick with Mangini. I can't imagine it was his personality that won him over.

That seems to me to be Mangini's biggest problem so far as head coach. He learned a lot of things from Belichick, but, at least to this point, it looks like he learned all the wrong things. Mangini acts as if Belichick's dour, secretive style is the key to his success. It's not of course. It's his coaching. Something Mangini is actually pretty good at.

The Browns -- although 2-5 -- have shown signs of improvement this year. They knocked off the Saints down in New Orleans and have been competitive in several of their losses. But they are still 2-5. Are they dangerous? Every team in the NFL is this year. Winless Buffalo included.

The Browns, with a strong running game and playmaking defense, are capable of winning. But if the Pats are upset on Sunday it won't be because they weren't up for the game. Belichick won't let his team fall into that trap.

The visitor

I was sitting in my basement around one in the morning, watching the tape of the Pats' satisfying victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

I thought I heard a noise outside and walked over to the back door that leads out to the yard. The light hanging above the deck lit up the lawn down to the edge of the trees. I squinted as I looked through the glass. I saw nothing.

I went back and sat down just in time to see Tom Brady hitting Brandon Tate for the big play of the game. What a great play. As I rewound the tape to watch the TD again, I thought I heard a slight tapping on the glass of the door. I put the tape on pause and walked back over to the door. There was a figure in the window.

"Who's there?" I said, not quite registering that someone was actually there in the middle of the night. "Let me see your face."

The figure took a slight step back into the light so I could see him.

It was Randy Moss. Or was it a late trick-or-treater in a Moss mask? I took a step closer to the door. It was not a mask. It was him.

"Randy?" I asked, not quite registering that Randy Moss was standing at my back door in the middle of the night.

"Hey. Tim, right?" Randy asked, looking to each side to see if anyone was watching.

"Right, Tim. That's me," I assured him. "How did you know my name? What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" Moss asked. I reached for the key hanging on the nail and opened the door.

"Come in. Ya. Come in," I said as he walked past me. "Grab a seat on the couch."

BILL AND RANDY: All good things ...

I closed the door and locked it. I looked out the window for a few seconds to see if anyone else (Brady?) might also be in my backyard. It was empty. I turned around and saw Randy Moss sitting on my couch, wearing a bright red, oversized Patriots sweatshirt, a black shamrock Celts hat, a chain with a golden Red Sox logo at the end, and Bruins socks. I came into the den.

"Can I get you a beer?" I asked. "Are you hungry?"

"You got any Corona?" Randy said. I nodded and headed up the stairs to grab a couple of beers and some chips and salsa like I was getting it for one of my tailgating friends. I was getting beers and a snack for Randy Moss, who was sitting in my basement at one in the morning. What's so unusual about that?

I handed Randy his beer and he took a long swig and then exhaled. He looked over at the TV to see the tape paused on Tate catching the ball.

"That kid's gonna be good," Randy said, somewhat wistfully. I nodded again. I hit play and Randy and I watched Tate race 65 yards for the touchdown.

"Great play by Tommy boy," Moss said. "He looked good tonight."

I nodded again and looked at Randy. He burst into tears and grabbed a pillow, burying his face.

"Randy," I said. "What's going on? What are you doing here? How did you know I lived here?"

Randy picked his head up from the pillow, sniffling and trying to pull himself together.

"I just didn't want to leave and go back to Minnesota," Moss said. "Coach told me to get on the bus to the airport and I just couldn't. So I just took off and ran into the woods behind the stadium. I just couldn't leave here. I love it here, man. I love New England and everything about it. My time here was the happiest of my life."

"But what are you doing here?" I said, adding the emphasis. "My house is about eight miles from the stadium. You walked the whole way? Why?"

Randy said he knew where I lived because of the fact that I had renamed my fantasy football team Moss Racing after he had purchased an auto racing team a few years ago. He got a Google alert about the name and had checked out my family's football website to see if he should get a cease-and-desist order.

"I was honored, brother," Randy said, his eyes tearing up again. "You not only named your team after me but you used my picture as your team logo. That was quite a tribute. So I did a check on you, saw you had a Pats blog and saw all the nice things you wrote about me. You get it. Straight out."

I nodded again. Randy was right. I do get it. He just wanted to play for the Patriots for the rest of his career. Was that such a sin? And when he realized that Belichick was not feeling the same way anymore, well, he was hurt.

"I had done everything for them, Tim," he went on. "Everything. I loved them. Bill. Tommy boy. Big Vince. Even that little white guy who has played so great."

"Woodhead?" I asked.

"Ya. Woodhead," Randy said. "He so small and cool."

Moss took another long drink. He then told me that he had been trying to call Belichick for weeks but that the coach was screening him out. He sat there on my couch, looking so sad and lost.

I asked him what he was gonna do.

"Well, when I was hugging Tommy boy after the game, he said to me, 'I miss you, man. I wish we could get back together,' so that got me thinking," Randy said. "Why don't I just stay here and play with the Patriots again? I belong with the Patriots."

"You do," I said. "You're perfect together."

"So would it be OK if I crashed in your basement for a few days?" Randy said, sniffling a little more. "I just need a place to stay till I can talk to Bill and figure things out. I know we can work this out. This whole thing just got out of hand. I said some things I didn't mean. If he had just said he wanted me for the rest of my career, none of this would have ever happened. None of it. Oh, if I could only turn back the clock to before the season started."

I told Randy he could stay on my couch as long as he needed. I advised him it might be too late to work things out with Belichick and that he needed to be prepared for that. He nodded and put his head down on the pillow as he watched the tape of the game play.

""Hey. It'll be OK," I said. "We can even go visit Patriot Place whenever you want. We can go to the movies, or walk through the Pats' hall of fame to see the pictures of you, or get bottomless fries at Red Robin. Maybe we'll even run into Bill or Tom."

I got up and covered Randy with a blanket.

"I just want things to be good again," he said as pulled the blanket up to his chin.

"I know, Randy," I said. "Me too. Me too."

Treats, tricks, and TKOs

WEEK 8
Patriots 28, Vikings 18 (10/31/'10): What a knockout of a day. Braised short ribs and margaritas for breakfast (Me, Mark, and Bergs arrived in the lot at 11 a.m. for the 4:15 p.m. kickoff). Costumes and candy everywhere. Brisket sandwiches for lunch.

Listening to the Jets get shutout while enjoying the pregame tailgate, I sat around in the sun with Mark, Bergs, Shep and three of his sons reliving some of our favorite days at Foxboro/Gillette. The parking lot was in a festive mood as a group of high school cheerleaders walked around in their uniforms, selling candy to raise money to go to Cheerleading Nationals.

"The best part," Bergs said as we took in the scene. "Is that there's still a game to go watch."

That is the best part.

WEEK 8: Pointing the way to the top.

We decided to get to our seats early to see a certain #4 warm up. We've talked for years about going in an hour before the game to catch warm-ups but usually the lure of another drink or steak sandwich would keep us tailgating till the last second. Yesterday we were motivated. That's what Brett Favre and Randy Moss on a perfect Halloween evening will do to you.

Favre jogged out onto the field ahead of the rest of the Vikings about 50 minutes before kickoff to the boos of the couple of hundred of fans who were already in their seats with Don Julio in hand. Soon the Pats players, wearing my favorite 1970s red throwback jerseys, began filtering out by position. Tight ends Crumpler, Hernandez, and Gronkowski were among the first and went into the end zone and started a one-on-one blocking drill. They looked motivated too. Crumpler, who was named a team captain to replace Kevin Faulk, is the perfect veteran to work with the rookies. They would all have a big role in the win over the Vikings.

The Pats got the opening kickoff and looked to be moving but a penalty nullified a great direct-snap play to Danny Woodhead that would have been good for a first down and the Pats eventually had to kick it.

The first big play of the game came on the Viking's opening  possession. With just more than seven minutes to go in the first quarter, the Vikes faced a 3rd-and-2 at their own 42-yard line. The ball was going to Adrian Peterson. He was a perfect 7-for-7 on third down carries so far this season. The ball was snapped, Favre handed it off to Peterson, he cut left, and the Pats D, lead by Jerod Mayo, surged over the line of scrimmage and stuffed him short. That play set the tone for the day and the crowd was into it the rest of the way.

The Vikings got the ball back after a New England three-and-out and Favre lead his offense on a nice 13-play drive down to the Pats' goal line. Actually, it was Peterson who lead the drive but all the attention, as usual, was on Favre. The gutsy folk hero dropped back to pass on a second down play at the Pats 10, and just as he was throwing an incompletion the crafty veteran took the first shot to his chin. Gary Guyton nailed him on a penalized helmet-to-jaw hit that knocked the old man down but not out -- yet.

The Vikes took the ball in for six, but even on the touchdown the Pats D made a statement. Peterson leaped in the air on 2nd-and-goal and was met head-on by Mayo. The hit stopped Peterson in his tracks and he crumpled at the goal line. The refs ruled that he had scored (which from the replay was questionable) but the defense had made the Vikes pay for it every step of the way.

The Pats offense, in a very significant trend that has developed, answered that score with a drive of its own. A few Ben Jarvis carries and a strike to Brandon Tate set the Pats up 3rd-and-goal at the three. Another direct snap to Woodhead, this time without a penalty, and the playmaker took it in to tie the game.

Minnesota got the ball back with just more than six minutes in the half and drove down to the Pats' 10. On third down Favre, who played a solid game, completed a pass to the one-yard line. Brad Childress and the Vikes faced a 4th-and-goal. Most teams, on the road, would have kicked a field goal to take a 10-7 lead into the half. But Childress, as mediocre coaches tend to do, outsmarted himself. He decided to go for it -- maybe trying to show Belichick he could out-Belichick him -- and gave the Pats D a real chance to make a statement. And they did -- loud and clear. Peterson got the ball and the defenders swarmed through the line and stopped him for a two-yard loss. Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes were first on the spot. The stadium was buzzing all through halftime thanks to that.

Minnesota put up a field goal to open the third quarter and then Brady and Tate made the play of the game at their own 35-yard line. Brady, who had been narrowly escaping the Vikes' pass rush all game, couldn't find an open receiver so he slid to his left to avoid tacklers and then spun completely around and, just as two defenders closed on him, found Tate racing down the left sideline. Brady hit him and Tate did the rest, taking it 65 yards for the score that put the Pats ahead for good.

Rookie Devin McCourty picked off Favre and set the Pats up at the Minnesota 41. A few plays later Ben Jarvis broke a 13-yard run for a touchdown and the Pats were up 21-10. The only thing left was to see how the Favre saga would play out. I'd been waiting a long time to see the Pats punish him. I didn't expect them to take it quite so literally.

The Vikings, needing a score to get back into the game, drove down to the Pats goal line again with about seven minutes to play. Favre dropped back to pass on 3rd down and threw an incompletion, getting hit in the chest by Myron Pryor just as he let the ball go. Pryor's helmet gashed Favre's jaw, knocking him silly and forcing him from the game. The Gillette crowd booed him as he was helped off the field and then carted off to the locker room looking dazed. That's just how sick people are of everything Favre. You never hear people booing guys who are hurt.

Tavaris Jackson came in and threw a TD on his first play and then made the two-point conversion, drawing the Vikes within 21-18. Once again the Pats offense, which struggled often during the game, put together a drive to seal it away. Ben Jarvis (now a member of my fantasy football team) scored his second touchdown, getting spun in the air as he crossed the goal line. The Pats gave out many more big hits than they took yesterday, another good trend that has developed.

Moss got hugs from Brady and Belichick after the game and as he walked off the field got a warm ovation from those who were left -- including me.

The Patriots, predicted to be on the way down by many of the spouting heads, are 6-1. The best record in football. As we set up the post-game tailgate, high-fiving strangers in crazy costumes as they walked by, we all laughed at how our good fortune as football fans continues.

To quote Randy Moss: To Coach Belichick and the Patriots -- salute.