The Pats continue to roll and this week they travel to see the Bengals and the defense that gave up 51 points to the Browns. Since the Pats have done nearly everything right the last few weeks, there is not a whole lot of analyzing to be done here.

On offense I don’t see much change in the game plan, the Bengals flat out don’t have the personnel to stay with this offense. Randy Moss should again have a big game, this time he has the motivation of going up against another premier receiver, Chad Johnson. I know stats don’t matter, but for every receiver in the league has an ego, and these two are no exception. I’m sure both want to have the big night. Given the offensive firepower the Bengals bring to the table, we might see a bigger focus on the New England run game in an effort to keep Cincy’s offense on the bench. It would not surprise me to see heavy doses of Maroney, Morris, and even Heath Evans. All that said, I just don’t see how Cincy keeps up with this offense. They have no obvious weak point and the only thing that could slow them down is turnovers.

On defense, this will be the first big test for the secondary, as the Jets, Chargers, and Bills have nowhere near the talent of Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmanzadeh. Chad Johnson gets all the press and is a fantastic player. But TJ is actually having a better year and is very dangerous. Of course the key to keeping those guys in check is pressure on Carson Palmer. The front seven will have to get into the backfield quickly to make Palmer rush his throws. Rudy Johnson will not play in this game and Kenny Watson is a bit of an unknown here. If Thomas Jones and LT had trouble running on this D, I don’t expect Watson to do much better.

Of course the defense has given up a few long controlled drives the last three weeks and will have to keep that to a minimum against this offense. Part of the success of the team this year has been their complete domination early. They have dictated the tempo of the game and kept teams in a reacting mode. Through three games, the Patriots offense has gained more yards than any other team and the defense has allowed fewer yards than any other team. Because they are setting the tempo and keeping other teams offenses off the field, the opponents, start playing from behind, even when the game is still close. Against a team like the Bengals, who have quick score ability, this will be even more important.

I’m looking forward to this game, it should be very entertaining, despite having to listen to Tony Kornheiser’s idiotic ramblings through the game. Can somebody please tell me how he got this job and how does he keep it week after week? Is it some kind of talent affirmative action thing? Of course if it gets to be too much, we can always mute the TV and turn on the radio to catch the soothing sounds of Gil and Gino.

What is the significance of 38? There must be a reason the Patriots have scored 38 points each of the first three weeks. Given they imposed their will on the Bills this week, they could have scored more than that, but instead the score stayed at 38. It is a mystery we will ponder all season I’m sure. I lay awake nights thinking about it.

OK, not really. But this was another rout and the Patriots continue to dominate their opponents in all phases of the game.

After a stuttering first quarter from New England, they buckled up their chin straps and blew Buffalo out of the water. The offense continues to look balanced and lethal. I find myself wondering exactly when Brady is going to hit Moss for the plus 35 yard touchdown. Will it be a slant pattern, a straight up go route? Will Moss have to beat a double team or has the defensive coordinator left Randy singled up with some hapless cornerback who can only wave at the ball as it hums by in a tight spiral into the outstreched hands of Randy Moss?

The corner actually had pretty good coverage on that one. There was just nothing to he could have done short of tackling Moss before the ball got there to save the TD. You know it is coming, there is just nothing you can do but wave at the ball. The rest of the offense was clicking on all cylinders. Lawrence Maroney broke 100 yards the first time this season and ran with more power than the previous two games. Sammy Morris continued to be the hammer in the ground game, and Kevin Faulk had some nice plays out of the back field. The offensive line continues their stellar play, Tom Brady again had good time to throw and they did a pretty good job on nemesis Aaron Schobel.

On defense, the Pats let up that first drive from rookie Trent Edwards but after that they did a good job putting pressure on the young QB. The front line is doing a great job tying up the offensive line and pushing them into the back field. At linebacker, Colvin and Vrabel are setting the edge and applying pressure while Adalius Thomas, Junior Seau, and Tedy Bruschi make sure the middle is locked up tight. Like Moss on the offense, it is hard to explain the difference Adalius Thomas makes on this defense. He has to be accounted for at all times and is a one man wrecking ball with physical ability normally seen in comic books. He opens up the rest of the defense to attack and be aggressive.

The secondary has not really been tested this season but they have responded when needed. Asante had a nice pick, and looks to be getting back into football shape.

If there is a point of concern it is the red zone defense. They have not stopped a team once they get inside the 20 all season. Of course this has only happened 5 times this year; I am sure it is something Bill and Dean Pees will be working on this week.

While the Bills were not their toughest opponent and are dealing with several injuries, you get the feeling it didn’t really matter who they sent out there. Next up, the Bengals–we’ll have a preview later this week. Just keep in mind, the Bengals let the Browns score 51 points on them this year. Do you think 38 will be a problem for New England?

Week 3 is upon us and the Pats face their second AFC East opponent. It is very early, but anytime you get a chance to take a game from within your division it should not be overlooked. The Bills are 0-2 along with the Jets and Dolphins, so New England can get a leg up on the division with a victory. With the media feeding frenzy dying down, I expect Bill has spent quite a bit of time getting his team not to overlook the Bills.

On offense I would expect more of the same from the Pats, air it out early and get a lead, then grind out the clock with heavy doses of Maroney and Sammy Morris. The Bills are having some issues defending the pass this year and this could be another big day for Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and company. With a 100-yard receiving game, Moss can become the first receiver in history to post three 100-yard games in his first three games with a new team. Given the lack of quality defensive backs in Buffalo, this should not be a problem. As long as the offensive line can continue to provide the stellar protection they have been giving Brady this year, he should be able to pick apart the Bills. One of the line’s biggest chores will be slowing down Bills defensive lineman Aaron Schobel. He has sacked Tom Brady more than any other player in the NFL. For some reason Matt Light just cannot stop him one on one. I would expect to see some tight end help on the left side, in the form of Kyle Brady or even tackle/tight end Ryan O’Callaghan. Donte Stallworth has had a very minor role in the offense so far this year, and at some point Brady is going to look his way.

The run game has been solid and very effective and this week should be more of the same. The Pats have become a team where the pass sets up the run. Morris has been getting the tough yards and Heath Evans can bang it in there too. Kevin Faulk has not made a big impact yet, but if Schobel and company start getting in the back field, we could see Faulk out there for some screens.

On defense, the team continues to play well despite missing two of their best players. James Sanders has been playing very well in the place of Rodney Harrison, and Jarvis Green has been more than capable for Richard Seymour’s starting defensive end position. Santonio Thomas has been a pleasant surprise. He has spent his career on the practice squad and with Seymour on the PUP has been elevated to the 53-man roster. He played very well last week and provides some depth on the defensive line.

Rookie running back Marshawn Lynch has looked pretty good for the Bills and they will try and get him on track. The d-line and linebackers are playing great and the Bills may be forced to abandon the run if Adalius Thomas continues to serve as a roadblock in the middle. With all the fireworks on offense, AD was not getting the publicity a player of his caliber normally gets when he comes to a new team. I think he took care of that last week and should be a major factor again this week. Quick question, if you are a San Diego wide receiver and say, for the sake of argument, AD is not actually running AWAY from you on his interception return. Say you actually are faster than the 270-lb monster. What were you going to do if you actually caught him? Did you think you were going to stop him?

The secondary should have a good test this week, as Lee Evans has speed to burn and is becoming one of the better receivers in the league. Asante Samuel looks to be getting into game shape and should draw coverage duty on Evans. Of course the best way to stop Evans is to pressure and confuse JP Losman, who sometimes looks confused all on his own. Losman has a lot of physical ability, but has yet to display the mental side of the game needed by every great quarterback.

There are all sorts of reasons to expect the Patriots to come out and put away the Bills early. This being a divisional game, they are almost never that easy. However, the Patriots are just too talented in too many areas of the game for Buffalo. Roll on New England.

The Patriots have complied with King Roger Goodell’s demands and turned over their video stash to the league. The NFL has stated there will be no further penalties. They also stated that there was no evidence to support the Jets claim that Patriot defensive players were wired on the field and the Pats were stealing audio signals. Lastly they also found that Magini sleeps with a small life-like replica doll of Bill Belichick and calls it “daddy,” but this is not against league rules.

OK, I made that last part up. But the “video-gate” scandal is all done and the Patriots have been penalized.  The media will continue to run this story into the ground and the Patriots will continue to play with a massive chip on their shoulder. On with the systematic destruction of all who get in their way.

Since I’m not feeling too eloquent (nor classy) at the moment–my overwhelming urge is to tell all the haters and doubters exactly how they can manhandle their own anatomy–and since I don’t want this to be that kind of blog–let’s turn it over to the players, shall we? Of course, they made their main statement on the field last night (38-14…now, where have I seen that score before?), as they are wont to do, but people will keep sticking microphones in their faces.

“I’ve got something to say to all the players in the league who wanted to comment on this: if you’re on past teams and you’ve got doubts and all these hypotheticals, I’ve got a hypothetical for you. Let’s get all the players that played with us (in those games) and get them back. Then get all the players you had and bring them back on your team. And let’s play again. We would win again, period.” –Tedy Bruschi

“To come out and win this game after hearing some of the things that were said about our team… this victory was for all Patriots teams past and present.”–Tedy Bruschi

I just don’t feel like I ever need to respond to what people say or think because they’re going to think that way, anyway. It’s just not something that’s worth the energy. We’re just going to go out and try to play the best that we can for the one statement we can make a week, which is when we play.”–Tom Brady

“We’re all lucky to play for (Belichick). He’s the best coach, probably, in the history of the NFL.”–Tom Brady

“This is our guy. We’re going to fight for him and we’re going to go out there and play for him. We appreciate what he has done for us.”–James Sanders, on Coach Bill Belichick

“We’ve got a lot of love for Bill. We really do. The culture you see here is because of Bill and the Kraft family. We understand that. Our hats are off to him. But he and I and everyone else here knows that that was only our second win. We have a lot more to look forward to.”–Junior Seau

“Today was their day. They played great from the jump.”–LaDainian Tomlinson

38-14. Wow. I felt the Pats were going to win this after the week they had, but I didn’t expect a surgical dissection of the Chargers.

I’ll post a full recap when I’m not so tired, but for all those that are trying to diminish what this team has accomplished, please keep it up.

Yes, there is an actual football game for New England this week in case you forgot amidst the media feeding frenzy that has been going on. The Pats have always taken motivation from people trying to bring them down or somehow diminish their accomplishments. More than one player in the locker room this week has given comments bristling at the suggestion that what they have achieved is no longer as impressive. I have a feeling this is going to be a very motivated team Sunday night at their home opener.

On offense I expect the Patriots to spend a lot of time in max protection. To deal with the Jets’ blitz last week New England kept an extra blocker in to give Brady some more time. Yes, contrary to some opinions out there the Jets got beat by the Patriots coaching and ability, not video tape. At times the Pats put right tackle Ryan O’Callaghan in as an a tight end to lend a hand in pass protection. O’Callaghan is huge and is not going to let somebody get by him without a mauling. Given the aggressive pass rush of San Diego and the speed of Shawne Merriman, we might see more of the same max protection. San Diego rookie Eric Weddle had a nice first game against the Bears and he needs to be accounted for on the blitz. If the offensive line can keep Brady as safe as they did last week, San Diego could be in trouble in the passing game, as their corners don’t have the kind of coverage ability needed for the Pats receivers. They have some bigger corners, but I just don’t think they have the speed to stay with Moss and Stallworth. If the Chargers drop Merriman into coverage and bring up the safeties to blitz, he will have to cope with the quickness of Wes Welker in the slot or the speed and power of Ben Watson. If he gets his hands on Welker it is a physical mismatch and Welker isn’t going anywhere.

Second year tight end David Thomas came off the injury report and he should play. I really liked his game when he was at Texas and he has shown flashes of ability in New England. He is one of those guys that just gets open. He finds the hole in the middle of the field and sits there.

I am not sure how successful the run game is going to be between the tackles. The Chargers play a 3-4 defense and nose tackle Jamal Williams is a beast. Given the stout run defense, expect to see plenty of screen passes to help slow down the blitz. We all know what Kevin Faulk can do out of the back field and I am curious to see how much they send Maroney out for a screen. The prospect of Maroney one on one with a corner or safety out in the flat is interesting to say the least. His size/speed combination out there would slow down a blitz pretty quick.

On defense, priority number one is obviously LaDainian Tomlinson. He is a mismatch in every way and just when you think you have him contained, he tosses a touchdown pass. The Bears did a pretty good job slowing him down on the ground, but that game didn’t turn out too well for them anyway. The Pats run defense looked great last week but I think LT will still break off a few long ones; he is just too good to be shut down. Philip Rivers has shown typical young quarterback jitters at a heavy blitz but it is hard to sell out on the blitz when LT is back there. One draw play during a blitz and he is gone. Richard Seymour’s loss is going to hurt this week, as the defensive line needs to set the perimeter and contain LT out of the back field. If they can do that, the linebackers can do their job. Jarvis Green, Ty Warren, and Vince Wilfork are a great starting defensive line, but there is less depth without Seymour starting and Green coming off the bench.

The Antonio Gates versus Adalius Thomas match up should be a heavyweight battle. You have to have the feeling the Pats signed AD for games just like this. AD is one of the few linebackers with the speed to stay with Gates. And while Gates is a big dude, he doesn’t really enjoy getting hammered off the line. Last year NE used a variety of coverages to account for Gates and did a decent job. This year they could stick AD on him the entire game and free up the rest of their defense to be aggressive.

I am not terribly impressed with the San Diego wide receivers and the secondary should match up well. The success of San Diego’s receivers stems from making the defense devote more time to accounting for Gates and LT. If the Pats can contain those guys with their front seven, the physical nature of the secondary should be in good shape against Vincent Jackson, Craig Davis, and Malcolm Floyd.

Before the circus this week, we would have devoted an entire week getting hyped for this game. It is a marque match up on prime time. Unfortunately the media chose to spend their time attacking a team that has had a lot of success. After last year’s stunning playoff loss, the Chargers are looking for revenge. With all the media trying to diminish their accomplishments the Patriots might just be looking for blood.

1. Clearly whatever was on the tape from Sunday’s game against the Jets didn’t affect that game because it was CONFISCATED before halftime. I can’t even count the number of Jets comments I’ve read that insist the Pats should be forced to forfeit the game. The illogic there is baffling to me.

2. We don’t know what was on the tape, and we’ll never know. We just know it wasn’t a factor in the current game.

3. I find the grudge Mangini holds for Belichick to be curious, to say the least. He worked for the guy, picked his brain, learned everything he knows, only has a head-coaching job because he was an assistant under Belichick, and the second he gets out of Foxboro he begins trying to bring Belichick down. This goes beyond normal protege behavior. (Did Belichick try to bring down the Tuna? No, he just went on to win his own rings independent of him.)

Consider this lead (full article here):

NEW YORK — Armed with counter-intelligence from Eric Mangini, the Jets apparently have succeeded in busting the Patriots’ spy ring.

A former assistant under Bill Belichick, Mangini arrived in New York last year with an insider’s knowledge of the Patriots’ sign-stealing surveillance tactics. He shared the dirty little secret with members of the Jets’ organization, a person with knowledge of the matter informed the New York Daily News on Tuesday.

It wasn’t until the fourth Mangini-Belichick showdown — Sunday — that the Jets were able to catch the Patriots. Tipped off by Jets security, an NFL security official confiscated a video camera and tape from a Patriots employee at the Meadowlands, and the evidence is believed to be damning.

I read this to say that one of Mangini’s primary goals was to catch the Patriots. If he’s so lily white, why didn’t he blow the whistle as a member of the Patriots’ staff? Because he’d have gotten himself blacklisted throughout the League. Because he’d never would have gotten a head coaching job. Because it SERVED HIS OWN PURPOSES to keep quiet at that time. And if he’s so pure, why did he grab one of the Pats’ video guys and take him to NJ with him?

I don’t condone cheating, of course not. I’m still not sure what the Patriots were doing, and if Goodell really wants to get to the bottom of this, he can examine every team’s video vault and see exactly what they have at their disposal. I don’t think he wants to go there. But I also don’t think Mangini is a stand-up all-about-the-rules guy, either. I think he’s all about bringing down Belichick, for reasons I can’t even surmise. Some sort of Oedipal thing?

Keep your grudges on the field, Mangini. You got beat fair and square. The Patriots practically announced their offensive plan (Maroney is going to run now…) and you still couldn’t stop them. Focus more on your game plan and less on bringing down Belichick, and maybe you’ll have a chance.

But as far as I can see, vilifying Belichick and holding up Mangini as a rule-abiding saint is hypocritical at best. Mangini knows the Pats’ MO and most likely is copying it down in NJ (what the hell, he’s trying to build Patriots South in every other way). He could have opened his mouth three years ago if he’s so concerned about ethics. He’s not. He’s got his motives like everyone else. Let’s not forget that here.

The NFL imposed the penalty on the Pats tonight for the illegal spying incident at the Jets game. I have been holding off on anything related to this because I didn’t want to be one of those yahoos posting what was not confirmed. We knew something went on, we knew the Pats got caught, and that was it. Now we know they will pay quite a bit of money and either a first round draft pick or a second and third pick next year. They got caught doing something wrong and now they are being punished. During a game, offensive lineman hold on every down. Sometimes they are called for it and the team is penalized ten yards.

I don’t know how much this might have affected a game and neither do you. My guess is not enough to justify a penalty harsher than what was given. Commissioner Roger Goodell most likely wanted to set a precedent here and I think he did. Other teams have been caught on the wrong side of the rules and history has forgiven them, or even failed to notice. Because the Patriots have been so successful it is open season. I don’t remember this much outrage when the Broncos were fined for salary cap violations after their Super Bowl runs. They played a little loose with the cap regarding their two most important players and I don’t think it invalidated their championships. The Pats and more specifically Bill Belichick have not always been the most open team to the media and they don’t provide good sound bites. Some media even resent that you can’t get information out of Foxboro. When a story like this breaks, it is like blood in the water.

Personally I think it is a pretty harsh penalty for something that is most likely not unique to the Pats. That said I am glad the NFL came down fairly quickly and was decisive. The penalty is out and there are games to be played this weekend. As a Pats fan looking at the glass half full, the Pats had two first round picks in 2008, so this doesn’t hurt quite so bad.

If you are one of those people that think the Pats are the only ones stealing signals or bending the rules you might want to stop now and go back to reading your Tony Dungy book. Like every other sport, people bend and stretch the rules in the NFL. I would bet there are at least half the teams in the NFL doing something similar. We don’t even know what they were doing with the video once they had it. It seems far fetched that they were planning on using it during the game. Regardless, the Pats are the ones that got caught, so they will be punished. That doesn’t mean they are more guilty than a team coached by, say, John Gruden, or Mike Shanahan, or even Eric Mangini. Heck, a good part of Mangini’s staff is from New England. His top video guy used to to be on the Patriots staff. What do you think he is doing in New York? Here are Mangini’s comments from an article on the Jets website last year.

On the video technology the coaching staff utilizes…
Steve Scarnecchia is the head of our video department, and one of the reasons that I hired him- I worked with him at the other place- is that he’s another guy that’s always trying to stay ahead of the curve. He does a great job with constantly researching what’s the latest technology, whether it’s the latest technology in how to film practice or the latest technology in how to cut up practice or games, or how to get the information to the players. He’s been helpful in terms of acquiring clips that we can teach off of. He’s done a great job with that and he’s constantly bringing ideas that we incorporate to help the players.

Hmm. Let me think for a minute. The same team that filed a complaint against the Pats with the NFL wouldn’t be doing something wrong would they, nah…I’m sure the Jets are all that is good and pure in the league. And I’m sure Mangini has now endeared himself to all the other teams that have interpreted a rule a little loosely. There was never any love lost between these teams and now I hope on December 16 the Pats beat them 75-0 while Bill Belichick coaches wearing a blindfold. Before you go and comment, keep in mind you would be a little bitter too if your team was dragged through the media mudpit like the Pats were this week. They were my team when Dick MacPherson was lost in the weeds in 1991-1992 and they are my team now.

Bring on the Chargers.

Because here at the Land of Patriots, you get two posts for the price of one. While my lovely and talented wife has hit the major points below, I just wanted to touch on a couple things.

First, can somebody please give the offensive line a game ball? Brady stood back there flat footed

several times just waiting for his receivers to come open. He felt no urgency and was barely touched all afternoon. To be honest I don’t recall seeing the line dominate like that before. They are normally very effective and one of the best in football, but this is the NFL, and you can only stop a defense from getting in the backfield for so long. Brady likes to hold on to the ball until the last minute, but today you had the feeling he could have grabbed a sandwich and made a couple phone calls before that last minute came.

And maybe that all had something to do with Randy Moss leaving scorch marks all over the Jets secondary. The Jets simply could not bring the amount of pressure they wanted without exposing themselves in the pass. And nobody makes you pay for a blitz like Brady. After trying a few times, the Jets seemed to abandon the thought of getting to Tom, and they shifted to simply trying to contain Randy Moss and Wes Welker. I expected Moss to play well, but I didn’t think he would play that well. I guess those people that said his legs were shot are wrong, huh? The 51-yard touchdown was a lesson in physical domination without any contact. I don’t know many other receivers that can blow by that many people in the secondary while running across the field to the other side. And he had to slow down a step to get the ball! It goes in the books as a 51-yarder, but Moss also had to run almost the full width of the field and never lost a step. Now, I don’t expect Moss to have that kind of game every week, but he certainly put the league on notice, didn’t he?

In the run game, Maroney looked solid. He ran hard and was very effective. Sammy Morris also looked good in his role. Really on offense there is not a whole lot you can say didn’t go well.

On defense they were all over the field making plays. Pennington felt pressure, Thomas Jones couldn’t shake lose, and the defensive backs kept a talented group of receivers pretty well in check. Jarvis Green was especially impressive. He had his man beat several times and had a couple sacks. Adalius Thomas was great inside and also dropping back in coverage. He just missed an interception early. Too bad because I would love to see a 270-lb man run it back.

Today did nothing to diminish the high expectations that the media and fans have for this team and that is fine by me. The Pats have never really succumbed to pressure of expectations. They expect themselves to be great, and that is what they were today.