A thumpin'

Here's a highlight from last night's Pats preseason loss to the Lions.

I didn't see too much of the game, but from the looks of this play it's easy to see why the Pats got hammered 40-9. Total lack of execution. The wide receivers looked lost. The blocking schemes were a mess. Brady looked even less mobile than usual. And that's just the offense. The defense wasn't much better.

Just an ugly, ugly game.

Fortunately, it doesn't count.

Four on the floor

The 16-game NFL season is broken down into quarters, just like each game. The league has come to the end of the first quarter of the 2011 season. There are definitely some surprises so far. The defending champs are 4-0. No surprise there. The other undefeated team? The Lions. They have exceeded even the highest expectations -- so far.

There have been some changes among the rankings for best team since the start of the season. Here are the top 12 after four games. Why 12? That's how many teams make the playoffs.

1. Green Bay Packers (4-0): Guess the Pack wasn't too happy with my preseason rankings. OK. I stand corrected. The defending champs are the best team in the league. They were kind of lucky to win the opener against the Saints. Since then Aaron Rodgers and his offense has been on a tear. Their offense is not as dynamic as New England's. But their D is much better. They are still the team to beat.

2. New England Patriots (3-1): The loss of Mayo is huge. He led the league in tackles last year and was starting to make more of the game-changing plays. Hopefully -- with the bye week -- he will only miss a few games. The defense is still a work in progress. The offense is a work of art. Brady looks in control on every drive -- even the ones that end badly. I can't wait to see if the Jets D can slow them down. I'm thinking no.

3. Baltimore Ravens (3-1): Ray Lewis and the men in black have looked dominant in wins over the Steelers and the Jets. But they looked very beatable in a loss to Tennessee. I think the one that dominated is the Ravens team we will see most of the time. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis will see too it. If Flacco can step up to the next level of QB then Baltimore could be at the top of this list come Week 17. (I don't know what it is... but Ray Lewis is starting to grow on me).

4. Detroit Lions (4-0): The Lions destroyed the Pats in preseason. If the Pats and Lions played this weekend who would win? I lean towards Detroit just because of their pass rush. The best in the game. But then I see the way Romo and Big D pushed the Lions around in the first half and I think what could Brady and Co. do. I'm not sure who would win, but it would be a hell of a game. Detroit has fallen behind big in its last two games only to pull out come-from-behind wins. That can't last.

5. Houston Texans (3-1): You can just see the difference in the Texans. Just the knowledge that -- ding-dong -- the Colts are dead seems to have made them better. They sure look more confident. Matt Schaub is maturing and the Texans have a great pass rush. It's the one thing all the teams in the top 5 have. Except the Pats. Houston has gotten off to fast starts before only to bow to the Colts. This time teams will be bowing to them.

6. New Orleans Saints (3-1): The 2009 champs are a lot like the Patriots. Great offense. Shaky defense. But they are also a couple of fluky plays away from beating the Pack and being undefeated. Now that they aren't the team with the target on their backs, Brees and the Saints can relax and just play. Replacing Reggie Bush with Darren Sproles was brilliant. When this is your sixth best team, you have an entertaining league.

7. Washington Redskins (3-1): Is it Mike Shanahan? Rex Grossman? Uh uh. It's no Phat Albert. And no Donovan McNabb. Addition by subtraction. The Redskins at the top of the NFC East and the Eagles at the bottom? It's only four weeks but only Baltimore has allowed less points than Washington. The offense is making just enough plays to win. And they have an extremely easy schedule outside their division games.

8. San Diego Chargers (3-1): San Diego has gotten off to so many bad starts in the past several years that it felt like a rule that they start of 1-4. Now that Norv has his team sitting at 3-1 they only have to avoid a late-season collapse not to win the division. It's theirs. Then Norv gets to the playoffs. That's a different story as we know.

9. New York Jets (2-2): So much for my "they deserve to start the season ranked #1" statement. They didn't and now they aren't. The Jets have the ego to match Mt. Ryan's gut. It's not helping much. If it wasn't for a Romo meltdown the Jets would be sitting at 1-3 and the Foot Doctor wouldn't be cracking wise at his press conferences. "We're just the guys for the job," Big Rex declared after his team got spanked by the Ravens. The job of getting their march to the Super Bowl back on track starts in Gillette. Good luck.

10. Tennessee Titans (3-1): Matt Hasselbeck? Really? You just never know. If it wasn't for the Titans' win over Baltimore I wouldn't have them ranked. But beat Baltimore they did. And handily. They lost WR Kenny Britt for the season. A big loss. But Chris Johnson has yet to get rolling. When that happens the Titans might actually get better. Especially if Hasselbeck continues his Kurt Warner impersonation.

11. San Francisco 49ers (3-1): The Harbaugh brothers are 6-1. John has been doing well in Baltimore for a few years now. Former QB Jim looks like he's bringing the same focused intensity to the Niners. And it's working so far. It helps that the three other teams in the NFC West are three of the league's worst. And it helps to have a runner like Frank Gore.

12. Buffalo Bills (3-1): It was either the Bills or the Giants here. I'm just not an Eli believer. I don't think the Giants make the playoffs. I don't think the Bills will make it either. They had a chance to go 4-0 and blew a lead against a mediocre Cincy team. That's not a good sign. And their D is really bad. But they are fun to watch. I can't wait till they come to Gillette on New Year's Day.

Dishonorable mention: Philadephia Eagles. The Dream Team '11. They are 1-3 and blew a 23-3 lead at home against the Niners. With mistake after mistake after mistake. The warm and fuzzy Philly fans are getting a little agitated. On the bright side, Vick has led my fantasy football team to a respectable 2-2 start. Oh wait, that's Wes Welker who has done that.

Lion attack

Who says the third preseason game is important? Oh, right. Everyone says that. Certainly the Detroit Lions are saying that after soundly beating the Pats 34-10 last night.

The Patriots, who looked like a fine-tuned machine in pretend games one and two, looked like my car after three years of no tune-ups, no oil changes, no brake jobs. It wasn't pretty. But it also doesn't count. The Pats are still 0-0.

But last night's game was a reminder of what is the most important part of football -- protecting the quarterback. That has been a strong point of Belichick's Pats for the most part. And it will be again this year, you can count on it. But last night -- against a ferocious Lions' rush -- the offensive line was a mess. Brady was under the gun from the start and couldn't get much going.

Ndamukong Suh and the Lions D was one of the best last year for a non-playoff team. It looks even better this year. As comfortable as Brady looked last week against Tampa, he looked that frazzled last night. Borges will most likely write a column (if not tomorrow, sometime this year) how Brady is no better than any other QB (like, say, Bledsoe)  when he is under pressure. Which is completely inaccurate. Many of his biggest passes have come with a defender inches from croaking him. But what is true is that if the offensive line plays too many games like they did last night, the offense will have a hard time moving the ball with any consistency.

I'm not worried about the O line at this point. Every unit will have a bad game now and then. And the Lions can bring it with the best of them. What was concerning was how the entire team failed to show up. Preseason or not, the third game on the road against an up and coming team should bring out the best in you. The Pats' best was no where to be found in Detroit.

What was even worse was that the two teams have developed a bit of a dislike for each other after last year's rough and tumble Thanksgiving Day game. The Lions  jumped all over Brady early in that one too but the Pats showed their toughness level and fought back for wild win on the road. The Lions jumped all over Brady early again last night but the Pats had very little fight in them. It was surprising to see.

If you go on one preseason game, the Lions look like a playoff contender for the first time in ... oh, too long for me to remember. And if you go by one preseason game, the Pats looked like a disorganized team without much of a compete level.

But it wasn't a real game. We'll see in Miami in two weeks where the Pats' compete level is. It should be a lot higher than last night.

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.

Opening thoughts

I work Tuesday through Saturday, which means I miss a lot of good college football. But it also means that on Mondays after a Pats victory I get to enjoy a day of watching all the highlights, coaches' press conferences, post-game reviews, and analysis on the NFL Network, ESPN, and ESPN News. When the Pats lose I'm a little more productive on Mondays.

It was an entertaining first week (thanks mostly to Wes Welker). Pete Carroll was beyond pumped and jacked as his Seahawks stunned the Niners 31-6. I'll say one thing for Carroll, he doesn't change. He wears his enthusiasm on his sleeve whether he's in New England, Southern California, or the great Northwest. His jumping around is fun to watch. It's just not a smart use of a coach's time to be running around high-fiving players and fist-pumping. He should keep his focus on the game. San Fran's Mike Singletary never loses his focus. In classic Singletary fashion, in his Monday press conference he thanked Carroll and the Seahawks for the stomping. "Tell Pete Carroll thank you very much for kicking our ass," Singletary said. "It was good medicine, and we're going to take it."

FOSTER: 42.30 fantasy points.

Speaking of ass kickings, Peyton Manning and the Colts' luck finally ran out against the Houston Texans. The Colts have stolen a few wins away from Houston the past few years. But this time, behind running back Arian Foster, the Texans jumped all over Indy early and often. Foster ran for 231 yards and three touchdowns. (I started him over Shonn Greene on my fantasy team -- if I could only be that smart all the time). The Network's Mike Lombardi found a silver lining for Indianapolis. "The Colts will bounce back and now they don't have to worry about the perfect season anymore." A perfect season? It's only fhe first week. Why would they already be worrying about that? Oh, right. They are the Colts.

The Patriots were the other easy winner of the day. My favorite play of the game: Pats opening drive, the offense faces a 2nd-and-five from the Cincy 8-yard line. They line up with Faulk in the backfield and Moss alone on the right. On the left, Welker lines up a few yards from the sideline with Rob Gronkowski just to his left and Alge Crumpler a step in front of him. Brady took the snap and chucked a quick pass to Welker who tucked himself in behind the twin towers of Gronk and Alge. They slammed the two defenders easily out of the way allowing Welker to scoot almost untouched into the end zone. The three new tight ends didn't take long to show the kind of impact they can have.

A key part of the success of the play was Moss, all alone on the right side, attracting the attention of four of the seven defensive backs/linebackers. A good example of the value of Moss even when he's not the focus of the play.

The Steelers survived the first of four games without Big Ben. If they are 3-1 or better when he gets back then they are a serious contender. The Skins won their first game under coach Mike Shanahan thanks mostly to Cowboys coach Wade Phillips. The Cowboys called a pitch-out play with four seconds left in the half and the ball inside their own 30. A fumble later the Skins scored an easy TD that proved the difference in the game. I don't get Jerry Jones's devotion to Phillips but I kind of respect it.

The Jaguars, Giants, Titans, Pack, and Lions also posted big opening victories. What? The Lions didn't win? How's that possible? Right. They got robbed.

The silver and blue finally won a road game after 21 straight defeats when receiver Calvin Johnson caught what looked like a winning TD pass only to have the refs rule that he didn't maintain control of the ball. Check the video below. He catches the ball, takes two steps as he goes to the ground, rolls halfway over (still with control of the ball), and as he goes to get up he puts the ball on the ground and drops it there to go celebrate. If it looks like a touchdown and smells like a touchdown ...

But the NFL's czar of officiating, Mike Pereira. said that the rule was properly interpreted and the touchdown correctly disallowed.

The rule says: "If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete."

So Johnson caught the ball, went to the ground, maintained control of the ball after touching the ground, and only lost the ball as he was getting back up off the ground. Yet the play was called correctly.

Huh. I guess now not only do you have to catch the ball and land on the ground for it to be a touchdown -- you also have to get up, shower, get in your Mercedes, and drive home all while maintaining possession of the ball.

Detroit, a team that needs every win it can get, should be 1-0. Haven't Lions fans suffered enough?

I've got a schedule to keep

The 2010 regular season schedule came out yesterday. It's gonna be a great year of tailgating. Before the team started winning championships, the day the schedule came out was a big one for me and Mark. We'd bring the Globe to our Quincy bar of choice (Cronin's, Nally's, the High Rise) and go over each game and decide if the Patriots had any chance of winning it. When Mark moved to NY we'd break it down over the phone. Before the 2001 season, any year we could predict a 9-7 wildcard finish was a year of optimism. As I've said before, things have sure changed.

Mark and I don't call each other when the schedule comes out anymore. After a decade of 16-0, 14-2, and 12-4 seasons I guess we don't feel the need to convince each other that there's hope. We know that we will return to doing that some day.

So, absent Mark's input, here's the week-by-week 2010 Patriots season as I see it. It's not going to be a cake walk to the playoffs, but I'm feeling positive.

WEEK 1 vs. Cincinnati
A good test to start. The Bengals were the surprise team in the AFC last year, sweeping both the Steelers and the Ravens to win the North. But they lost three out of their last five games and were one and done in the playoffs thanks to a lot of blown chances at home against the Jets. It's a home opener the Pats should win.

WEEK 2 @ NY Jets

The first of three straight divisional games. Seems the schedule makers don't want to wait long to see who really is the best team in the AFC East. A road win at NY would be a good way to shut up Mt. Ryan early. But that's a tall order against the best D in the league. You have to figure the Jets will take this one and then make sure you get even with them at home later.

WEEK 3 vs. Buffalo

A must-win home game. The Bills have dumped coach (and Belichick loyalist) Dick Jauron so we can no longer count on him gift wrapping two wins a year. That's too bad. The Bills almost upset the Pats in the opener last season. And they might be better this year. But I don't see new coach Chan Gailey having them that much improved by the third week.

WEEK 4 @ Miami

A Monday nighter against the Dolphins. It's great that games against Miami mean something again. It's the way it should be. Another thing we can thank the Tuna for. The Dolphins started to move away -- wisely -- from the Wildcat offense that won them the division in '08. They lost some tough games last year and dropped to 7-9 but there will be many who will predict that the Dolphins finish ahead of the Patriots. Not me. I can see the Pats going down to Miami and winning a big one on the road.

WEEK 5 Bye

Are games two through four way too early to say the success (or lack thereof) of the Patriots season will mostly be decided heading into an early bye? No. We will know quite a bit about the Patriots already. If they win their two home games and split on the road they will be at 3-1 (2-1 in the division). Anything more than that will be a sign that the team is starting to make the transition from the Bruschi/Harrison years to the Mayo/Wilfork years. Anything less than 3-1 and we're probably looking at another up and down year. Especially with the brutal schedule from here on.

WEEK 6 vs. Baltimore

The rematch. Regardless of the Pats record this will be a huge game. The Ravens crushing playoff win in Gillette is still fresh in my mind and I'm sure it will be for the Pats come Week 6. The fact that the Pats get their bye right before this game will make for quite a build-up, especially if both teams are playing well. And unlike the playoff game there will be Don Julio margaritas being poured on this day. I can't wait. I think the Pats are still the type of team that won't lose a grudge match like this.

WEEK 7 @ San Diego

If the Pats come into this game at 4-1 or better and go to SD and win on the road... well let's just say we will all start thinking the Pats are back. (Not that they have really gone anywhere). But that's a tall order. The Chargers won 11 straight games to finish at 13-3 last year but still managed to choke in the playoffs -- again. LT is gone. But Phillip Rivers isn't. He's the guy that wins games. This one likely goes to SD.

WEEK 8 vs. Minnesota

The Ravens, the Chargers, and then the Vikings? It's a hell of a schedule. 2010 is either going to be a lot fun or very ugly. The schedule won't allow much in between. I never thought I would say this but... I hope Brett Favre doesn't retire one more time. Can't you already get psyched at the thought of the NFL career interception leader coming to Foxborough on Halloween? Favre or no, Pats roll at home against a slightly overrated NFC team.

WEEK 9 @ Cleveland

This is one of the road games the team has to win. The Browns scored only 245 points last season and gave up 375 for one of the largest differentials in the league. Simply put the Browns are bad. Yet they still will win five or six times next season. The Pats have to make sure they aren't one of them. And they better because the next two games are going to be probably the toughest back-to-back games of the season.

WEEK 10 @ Pittsburgh

The Steelers have won two Super Bowls in the last five years and followed each by missing the playoffs. They've been an interesting team the past decade. And one of the Pats' main rivals. Going into Pittsburgh on a Sunday night and winning is not easy. I expect the Steelers to return to form and be a playoff team. Unless Big Ben is suspended. This is one of those games that will play a large role in who gets a playoff bye and who doesn't.

WEEK 11 vs. Indianapolis

As will this one. The Pats and Colts meet yet again. This time back at Gillette. You might remember last year's game for that little fourth down play near the end of the game. That might come up during the week before this one. Colts almost won their second Super Bowl with Peyton Manning but lost in a great game against the Saints. Will there be a hangover for them? I think so. Pats get the upper hand in this one.

WEEK 12 @ Detroit

Pass the gravy please. I have the Pats coming into their Turkey Day matchup with Detriot at 7-3. That means they should leave here 8-3. The Lions were 2-14 last year and should not be much better than that. The last time the Pats played the Lions on Thanskgiving was the 2000 season, Belichick's first with the team. I worked on Sundays when the Pats weren't at home so I didn't get to see any of the road games that year. "This is the first game I've gotten to sit on the couch and watch on TV this year,'' I told my nephew Pete. "I can't wait." Lions 34, Pats 9. I expect it to be different this time.

WEEK 13 vs. NY Jets

So in my perfect-world scenario the Pats come into this huge Monday night home game against the hated Jets at 8-3 or better. The beauty of it is that even if they are 6-5 this will still be a great night of tailgating if they can win. But I expect this to be a clash of division leaders. And I expect, like last year, for the Pats to even the score at home. As I expect, like last year, for the Pats to win the AFC East.

WEEK 14 @ Chicago

The team enters a string of three very winnable games. If their record is around 9-3 (as I hope), then these three games are where they can put away a first-round bye and then get healthy and rested for the playoffs. A cold-weather road trip to Chicago should give the Pats their 10th win.

WEEK 15 vs. Green Bay

Can the Patriots finish another year with a perfect record against the NFC? Yes. They've gone 15-1 against the other conference in the last four years. They should finish up a 4-0 campaign with a win over the Pack. If this was a road game I would have to give the nod to Green Bay, a definite playoff contender. But it's at home in December.

WEEK 16 @ Buffalo

This is a key division game for the Pats. A sweep of the Bills would go a long way towards winning the East. They have played some ugly late-season games in Ralph Wilson Stadium recently. This one probably won't be too pretty either. But an ugly win is a win nonetheless.

WEEK 17 vs. Miami

I'm predicting the Pats will strut into this game at 12-3 and the division wrapped up. Hey, what's the point of being a fan if you can't be positive? It's very possible this game could decide the division, or decide who goes to the playoffs and who doesn't. So in either case Foxborough will be the place to be on a cold January 2 day. What a schedule it is. What a season it could be.