Gotta be starting something

The Patriots backup players put on an impressive show in the first preseason game last week. The team's starters matched that -- and then some -- last night.

Pats 31, Tampa Bay 14. More importantly it was Pats starters 28, Tampa Bay starters 0 at the half. Tom Brady and Co. look ready for the season. Is that a surprise? The Pats were 14-2 last year and the offense was the best in the league. If the key guys stay healthy (knock, knock, knock) the offense should be even better. You paying attention, Rex?

BRADY: Man in the middle.

Tampa is a playoff caliber team that won its practice opener 25-0. They have a strong offensive line and a good defense. They were expected to pose a much bigger test than Jacksonville. They didn't. Brady and the offense scored on four of their six possessions in the first half and moved the ball at will from both the air and the ground. Ochocinco caught his first pass as a Patriot (a TD) and took his first nasty hit. BenJarvis and Woody -- the dynamic running duo from last year -- looked unstoppable again. The offense was a machine.

Let Buc's defensive lineman Gerald McCoy describe it:

"They did not treat this like a preseason game. That’s why they are who they are. A lot of times we’d get the call but we couldn’t get lined up. They were moving the ball so fast.  I was like, ‘Dang! Um, Mr. Brady, can we line up?' They were like, ‘Hut!’ And I said, ‘Noooooooooooo!’"

That is why they are who they are. That's the way they have been during the Belichick era. Love him or hate him, the guy knows how to get his team ready to play football. And isn't that all that really matters in a pro football coach? And when the quarterback has the same approach? Well, that makes for a darn good football team.

At the heart of that darn good football team? The offensive line. That's right. Not Brady. Not Big Vince. Not even Phat Albert if he plays. Watch some preseason football in the next two weeks. You'll see good teams and bad teams. The bad teams are the ones that can't protect their QB and can't open up holes for their running backs. You can be a good team even if you can't rush the passer (see 2010 Patriots), cover tight ends, or kick field goals. But without a solid offensive line, you are, as they say, screwed. Take a look at the photo above of Brady surrounded by the men that protect him for a living. He looks pretty happy, doesn't he? That says it all.

The Pats have outscored their opponents 78-26 through two practice games. They get the Lions next weekend in the third one. The one that is usually the dress rehearsal for the real games. The Pats don't need another rehearsal. They are ready.