“He [Coach Belichick] wants to adopt Ed Reed… It’s going to be Ed Belichick… I know he coached him at the Pro Bowl last year and I think, as a defensive coach, you look at a player like that who’s such a game-changer… I tell you, he better run after the game is over because Coach is going to try to bring him back on the plane with us if he could.”

—Tom Brady

The Patriots announced today that Troy Brown was activated off the PUP list; Kareem Brown was cut to make room for #80. Linebacker Chad Brown was re-signed, and, the worst news, Rosevelt Colvin was placed on the IR, ending his season. He is listed with a foot injury.

Position flexibility is key to the Patriot defense and the loss of Rosey will mean some other players will have to step up. The Chad Brown signing is obviously to try and fill the void left by Colvin. Brown has played inside and outside during his long career, but these days he seems better on the outside. Adalius Thomas will also see some more time outside, which may be a good thing, as he definitely can make plays from the edge. Of course that leaves Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau inside a lot of the time without the rotation they have been using. Last, this creates a big opportunity for Pierre Woods. Woods seems to be a guy the Pats like as a longterm player, so he may get his chance to shine. He works hard and has been mentioned as practice player of the week a few times this year.

Another possibility is that we see more of a four-man front with three linebackers. The Pats have used a 4-3 defense off and on this season and certainly have the talent up front to run it more often.

We may also see more looks where Rodney Harrison lines up in the box rather than as a traditional safety in the defensive backfield. He has played a linebacker/safety hybrid position more than a few times this year as a result of the matchups New England wanted to create.

What’s there to say about Troy? He IS the Patriots. Is there any position he can’t play? When he’s on the field, he makes plays happen. We’ve often thought, this season, that Wes Welker was filling in for Troy Brown on those crucial third-down plays. He always made the play when necessary. Remind you of anyone? Now Troy’s back, too. It’ll be good to see him on the field.

We’re going to miss Rosey, though, especially down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Didn’t I tell you this one had me a little nervous? I didn’t? Well, I meant to. Philly is a darn good football team and they are having a rough year, but they are always dangerous. The point spread on this was ludicrous and I’m glad we got a tight, entertaining game.

Couple things before we break it down. For those people saying that Philly just laid out a blueprint on how to beat the Pats, or that Pats have been exposed–please go back and check the scoreboard. Philly still lost. It is not a successful blueprint unless you win. As much as I admire the Eagles coaching staff and organization, I don’t think they are the first ones to think that if you pressure Brady, cover the deep ball, and keep the NE offense on the bench you have a good shot at victory. That is a pretty good game plan against any high-power offense. The problem is, most teams fall short on the match ups. Philly brings the players to go with the game plan. Add to that an Eagles team playing with nothing to lose and you have the makings for the toughest game the Pats have played to date.

To blitz Brady all night you have to have a very solid and physical secondary and attacking front seven with an aggressive blitz package. The problem most teams have is they may have one but not the other. Washington has a good secondary but couldn’t put any heat on Brady. As a result he had all day to let the play develop and then pick his spots. A team like the Steelers or Giants are both capable of putting pressure on Brady, but their secondary can be exploited as a result. The two teams that gave the Pats the most trouble were the Colts and the Eagles; both fit the above profile.

Offense

Contrary to what will be said, the Eagles didn’t exactly shut down New England’s offense. Brady still had a pretty good night and Wes Welker was on fire. They scored on four of their eight possessions (not counting the kneel down) and it should have been five of eight. Randy Moss was called on a nonexistent pass interference in the thirrd quarter, taking away a touchdown, and then Gostkowski missed the easy field goal to end the drive without points.

Couple things on this possession :

1. Do you think Bill Polian called referee Gene Steratore before the game to tell him to call Moss for pushing off when he was in the end zone, or did Steratore just ad lib that one in an effort to get on Polian’s good side? As I have said, Moss does push off, like many of the great receivers. But to call it on a play where it didn’t happen and take points off the board is a bit much.

2. To Stephen Gostkowski–This team is most likely never going have to put you in a position to make a huge clutch kick–they are too good for that. The least you can do is hit the gimmes.

The Eagles did a great job taking away Randy Moss; Lito Sheppard is one of the best corners in the NFL when he is healthy. But the problem when you play New England is they have so many weapons, you can’t stop them all. They moved the ball very well in a spread formation, even with Brady under pressure. Even though Philly shut down the deep ball, the middle of the field was open and Wes Welker moved the chains up and down the field. The Pats barely ran the ball, with only 13 hand-offs to the backs. Jabar Gaffney had a solid game and made his claim to the number 4 receiver job. He continues to be a sure handed, reliable option in the offense when the ball comes his way. Contrary to many opinions, I actually thought Maroney ran pretty well, although he only toted the rock ten times for 31 yards (and the last three were to kill clock). He ran tough on the TD and picked up yards when he needed to. They simply didn’t need him much.

Defense

This was the area of concern, as the Eagles seemingly had the perfect game plan to move the ball and control the clock. It was obvious the Pats were going to focus on taking away Brian Westbrook and were not going to let him beat them. I think New England figured if they held Westbrook in check, and forced AJ Feeley to beat them, they were in good shape. Overall a sound game plan, but the problem is Feeley had a great game. He was very patient and the offensive line kept the pressure off him for the most part. Although he beat this bit of insight into the ground, John Madden did point out that slants and in cuts were wide open and Philly was content to work the middle of the field. Dean Pees simply didn’t adjust when he saw the offensive game plan of the Eagles. The defensive line did not get consistent pressure on Feeley, and the secondary did not do a good enough job covering the receivers in the middle. The only bright spots in the secondary were the shutdown-like play of Asante Samuel and the steady game turned in by James Sanders. Sanders made the final interception and had another solid game.

Has anyone seen Brandon Meriweather? Should we put him on a milk carton or something? When Randall Gay went down and Hobbs was in and out of the the game, Eddie Jackson was the guy, and rookie Meriweather was nowhere to be seen. I know he is a rookie, but that he isn’t out there most likely doesn’t mean anything good.

Some people are going to say the Pats needed a gut check game like this. They needed to be tested to keep from becoming complacent. I don’t think that is a danger with this team. I say they needed a close game like this so they can see the areas they need to improve. Recent Patriots history tells us when the Pats play poorly one week, they come out the next week with a laser-like focus and intensity. It usually doesn’t end well for their next opponent. A prime-time game in a hostile atmosphere like Baltimore might be just what the doctor ordered.

***

Congratulations to the Patriots for clinching the AFC East by Week 11, tying a League record. They had that wrapped up before they even stepped onto the field last night (Buffalo, we knew you’d come through). I don’t know about you, but we don’t own any AFC East Championship swag in this house. We don’t even own any AFC Championship stuff. Just like the boys on the field, we hold out for the big one. So–we tip our World Series Champions Red Sox hats to the team, but it’s just another check mark on the way to the final goal.

ProJo Pats Blog is reporting this nugget of a soundbite from Randall Gay on ESPN Radio’s GameNight program; he’s discussing accusations that the Patriots have been running up the score:

“Basically, you have to ignore those people because this is a job. We’re out there, and what are we supposed to do? Like we scored on defense, when Ellis [Hobbs] caught the fumble, should he have taken a knee because we were up by so much? We’re out there to do our job, just like they’re out there to do their job. It kind of makes me mad when you hear somebody from the other team’s defense going ‘they shouldn’t have done that; that’s disrespect.’ Do we think it’s disrespect when they went and picked up their checks for letting a team score 50 points on them? That should be disrespect, that you went to your owner and said ‘All right, pay me for that game I just played.’ You can’t look at it like that. You have to go out there and do your best. If somebody is blowing you out, you have to play harder. You have to stop them.”

You can hear the entire interview here.

(Not that I disagree with you, Randall. Not at all.)

It is a good thing they have moved some of these games to late at night. Small children really should not watch the evisceration of an NFL team. It might drive them to run up the score and cut the sleeves of their sweatshirts when they grow up.

This one was a game right up to the point JP Losman threw an interception to Randall Gay on their first possession. Brady and the boys trot out onto the field and two plays later, the Pats are in the end zone and the Bills four-game win streak is a thing of the past. The rest of the game looked like an exhibition, where the Patriots lined up the Bills like real life Xs and Os and then executed their plays around them.

Some random observations:

It is staggering how good Randy Moss is. He is in complete control and you get the feeling he can beat his man any time he wants. His four touchdowns in the first half were amazing. On some of them the coverage was actually pretty good. In the end it is simple physical domination. Our guy is better than your guy. Bill Belichick actually called him the best receiver he has ever coached. And it is not like Bill just got to the NFL here, folks. We have not seen even a hint of the old grumpy trouble-making Moss. I think he is just so happy to be winning and making plays, nothing else matters. After the game during an on-field interview he said it was like a dream, he couldn’t believe he was playing for the Patriots. Randy, we in New England have the same feeling. We can’t believe Randy Moss is on the Patriots.

John Madden actually said he has never seen a quarterback play as well as Tom Brady is right now. You can say what you will about Madden and his ability to provide color commentary, but the man knows football and has seen a lot of great players over the years. So think about that statement for a minute. Tom Brady, the skinny sixth round draft pick who couldn’t hold onto the starting job in college. Playing better than Bradshaw, Montana, Unitas, Marino, or Elway. You can’t help but smile a little, can you?

James Sanders is playing great football right now. He had a great game and has really rounded out into an excellent safety. With Rodney Harrison and Eugene Wilson being out so much these past couple of years, he has had a lot of playing time. His game is solid in all areas and I don’t see him getting out of the lineup if Eugene Wilson ever gets healthy.

Adalius Thomas is an animal. He played outside quite a bit and absolutely destroyed Buffalo. They had no answer for him. He was in the backfield seemingly at will, and when he played the run, he swallowed up the ball carrier and spat him out. He definitely had a learning curve coming from Baltimore to the complexity of the New England defense. Now that he has had half a season to absorb what the Patriots do, we are starting to see the play-making ability come back to the field. I think the second half of the season he is going to be a wrecking ball in this defense.

If Jarvis Green does not go to the Pro Bowl, people are just hating on the Patriots. Vote for him here. He was pushing the offensive line for Buffalo around and harassing Losman all night long. And he has been doing it all season long. And not just on the football field. Jarvis steps up whenever there is a void to fill.

The two back-up running backs did a decent job in the second half. With the game well in hand and Maroney and Faulk both dinged up, Kyle Eckel and Heath Evans carried the ball the rest of the way and did a pretty good job. Granted, they were playing against a defense whose spirit was completely broken and had all but given up, but still it was nice to see those two guys move the chains.

So it is back to New England for another night game, this time against the Eagles and Brian Westbrook. Word is Donovan McNabb might not play after hurting his ankle. Donovan, I don’t blame you for sitting this one out. You might want to hide the kids too.

Just a couple of thoughts that have been knocking around my head recently.

Troy Brown has been practicing with the team and has started the 21 day clock to either put him on the 53 man roster, cut him, or put him on IR. I think we can all safely assume Troy will not be cut. Assuming the staff deems him healthy enough not to go on the IR, the question becomes, who gets cut?

Back up safety Rashad Baker is a possibility, although with Eugene Wilson still not healthy and Brandon Meriweather not exactly lighting it up and extra safety on the roster doesn’t hurt. Plus Baker plays special teams, which is always a priority with New England.

The Pats are loaded at wide receiver, with 6 on the roster right now. While you might need a lot of receivers when you throw the ball as much as New England, 7 seems like an awful lot on your roster. You can assume Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Donte Stallworth are not going anywhere. Chad Jackson was recently activated off the PUP, so assume he was not activated to be cut [more on him in a bit]. That leaves Kelly Washington and Jabar Gaffney. Neither guy gets many snaps, but they are both pretty good players. Gaffney showed something late last year and in training camp this year. He is the kind of hard working, humble player the Pats love to have. That said, I think he might be the one to go. Washington has become a very good special teams player, and is a big physical receiver. New England will almost always go for the guy who plays special teams, they love the versatility. Speaking of versatilty, maybe Troy Brown doesn’t play WR at all when he comes back. Troy has already shown he is a decent defensive back. If you have watched Troy Brown at all during his career, you know he will do whatever he is asked and do it pretty damn good. Who knows - is Matt Cassel’s job safe? Hmmm…

As noted, Chad Jackson is off the PUP and on the roster. I know a lot of people are starting to call him a bust after the Pats traded up in the 2006 draft to get Jackson. I am excited about what he can bring to the table. Last year he had trouble grasping the offense and then blew out his knee in the AFC Championship game. That said, he has all the physical tools to be an excellent player in this league. In limited action last year he still managed to catch 3 TD’s out of only 13 catches total. He is a very young player (only 22 years old) and the change from college to the NFL didn’t seem to go smoothly. It was even mentioned going into this year that some members of the Patriots staff were not even sure Jackson would play for the Patriots after he got healthy. Now, word is he is finally showing the maturity needed to be a pro. It would seem a certain tall, lanky, stupidly fast receiver has helped Chad see how hard work and maturity are the keys to the game, not just physical talent. Huh, Randy Moss, mentor - just goes to show, here in New England perceptions tend to be turned on their heads.

Another thought worth mentioning is with Donte Stallworth on a contract that requires a huge cap hit next year if he is on the roster, Chad Jackson may be the guy to step up and take his place if the Pats let Stallworth go or even trade him in the offseason.

Finally, NFL Pro Bowl voting is underway. Head here to cast your votes. If I may make a suggestion, while Moss and Brady are the obvious selections, don’t forget the big uglies up front. They make the offensive pyrotechnics happen. Koppen, Light, and Mankins are particularly deserving of a trip to Hawaii this year.

The Greatest Team in the NFL has a bye this week, we’re potty training one kid and the other is sick, so forgive me the short post. I thought I’d share some other Patriots-related sites I have on my feed, in case you haven’t discovered them yet. (Because we all need to spend more time on the computer, right?)

Patriots Team News Feed: Your basic news, with a choice of what feeds to subscribe to. This is straight from the Patriots’ own website.

Patriots Daily: These guys are often funny, always insightful, and I pretty much always agree with what they have to say. Plus, they post daily, just like the title promises.

ProJo Pats Blog: Often informative, although their gameday dispatches from the stadium just make me wonder where I went wrong in choosing a career path. (Full-time mom, needless to say, does not include tickets and travel to NFL games.) I like Shalise’s writing, but the quality goes way downhill when she lets Jim Donaldson have the keyboard.

Evil Patriots Blog: A newer blog. Don’t let the title scare you away; John Cyr is a Pats guy. He has a firm handle on sarcasm, is all. A unique, often amusing look at the NFL’s newest Team to Hate. (Geez, we’ve become the Yankees of the NFL. Venom, thy name is jealousy.)

Enjoy your bye Sunday. May it involve neither potties nor sick, whimpering boys.

“Are you tired of losing to the Colts?” - Bill Belichick

Coach Belichick was asking his players that all week leading up the clash of the undefeated teams in week 9. Apparently, they were tired of it. Tired enough to overcome a 10-point deficit in the 4th quarter. This one was tight and may have taken a year off my life for the stress caused in the first half. [Amy says: My life, too.] The Pats did not play their best game for about 50 minutes and still found away to come back, on the road, in a loud stadium, against a very good team. This is one that builds character and sets a tone for the second half of the season.

This one says a lot about what the Patriots are really about. They are not about video tape, they are not about running up the score, they are not about any other overblown hysteria the media can work up. They are about winning, plain and simple. This team just wins. Sometimes they do it with a mastery in all aspects of their sport, like in the Redskins game. And sometimes it is all guts and desire.

This was the first adversity the team has really faced this year, some of it against a surprisingly effective Colts defense, some of it against the what we might call “other factors.” Like most of the recent Pats vs Colts games, the officiating in this was horrible. This past week the Colts GM, Bill Polian, made it a point to mention to the League that offensive pass interference should be a point of emphasis. Surely this was done in the spirit of competition and not in an effort to slow down New England’s talented new group of receivers. And as luck would have it, the officiating crew assigned to the game had called more offensive pass interference penalties than any other crew this year. Weird how that works out.

And wouldn’t you know it, Randy Moss gets called for offensive pass interference in the end zone. Now I will not be so naive to think Randy Moss does not push off once in a while, but this was not one of those times. The penalty had the feel of an obligatory call by the officials. As if they were waiting to call that penalty at the proper moment, not necessarily when it actually applied. Ellis Hobbs got victimized on defense with a bad pass interference call, where he ran by the receiver and was actually in better position to catch the ball. If anything, that was offensive interference on the Colts. But we know they don’t commit those kind of penalties, do they? Instead, the officials spot the ball and give Indy first and goal. Well played, Mr. Polian. Unfortunately, you can’t win a game from your seat up in the box.

The Patriots had contributions from all over. The defense toughened up in the red zone for the first time all year. They denied Indy the end zone early in the game, holding them to field goals. Rodney Harrison all but shut down Dallas Clark. Rosey Colvin and Mike Vrabel continued to be the disruptive force they have been all year coming from the outside. Jarvis Green had yet another huge play against Manning, stripping the ball away late in the 4th quarter as the Colts were trying their own comeback. Kevin Faulk scored the game winner on skill and heart. Randy Moss and Wes Welker made game-changing catches, from Moss’ one handed grab, to Welker’s huge first down to seal the game. This team just makes the plays when they need to. These Patriots just win.

The Pats were like a boxer taking blows round after round, only to come alive in the end to turn the fight around. The score was 10-20, Indy, when the Pats came off the ropes and went on a 7-play, 73-yard drive. [Amy says: I missed this drive. I was hiding in the other room, listening through the wall.]

1-10-NE 27 (9:35) (Shotgun) T.Brady pass incomplete short left to R.Moss.

2-10-NE 27 (9:32) (Shotgun) T.Brady pass short middle to R.Moss to NE 42 for 15 yards (A.Bethea).

1-10-NE 42 (9:04) T.Brady pass incomplete short left to R.Moss.

2-10-NE 42 (8:59) (Shotgun) T.Brady pass deep left to R.Moss to IND 3 for 55 yards (A.Bethea).

1-3-IND 3 (8:40) T.Brady pass incomplete short left to R.Moss.

PENALTY on NE-R.Moss, Offensive Pass Interference, 10 yards, enforced at IND 3 - No Play.

1-13-IND 13 (8:36) (Shotgun) T.Brady pass incomplete short right to R.Moss.

2-13-IND 13 (8:31) (Shotgun) T.Brady pass short middle to W.Welker to IND 3 for 10 yards (G.Brackett, M.Jackson)

3-3-IND 3 (8:04) (Shotgun) T.Brady pass short left to W.Welker for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN

Down by 10 on the road late in the game and the officials back them up from the 3-yard line to the 13 on the bad offensive pass interference call. New England did not complain, they just sucked it up and ran the next play. From the start of that drive, there was a feeling that they had had enough, they were coming out of their corner swinging.

From that point on, even though they were down 3 points, New England controlled the game and dictated play to the Colts. Gostkowski kicks the ball 70 yards for yet another touchback. The defense forces the Colts offensive line into penalties, and then sacks Manning to force a punt. Welker returns it for 23 yards and put New England at mid field. Fifty-three yards later Kevin Faulk is stretching to get the ball into the endzone and take the lead.

The defense was not quite done, as the Colts got the ball back with 3:10 left on the clock. After the Colts picked up 25 yards, Jarvis Green came around the tackle to strip the ball from Manning and Colvin snags the ball out of the air, to complete the knock out. Manning then lies on his stomach and pounds the ground with his fists. Really.

Pay attention, sports fans. You are watching something special here. This kind of game makes a team better. The Patriots had taken their lumps from the Colts the last three times they played. They were tired of it and it wasn’t going to happen again. They have the heart of a champion and the talent to match. They are reasonably healthy but could use the rest heading into the bye week. By the time they travel to Buffalo, Richard Seymour should be back to 100% and Troy Brown might be back on the active roster. The team that doesn’t know how to lose just got stronger.

*Indefectible: adj 1. not subject to failure or decay: LASTING 2: free of faults: FLAWLESS

[Amy says: I was an English major, and I’m not doing anything else with the fricking degree]

It appears the malady the media is suffering from might be contagious, so just to be safe what do you say we take the media out back behind the old barn and give it the Old Yeller treatment? The biggest game of the year is coming up in three short days and everywhere I turn somebody is talking about the Pats running up the score, the Pats are bullies, the Pats are trying to bring Chinese Communism to the US. Enough already!

For those of you foaming at the mouth in your self-righteous rancor, please take a moment, clean yourself up, and look at your NFL schedule. That’s right sports fans, it is Ali vs Frazier, Sox vs Yankees (assuming the Yankees don’t continue their slide into an early 80s-like abyss). It is cats vs dogs, Mike Vick vs PETA. Here we have two undefeated teams squaring off in the middle of the NFL season, two teams with prolific offenses, the two best quarterbacks in the game, future Hall of Fame players on both teams; and you want to talk about the Pats scoring too many points on another professional football team? If this is a concern of yours, please stop what you are doing right now; search your pockets, the cushions of your couch, really, you should search anywhere you think you might have lost your perspective.

This is a huge game for both teams and I am stunned over the amount of time the media is spending on assuming they have a clue as to what agenda the Patriots and Bill Belichick might have. Listen, even if you could get into Bill’s head, I don’t think you or I would understand it. My guess is a lot of Xs and Os flying around being directed by a mysterious gray hoodie. Kind of like all those brooms flying around in Fantasia.

Assuming both the Pats and Colts make the playoffs, this game could very well decide home field advantage. The Pats are scoring at a rate never seen before in NFL history, and they have more offensive weapons than ever before. Their defense has been retooled and they are primed for the offensive challenge that awaits them in Indy. The Colts are playing great football and their defense is much improved from last year. Yes, that last line caused me physical pain just to type.

New England spent this off season correcting the issues that kept them from the Super Bowl last year. On offense they had a cast of wide receivers that would have trouble making more than half the NFL rosters. So they bring in Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, and some washed-up dude named Randy? Oh, don’t forget the holdovers, Ben Watson, Kevin Faulk, and Lawrence Maroney. How does the Colt defense stop all these guys? I have no idea.

The middle of the Patriot defense was exposed last year in the AFC Championship game. Manning exploits the weakness and drove the Pats into the ground with his relentless attacking. Injuries to key Patriots certainly played a part in that, as Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau were both out. They are both healthy now and Adalius Thomas has been added in the middle to blow up slot receivers and tight ends coming across his territory. (That means you, Dallas Clark.) This is not the same old Patriot defense Manning has seen. The schemes may be the same, but there are new wrinkles added just for him.

So stop with the whining, stop trying to bring down a truly great team, and start focusing on the next game. It is going to be a great one. Bill has his guys doing it, you should too. Otherwise we might have to go for a walk behind the shed, just you and me.