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.