Which is ok by me - get the pressure off, let time continue to heal some old wounds (emotional and physical) and maybe, just maybe Spygate will be long forgotten!

And no surprise, we didn’t get any compensatory picks either. For those that don’t know a compensatory pick is basically a “sorry you lost some really great players, here’s your consolation prize”. Which in real NFL terms is when a team lost more or better compensatory free agents in one season than it acquired is eligible to receive additional picks the following season. We already have 8 picks available to us - 6 from original selection, one form the Raiders and one from the 49ers. Still a guessing game as to who gets chosen first - we just looked at Darren McFadden as another running back hmmm….. we are pretty deep there right now, not sure where the interest is coming from, I think Bill has something up his cut off sleeve!

Now let’s focus on the present. Forget about what we didn’t achieve and look at what we have for next season -

Tom Brady - pretty much unstoppable
Randy Moss - no comment needed
Wes Welker - ditto
Jabar Gafney - stepped up when needed and chose to stay in NE instead of choosing free agency (and he probably could have gotten a big pay raise if he did so)
Richard Seymour - first time in 2 years that he can actively  take place in pre-season
Kelly Washington - played a key role in special teams and in my opinion he is going to see more time in the offense
Sammy Morris - back of IR and is itching to make a name in NE
Laurence  Maroney -  proved that he has the skills to make the run
Kevin Faulk - who cares about the blunt - he can make plays too!

So we signed Williams, Webster and Sanders - all injury prone but with the loss of Asante and Randall we had to make some choices. And with the 7th pick salary cap is without a doubt a concern. But Coach is no slouch he knows what he is doing. Heavy up in CB and Safety and hopefully the rest will follow.

Now with aging line we need to focus on some serious heavy hitters!

Man… What a time it’s been in Boston. Please forgive the lack of posts. There’s a very real reason I haven’t been on here in a while. First and foremost I’m a baseball fan. I’d call it 65% Red Sox, 30% Patriots, and then 5% everything else. Don’t read too much into the numbers, it’s a very passionate 30%.

Well anyway, the playoffs take full priority over my life when it rols around, so even though I’ve been watching the Pats, I haven’t been watching the Pats. The same holds true this weekend when the Sawx can claim the 2nd title in 4 years. The Pats will get the attention from 4-7 but the Sox will get the passion beginning at 830.

But the last few weeks have been something eh? Cleveland, thanks for coming. I have friends from middle America and they haven’r been too thrilled with how we’ve handled their teams in the month of October. Don’t know where that Derek Anderson kid came from, but lets hope next time we see him he keeps up those 3 int performances. Aside from those he handled our defense pretty well.

Dallas. Overrated. Next Question.

Miami couldn’t have stopped me if I was under center last week. Obviously I would’ve just kept launching the ball to Moss and see what happens. It worked for Brady, why not me? The score wasn’t as close as it looked (if you can call it close) thanks to Matt’s blunder. Despite that, I’m still pretty confident in our backup. One series doesn’t define a QB. He’l be okay if (god forbid) something happens to Tom.

This is what the experts call a trap game, and I’m with em on that. The skins are decent. Campbell is capable, and athletic, so no sack is gauranteed. Lots of pressure, and an effective ground game is what it’s going to take to keep the Skins down. I think it’ll be our closest game of the year, with the score being 24-10. Then its off to Indy next week for the mini Super Bowl. That’ll be interesting.

Until then, it’s all about the Sox.

I mean, whouda flunk woulda thunk two tired 41 yr olds and an exhausted 27 yr old import would be gettin’ their a.s.s.e.s slapped by a buncha corn-huskin’, Middle-American hobbits, for pete’s sake!

Goddammit.

Boston in 7. Count on it.

It certainly wasn’t the prettiest victory of the season, but is was a victory nonetheless.  The New England offense looked  unfocused and all too content at times, especially during three consecutive anti-drives in the third quarter.  All in all, the game was a testament to how good this New England Patriots team is overall.  Despite the inconsistent offensive drives, the defense showed why their the best in the league.  Getting contributions from every single linebacker (Seau with two interceptions, Vrabel and Thomas batting a ball that led to an interception, Bruschi with two sacks) and strong secondary positions, the Patriots proved that they can win even when the Brady/Moss/Welker machine gets rusty.  Granted, this Cleveland team is no juggernaut, but they’re capable of covering a few underdog spreads (see: Baltimore).  Derek Anderson is talented and tough, but he’s young and commonly makes mistakes.  This wasn’t a highlight reel game and it is no exibition on Patriot football.  With that said, though, every W in today’s NFL is an important one.  The Patriots are going to work hard this week with a trip to Texas Stadium only seven days away.  Mark the game as the best matchup of this season so far.

 GAME BALL: Because of the balanced win today, I’ll give three game balls for the number of Anderson’s interceptions.  First one goes to Sammie Morris for achieving the century mark in rushing yards for the second consecutive week and keeping the game clock in our favor for the whole contest.  Second to Benjamin Watson who stole the spotlight from Moss for at least a week with 107 yards on 6 catches and two touchdowns.  Last but not least, the third game ball goes to the entire Patriots defense for their three picks, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a touchdown.  If any aspect of this team gives us the best chance to match those ‘72 Dolphins, its the punishing, unrelenting, blazingly fast, hard-hitting defense–just don’t tell Tom I said that.

Derek Anderson is going for the football equivalent of the golden sombrero.  Already with three interceptions, the listless Anderson can’t find any answers in the air.  Ironically, the Browns impressive running game has formed their only significant yardage despite losing Jamal Lewis on the first play of the game.  Credit to former Northwestern star Jason Wright for keeping any semblance of an offense for Cleveland. 

Unfortunately, injuries are also playing a large part in today’s game.  With multiple play breaks in the first half, New England saw Asante Samuel, Mel Mitchell, Kevin Faulk, and Adalius Thomas all go down for at least a brief period.  Thus, the only gameplan Patriots fans are going with from this point on is keeping the decent lead the squad already has and finishing the game with no major injuries. 

Stat of the half: Derek Anderson - 7 completions to Browns, 3 completions to Patriots

Patriots President Jonathan Kraft said there has been something missing in the locker room this season.  Well, that something is resurrected today as safety Rodney Harrison ends his suspension and returns to the field for a New England defense that is only getting stronger.  Though Harrison’s arrival is a morale boost, the Patriots will most likely ease him back into the defensive schemes as Eugene Wilson and James Sanders have played relatively in the first four games of the season.

Laurence Maroney is inactive for the second week in a row, as New England again puts the ball into the very capable hands of running back Sammie Morris.  One problem brewing in the offense, however, is the absence of veteran center Dan Koppen.  Russ Hochstein will most likely start in his place. 

 Look for the Pats to run and pass effectively against the Browns porous defense.  Again, Wes Welker, Randy Moss, and Morris will be big factors in Tom’s arsenal.  Keep an eye on Willie McGinest who returns to Foxboro for the first time since leaving New England two years ago.  Derek Anderson is young and talented, but he hasn’t faced this formidable a defense so far and he will encounter problems.

BIG PLAYERS: Tom Brady, Sammie Morris, Derek Anderson, Kellen Winslow

X FACTOR: Benjamin Watson

PREDICTION: 35-17 Patriots

Jungle rot. Tiger tamed.  However you want to characterize it, the New England Patriots took care of business at Paul Brown Stadium on Monday Night.  The Pats established a running game, essentially shut Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson, executed down field passing attacks with both Randy Moss and Dante Stallworth, and left Ohio without any problems besides ending a 38-point scoring streak.  Credit to defensive guru Bill Belichick (suprise, suprise) for closing the door on big plays or lengthy drives from the Bengal offense.  Complex coverage schemes coupled with continuous pocket pressure from the lineman created an atmosphere in which Palmer could not become comfortable.  And besides a few untimely penalties and missed tackles, New England played two quarters of flawless football.  Bend but don’t break.  Take what they give you.  Never panic.  Always prepare.  In the most convincing first four games of any season in Foxboro, the “Patriot Way” is stronger and more dominant than ever.  Hopefully, that way leads to Arizona in February.

GAME BALL: Sammy Morris…He had this spot already clinced with 98 yards at halftime. With another 20 yards and a touchdown by game’s end, Morris showed star talent by taking full advantage of a depleted Bengal defense.  Statistics aside, Maroney’s absence turned anxious fans to forgetful ones when Morris showed why he is and will be a key player for this offense for the rest of the season.

Well, not much different than many anticipated.  Strong Patriot offense. Porous and ill-fated Bengals defense.  Carson Palmer is going to get his yards every game and don’t be suprised if their weapons come out firing after that miscommunication with Ocho Cinco.  New England’s running offense is doing their job and taking advantage of that injured linebacking squad by running it down Cinci’s throat every chance possible.  Look for Welker to be a bigger factor in zone coverages and don’t feel relieved that you don’t have to pronounce “Hoosh-maan-zadaaa” just yet.  He might be a factor deep if Bengals go down by three or more scores. 

The Patriots are in control: the clock, the tempo, the game.  But understand this–us Boston fans are never comfortable until the clock reads 0:00.

Because if you happen to lose the Sunday night game you can always look forward to Monday night game to make people forget about Sunday.  I say this for the Bengals fans. Luckily they should put up more than 14 so it’s not as big a laugher as our other games have been.

Ok, I’m done being arrogant. I stil don’t see anyway the Bengals can win. Yea they can sling it with the best of em, but that defense. 2 sacks on Brady all year. Cincy can force the turnovers, but c’mon, it’s the Pats. Brady is not going to start forcing things if they aren’t there. There corners are notorious for being easy to pick apart (read: Cleveland 2 weeks ago) and our line has been lights out.

Chad and Houz-ya-mama are dangerous. Asante can only really cover one, and still he’s giving up some size. Safties are going to be important, as will the line. Pressure = bad decisions. We make Carson do that we should be fine. Pats 34 Cincy 28. But I don’t think it’ll be that close