A good reminder

WEEK 15
49ers 41, Patriots 34 (12/16/'12): After a week of the experts putting the Patriots in New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII, the San Francisco 49ers reminded everyone that the NFL is a week-to-week deal. Following their beat-down of the Texans on Monday night, the Patriots were at the top of almost everyone's power rankings and the Dans of the world were booking flights for the Big Easy. Well, in the NFL nothing is easy.

That was obvious with about ten minutes left to play in the third quarter and the scoreboard reading Niners 31, Patriots 3. Not only were the Patriots getting beaten badly at home, they were getting beaten badly at home in the cold rain. In December. A very rare sight around these parts. The Niners were using a bruising defense and an opportunistic offense to knock the defending AFC champs around their own building. And the Pats were making it easier for them by piling mistake on top of mistake on top of mistake. In the cold rain,

It was ugly. Randy Moss was catching touchdown passes. Sophomores Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen were coughing balls up. Brady was getting sacked and harassed. Welker and Hernandez were getting beat up on every play. Here's how the Pat's first nine drives ended... punt, punt, interception, punt, fumble, field goal, punt, fumble, interception. Unstoppable? Hardly. It was about as bad as the Pats' offense with Brady has ever looked. But -- as we always do -- most people in the crowd felt that if Brady could just put a drive together that they could quickly get back in the game.

That's exactly what the offense did. In fact, the offense put together four straight touchdown drives to change a 31-3 game against the best defense in the league into a 31-31 battle with about eight minutes left to play. There are few offenses in the league that could have done that. Unfortunately ... the Pats had a few more mistakes left in them. Moments after Woody slammed the ball to the ground after scoring the tying touchdown, the Pats' special teams took a little nap and allowed kick returner LaMichael James a ridiculous 62-yard run back all the way to Pats' 38-yard line. One play later, Colin Kaepernick hit Michael Crabtree on a quick pass to the sideline and cornerback Kyle Arrington whiffed -- again -- on the tackle and Crabtree took it in for an easy touchdown. A great comeback was gone. As was the Pats' chance to control their shot at a first-round bye.

That's how it goes in the NFL. One week a team looks unbeatable. The next week it can't get out of its own way. That's what makes each week so important ... and so much fun. And that's what will make the playoffs even more fun when they start next month. Both the Patriots and the Niners will be there. And they will both have to play better than they did last night in the cold December rain.

Catch the fun

Randy Moss -- you've probably heard of him whether you are a Pats fan or not -- announced he is retiring from the NFL. I hope he stays retired. Not because I disliked him. On the contrary. I just hope he is smart enough not to do the Favre routine and became a circus act by retiring and unretiring and then retiring and then...

I think Moss is smarter than that.

I've been lucky enough to watch a lot of great players over 35 years of being a Pats fan. Especially in the last decade. Brady. Francis. Rodney. Mosi. Brown. Stingley. Some greats. But I don't think I've ever enjoyed watching a guy play the game is I did Randy Moss the three-plus years he was a Patriot. Moss had an amazing 2007 season, the greatest ever by a wide receiver, and he and the Gillette crowd loved each other. The next year Brady went down in the first game and Moss -- despite being broken hearted to lose his Tommy boy for the year -- had another great season and helped make Matt Cassel a rich man. In 2009, when Brady returned but the team struggled with a young defense, Moss had 13 more touchdowns and another Pro Bowl visit.

Things ended weirdly in New England. They often do with Moss. He's that kind of guy. But from my seat in Section 109 Moss looked like a great teammate. He wanted to feel the love the Pats just gave to Ochocinco. But Belichick wasn't feeling it. As Moss said, he just wanted to play for the Pats for the rest of his career.

What a career it was. Sure-thing Hall of Famer.

The best way to explain why Moss was the most entertaining football player I've ever watched? A list of his 10 best moments. Moss caught 50 touchdowns (50!) in just over three seasons. Many of them left me shaking my head and laughing. I can't think of too many wide receivers who have left a Top 10 list behind (which could have been Top 20 or 30 if I had the time) in just three seasons. Thanks for the memories, Randy.

10. Spy this: The first game after Spygate broke. The rival Chargers came to Gillette talking tough as usual. Belichick and his team were under fire from all corners. How would they respond? Like champions. In the first quarter Moss broke down the seam untouched and Brady hit him for a 23-yard touchdown that made it 14-0. Late in the game Brady and Moss connected again on a 24-yarder to put the game away 31-14. Moss caught 8 passes for 105 yards. Critics answered, if not quieted.

9. Paying the Bills: Two of Moss's most dominant games from that '07 season came against Buffalo. In Week 4 Moss had 115 yards catching with two TDs. The second catch was a finger-tip beauty down the sideline. A few weeks later Moss topped that with an incredible four touchdown performance that saw him catch 10 passes for 128 yards.

8. One-handed: Moss was often charged with not having the guts to go across the middle. Of course that wasn't his game. It was down the field. But for those who thought Moss would always turtle when taking a pass in the slot with a DB or two closing in on him, take a look at the catch he made in an epic battle against Indy in 2007. He went across the field and leaped, making an amazing one-handed catch before getting whacked. It was only for 17 yards but it sparked a key drive in the Pats victory. Moss couldn't catch a ball across the middle? He could. He was just better going deep.

7. Hello, old friends: OK. These highlights are all from 2007. Why? Because it was the greatest single season performance by a wide receiver. But there were many moments in 2008 and 2009. One of the best '08 games was his two touchdown performance against his former team the Raiders in Oakland. The Pats were 9-5 and fighting for a playoff spot. Moss had only 67 yards but many of them were clutch.

6. Welcome: Moss's first game as a Patriot was in the '07 season opener on the road against -- who else? -- the Jets. The Pats had added several new players to get back on top. Key among them was Moss. But he came with a lot of questions. Could he focus on football and get back to being the top wideout in the game? Game 1 answered those questions quickly. Nine catches, 183 yards, and one ridiculous 51-yard TD catch in which he glided 45 of those yards and then put on a burst past three defenders to get the ball as they watched him helplessly.

5. Taking the lead: For a few briefs moments it looked like the Pats were going to win their fourth Super Bowl and put up a perfect 19-0 season. In fact, I was pretty sure of it. Those moments came after Moss caught a touchdown pass with just more than two minutes to play. The Pats' offense had been under attack all day but Brady, Welker, Faulk, and Moss put together a great drive to take the lead. If only for a moment.

4. You talkin' to me?: Steeler D back Anthony Smith was trash-talking all week leading up to another Pittsburgh-New England prime-time battle.The Pats were 13-0 but the 9-4 Steelers once again thought they were the better team. Brady and Moss shut them up. Fast. Smith had promised that the Pitt D would shut down Brady and the record-setting offense. The Steelers took a 3-0 lead late into the first quarter when Brady and Moss connected on back-to-back touchdowns. The second one was a 63-yard rocket with Brady hitting Moss in stride as Smith scrambled to recover from a scrimmage line fake by Moss. Brady ran down the field to congratulate #81 ... and to rub Smith's face in it.

3. Buzzer beater: Another one from the Matt Cassel season. The Jets came into Gillette looking to avenge a Week 2 loss. It was a game the Pats would lose in overtime but one that brought the Brady-less team together. The game went back and forth and New York held a 31-24 lead as the clock ticked down. The Pats had the ball at the Jets 16-yard line and time for one last play. Cassel scrambled and found Moss at the right front corner of the end zone. Moss made a great catch as he fell out of bounds, tapping his toes in the end zone to tie the game and send it to overtime.

2. Circus act in South Beach: This was the one that really left me laughing. Moss had two touchdown catches in just a matter of minutes in the second quarter that turned a 21-7 battle into a 49-29 romp in Miami. The first one was a 35-yarder in which the defensive back had position on Moss at the goal line, but #81 jumped about five feet and snatched the ball right out of the D back's hands. The second one -- 51-yards -- was one of the best Brady to Moss bombs ever. Brady reared back and let one fly deep down the middle and Moss -- with two defenders on top of him -- looked behind him and caught the ball in the nook of his elbow. Oh, he may have given one of the defenders a gentle little push. Another thing Moss was great at.

1. Record-setter against Giants: One of the most entertaining plays in one of the most entertaining regular season games ever played. The Pats were going for 16-0. The Giants were determined to stop them. With New England trailing 28-23 in the fourth quarter, Brady went deep to Moss for a bomb but the ball was thrown short and it ticked off of Moss's fingertips. The Pats went back to the huddle and called the exact same play. Brady dropped back, Moss raced down the right sideline again, and this time Brady hit Moss perfectly for a 63-yard touchdown that put the Pats ahead and completed the unbeaten regular season. 16-0 and Randy Moss. Two of my favorite things that didn't quite work out as I had hoped.

So many great catches. Too many to recall. This video will help.

Phat Albert

So I guess we know now where the pass rush is going to come from.

The Patriots entered the player free-for-all today, reportedly trading a fifth-round pick to the Redskins for Albert Haynesworth. That's right, Albert Haynesworth.

Take a look at the video above. The Pats haven't had a D lineman who can bull-rush like that since... well, I can't remember anyone in a Patriots' uniform who could do that.

But Mr. Haynesworth comes with some baggage. A steamer trunk actually.

HEY! ALBERT!

Here's a quote from Jim Haslett, Haynesworth's defensive coach in Washington last season: "Obviously, if the guy's not willing to do what you want them to do and you're the head coach, and the guy doesn't practice well on Thursday -- about as poor as I've ever seen -- and then Friday, a so-called illness that he doesn't practice. Then, if I'm the head coach on Saturday, getting ready for Sunday, you've got to make a decision: What's best for the football club?''

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

And there's that little sexual assault court date he's facing in late August. But this is the NFL and that kind of thing happens. Who am I to judge?

As a football player, Haynesworth is a monster. When he's in the mood. If Belichick can get him in the mood then the 14-2 Patriots may have just lapped the field. If not... well they'll be no worse off than they were yesterday. And they were in fine shape yesterday.

The acquisition is being compared to when the team picked up disgruntled Cincy running back Corey Dillon before the 2004 season and the trade of Randy Moss before '07. Those two moves worked out pretty well. Awesomely in fact. And Haynesworth, at his best, is better than either Dillon or Moss. At a position that can be a game changer.

Once again the consensus was that the Pats would be pretty quiet during this frantic period of player moves. Once again the consensus was wrong. Once again the Patriots have stolen the spotlight from the rest of the NFL.

If Haynesworth can return to the level he showed in Tennessee, he along with Big Vince and a returning Ty Warren could form the best defensive front in the league for years. If not the best, then certainly the nastiest.

I'm sure Rex Ryan took note of that.

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."

Favre!!!!!!

Brett Favre may have stuck it to Pats fans yet again.

Reports today are that the grand old man of football suffered two fractures in his ankle last night while he was almost single-handedly losing a huge game for his struggling Vikings. Favre threw three picks against Green Bay in what was certainly his last game at historic Lambeau Field. It was classic Favre. He would make a great play, only to follow it with an equally stupid one. The best part was listening to the announcers say how he almost pulled out another comeback win, completely ignoring the fact that if he hadn't thrown those picks his team would not have been behind.

FAVRE: Feeling his age.

Watching the game, I just couldn't wait for his arrival at Gillette Sunday. With sidekick Randy Moss. Now that is all in doubt.

Among his many records -- good and bad -- Favre has started 291 straight games. Most ever for a quarterback, 291! A streak that goes back decades. Once Favre announced he was coming back for one more year there was never any doubt that he would be throwing passes -- and picks -- against the Pats on Halloween. The guy always plays. Even when he shouldn't. That's because Favre always puts his own interests ahead of that of his team. Always.

But now it looks like I will be booing Tavaris Jackson. That won't be nearly as fun.

Pats' fans hatred of #4 goes way, way, way back. The greatest quarterback and American to ever lace 'em up shot to the top of the New England enemy list in the 1996 Super Bowl. (That was the one in which coach Bill Parcells was signing a contract to coach the Jets when he should have been telling his special teams coach not to kick the ball to Desmond Howard).

Favre was the young gunslinger back then. I can still see him running around in his green and yellow Packers uniform with his helmet raised above his head after he threw a touchdown bomb. Favre and the Pack knocked off the Pats even though he made many stupid mistakes. The Pats could have won. Maybe should have won. But Favre and Green Bay did and -- although he hasn't won a title since -- his legend has continued to grow.

Favre came back to bite the Pats in 2002, the year after Brady won his first Super Bowl. The Pats, who won a thriller at home against Miami to finish at 9-7, needed Favre and his Vikings to knock off the Jets to put the them in the playoffs. The Patriots were the defending champs and were hot. If they had made it into the playoffs anything was possible. The Pack was 12-3. The Jets 8-7. My family gathered at my parents house figuring there was a very good chance a 12-3 team would beat an 8-7 team. We forgot Brett Favre was playing,

Favre and the Pack decided to pretty much take the game off and were whipped by the Jets 42-17. The Pats were out of the playoffs. The Jets were in. Thanks Brett. It hurt a little less when the Atlanta Falcons went into Green Bay and blew them out 27-7 in the opening round of the playoffs. Favre, as usual, threw two big picks.

Flash forward to 2008, the year Brady got hurt and the team still managed to go 11-5 with Matt Cassel leading the way. Favre was now a member of the Jets. He had led Gang Green to an 8-3 record through eleven weeks and the national media had anointed them champs. But the Jets, lead by Favre game-killing interceptions, lost three of their next four and were out of the playoff hunt.

But... the Jets were playing Miami, who were tied with the Pats for first in the AFC East, in the final game of the season. If Favre and the Jets could beat their rivals from the South then the Pats, without Brady, would make the playoffs. It would be a great success story. Once again my family gathered at my parents' house to see if Favre could give us a little help.

Final score: Dolphins 24, Jets 17.

Favre threw three picks, one of them Miami took back for a score. Does Favre hold the record for most "pick sixes"? My bet is yes. Once again Favre had screwed the Pats and their fans.

All the time Favre was losing one big game after another, the media was elevating him to American hero status. His status among my family? Public enemy #1.

I was hoping for one last chance to let Captain America know how I felt. Once again it looks like he has cheated me out of some fun.

Then again... if there's a quarterback who will force his way on to the field with a fractured ankle and a weak arm in order to officially kill his team's season, it's Brett Favre.

Come on, Brett. You owe me one.

Greased lightning

WEEK 7
The first half of the Pats-Chargers game set football back about 50 years.

WEEK 7: Pick up game.

Has a wide receiver (SD's Richard Not-So-Goodman) ever caught a pass, fallen down, and then just left the ball on the field for the defense to pick up? I've never seen it. It's also not too often you see offsides on the opening kickoff (Pats), or a team (SD) kill a big drive by throwing a lazy lateral then watching the ball roll around on the ground till a defender (Ninkovich) picks it up and takes it to the 8-yard line. Only to then sack the opposing QB (Brady) twice to force a field goal? It was sloppy, crazy football.

And it made for a beautiful road win for the now 5-1 Patriots. That's two road wins in a row for a team that just a few weeks ago couldn't win outside the Foxborough town line. At two tough places to play. The 2010 season is definitely starting to feel a lot different from 2009. Good teams find ways to win games when not playing at their best. Or take games when the other teams give them away. The Lightning Bolts were in a very giving mood yesterday. Thank you, Norv Turner. Again.

The first half ended with the Pats ahead 13-3 thanks mostly to four Charger turnovers. And thanks to an opportunistic, aggressive defense. San Diego, the best passing attack statistically in the league so far this year, had eight first half possession but only put up one field goal. Tight end Antonio Gates, almost unstoppable in the first six weeks, was blanked in the first half. It was another solid game by Jerod Mayo, Jermaine Cunningham, Rob Ninkovich, Pat Chung, Vince Wilfork, and company.

The third quarter opened with a dominating 17-play drive by the Pats that showed how good the offense can be when it is clicking. Brady spread the ball around nicely and Woodhead and Green-Ellis continued their straight ahead -- if unspectacular -- running game. The Pats controlled most of the second half and with just more than seven minutes left in the game were up 23-6. Then the Chargers -- desperate to avoid falling to 2-5 -- finally got their passing game cranking.

Gates finally hauled in a touchdown pass and the Chargers cut the score to 23-13. Then something very surprising happened. Norv outcoached Bill Belichick. No, really. The Chargers executed a perfect onside kick and recovered the ball. The Pats did not look ready for that. Might have been because the sun seemed to be in Belichick's eyes the entire fourth quarter. Whatever it was, the Chargers drove in for another score to cut the lead to 23-20.

Brady and the offense got the ball with four minutes left. Two first downs and the game would be over. It's a drive this offense has to have. Instead the offense went four and out. Green-Ellis was stuffed on a fourth down run and the Chargers took the ball and moved into position for a 45-yard field goal to tie the game. Fittingly, San Diego committed one last mistake. A five-yard illegal formation flag pushed the kick back to a 50-yarder and Kris Brown's kick -- and the Chargers' season -- clanked off the goal post.

The Pats -- as the Steelers and the Ravens also did yesterday -- escaped with a big win.

There were plenty of negatives for the Pats. Too many penalties. The defense gave up nearly 400 yards of offense -- again. The offense is still having too many wasted possessions. The passing game is mostly limited to Aaron Hernandez. New hero Deion Branch finished with just four catches and was hardly part of the offense for three quarters. Watching the tape of the game showed several times where he came off the line of scrimmage and just stood around. Like Randy Moss. I can't wait to hear Felger rip Branch for that. Right. He loves Branch. The old double-standard. The Pats are 2-0 since trading away Moss, but in both wins the offense had no deep threat and struggled for much of the game. That may prove to be a weakness going forward. It may not. Clearly an element of their attack is gone.

But the defense is fast becoming a positive. Mayo is starting to return to the level that he played at during his award-winning rookie season. Rookie Devin McCourty, who has been quietly playing solid cornerback since training camp, made his first pick of the year. Brandon Meriweather made some big -- and legal -- hits. There will be some tough days ahead for the young defense, but the signs are mostly pointing in the right direction.

Speaking of pointing in the right direction... there's Tom Brady. He threw for just 159 yards yesterday and one touchdown. But the biggest stat was his interceptions: zero. On a day when seven picks were returned for touchdowns in the NFL, the Pats quarterback did a great job of directing his team and keeping them in a position to win. Just like he did last week against Baltimore. He will still have his three and four touchdown games. But yesterday's one touchdown game was just as crucial. He's playing like the veteran champion that he is. That's the most positive sign.

Next up on the schedule is a game I've been looking forward to since the schedule came out (I'll be saying that a lot the rest of the season). Brett Favre and Randy Moss come to Gillette for a 4 p.m. game on Halloween. The forecast is partly cloudy with temps in the 50s. Perfect costume weather. I will be wearing my Randy Moss T-shirt as a final salute to one of the game's greatest receivers.

It should be a house of horrors for old man Favre.

Extending a Branch

While watching Randy Moss and Brett Favre mostly not connect (with one large exception) in their loss to the New York Football Jets on Monday night, a news flash on the bottom of the screen reported that the Pats had traded a fourth-round draft pick to Seattle to bring back fan favorite and Tom Brady buddy Deion Branch.

BRANCH AND BILL: Good times.

I don't know a Pats fan who doesn't like Deion Branch. Bringing back the former Super Bowl MVP and clutch receiver certainly lessens the sting of the Moss trade. A little.

Branch was traded to the Seahawks after the 2005 season after holding out for a better contract. The Pats offered him a three-year deal that would have paid him more than $4 million a year. It seemed like a fair offer to a player who was very good, but not elite. Branch didn't agree so the Pats sent him to the Northwest for a first-round pick. That was a trade I had no problem with. The Seahawks turned around and gave Branch almost $40 million. A ridiculous amount of money. That's why the Pats continue to be one of the top 10 teams every year and the Seahawks don't. They don't make stupid decisions. They are not always right, but rarely stupid.

The problem with the Branch trade was that Belichick, for one of the few times, did not seem to have a plan on how to replace him. Brady spent 2006 throwing passes to guys like Reche Caldwell and Doug Gabriel. Somehow the team still made the playoffs but got knocked out by Denver. It was then that Belichick went out and got Welker and Moss and created the greatest passing attack the league had seen.

Meanwhile out in Seattle, Branch struggled through injuries and because the Seahawks rarely got to play in big games he never got to show off his best attribute -- making clutch plays. My impression from afar was that Branch's years in Seattle were not very productive. But a look at his numbers shows he pretty much matched what he did with the Pats.

Now that Moss is gone and Branch is back many of the spouting heads see the Pats returning to the ball-control offense of 2001. That may be the case. Although it might help if Antoine Smith was still carrying the ball. Either way, the events of the past two weeks have merely been a distraction from the real questions facing the team.

Can the defense stop anyone? Have they made any strides since last season's playoff beating? Come 1 p.m. on Sunday those questions will really have a chance to be answered.

The forecast is 62 degrees and sunny. Time to start packing the trunk.

Open season

So let me get this straight. This may be the most wide-open season the NFL has ever seen and the Patriots decide to trade away one of the best wide receivers in the game? Because he told Tom Brady he looked like a girl since Gisele won't let him cut his hair? Nice.

BOLDIN & RICE: Raven mad.

There are no unbeaten teams left in the NFL and it's only Week 5. Indy saw to that with a not-so-impressive win over KC. The defending champ Saints lost to Arizona who were lead by some quarterback named Max Hall. Max Hall? The Giants went from toast to tied atop the division after putting a whuppin' on the red hot Texans. Mike Shanahan's Skins pulled out their second straight narrow victory, this time knocking off the Packers with an OT win. The Raiders upset the Chargers and are now tied with them. The entire AFC South is 3-2. There are only two teams without a win. And one of them is the Niners who could still win 7 or 8 games if they can get that first one.

There are 14 teams with three wins. That's almost half the league. It's the NFL's version of the Wild West. And the Pats decided to shoot one of their horses. Nice.

But I'm over it now.

Until Monday night when Randy Moss and the Vikings take on the Jets. How happy will I be if Moss scores three TDs to lead the Vikes past Mt. Ryan and his gang? Very. (And that's not even factoring in that Moss is on my fantasy team. My sister is mauling me so bad that if Moss puts up 30 points it won't help.)

There are no elite teams in the NFL in 2010. But win or lose on MNF, the Jets are clearly one of the NFL's best. But they may have been passed as the best. By the Baltimore Ravens. The Pats' next opponent.

The Ravens won their third straight, bucking the Broncos 31-17. Battering-ram running back Ray Rice returned from injury and rushed for 133 yards on 27 carries. The Ravens ran for an eye-catching 233 yards. Joe Flacco added 200 yards of controlled passing with no picks. Denver's Kyle Orton did put up over 300 yards in the air, but almost 100 of that came on two long passes to Brandon Lloyd. That's where Baltimore is vulnerable. On the long ball. Moss could have a big day ... oh, right. Nice.

This is the revenge game I've been waiting for since my Don Julio-less January afternoon. As big as that road win in Miami was last week, a win against the Ravens in any form will be much bigger. It will mean the Pats can go toe-to-toe with any team. But it won't be easy.

I would have major concerns about the game even if Moss wasn't traded. The defense showed some signs of improvement against Miami but after watching the tape of the game it was clear Chad Henne and the Dolphin offense were their own worst enemy. The defense made some plays. But surrendered many more.

Confidence level for the Pats D going up against Ray Rice, Joe Flacco, Anquan Boldin, and TJ Housh? Low.

The Pats offense actually only put up 13 "real" points against Miami. Their other touchdown came after a blocked punt gave them the ball on the Dolphin 15. I would almost put that TD in the special teams category. They are down to Ben Jarvis as their starting runner. And now they don't have Randy Moss. Brady has nine touchdowns and only two picks and the offensive line has looked very solid. Welker and Hernandez are still dangerous. But the Ravens D is the best in the league.

Confidence level for the Pats offense going up against Ray Lewis and the rest of that defense? Medium.

I still think Brady and Belichick will be so intent on atoning for last year's playoff disaster that the Pats will win a very tight game. But when you look at the two teams closely, it's very possible that the playoff blowout was not a fluke.

Deep thoughts

As a sports fan one of the keys to enjoyment is not taking the losses so seriously that one might think you actually played in the game. Throwing things. Walking around angry for days. (Note: None of this applies to Bruins' fans). Kicking the dog. That's pretty lame. Unless you are fourteen. When the loss is over -- or a player traded -- it's best to just look forward to the next game, next season, next favorite player. It's supposed to be about entertainment. Fun.

MOSS: Happy trails.

Some losses, however, do stick with you longer. Roughing the passer. Fisk. Too many men on the ice (both times). Orr. Mets win! Mets win! Clemens. Tyree makes the catch. Vinatieri. Fourth-and-two. Those are the losses that come up over beers from time to time, discussed with an air of "did that really happen?"

Did the Pats really dump Randy Moss in Week 5 of the season? They did. But I'm not quite ready to let it go.

The stories are coming out that Moss was becoming a big headache. Tedy Bruschi said players were getting sick of Moss's issues. He also said that the two years he played with Moss he was a great teammate. But since guys like Bruschi left the team there was no one to keep him in line. Well, that's a self-serving statement. Moss was good but guys like Bruschi made him grow up. That may be true. But how exactly was Moss acting like a spoiled child? His only real sin was that he wanted to stay with the Patriots so badly that he couldn't keep his mouth shut about it. He picked a bad time to express it, but since I was hoping he and Brady would play three more years together too it didn't really bother me.

I never heard Moss complain about how many catches he got. Never. And if he exploded at the half of the Miami game, well, the offense had scored six points and really did not get much better in the second half. I've got some issues with the offensive play-calling too. And he's not the first player to get in an exchange with the coach at the half. But for him to have been traded you have to think Belichick thought it was only going to get worse unless they gave him a contract and obviously they decided that wasn't part of their plans. I've got some issues with that too.

It's possible that, instead of Belichick dumping a guy he was tired of, that the coach/GM told Moss that the team wasn't going to give him the new contract that he wanted. Maybe Moss heard that and said if you can trade me to a good team then go ahead and do that. Maybe it was done in a good atmosphere. Why does it automatically have to be because Moss was acting like a jerk? Or that Belichick is an egomaniac. Ultimately it doesn't matter why.

Bruschi said that the trade was a sign that the Pats were going back to their old way of winning as a team. He said that the Pats used to win together, not with just one guy. That is correct. But in true Bruschi fashion (which I love about him), he thinks that the Pats invented team football. They didn't. Sorry Tedy. The '70s Steelers, with all their Hall of Famers, were a total team. Same with the Niners of the '80s and Cowboys of the '90s. They had star players -- including some of the best deep threats to play the game -- but they got something from every man on the roster. They had playmakers, role players, star players, young players, clutch guys, tough guys, smart guys. This Pats team is no different. They have stars -- Brady, Moss, Big Vince -- young, promising players -- Mayo, Tate, Chung -- role players -- Woodhead, Sanders, Arrington. The 2010 Pats are as much as team as the 2001 Pats. Just different.

Bruschi sees Monday's game as a total team victory. And it was. All three units did their job when it counted. But it was mostly a special teams victory. The Ravens, coming to Gillette for the next game, are hurting in the secondary and it looked like the best way to win that game was to test them deep. With Randy Moss. Now they'll have to find another way to do it.

They won before Moss got here. They'll win now that he is gone. But I've actually heard some people say the Pats offense will be better -- better -- without Moss. Better? The thinking is that somehow Moss being on the field was preventing Brady from throwing short passes (yet Welker keeps catching 100 balls) or #81s presence was stopping the running game from kicking it into gear. I guess Marvin Harrison was holding back the Colts offense. Lynn  Swann was holding back the Steelers offense. Michael Irvin was holding back the Cowboys offense. Wonder why they didn't dump those guys?

Why? Because there are lots of ways to win a football game. And in the course of a 16-game season the good teams rely on all those ways to get victories. The Pats beat the Dolphins with three huge special teams plays. That doesn't happen too often. If you can get a win or two with special teams scoring and a few wins with the defense scoring then that's the difference between 12 wins and eight or nine. Some games are won with a grind-it-out running game. Some with a short pass attack. And some,  as we have seen, are won by connecting on a few deep bombs. The Pats just removed one of their ways to win a game.

Nostalgia seems to have people believing the Pats won every game 9-7 when they were winning those Super Bowls. Here are some scores from Pats' victories in '01: 44-13. 29-26. 38-17. 34-17. 38-6. Ya. Grind-it-out defensive football. They also won games by scores of 12-9, 17-16, and 20-13. Good teams win games in many ways.

I was listening to DA on 98.5 on the drive home and he said he was actually more excited about watching the Pats now that Moss is gone because he wants to see how the young players on the offense perform. I get that. I'll be interested to see that too. The offense will probably be fine. But more excited? Watch the video below and tell me you are more excited that you won't get to see catches like these again.

Trading down

Thanks for killing my buzz, Bill Belichick. I was looking forward to basking in the glow of the Pats big road win for the next two weeks while getting ready for the rematch with the Ravens at Gillette. As I was sitting eating a Five Guys burger (cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomato, ketchup, mayo -- excellent) with two of my daughters, my nephew Steve sent me a short and not-so-sweet text: "Umm, what the ----, we just traded Randy Moss?"

So much for enjoying that burger. And the next two weeks.

MOSS: Still a great catch.

I learned long ago not to get too attached to the players you root for. Two words: Bobby Orr. When you are 14-years-old and the greatest hockey player to ever play the game leaves the Bruins and goes to Chicago, well, let's just say you get an early life lesson in how pro sports work.

Randy Moss is no Bobby Orr. But as I sat watching "The Social Network" at the theater in the shadow of Gillette Stadium, I thought letting Moss go in Week 5 of the season in exchange for a draft pick when you already have a stadium full of picks makes no sense. Your chances of winning just dropped dramatically.

There will certainly be a group of the shrill voices on sports blab radio that will say good riddance. Felger being the leader of that group. Moss will be described as selfish, a distraction, a guy who took plays off, a problem. I guess Felger and the like have access to the Pats locker room and film rooms that the rest of us don't. All I have to go on is what I saw on TV and from section 109. I saw a guy who not only made amazing catches but one who had fun while playing and who had a respect for the game and the team. Is he a bit of a character? Of course. He's a superstar wide receiver. But he's not T.O. or even Ochocinco. Moss always seemed to me a guy who just wanted to play and be recognized for his unworldly talents.

When Moss made his appeal to be signed to a contract extension after the first game this year, every player that was asked said they love having him as a teammate. If they didn't feel that way they would have said nothing. Brady has often said he's the smartest player he's ever played with. And has often said Moss is one of his best friends. A distraction? A problem? I didn't see it from my seat.

Randy Moss wasn't a favorite of mine before he came to the Patriots. In fact, I was not in favor of them trading for him. Shows what I know. He's been a fun guy to root for. Lots of fun. I never imagined I'd own a Moss Patriots T-shirt. I'll be wearing it proudly to Gillette the rest of the year.

If my brother Jim wasn't in Morocco right now adjusting to life in the Peace Corps, he would probably say the same thing he said when we heard the Pats had traded Richard Seymour before last season. "Belichick knows they can't win the Super Bowl so he's giving up on this year to get picks for the future." I didn't agree with him about Seymour because 1) I thought Seymour's best days were behind him and 2) the Pats got what could be a top 10 pick for him. But it's hard not to see this move as hurting your chances to win that fourth Lombardi this year in exchange for hoarding picks for the future.

Brandon Tate (who I just added to my fantasy team, named Moss Racing) is a promising young receiver. But any suggestion that he can fill Moss's gloves is a stretch. There's no way the team can replace him. Yes, they have Welker and the tight ends. But without Moss, they might find it a lot harder to get open. A lot harder. One thing you can see when watching the game from the stands, even on those plays when Moss is not involved, he is involved because half the defense is keeping an eye on him,

Listening to the NFL Network, ESPN, and all the other sports reports this morning I heard this a lot: "This is a good deal for the Patriots' future. They now have six picks in the first three rounds of the draft next year. For the 2012 or 2013 Patriots, this is a great deal."

2012? 2013? I was still enjoying Randy Moss and the 2010 New England Patriots.

I'm going to enjoy them a little less now.

Perfect day for imperfect football

WEEK 3

Patriots 38. Bills 30 (9/26/'10): As Mark and I stood in the parking lot on a beautiful late-September Sunday eating pulled-pork sandwiches (served in a sauce of apple cider vinegar, mustard, ketchup, hot pepper, and brown sugar) with homemade cole slaw, we both agreed the Pats needed to not just beat the very beatable Bills, they needed to look sharp in all phases of the game doing it.

A few cocktails later we walked into the stadium with Mark's brother Adam and his three teenage daughters (their first game) to the sounds of the Who. The much-maligned Gillette crowd was buzzing in every sense of the word. We knew that Brady wouldn't need us to be too vocal for the Pats to take Buffalo. I thought what a perfect day for Don Julio margaritas, er, I mean a perfect day for football.


It was a perfect day for football. Just not perfect football. 

WEEK 3: A win is a win.

The Pats looked sharp on offense -- putting up 38 points on 200 yards rushing and 245 passing -- and the Brady to rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez connection is fast becoming an another big weapon. As for the other phases of the game?

Well, not even a few Don Julios could make the defense and kicking game look good. The D had two interceptions (Chung, Meriweather) but only forced the Bills to punt once. The Bills -- a team that had scored a total of 17 points in its first two games -- rolled up 30 on 374 yards of offense. Buffalo had to settle for field goal attempts on four drives, and they often stopped themselves on those possessions. The Pats defense has now given up 24, 28, and 30 points. That's 82 points through three weeks. Only four teams have allowed more and they have a combined two victories. There's no disguising it. The D is not good enough. What's that? The defense really only gave up 23 points yesterday?

Right. That brings us to the other phase of the game that is not good enough. Special teams.

The Pats opened the second half with a quick, 5-play drive that ended with the second Brady-to-Moss TD pass of the day. Pats 24, Buffalo 16. Just when it looked like the Patriots had taken command of the game, the kick-coverage team allowed rookie CJ Spiller to take the ball 95 yards for a touchdown. Spiller is a fast playmaker, but the Pats special teams tackling was sad. As was Zoltan Mesko's punts. The rookie's 37.7-yard average on three punts was also not good enough

But it was an entertaining -- if not encouraging -- day at Gillette. Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis -- with the trade of Maroney and injury to Faulk -- is now, suddenly, an important part of the offense. Against the Bills he ran for 98 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. He looked good enough. As did the passing game of Brady, Moss, Welker, Hernandez, et al.

Enjoying the postgame hot dogs and beer with Shep and Matt, I started thinking about the play of the offensive line (solid as always), the running game, young players like Hernandez, McCourty, and Chung. I started to feel optimistic about the team's chances of going into Miami next Monday night and finally -- finally! -- getting the big road win.

Then I got home and turned on the Dolphins-Jets Sunday night game. What a game. Two great defenses each gave up more than 400 yards and yet made big plays when needed. Two questionable offenses showed they have the mental toughness to put together long, crucial drives. Both teams played at a much higher level than the Pats. As the Jets defense made the last big play to pull out a huge road win, I thought are the Pats good enough to win a game like that?

At the moment: No. Not good enough.

Credit where credit is due

WEEK 2

I was trying to think of the words to describe how the Patriots played in the second half of their loss to the Jets yesterday. Out scored. Out coached. Out hustled. Out played. That doesn't capture how bad it was. I flipped on the NFL Network and caught some of Tom Brady's post-game press conference. "We just sucked," he said. Thanks, Tom. Those were the words I was looking for.



WEEK 2: Sour Apple.

 As Bergs and I sat in my den watching the Pats get outscored 18-0 in the second half we both had a strong sense of deja vu. We knew we had seen this before. Oh, that's right. We saw it last year in Denver, in Indy, in Miami, in Houston, and right there in New York. I had hopes the outcome of a big road game would be different this year. Not yet.


That was the theme of 2009. The Pats would face a big challenge against a good team on the road. They would start off very well, taking a lead into the second half, only to come apart at the seams. It was something the team had rarely done since their Super Bowl run started. Whatever problems the Pats face with the loss of the core of their championship D, the common assumption has been that as long as Brady and Belichick are on the top of their games then the team will be tough to beat. Clearly they are not on the top of their game and haven't been consistently since David Tyree caught that ball in the Super Bowl with his head. I keep thinking this is the week that will change. Not yet.



When Brady hit Moss for his ridiculous one-handed TD catch late in the second quarter I texted Mark "How much are you loving this team?" He responded "A ton." So was I. It was the same way I felt when the Patriots took control of all those games last year. The team looked a step ahead of the Jets -- and then suddenly they were a step behind.

Also like many of last year's biggest losses the Pats left a lot of points on the field in the first half. Brady took the opening drive for 15 plays and nearly 9 minutes. Runs by Taylor and Faulk. Passes to Welker, Hernandez, and Gronkowski. It was a sharp, well-balanced attack. It stalled on 3rd-and-9 at the NY 14 when Welker came up a yard short. Gostkowski hit the field goal but an inexcusable delay of game penalty brought it back five yards and then Gostkowski missed his second try. Three points lost.

After the D held the Jets to three and out Brady and the offense put together another 15-yard drive and capped it with a TD pass to Welker. Pats were up 7-0. The Jets D had been on the field for all but about a minute of the first quarter. The Jets were already on the ropes. A quick stop by the D and the Jets defense would have been gassed before the first half was over. The Jets season -- as early as it was -- was hanging in the balance. And they responded.

Sanchez faced a 3rd-and-6 at his own 27. Punt here and the Pats would have a chance to take command of the game for good. That's when Sanchez put it together. He hit Braylon Edwards for 13 yards and a first down. Then Banta-Cain got through for a sack putting the Jets in 2nd-and-20. Another chance to get Brady the ball back. Sanchez connected for 24 yards on the next two plays and drove his team all the way down for a huge touchdown to tie the score.

Brady then hit Moss for the one-handed catch and it looked like they would come out of a first half they dominated with a touchdown lead. But the Jets got the ball on their own 20 with just 53 seconds in the half and drove 7 plays to set up a field goal as time expired. 14-10 Pats.

I said to Bergs that the Pats just had to win the turnover battle in the second half and they would win. Second-half turnovers: Pats 3, Jets 0. Second-half points: Jets 18, Pats 0. As always, turnovers are the key.

But so is coaching, and playmaking, and tackling. The Pats did very little of those things in the second half. There were re a lot of key moments in the second half and the Jets made a play on almost every one they faced. And that was without Pro Bowlers Revis and Mangold. Everything broke the Pats way to get a huge road win. They still couldn't take advantage of it.

Give the Jets a Rex Ryan-size amount of credit. They had to win that game and they did. Convincingly. They kept making the plays to keep drives alive and came up with the turnovers. I didn't think the Jet offense could put up 20 points. They did that pretty easily. That's a great sign for them. Not so great for the Pats D.

The Pats second-half failures is now the key issue facing this team. ESPNBoston's Mike Reiss has a good story about it. He includes a stat I hadn't heard. In their last eight home games (not including the trip to London last year), the Pats have been outscored 116-41 in the second half. That says it all. If the Patriots can fix that problem they will be a serious contender. If not, they'll be lucky to make the playoffs.

They'll get another chance in Miami on a Monday night in two weeks.

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?

Talk the talk

WEEK 1
Patriots 38, Bengals 24 (9/12/'10): Lots to talk about after a convincing victory over Cincy in the home opener. And lots of people talking (right, Randy?). Wes Welker capped off his amazing return from knee surgery with two touchdowns. The offensive line protected Brady in the first half and then opened up holes for Fred Taylor in the key fourth quarter drive that put the game away.The young defense set the tone early with a total team tackling performance. Special teams made big plays. The fans enjoyed a great late summer day of tailgating and were in good spirits all afternoon long. As Shep said, even the moaners and the groaners who sit behind us were happy.

WEEK 1: Thumbs up.

The Pats set the tone right from the opening kick-off. Gostkowski boomed the ball deep and the Bengal return man was met at the 19-yard line by Kyle Arrington and Tracy White. Belichick and his staff cut some key special teams players in Eric Alexander, Ross Ventrone, and Pierre Woods. Clearly he felt it was time for some new blood there. They special teams players were flying around all day.

The defense started the game by forcing Cincy to punt on both its first quarter possessions,. The D then topped that in the second quarter by getting a fumble (Rob Ninkovich), forcing another punt, and then picking off Carson Palmer and taking it in for a touchdown (Gary Guyton). While the defense was doing that, the offense scored two touchdowns (Brady to Welker, Brady to Welker again) and added a field goal. Rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez caught a sideline pass and took it 45 yards on the opening scoring drive. Brady looked sharp. Guys were blocking downfield. The line was on its game, Mankins or no. The running game put up nearly 130 yards for the game. Running back by committee at its best.

Brandon Tate, building on his outstanding preseason, took the second half kick-off 67 yards for a touchdown. Pats 31, Bengals 3. What's on the grill for the post-game celebration? Uh oh. Spoke to soon. The Bengals offense got on track in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on back-to-back 12 play drives. The defense did not look lost like it did in the preseason. The Bengals just finally started making some plays. The score was suddenly 31-17 and the Pats were in a position they were in several times last year. It was at this point that this year started to look very different from last year.

The Patriots got the ball with less than a minute to go in the third quarter and held the ball for a game-clinching 14-play, nearly eight minute drive. Last year the Pats would go three-and-out and the other team would take advantage of an exhausted defense. Not this time. Brady to Welker for 12 yards. To Moss (a great game) for 9. Then Fred Taylor took over. He would finish the game with 71 yards rushing. Brady would cap the 14-play drive with a beautiful throw and catch with Rob Gronkowski in the corner of the end zone. A game clincher.

Cincy would score another touchdown late in the fourth but the game was decided. The defense gave up too many yards in the second half, but for the most part the young players came through. Safety Pat Chung led the team with 16 tackles. Cornerbacks Butler and McCourty held their own against T.O. and Ochocinco when the two stars weren't in the locker room Tweeting. Ocho had 12 catches and a touchdown but it was too little too late. The defense only recorded one sack but was often in Carson Palmer's face. That's different from last year too.

The biggest difference from last year -- for one game at least -- was that the Pats looked in control of the game. They rarely confused their opponents last year on either side of the ball. The Bengals often looked off balance yesterday while the Pats played like a team with a plan. That's something to talk about.

The one doing the most talking was, of course, Randy Moss. I was hoping he would restrict his talking to the field. Guess not. He decided he needed to expand on his comments from the other day about his contract. OK, we get it Randy. You love playing for the Patriots and want to do it for several more years. Hopefully the Pats do too. Enough talking.

Except in the locker room. Tedy Bruschi started a post-game tradition of the "Oooooh yaaaaaa!" chant after a victory. For those who think Belichick's teams get no joy from their pursuit of victories, take a look at those post-game moments. From the video below, it looks like Randy has become the guy to carry on the tradition. This is the kind of talking I want to hear from him.

Feeling Randy

Flipping through the channels between "Seinfeld" and the NFL Network I came upon "Sports Tonight" on Comcast Sports Network with Tanguay and Felger. Like sports-talk radio, it's something I can only take in small doses hoping that some actual insight will come my way. It rarely does.

The show opened with a promo about Randy Moss mouthing off about not being wanted. Felger -- a well-known Moss basher -- was almost drooling. His take? Moss had once again shown that he is a selfish, spoiled diva like T.O. I can skip Felger and Mazz for the rest of the week because I know what they will be talking about.

The thing is... There was really nothing wrong with what Moss said. It was certainly not inflammatory. The flames will be fanned by the spouting heads, but not because of what he actually said. Which was this:

"When you have done so much and put so much work in, it kind of feels like I am not wanted. I am taking that in stride and playing my final year out and whatever the future holds is what it holds, but it is kind of a bad feeling -- feeling not wanted. It is not like my production has gone down. I am speaking from an individual standpoint. I don't know about [Patriots quarterback] Tom or whoever else's contract. I am a little older and understand the nature of the business -- the older you get the more your skills supposedly diminish, but I think I am getting wiser in how to use my physical skills. That's the frustrating part when you put so much heart and desire into things and feel like you are not wanted."

MOSS AND BRADY: Best yet to come?

So what's wrong with that? Where's the whining in that? Where's the nastiness? Moss is on the last year of his contract. A contract in which he took a reduced rate to come to New England and play with Tom Brady. He was going to be paid nearly $20 million over the last two years of his deal with Oakland. Instead, he agreed to reduce that to about $3 million. Very selfish. So now he wants a new deal. He deserves one. Moss is still one of the best three or four wide receivers in the game. You don't agree? Here are his stats since coming to the Pats:

2007: 98 catches, 1,493 yards, 23 touchdowns. Moss and Brady had the single greatest passing season a QB and receiver ever had. It was amazing to watch. So amazing I changed my fantasy football team name from Mansfield Maulers to Moss Racing after he bought a racing team. I bought a Moss shirt. For the record, I was not in favor of the Pats getting Moss. It wasn't that I thought he was selfish or a prima donna. I just didn't think he had much left in the tank. I sure was wrong. And watching him from the stands week after week it became obvious how much he loved to play and how much guys loved playing with him.

2008: 69 catches, 1,008 yards, 11 touchdowns. On the first drive of the season Brady goes down. Moss looked like a guy whose dog just died. Or whose girl had dumped him. And he looked that way for quite a few weeks. Can you blame him? The whole point of his coming here was to play with Brady and that was ruined just a few plays into the season. The next week at the home opener Moss sat mostly off by himself instead of right next to the QB where he belonged. Instead of helping Matt Cassell adjust he was mourning Brady. It was annoying and I kept waiting for Rodney to smack him on the head. But Moss, like the team, pulled out of their funk and put together a solid season, just missing the playoffs.

2009: 83 receptions, 1,264 yards, 13 touchdowns. This is often referred to as an off year for Moss. Felger will show the lowlights of his game against Carolina where the only catch he had ended in a fumble. It was a lousy game. Every player has them. Even Brady. But Moss was accused of dogging it. Turns out he had a bad back most of the season and still caught 83 passes. Ya, he was dogging it.

So now we come to year four of Moss Racing. 2010. Last year of the three-year deal he signed after his amazing, record-breaking 2007 season. Moss has done everything that has been asked of him and more. Brady clearly loves playing with him. Belichick loves coaching him. The guy busts his ass. If you don't sit in the stands watching him you might not get that from the way he is depicted in the media. Does he take some plays off? Sure. He's not a youngster. He needs to know when to burn energy and when not. Not every play involves him. Some game plans he's not the focus of the offense. And he knows it. That's the "I am getting wiser in how to use my physical skills" part of what he said.

He looks healthy and ready to go. If he stays healthy he -- and my fantasy team -- should have a great year. He wants a new contract. Just like Brady. Just like Mankins. Unlike Mankins, he hasn't accused Robert Kraft and the Patriots of lacking morals. The media hasn't made too much of Mankins's comments. They are depicted as being what you would expect from an angry player. I agree. The same applies to Moss's much more reasonable self expression.

I know, a guy whose fantasy football team is named Moss Racing is not the most objective voice in the Randy debate. When I heard he said he was feeling "not wanted" I thought he was complaining about not getting enough passes thrown his way. That would have bothered me. I do have one problem with his speaking out and that is the timing. But, being Moss, he's not stupid. Heading into the opener against Ochocinco and T.O. is a good time to say "Hey, I'm better than those guys combined. Why don't you want to wrap me up to three more years?" I think the Pats do want to do that and will sign him at some point. And I think the rest of Moss's statements this year will be made on the field. At least I hope so.

Pats lose, still 0-0

Bill Belichick is not a happy man this morning. Or is he? The Patriots played their third preseason game last night and made more mistakes against the lowly Rams than they did in their previous two against the Saints and the Falcons. The coach will have plenty of things he can use to remind his team that they still have a lot of work to do. That's when he's at his best.

BELICHICK: The D stinks.

The next two weeks leading up to the home opener against Cincy will probably not be a lot of fun around Gillette. I think Belichick prefers it that way. It wasn't a disaster of a game as far as preseason goes (no injuries that I saw), but it was bad enough to get the team's attention. Lots of penalties. Lots of players out of position. The offense put up 35 points, but the defense gave up 36. Lots of work to do.

The game started off on a great note as second-year wide receiver Brandon Tate took the opening kick-off 97 yards for a touchdown. He looks like he'll have a spot on the roster at a very competitive position. Then the defense took the field and it seemed like they never left.

Rookie QB Sam Bradford led the Rams on a 10 play, 72-yard drive to tie the game. The Rams would add scoring drives of 8 plays, 7 plays, 9 plays, 15 plays!, 11 plays, and 9 plays. The last one led to the game winning field goal as time expired. I'm not sure how Brady and the offense were able to score any points considering how long the Rams held the ball. The spotlight will shine brightly on the Pats' defense over the next two weeks. The last preseason game next week against the Giants might turn out to be than just a scrimmage for the defense. They have something to prove.

It's a defense that is sorely lacking a leader. Mayo. Meriweather. Wilfork. They are all solid players but not the Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi kind of guys. Meriweather spends too much time howling after making a tackle when his team is losing. Make the tackle. Get up. Get back to the huddle. Make another tackle. When the game is over and you've won you can howl. Rodney knew that. Tedy knew that. The young players on the defense have to learn it. Asante Samuel might have been able to teach them. Mike Vrabel definitely could.

The defense's inability to make stops on third down was a problem last year and could be again. A lot of that has to do with a lack of pass rush. That was a problem last year and almost certainly will be again unless the coaches can figure out schemes that will let some players loose. Last night Banta-Cain was that guy but he kept committing penalties. Carson Palmer, Ochocinco, and T.O. are going to put the D to the test right out of the gate. They better be ready.

The offense will be ready. Brady hit some big passes. Moss looks committed to having a big year. The tight ends are making plays all over the field. Gronkowski dragging a defender across the goal line was Ben Coates-like. Welker looked like vintage Wes last night. The running game didn't do much but that's par for the course with the Pats. One week they'll run the ball 30 times. The next week the running backs might as well stay home and watch on TV. Overall the offense looks fired up. They're going to have to be because they may need to score 30 points a game to win consistently.

Lots of work to do.

Rust remover

The Pats hosted the Super Bowl champs in the first preseason game last night. I did not go to Gillette to see the new video screens because I was on the Cape with most of my family to draft our fantasy football teams for the Coatuit League. I took Randy Moss with the seventh pick (we have eight teams). I would have taken him with the first pick. Not because I think he's the best player. My team name is Moss Racing after the WR's stock car venture. You name your team after a player you have to draft him. Every year.

But on to the real game... well, sort of. I didn't watch much of the game while we were drafting but I have watched the replay on the NFL Network (a.k.a. My New Narcotic). Both teams played a solid first exhibition game. Brady and Brees both played well and got out of there healthy. They seemed to knock the rust of pretty quickly which might be attributed to the fact the two teams had been practicing against each other for a few days.

Shep did attend the game and offered some observations:

• The new scoreboards are not overwhelmingly huge but are a big, big upgrade. Very bright and HD -- excellent images. The one on the lighthouse end looks no bigger than the old one, mainly because the right side and bottom are ads. The other screen is wider than before, but also has ads on each side. However, they are much, much better quality, so they seem bigger — and the best thing: the game video ran all the time, with quick replays from two or three angles immediately after every play — a tremendous improvement that adds a lot to watching the game. They did say NFL Red Zone will be shown during games (in the context of announcing, ‘NFL Red Zone brought to you by.....”)
• I sat in the clubseats for the first half and failed to inspect the Don Julio situation as instructed. I will run my windsprints after work today.
• My biggest impression is that we had a tremendous draft, and Jermayne Cunningham didn’t even dress. Spikes is a beast and how he didn’t go in the upper first round makes you wonder; he played a lot, mostly in Mayo’s spot after the starters came out. Gronkowsi is gigantic — I thought Alge Crumpler was big, but Gronkowski is head and shoulders above him on the sideline. Devin McCourty — first thing you notice is that, yes, he’s not tall but he is big in the upper body and hits with force; very fast in coverage, too, and his returns were spectacular. Hernandez big and very athletic, almost a way-oversized slot guy rather than tight end.
• Starting O line looked quite good — Steve Neal healthy and quick, Koppen as usual, Volmer looking big and quick, Light as usual, and Dan Connolly surprisingly good, quickly pulling and getting upfield to throw a couple of hard blocks, including stoning Vilma on the first touchdown run.
• Brandon Tate had a nice catch downfield, keeping inbounds right on the sideline. Edleman, of course, picking up again with 6 catches for 90 yards — great running after the catch, and some great returns.
• Marques Murrell: sack of Brees early and got downfield for a nice special teams tackle. Tall, physical, quick looking guy, wearing Seymour’s 93.
• Zoltan’s punts in warmups and during the game went very high, allowing for good coverage—and he got one well inside the 20 without going into the endzone.
• Tyrone McKenzie No. 44 played quite a bit in the later second half and had some tackles.
• Hoyer did well, Zac Robinson didn’t have a great shot, since he was getting a big rush and knocked about a bit. I’ve always liked Patrick Ramsey, now the Saints’ backup.
• Pat Chung looked bigger and better.
• I was very surprised to see Gerard Warren all over the place when he was in at the beginning of the game. I didn’t expect that. He was chasing down plays away from him and going hard.
• Wilfork and Moss looked healthy and good.

Shep concludes: Now, Mr. Belichick, where is our pass rush?

Good question.

The biggest bright spot that I saw watching the replay was the return game with Edelman on punts and first-round pick McCourty on kick offs. They could make a very dangerous return team for the Pats which would be a huge boost. We could get into how the running game looked, how the new tight ends played, how the defense did, or just how bad Don Criqui and Randy Cross are at calling a game. But it's one preseason game. Let's hold off on drawing any big conclusions about the 2010 New England Patriots. Just like it's too early to tell how my fantasy team (featuring Moss, Brees, Greene, Grant, Philly D) will fare. Way too early.