by Christopher Price
[email protected]

The move is a simple one, really: Extend your elbows outward so your arms are at a 90-degree angle from the rest of your body. Put your hands back to back with your palms facing outward. Then, push your hands apart quickly.

For Randy Moss, it’s a touchdown celebration that signifies separation from a defensive back. But the move is much more than that — it’s a distinct shot at those who suggested the 30-year-old wide receiver was over the hill entering this season and was now unable to get the sort of separation from opposing defenders that had made him a world class wide receiver in the past. How’s that workin’ out for you?

It’s a move opposing coaches are now seeing with greater frequency, much to their chagrin.

“We didn’t have an answer for Randy Moss today,” said Indianapolis Head Coach Tony Dungy after Sunday’s game where Moss had nine catches for 145 yards and a touchdown in the 24-20 win over the Colts.

And while his touchdowns have become signature events punctuated by the separation shuffle, his coaches and teammates are becoming accustomed to it all. Even his impressive one-handed grab over the middle against Indianapolis — a pass that few receivers in the history of the Patriots’ franchise could have made — wasn’t a shocker for New England Head Coach Bill Belichick.

“I can tell you, though, standing out here at practice, anybody will tell you that’s not the first one,” Belichick said of the grab. “It’s not the 10th one. In fact, you saw it against — who was it there, Dallas or Miami or somebody? — in the end zone, where he just…

“Honestly, he does that on a pretty regular basis.”

The on-field numbers are staggering (56 catches, 924 yards, 12 touchdowns), but the impact stretched far beyond what he can do when he has the ball. He’s a persistent threat, a unique player who demands constant attention whenever he’s on the field. As a result, other wide receivers are benefiting — Wes Welker is on pace to shatter career-bests in receptions, yards and touchdowns, while fellow wideout Donte Stallworth and tight end Ben Watson aren’t far off pace to set personal bests of their own.

“You’ve got to pick your poison,” said Cleveland Head Coach Romeo Crennel of the New England passing game.

As for the whole “Moss won’t work in a Belichick system” argument, well, just ask his teammates how that’s going. In June, after spending just over a month with his new team, he accompanied them to the funeral of former Patriots defensive lineman Marquise Hill. On other teams, a star of such magnitude would get an extra locker to store more stuff. In Foxborough, he gets the same treatment as everyone else, storing his gear in the same space that practice squad wide receiver C.J. Jones gets.

Just as Moss continues to put separation between him and defensive backs, it’s appeared he’s put plenty of distance between his old rep as a franchise killer.

“I think everything that has been written and said about him is probably the complete opposite of what we’ve experienced,” said Brady of Moss. “He’s a great teammate, a great player. He’s very coachable. He’s selfless. He’s a great worker. He leads by example. He has a bunch of great qualities.”

STAT OF THE WEEK

32. Of the 602 total plays from scrimmage through nine games, the Patriots’ offense has registered just 32 negative plays, excluding kneeldowns.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We’re 9-0 and it doesn’t really matter. What matters to us is January. Our goal is to win the AFC East and be in the best position we can be in going into the playoffs.” — Quarterback Tom Brady after Sunday’s game.

Christopher Price is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the Patriots since 2001 for Boston Metro. He’s served a contributor to ESPN.com, SI.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. He’s written “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower,” and can be reached at [email protected].

by Christopher Price
[email protected]

With the Patriots’ offense on the goal line, everyone seems to know what’s going to happen when Mike Vrabel enters the game. Everyone can hear over the public address system when the referee announces, “No. 50 is reporting as eligible.” And everyone knows that when the converted linebacker lines up at tight end, the chances are pretty good he’s going to get the football.

So why does Vrabel have so many touchdown catches?

The Ohio State grad has made a career as a part-time tight end — he caught his eighth regular-season touchdown pass and his 10th overall TD pass (including two in the playoffs) on a 2-yard scoring catch from quarterback Tom Brady in the second quarter. It was his second of the season — Vrabel also caught a touchdown pass on Oct. 1 at Cincinnati.

Each of Vrabel’s 10 career receptions have been for touchdowns — including one in Super Bowl XXXVIII and one in Super Bowl XXXIX. Including his one career interception return for a touchdown, Vrabel now has totaled nine career regular-season touchdowns, the fifth-highest total in a New England uniform by a current Patriot (trailing only Troy Brown, Kevin Faulk, Randy Moss and Benjamin Watson).

Each touchdown looks relatively similar — Vrabel slips unnoticed past the defensive line on a short little down and out or down and in play. But each of his touchdown catches has its own wrinkle. There’s the occasional element of surprise — like his catch against the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII, as well as his first career TD catch against the Chargers back in 2002. Sometimes, he simply beats the coverage — like his effort against Philadelphia and Jevon Kearse in Super Bowl XXXIX.

But many times, he gets help from his teammates. That appeared to be the case Sunday against the Redskins, when Vrabel was able to get so wide open in the right corner of the end zone was thanks in large part to some trickeration along the offensive line, which made it look like New England was going to run the ball.

“I think it was a good sell by the offensive line,” said Brady of the play, which culminated with a two-yard catch by Vrabel that put the Patriots up 14-0 and served as the latest example of the fact that Ohio State and Michigan guys really can co-exist in peace.

“If they’re playing the pass and you run it then they’re screwed, and if you try to make it look like a run and Vrabel slips out for a pass, then you leave him open.”

Head Coach Bill Belichick said Sunday, the Redskins were doing their due diligence and playing to stop the run first in that situation. But when you get into that sort of situation, you’re forced to pick your poison — Belichick recalled a play earlier in the season against the Chargers when San Diego used the same sort of formation — with ex-New England offensive lineman Gene Mruczkowski at tight end — and ended up scoring on a short pass from Philip Rivers to Lorenzo Neal.

“It’s tough on the goal line. You’re trying to stop the run, play-action passes. You’re only defending a yard, so it’s tough,” Belichick said. “We gave one up earlier in the year to San Diego, right? Standing out there, it looks like he’s out to practice early. That’s tough.”

In the end, it doesn’t matter which position you play. If you’ve got a good set of hands and can get open, Brady’s going to find you — even if you did go to Ohio State.

“He’s very good at evading defenders and getting off the line of scrimmage,” Brady said of Vrabel. “He’s very quick [and] he uses his hands well. He’s got good hands when he catches it.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. How the New England defense goes about trying to stop Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark. The Patriots were tormented by Clark in last year’s AFC Championship Game — he finished with six catches for 137 yards. Safety Rodney Harrison struggled at times when faced with Dallas tight end Jason Witten earlier in the season, a good tight end. It remains to be seen how they will go about stopping Clark.

2. How the Indy defense goes about trying to stop Randy Moss. If the Patriots are worried about stopping Clark, the Colts are just as concerned about Moss. Historically, they’ve done OK, but that might only be because they’ve faced Moss just once — Dec. 24, 2000, when the Vikings played at the RCA Dome and lost, 31-10. In that one, Moss finished with one catch — a touchdown pass from Daunte Culpepper — for 42 yards.

3. If the Patriots try and run a lot of play-action. According to the 2007 Pro Football Prospectus, the Colts allowed an astounding 7.6 net yards per pass on play-action fakes last season. Laurence Maroney appears to be nearly back to full strength — he was on the field for 24 of the 76 offensive snaps the Patriots had against the Redskins. If he’s anywhere near healthy, a resurgent Maroney will provide some depth in the running game and force the Colts to respect the possibility of play-action.

4. The continued assimilation of Richard Seymour into the No. 1 defense. The results of our highly unscientific data — we may have missed him for a play or two in the fourth quarter — show Seymour on the field for 18 of the 53 defensive snaps Sunday against the Redskins. After missing the first seven weeks of the season, the Pro Bowl defensive lineman had some rust against Washington, but will likely play a larger role in the defensive game plan this week against Indianapolis.

5. If the Patriots and Colts can break the scoring record for the RCA Dome. According to the Indianapolis media guide, the record for most points scored in a game by two teams at the RCA Dome is 79, when the Colts beat the Packers on Nov. 16, 1997, 41-38. There’s a pretty good chance that the Patriots and Colts will come close to shattering that mark on Sunday.

STAT OF THE WEEK

164. With 38 interception-free passes Sunday against the Redskins, Tom Brady has now thrown 164 straight passes without an interception, tying the longest such streak of his career.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It’s our job to keep them off the board. This is football, it’s a competitive sport. They are a good team. We just have to do what we need to do to keep them out of the end zone.”— Washington safety Pierson Prioleau, speaking with reporters about whether or not the Patriots ran up the score on the Redskins.

Christopher Price is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the Patriots since 2001 for Boston Metro. He’s served a contributor to ESPN.com, SI.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. He’s written “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower,” and can be reached at chris@patriotsdaily.[email protected].

by Christopher Price
[email protected]

When it comes to watching Tom Brady, Joe Theismann is just like the rest of us.

“We’ve run out of adjectives to describe him,” Theismann said earlier this week after watching Brady throw six touchdowns in a 49-28 win over the Dolphins. “He is what every quarterback should aspire to be.”

Through seven games, Brady is enjoying a storybook season. The 30-year-old tops in the league in most every statistical category, including touchdown passes (27), total passing yards (2,096), completion percentage (73.3) and quarterback rating (137.9), all while leading New England to its first 7-0 start in franchise history.

Theismann has always held Brady in high regard, but this year, the former Redskins quarterback and “Monday Night Football” analyst said Brady’s game has gone to another level because he has so many dependable offensive options around him.

“His numbers in the previous couple of years were only reflected by what I think was a suspect receiving corps,” Theismann said. “What they’ve done this year is upgrade the receiving corps tremendously.”

And while Theismann has an affinity for Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker, it’s Randy Moss who has really made the biggest difference. Theismann cites several of his team-high 10 touchdown catches this season — including his two scores against the Dolphins — as plays that only someone like Moss could make.

“It’s speed to run away from people, athletic ability and ball presence to be able to take the ball from anyone, anytime, anywhere,” said Theismann in explaining what makes Moss special. “There hasn’t been a more dangerous football player in the National Football League than Randy Moss, except that he hasn’t had the compliment to go with him.”

The Patriots are on pace to break several offensive records, including touchdown passes, touchdown receptions and total points scored. But for all of the offensive pyrotechnics, Theismann believes the unsung heroes of the 2007 Patriots are the offensive linemen.

“The offensive line has done a wonderful job — they’ve allowed Tom to be able to step into his throws,” he said. “I’ve seen the film, and I’ve seen six or seven times where Brady has upwards of four seconds to be able to let Randy Moss get down the field and get the ball. … As compared to Notre Dame. I just watched Notre Dame-USC, and [Fighting Irish quarterback] Evan Sharpley had a half-second.

“It’s so great to see so many elements of a football team come together like this.”

According to Theismann, when it comes to going undefeated, there are two main points to consider. You need to keep your key players healthy. And it always helps to have some company at the head of the pack — in this case, Indianapolis, which appears to be doing everything it can to stay stride for stride with New England in the race for home-field advantage in the AFC Playoffs.

“When it comes to going undefeated, the most important thing to happen for New England is to have somebody close enough where all 16 weeks matter,” Theismann said. “Then, Bill will have the toughest decision when it comes to how much he wants to play these guys and how much he wants to rest them.

“But this is the best football team that’s been put together in the last 15 or 20 years. They really are.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. If Jason Campbell can have any more success against the Patriots than any of the other first-timers have had this season. Campbell marks the fifth quarterback who will be going up against the Patriots for the first time in his career in 2007. He follows in the footsteps of Buffalo’s Trent Edwards (10-for-20, 50 yards, one interception vs. the Patriots), Cleveland’s Derek Anderson (22-for-43, 287 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions), Dallas’ Tony Romo (18-for-29, 199 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) and Miami’s Cleo Lemon (24-for-37, 236 passing yards, one interception).

2. If New England’s second-half struggles in stopping the run against Miami were simply attributable to the Patriots spending much of the time in a prevent defense, or is it symptomatic of a larger problem? The Dolphins had little trouble piling up 179 rushing yards against New England. Much of that was when the game was well out of reach — and so the Patriots spent much of the time defending the pass instead of the run — but regardless of the numbers, the tackling was still poor at times. With plenty of above-average running backs just over the horizon (Clinton Portis, Joseph Addai and Marshawn Lynch), it’s a situation that bears watching.

3. If the Redskins secondary — probably the best the Patriots’ passing game has faced all season — can slow down the New England wide receivers. Led by four first-round draft picks (LaRon Landry and Sean Taylor at safety, Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers at cornerback), Washington’s starting secondary has limited opposing quarterbacks to just a 67.7 passer rating, the best in the league. In addition, they’ve allowed just five passing touchdowns all season, tied for second-best in the NFL. If there’s any team who can truly manage single coverage against Moss, Welker and Stallworth, it might be this group.

4. How many carries Laurence Maroney gets. After missing three games because of injury, the second-year running back had six carries for 31 yards in the win over the Dolphins. With Sammy Morris likely sidelined for another few weeks — and the Colts’ game drawing closer — the Patriots need to start working Maroney back to 100 percent.

5. If the clock starts on Richard Seymour and Troy Brown this week. Head Coach Bill Belichick didn’t offer any sort of insight as to the status of the two veterans at Monday’s press conference. Once they come off the physically unable to perform list, the Patriots have 21 days to activate them, release them or place them on season-ending injured reserve. “I think we’re getting close to that point,” Belichick said of the guys on the PUP list. “Whether that will happen this week or Wednesday or not, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

STAT OF THE WEEK

8. The combined number of Super Bowl rings that Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick and Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs have.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK (tie)

“Guys really liked playing for Herm [Edwards], but I don’t know if I can say the same for Eric [Mangini]. Guys played hard for Herm because they liked him. Guys now are scared. … Eric knows his Xs and Os, but he’s not a motivator. It’s just his way or you’re out of here. Some guys already know they won’t be here next year.” — Unnamed Jets player, speaking with the Newark Star Ledger on Sunday.

“We can’t win in America. Maybe we can win overseas.”—Miami defensive end Jason Taylor, answering a question about the winless Dolphins’ game next week in London against the Giants.

Christopher Price is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the Patriots since 2001 for Boston Metro. He’s served a contributor to ESPN.com, SI.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. He’s written “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower,” and can be reached at [email protected].

by Christopher Price
[email protected]

As Tom Brady walked off the field at Texas Stadium Sunday afternoon, the 30-year-old quarterback cemented himself as the early-season favorite to win his first NFL MVP Award. Against the Cowboys, on the biggest stage in football, he finished 31-for-46 for 388 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-27 pounding of Dallas.

Over the years, New England football fans have almost grown numb to Brady’s brilliance. But this season, buoyed by a new set of receivers, he’s taken everything to a new level statistically. “I’ve always had a saying that Peyton Manning has his wide receivers, why can’t Tom have his?” Randy Moss asked reporters after the win over the Cowboys. “Now that Tom has his, we’ll see.”

What we’re seeing is one of the finest six-game stretches of football ever played by No. 12. But where does it stack up when compared to some of his other work? Sunday’s game — and the overall numbers he’s compiled since the start of the season — sent us back into the archives to recall some of the other great six-game intervals of Brady’s career. Here’s our Top 5.

5. In a six-game span from Oct. 30 through Dec. 2 of 2006, the Patriots went 4-2. In that span, Brady had an almost pedestrian 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions, but an impressive 1,642 passing yards and a stellar completion percentage of 65.7. His best game came on a Monday night against the Vikings in Minnesota, when he absolutely dissected the opposition by throwing for 372 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-7 blowout. A four-touchdown, zero-interception effort in a win over the Packers at Lambeau is a close second.

4. Midway through the 2003 season, Brady had a similar six-game span — the touchdown passes weren’t there, but he was throwing for plenty of yards. In that stretch, he had nine touchdowns and five interceptions, but an eye-popping 1,708 passing yards and a 61.5 completion percentage. The Patriots won all six games, and Brady was never better than when he tossed for 350 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-26 win over the Broncos. (You can be forgiven if Brady’s performance in that one is forgotten — it’s more famous as the Monday Night contest where Bill Belichick had the Patriots take a late safety, which led to a late game-winning touchdown pass from Brady to David Givens.) In that same span, Brady had a 368-yard performance in an overtime win against the Texans in Houston.

3. In the first six games of the 2002 season, Brady had 15 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 1,749 passing yards and a 65.4 completion percentage while the team went 3-3. He racked up most of those numbers the first three weeks of the season — three wins — and had arguably one of the finest games of his career in a 41-38 overtime win against the Chiefs in Week 3 when he threw for 410 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception on a sun splashed day at Gillette Stadium. He set single-game career-highs in yardage and total completions (39) in the win.

2. At the start of the 2005 season, Brady had a six-game stretch where he threw for an amazing 1,821 yards — the most yardage he’s ever had in that length of time — but had just eight touchdowns, four interceptions, and a completion percentage of 62.7 while the team was going 3-3. It’s interesting to note that perhaps his best game in this stretch was a contest where he failed to throw a touchdown pass — a dramatic 23-20 win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh. In that one, protected by a pair of rookies on the left side of the offensive line, he threw for 372 yards (including a 12-for-12 effort on his final dozen attempts of the afternoon) and engineered a two-minute drive that culminated with a game-winning 43-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal with one second left. Second place goes was a razor-sharp effort against the Falcons in Atlanta, where he completed 82 percent of his passes (the second-best single-game mark of his career) and three touchdowns in a 31-28 victory.

1. This season, through six games, Brady already has 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions to go along with 1,771 passing yards and a completion percentage of 72.5. Sunday marked a career pinnacle for Brady on a number of levels, including touchdown passes (five) and passing yardage in a non-overtime game (388 yards). In addition, he became the first player in league history to throw for three or more touchdowns in each of a season’s first six games.

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. Tom Brady in South Florida. If we know one thing about Brady, it’s that nothing cools him off quicker than a trip to Miami. The Patriots quarterback has had some of the worst performances of his career against the Dolphins in Miami, and is 2-4 as a starter in Joe Robbie Stadium/Pro Player Park/Pro Player Stadium/Dolphins Stadium/Dolphin Stadium. Two of the four times he’s thrown for less than 100 yards in a game as a starter, it’s happened in Miami. Last year, Brady threw for just 78 yards and was sacked four times in a 21-0 loss.

2. If the Dolphins try and take a page from the Cowboys’ when it comes to defending the Patriots. Brady’s amazing numbers aside, Dallas was better than any team this season when it came to getting pressure on the quarterback, sacking him three times. Miami simply may not have the defensive talent to succeed using the same plan, but that doesn’t mean they won’t at least give it a try.

3. Is Laurence Maroney feeling chatty? Most weeks, you can gauge the overall health of the running back by his availability with the media. If he talks, chances are he’s playing. If he’s out of sight, chances are he’s probably not playing — as has been the case the last few weeks. With both Maroney and Sammy Morris questionable (Belichick said he had no update on Morris’ status yesterday), the New England running game could hinge on veterans Kevin Faulk and Heath Evans this week in Miami.

4. If the New England run defense can keep its streak alive. The Patriots have not allowed a running back to go over 100 yards in the last seven games (including last year’s playoffs). San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson was the last running back to break the century mark, rushing for 123 in last year’s AFC Divisional Playoff. The closest to get to the century mark since L.T. was Buffalo’s Marshawn Lynch, who had 74 rushing yards against the Patriots in Week 3.

5. The New England secondary. It’s unlikely the Patriots will be seriously tested against quarterback Cleo Lemon and the rest of the Dolphins, but New England shuffled their secondary last week against Dallas on several occasions, playing James Sanders and Rodney Harrison together at safety and Eugene Wilson seeing time in the nickel. Much of that was an attempt to combat the Dallas passing attack, but the personnel combinations in the secondary do bear watching this Sunday.

STAT OF THE WEEK

230. The number of points the Patriots have scored through six games. New England is on pace to easily break the Vikings’ single-season mark of 556 points in 1998.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We were behind? Really? Man, I don’t even remember that.” —Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, speaking with reporters after Sunday’s win over the Cowboys. New England trailed for the first time all season in the second half, 24-21, before outscoring Dallas 27-3 down the stretch.

Christopher Price is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the Patriots since 2001 for Boston Metro. He’s served a contributor to ESPN.com, SI.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. His book “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” is released today by Thomas Dunne Books. He can be reached at [email protected].

by Christopher Price
[email protected]

Early last season, many believed the time had come for tight end Ben Watson to become a breakout star. With Deion Branch and David Givens gone, it was believed Watson had a real shot to become the No. 1 option in the New England passing game — and some even believed he could break the franchise record for most catches by a tight end.

“He could be a really dominant player,” said quarterback Tom Brady of the 6-foot-3, 255-pound tight end before the beginning of the 2006 season. “It’s up to him and how hard he works.”

However, Watson struggled at times, ending the season with 49 receptions. While he was second on the team in catches, it was considered a lost year for Watson for several reasons, not the least of which was that missed three games due to injury and because so much more was expected of the Georgia product.

But everything changed for Watson on April 29th when the Patriots traded for Randy Moss. The arrival of Moss gave New England a legitimate threat in the vertical game, one they didn’t have the last few years and one that demands constant attention from opposing defenses. As a result, the mere presence of Moss has allowed underneath receivers to benefit — even if Moss isn’t catching balls, his constant presence demands attention, and allows tight ends and slot receivers to flourish in single coverage.

On Sunday, the Browns specifically spent much of their defensive energies in trying to stop Moss. As a result, Watson was able to pick up the slack, finishing with six catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns.

“A lot of times we kind of feel it out in the beginning of the game with different personnel groups in there, and see how they’re going to play us,” said Watson, who also had an 11-yard run on a reverse, the first run from scrimmage for him in his NFL career. “It just so happened they were playing a lot of split safety, and I was able to get open a little bit.”

On both of his touchdown catches, Moss was on the same side of the field as Watson, drawing the bulk of the attention from defenders who were more concerned with No. 81 than they were with No. 84.

“It’s great having the opportunity,” said Watson, who registered the first 100-yard game of his career and brought his 2007 total to a career-high five touchdown receptions, four of which have come in red-zone situations. “That’s why you always have to be ready. You never know when your time is going to come to help out this team.”

“The great thing about Ben is that he has these games where they could be breakout games, and if you stop paying attention to Ben he really hurts you,” Brady said Sunday. “I think that was the situation on both of those touchdown passes, where they’re overplaying one thing, and you forget about Ben and he’s there to make the play.

“It’s another couple of touchdown [catches] for him. He’s a threat every time he’s in the red zone because he has great hands, he’s very elusive, and he gets open on the linebackers. I thought he had another great day.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. The matchup between Asante Samuel and Terrell Owens. The Patriots’ No. 1 cornerback against the Cowboys’ No. 1 receiver should be one of the best individual matchups of not only the Patriots season, but the NFL in general.

2. How the Cowboys try to defend Randy Moss. Cleveland paid plenty of attention to Moss Sunday, rolling several coverage schemes toward Tom Brady’s No. 1 option in the passing game. It resulted in Moss’ lowest output of the season (three catches, 46 yards), but other offensive weapons like Watson and wide receiver Donte Stallworth (four catches, 65 yards, one touchdown) were able to step up and make plays. Will Dallas take the same chance, or will they use single coverage on Moss?

3. To see if anything comes of the Monday comments from Cleveland offensive lineman Eric Steinbach. The Browns’ offensive lineman told The Associated Press Monday he believes Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel should be fined for allegedly diving at the knee of Cleveland left tackle Joe Thomas on a play with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter. If the league believes a fine is in order, it would likely be levied on either Wednesday or Thursday.

4. If the short week has an impact on the Cowboys. In the days after the Monday Night win over the Bengals earlier this month, the Patriots talked a lot about how much playing on the road on Monday night can play havoc with the following week. The Cowboys face the same predicament this week, as they’re coming off an emotionally exhausting Monday game with the Bills in Buffalo.

5. How the Patriots go about working Rodney Harrison back into the starting lineup. Harrison was eased back into action slowly in his first week back from his suspension — he was on defense for nine first-half snaps and 23 second-half snaps. Expect those numbers to increase this week against the Cowboys. (And as a side note — its no coincidence that New England’s first red zone stop of the year coincided with Harrison’s return to the field.)

STAT OF THE WEEK

17. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the 2007 Patriots are the fourth team in NFL history to win each of its first five games by a margin of 17 points or more. The Patriots have won by 24, 24, 31, 21 and 17 points in their five games this season. The other teams to achieve the feat are the 1999 St. Louis Rams, the 1968 Dallas Cowboys and the 1921 Buffalo All-Americans.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Coming back was nice, but who wants to come back to a whupping?” – Cleveland linebacker Willie McGinest, who returned to New England for the first time since he departed for the Browns after the end of the 2005 season.

Christopher Price is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the Patriots since 2001 for Boston Metro. He’s served a contributor to ESPN.com, SI.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. His book “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” will be released Oct. 16 by Thomas Dunne Books. He can be reached at [email protected].

by Christopher Price
[email protected]

On Wednesdays in the Patriots’ locker room, quarterback Tom Brady usually draws the most media attention. A crowd of cameras three-deep surround his locker, creating a mob scene as reporters fight for a quote or two.

But yesterday, it was veteran safety Rodney Harrison who drew the bulk of the attention. He spoke to the media for the first time since his return from a four-week suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, reportedly for using human growth hormone.

Harrison was quiet, explaining himself and his actions in a calm and dispassionate manner in a session with the media that lasted approximately 10 minutes. He said he was a “better man” for having gone through the process.

“I’m a better man because of it, and a better person. Hopefully, I can be a better football player,” he said. “I look forward to getting my life and getting everything back on track and moving forward.”

Harrison spent his time away on a variety of things, including spending time with his family and on the golf course. He did work out twice a day, engaging in his usual routine of yoga, pilates, on-field work and time in the weight room. While he was away, he kept in touch with “several” players, and told them to keep their eyes on the prize.

“I told them to continue to focus on football,” he said. “Don’t worry about me, because I’m fine.”

Since he returned at the start of the week, he said his teammates have been supportive, but he doesn’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone in the locker room.

“Everyone may have different opinions — and everyone may not share them with you — but like I said, I can’t go out of my way to try and change everyone’s opinion of me,” he said quietly. “I know what kind of person I am, and I know the people close to me who I have contact with know and understand who I am and what I’m about.”

Running back Sammy Morris says that’s the attitude you have to take. Morris was suspended for four games last season for being found in violation of the league’s steroid penalty after taking Sudafed. No matter how difficult it might be, you can’t let whispers get to you.

“That was initially the toughest thing for me, having to deal with the knowing that people are going to draw conclusions with or without the information,” Morris said. “So in the end, it’s really no business of mine what other people think of it. They’re just going to draw their own conclusions, regardless of what they hear.”

According to his teammates, Harrison doesn’t have anything to worry about, at least in his own locker room. Several teammates said both on and off the record yesterday that they would welcome Harrison back, no questions asked. Not only that, but Brady said Harrison’s words would still carry the same weight in the locker room as they did before his suspension.

“He’s one of the most respected players in here, and one of the most respected players that’s ever been in this organization,” Brady said. “I think he’s everything that you look for in a football player. He’s great and I look up to him. I admire everything that he’s done. He’s great.

“The experience that he has, the way that he performs and what he expects from himself is second to none. We’re all lucky to have him. He’s everything this team is all about.”

“Whenever you’re not allowed to play, whether it’s injuries or whatever it may be, I think your emotions are definitely higher when you come back and you get a chance to do what the team brought you here for,” Morris said. “I know it’s frustrating being away. I know he’ll be relieved to get back out there.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. Pressure from the Cleveland linebackers. The Browns have just four sacks this season, one of the worst totals in the league, but three of those sacks have come from the linebackers. Last year, according to Pro Football Prospectus, Cleveland had 71 percent of their sacks come from their linebacking corps, the highest such percentage in the league.

2. The Patriots level of familiarity with the Browns’ defense. Cleveland Head Coach Romeo Crennel uses the same base defense he ran when he was the New England defensive coordinator, and the Patriots know it. “It’s pretty much our defense,” Brady said of Cleveland. That doesn’t bode well for the Browns, who, despite being a field goal from starting the season 3-1, have allowed an average of 427.5 yards per game, the 31st in the league.

3. Tom Brady’s continued pursuit of Ken Anderson. Through four games, the New England quarterback has completed 79.2 percent of his passes, and is well on his way to breaking Anderson’s mark of 70.55, set in 1982. (The Cleveland pass defense has held opponents to a 61.2 completion percentage this season.)

4. How things shake out at safety for the Patriots. Rodney Harrison says he’s ready to go, but it’s likely that they’ll still lean heavily on James Sanders. Because of injuries and his recently completed suspension, Sanders has taken virtually the same amount of defensive snaps as Harrison over the last year and a half, so it’s reasonable to think that the coaching staff would be comfortable sticking with Sanders as they ease Harrison back into the mix.

5. How many people at Gillette Stadium are going to be looking for a television set at 3:30 or so on Sunday. The last time there was such a high-level conflict came four years ago this week when the Titans and Patriots were playing opposite a Sox-A’s playoff game. Both the Patriots and Sox won, and the victory was the first of 21 straight for the Patriots.

STAT OF THE WEEK

30. Through the first four games, the Patriots’ defense is holding opposing offenses to just a 30 percent conversion rate on third-down opportunities. It’s the lowest percentage on the league.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Those guys (New England) are a bunch of grown men. They are a mature football team, and we have to figure out how to get to that level. We are constantly trying to figure out how to play like that.” –Bengals offensive lineman Willie Anderson, speaking with reporters after Monday’s game.

Christopher Price is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the Patriots since 2001 for Boston Metro. He’s served a contributor to ESPN.com, SI.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. His book “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” will be released in October by Thomas Dunne Books. He can be reached at [email protected].

by Christopher Price
[email protected]

The Patriots’ offensive line certainly doesn’t seek out glory — after most games, they’re usually the first group showered and out of the locker room, racing to escape the media horde.

But after Sunday’s game, it was a far different story. The linemen who revel in their anonymity got their chance at the spotlight after turning in their third straight impressive outing of the season. In the 38-7 win over the Bills, they held sackmaster Aaron Schobel to just 1/2 a sack, and Buffalo to just one total sack on the afternoon. In addition, they gave quarterback Tom Brady enough time to throw for 311 yards and four touchdowns, and cleared the way for running back Laurence Maroney to finish with 103 yards.

“The key to the game offensively was the offensive line,” said Brady after Sunday’s win. “The way they performed today was exceptional. It’s kind of what they’ve been doing all year.

“They did a great job.”

It’s a great time to be a New England offensive lineman. Unsolicited, the quarterback has singled them out for praise in two of his first three postgame media sessions this year, and they’ve earned every bit of it. They’ve done their part when it comes to keeping the chains moving — they’re one of the biggest reasons the Patriots have just 11 negative plays through the first three games. As a group, they’ve committed just one false start and been flagged for zero holding calls. And they’ve allowed just three sacks.

All this while working with a rotation at right guard — a shoulder injury to Stephen Neal has forced them to use three different starters at the position: Neal, Billy Yates and Russ Hochstein. (The rest of the starters — left tackle Matt Light, left guard Logan Mankins, center Dan Koppen and right tackle Nick Kaczur — have pretty much stayed the same, with Ryan O’Callaghan serving as an extra blocking tight end several times through the first three games.)

As the senior member of the group — he’s been with the Patriots since 2001 — Light is usually left to serve as the unofficial spokesman. He was happy to do so Sunday.

“The line is working well together, and obviously, our running backs were on track today,” said Light. “They saw all the holes and they hit them. They did a great job running the ball.”

In particular, Light had reason to be proud. Over the years, speed rushers like Schobel and Miami’s Jason Taylor were his personal kryptonite, but this outing was different. Light was helped by several things on Sunday, including the fact that the Patriots ran several short passes in an attempt to blunt the speed rushing talents of Schobel. In addition, there were several different blocking combinations — we counted eight different series of blockers, including one where linebacker Mike Vrabel lined up against him in a goal-line package as a tight end — that kept Schobel out of the New England backfield much of the afternoon.

“Matt [Light] did a great job over there on my left side,” Brady said. “At the same time, I think we’re trying to scheme things up so he’s not coming off the edge all day, and you always try to keep those pass-rushes accountable for those pass-rushers, because they can ruin a game.”

The Patriots did do some things to throw off the Bills’ rushers, but in the end, it was Light who faced Schobel more than anyone. By our account, the two went head-to-head 29 times, and using a wholly unscientific grading method — giving Light a check if he kept Schobel out of the action and giving Schobel a check if he had an effect on the play, like a tackle or sack — Light got the better of him 23 of the 29 times.

“I give him a lot of credit,” Light said of Schobel. “He’s a great pass rusher. He’s a relentless style of rusher that you have to take into account when you play him. He’s a good player. We’ll see him again.”

“They did a good job with him,” Brady said of the offensive line and it’s work on Schobel. “He’s a great player, a Pro Bowl player, but our offensive line is shutting it down this year.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. If there’s any good-natured trash talk between Chad Johnson and Bill Belichick. Before last season’s Patriots-Bengals game, the Cincinnati wide receiver jokingly pleaded for New England to leave him in single coverage. Belichick responded in kind, with his tongue firmly in his cheek: “Tell him we’d cover him one-on-one all the time, but he pushes off more than any receiver in the league. He must be paying off the officials not to call it, so we’re going to have to double-cover him some. … Not that he can get open.”

2. If Tom Brady can keep up his record-setting pace. Brady has completed 79.5 percent of his passes this season — the record is held by Ken Anderson, who finished the 1982 season with a 70.55 completion rate in the West Coast Offense. He should at least stay close to his average against a suspect Cincinnati defense.

3. If Randy Moss can one-up the performance he submitted against the Bills. Moss was at his best against Buffalo, especially on his 45-yard thunderclap of a touchdown reception down the near sideline that finished the scoring. Last Sunday, he finished with five catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns, and became the first receiver in NFL history to gain at least 100 yards receiving in each of his first three games with a new team. He’s scored five touchdowns — the same number of touchdowns opponents have scored against the Patriots.

4. T.J. Houshmandzadeh. For some unknown reason, over the last few years, the Patriots’ pass defense has done very well against opposing No. 1 receivers but they’ve allowed some No. 2 receivers to have career-best days. Houshmandzadeh, Cincy’s No. 2, had four catches for a team-high 95 yards the last time these two teams met. In addition, look for Houshmandzadeh when the Bengals are in third and long — according to the Pro Football Prospectus, last year, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer threw to Houshmandzadeh more often than he threw to Johnson on third down, and with more success — Houshmandzadeh converted 21 of 47 opportunities, while Johnson was just 10 of 34.

5. Whether or not the Patriots will be able to break 50 points. After averaging 38 points through the first three games of the season — and going against the 29th-ranked defense Monday night in Cincinnati — it remains a serious possibility. The last time New England scored 50 points was on Nov. 18, 1984 against Indianapolis when the Patriots beat the Colts, 50-17. The franchise record for most points in a game is 56, notched in a 56-3 win over the Jets on Sept. 9, 1979.

STAT OF THE WEEK

12:38. The length of time that the Patriots have trailed through the first three games of the season, all of which came in the first half of Sunday’s 38-7 win over the Bills.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I don’t think that was the best play I’ve ever seen … let’s put it that way.” –Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick on the third-quarter lateral from Wes Welker to Randy Moss.

Christopher Price is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the Patriots since 2001 for Boston Metro. He’s served a contributor to ESPN.com, SI.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. His book “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” will be released Oct. 16 by Thomas Dunne Books. He can be reached at [email protected].

by Christopher Price
[email protected]

Living in Massachusetts, we’ve learned to accept the fact that there are some constants in life: There will always be corruption on Beacon Hill. Hollywood will continue to mock our accents by placing Ben Affleck in every Boston-based film imaginable. And despite any distractions, the Patriots and Bill Belichick will be able to focus on any job that’s been placed in front of them.

With a national television audience salivating at the possibility of Belichick being humbled by the mighty Chargers — just days after he was humbled by commissioner Roger Goodell over the Patriots illegal videotaping of the Jets’ defensive coaches — New England weathered the storm again Sunday night against the Chargers, showing remarkable resiliency in a 38-14 smackdown in front of a sold-out Gillette Stadium crowd. The win was impressive, as the Patriots dominated on both sides of the football and gave themselves an early lead in the race for home-field in the AFC playoffs.

But more importantly, it proved that, once again, when it comes to crisis management, no one holds a candle to Belichick and the Patriots.

“I think we do a great job as a team and as an organization on keeping what is going on outside, outside,” said nose tackle Vince Wilfork, who helped the defense bottle up running back LaDainian Tomlinson (43 rushing yards). “We only care about what is going on in here; how we can stop this team. That is the only thing we are concerned about.”

“I think over the years we’ve had a lot of distractions from week to week, and this team and our coaches have always done a great job of keeping us focused,” said quarterback Tom Brady, who shredded the San Diego defense for three passes touchdowns and led New England to a total of 407 yards on the night. “I think this team did a nice job the last few weeks of putting some distractions behind us, and realizing that the most important thing is coming out and trying to win football games.”

Brady knows of what he speaks. In truth, the latest flareup is the third major possible distraction in the last seven seasons for the Patriots and Belichick. In 2001, it was a burgeoning quarterback controversy between Brady and Drew Bledsoe that threatened to sabotage the season. And in 2003, the Patriots released veteran safety Lawyer Milloy in the days leading up to their Week 1 matchup with the Bills. After Milloy signed with Buffalo, the Bills routed the Patriots, 31-0. Both incidents remain as defining moments in seasons that ended with Super Bowl wins, with their ability to focus on the overall task at hand — namely winning football games, despite the many distractions swirling around them — serving as the most impressive overall characteristic of each of those teams.

Will Sunday’s game be remembered the same way? No one yet knows, but the sort of resiliency Belichick and the franchise developed in those difficult days in 2001 and 2003 has prepared them well for this season. The 2007 Patriots lost their two best defensive players (Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison) for at least the first four weeks of the season to injury and a suspension for HGH. And their entire Super Bowl legacy was called into question by cynics because of the videotaping scandal involving the Jets in Week 1. It’s a series of events that would have been crippling to most teams, especially when faced with the prospect of playing the high-octane Chargers, one of the best offenses in the league.

For the Patriots? It was just another week at the office, one that ended in a familiar fashion.

“We went through a lot this week, but we blocked it all out,” said linebacker Tedy Bruschi. “For everything that went on this week, we just had to focus on winning the game. Just win a game the way we’ve always done it, the way we’ve always prepared. Nothing special.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. How the Bills’ offensive line does protecting J.P. Losman. Last season, the Buffalo offense ran a max-protect scheme 18 percent of the time, the second-most in the league. Expect more of the same this week as they try and neutralize the Patriots pass rush. New England enters the game with eight sacks, the fourth-best mark in the league.

2. How the Patriots defend defensive end Aaron Schobel. The New England offensive line has traditionally struggled against speed rushers like Schobel in the past — the former TCU standout has six sacks of Brady the last two seasons, more than traditional Brady nemesis Jason Taylor has had in that span.

3. Can the Bills’ slow down the Patriots passing offense? Buffalo has allowed an average of 267.5 passing yards in the first two games of the season (27th-best in the league). New England has averaged 280 passing yards through the first two games (fourth-best in the league). Could be a long afternoon for the Buffalo secondary.

4. Marshawn Lynch. Barring injury, Sunday’s game against the Bills will likely mark the only time this season the Patriots’ defense will face a team with a rookie as the featured back. With such a limited resume, New England doesn’t have much to go on when it comes to defending the youngster, who has an impressive 154 rushing yards through two games against the Broncos and Steelers.

5. Focus. The Patriots were able to maintain their focus throughout the week leading up to the Chargers game, keeping their minds on the task at hand instead of the off-field videotaping flap. Can they do the same thing this week against the Bills?

STAT OF THE WEEK

With Sunday night’s win, Tom Brady improved to 56-2 in his regular season career when holding a halftime lead. Sunday’s game marked the second straight contest where New England scored on its opening possession, and it’s the first time in Patriots history they have begun the season with consecutive opening-drive touchdowns.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“They just jumped on us like a spider monkey.” Chargers fullback Lorenzo Neal on the Patriots fast start Sunday night — New England jumped to a 24-0 first-half lead on the way to the 38-14 win.

Christopher Price is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the Patriots since 2001 for Boston Metro. He’s served a contributor to ESPN.com, SI.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. His book “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” will be released Oct. 16 by Thomas Dunne Books. He can be reached at [email protected].

by Christopher Price
[email protected]

At the start of the second half on Sunday when Ellis Hobbs started out of the end zone eight yards deep, almost every Patriots fan from Bridgeport to Block Island — as well as most of the New England sideline and coaches box — had the same thought: Good Lord, what is he doing? Anyone who has ever played football knows that you never think about doing something like that.

“It was one of those things where it was like, ‘No, no, no,’” said wide receiver Wes Welker of his reaction when Hobbs started out of the end zone.

But Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick knows that when it comes to returning kicks and punts, things aren’t always what they seem to be. You can’t get caught up in the traditional hard and fast rules of special teams — like automatically taking a knee if the kick is received in the end zone, or not calling for a fair-catch inside the 20.

“Every kick is different,” cautioned Belichick yesterday when recalling Hobbs’ return.

That’s why, when the Iowa State product started his 108-yard trek into history, Belichick was maybe the one New England follower who didn’t wonder what was going on. Much is made of his background as a defensive mastermind, but that discussion often shortchanges Belichick’s history on special teams. Few head coaches have the special teams background that Belichick does. Among his other duties, he was a special teams coach from 1976 to 1982 with the Lions, Broncos and Giants. Seven years — longer than anyone else who is currently an NFL head coach, other than Cleveland’s Romeo Crennel. And more than most head coaches, he knows the importance of special teams — some would argue that his special teams unit was almost solely responsible for winning the 2001 AFC Championship Game against the Steelers.

And while many teams have hard and fast rules on special teams play, Belichick said yesterday he’s frowned on such an approach. That not only goes for the personnel asked to work on special teams — the Patriots remain one of the few teams in the league who use a healthy number of starters for most special teams formations — but for on-field decisions on punts and kick returns. You can give a returner some general guidelines and a solid phalanx of blockers, but in the end, there are too many variables to use a dogmatic approach to the kicking game.

“I think if you’ve been around the kicking game in this league long enough, you know it’s hard to have a hard and fast rule and be right every time,” Belichick said yesterday. “You could have a rule, but I don’t think you’re going to be right every time.”

According to Belichick, there are simply too many possibilities.

“Hang time is involved, which I’d say is a big factor. You tell me whether you’d rather handle a ball that is three yards deep in the end zone with a 3.7 hang time or handle a ball that comes down on the goal line with 4.2 hang time. It’s not the same,” Belichick said yesterday.

“You can say don’t catch the ball inside the 10-yard line, but if there’s a five-second hang time and you have four guys standing behind you on the goal line and the ball comes down on the six, I don’t know how smart it is to let it hit and bounce down to the two,” he added, referencing Kevin Faulk’s decision to take a fair-catch on a first quarter punt at New England’s nine-yard line.

So when Hobbs came churning down the sidelines into history, Welker — as well as everyone else who had a flying Elvis on the side of their helmet or front of their shirt — quickly changed their tune from “no, no, no” to “yes, yes, yes.” And New England had its latest special teams hero.

“I think Ellis made the decision that he thought was the best one at that time,” Belichick said. “ It worked out OK, so that’s good. I think he was trying to make a play. What I always encourage the players to do is try to make a good play and it turned out good.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. How the New England offensive line handles the San Diego linebackers. The Charger LBs can bring the pressure like few other teams in the league — last year, only one other team had a higher percentage of sacks come from their linebackers than San Diego. On the heels of their effort against the Jets (when they held New York sackless), it’ll be another stern test for Patriots’ offensive linemen Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Nick Kaczur and Ryan O’Callaghan.

2. The Randy Moss/Quentin Jammer matchup. Jammer isn’t the shy retiring type — on his Web site last year, he wondered how many picks he would get against Moss — even though a Los Angeles Times story recently named him the league’s worst corner in coverage (by their count, he was targeted 126 times last season and gave up 72 receptions, a league high). Moss is coming off one of the best performances for a wide receiver (nine catches, 183 yards, one TD) in the history of the New England franchise. It’s likely the two will spend the bulk of Sunday evening going head-to-head.

3. The continued maturation of Laurence Maroney. For the first time in his professional career, Maroney had a game where he got 20 or more carries. As he starts to develop into a full-time featured back, games like this week’s contest with the Chargers (who were a Top 10 team against the run last season) will go a long way toward defining his career as a No. 1 running back in the NFL.

4. Special teams showdown. Can Ellis Hobbs turn in another solid return performance? Can Matt Cassel regain his role as holder after botching a 43-yard field goal attempt by Stephen Gostkowski? And will Chris Hanson get a chance to punt in a pressure situation?

5. Playoff hangover. Even though most of the bad blood stemming from the post-playoff histrionics was supposedly settled at the Pro Bowl and during the offseason, there’s still enough history between these two teams to make one think that it’s not completely in the past. If things get out of hand for either side, this game certainly has the potential to get ugly fast.

STAT OF THE WEEK

10. The Patriots had the ball for 12:30 in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win, an astounding 10 more minutes than the Jets.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I always try to find that sixth or seventh gear, the gear they don’t even make.” – Kick returner Ellis Hobbs on one of his goals as a return man.

Christopher Price is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the Patriots since 2001 for Boston Metro. He’s served a contributor to ESPN.com, SI.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. His book “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” will be released in October by Thomas Dunne Books. He can be reached at [email protected].

By Christopher Price
[email protected]

Mike Bartrum. Kendall Gammon. Dave Binn. Not exactly household names for football fans. But for a young Lonie Paxton, these were his heroes — and not just because Binn once dated Pamela Anderson.

Among special teams players in the NFL, Bartrum, Gammon and Binn are legends as long snappers, men who rose above the relatively obscure world of offensive linemen to redefine the art of special teams. If there’s a Mount Rushmore for long snappers, Paxton believes these faces should be the first three carved in stone.

According to Paxton, what made them great as long snappers was their consistency — they were all able to unfailingly execute a perfect snap, no matter the conditions.

“Those guys were just always consistent, always fast, with a tight spiral,” the 29-year-old Paxton said of the trio, which includes Bartrum, a former Patriots tight end. “They could snap in any type of weather.”

Long snappers have always been an overlooked part of the special teams unit — you only hear about them if they’ve screwed up, failed to successfully execute a snap, missed a block or committed some other sort of football faux pas. But they can often hold the outcome of the game in their hands — according to a recent story in Sports Illustrated, over the last decade, 24 percent of all NFL games were decided by three points or less.

And since he was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Sacramento State in April 2000, no long snapper has had surer hands than the tattooed Paxton. He’s been the long snapper for two of the most memorable field goals in NFL history, and has provided a sense of stability for a special teams unit that has seen plenty of turnover. Since 2000, he’s handled five different starting punters, two different starting kickers and innumerable holders, all without a hiccup.

In the transitory nature of today’s NFL, Paxton, like his heroes, is a monument to consistency.

“With the changes lately, it is a little different,” he said, referring to the recent departure of punter/holder Josh Miller. “But being able to throw a consistent ball, you should be able to put anyone back there and have them catch it in the same spot. That’s something I work on – putting it in the same spot every time.”

Paxton wanted to be a long snapper since the Southern Califonia native started going to Los Angeles Rams games with his father in the 1980s. Their season tickets were near where the long snappers warmed up, and his father pointed something out to him.

“He was always saying to me that the long snapper was just someone who found something he could do better than anyone else, and there’s a position for him on the football team,” Paxton said. “It was one of those things – I just kind of watched him and felt like I could try to help the team.

“It was just something I could do – and no one else on the team could. And I wanted to help the team.”

And a long snapper was born. Paxton served as the long snapper at Centennial High School (in Corona, Calif.) and Sacramento State, but didn’t really expect to play professional football until he got a call from Bill Belichick in April 2000.

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t think I was going to play professional football,” said Paxton, who has now played in 109 professional games heading into Sunday’s season opener against the Jets. “It just worked out to where I took the first phone call, and it happened to be the Patriots, so everything happens for a reason.”

Along with former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, Paxton has helped cleanly execute 10 game-winning snaps over the course of his career. With the game on the line, Paxton has always done his job successfully. He has been at the center of some of the most memorable events in franchise history, including wins in the epic divisional playoff against the Raiders in the 2001 playoffs, and the win over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

All the while, he’s always remembered a simple maxim: consistency is everything.

“You have to be consistently accurate — not consistently bad,” he said. “Consistently fast. A slower snap creates a faster punt, so you want to have a faster snap so the punter can take his time.

“You have to be able to block consistently — if you can snap it straight but can’t block, it does nothing for the rush. You have to be a consistent factor on coverage,” he added. “And you have to be able to just stay in the game, because a lot of times you aren’t playing as much and you have to be up on the situation.”

Paxton is currently fifth in seniority in the New England locker room, trailing only Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Kevin Faulk and Tom Brady when it comes to years of service in Foxborough. He’s hoping he’ll be around for a while longer.

“I appreciate and enjoy every second of it,” he said of his run with the Patriots. “There’s been a lot of changes in my little group recently, so that’s a work in progress, trying to get everyone on the same, consistent level to where we don’t have to be a factor in a game and we can continue to do great things.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. How the Patriots defend Jerricho Cotchery. The Jets’ No. 2 wide receiver had 16 catches for 291 receiving yards and three touchdowns in three games against New England last season.

2. The Jets’ pass rush. According to the Pro Football Prospectus, New York blitzed more than any team in the league last season — the Jets sacked Tom Brady six times in three games last year.

3. Laurence Maroney. The Patriots running back should enjoy a big day against the Jets, one of the worst teams in the league at stopping the run last season.

4. Jarvis Green and James Sanders. How the likely backups for Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison do Sunday will go a long way in determining how the Patriots start their season.

5. The Patriots’ wide receiving corps. Will Randy Moss play? And will the new faces be on the same page with the quarterback?

STAT OF THE WEEK

4. Including Sunday’s game, the number of times the Patriots have faced the Jets over the last 12 months. In that time, no team has faced New England more.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I will not be satisfied until I’m out there with the boys. That’s what I do. I don’t cut checks. I don’t shine shoes. I don’t tape ankles. I play football. That’s what I came here to do. By me not being able to do what I came here to do, of course it’s going to be frustrating.” —Randy Moss, speaking with reporters Monday about his frustration he’s developed from not playing.

Christopher Price is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the Patriots since 2001 for Boston Metro. He’s served a contributor to ESPN.com, SI.com, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. His book “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” will be released in October by Thomas Dunne Books. He can be reached at [email protected].

By Christopher Price
[email protected]

During the preseason, the Patriots locker room has two types of lockers. There are the permanent ones made of rich, expensive-looking wood which belong to the returning players. They line the outer edges of the room in numerical order. And then, there are the cheap blue metal ones that stretch from one end of the room to the other — temporary storage facilities thrown together in the middle of the room meant to house the gear of rookies and undrafted free agents.

Rookie linebacker Oscar Lua wants a permanent locker, but he knows that it’ll take another week before he can truly become one of the fortunate 53. As the first series of cuts loom Tuesday afternoon — and the final cutdown on Saturday — it remains an anxious time for Lua and the rest of the rookies, who are going through the most stressful professional period of their young lives.

“It’s pretty tough for some of us,” said Lua, a seventh-round pick out of USC. “All us rookies can do right now is just go out there, do our job and compete within the standards the coaches have set out for us, and follow our game plans.”

The Patriots are one of the most veteran teams in the league, making it harder than most for a rookie to make the cut — it’s unlikely that more than four rookies will make the 53-man roster. But Lua has performed well throughout the first month of his professional career, which bodes well for his chances, at least when it comes to Tuesday’s cutdown. He’s is second on the team with 12 tackles through three preseason games, and came up with an interception in Friday’s win over Carolina. In addition, he has seen plenty of time on special teams.

But what might ultimately put him over the top is his football IQ, according to Head Coach Bill Belichick.

“He’s smart. He understands the defense. He communicates well,” said Belichick. “He’s able to not only do his assignment, but also control the guys in front of him, the front seven, and line calls and adjustments and things like that.

“He gets better out there everyday. He pays attention. I know he’s very attentive to what the veteran players do in the classroom and on the practice field. He’s always alert and trying to pick up more information. I think he’s working hard and he’s getting better.”

In football intelligence, overall approach and physical appearance, more than one veteran believes Lua compares favorably to Tedy Bruschi (both are listed at 6-foot-1, and Lua is 240 pounds while Bruschi is 247). It’s heady praise for a rookie who says he patterned his game after No. 54. Calling his own preseason play “fair,” he knows he’s got a ways to go if he wants to be in Bruschi’s class.

“My assignments — everything, actually — can be improved upon,” said Lua. “I think certain plays that should have been made didn’t get made. And there were certain plays that I made that were good.”

Presuming they survive Tuesday’s cuts, Lua is with a collection of rookie and undrafted free agents who will use Thursday night’s final preseason game against the Giants as their final chance to make the team. Just as long as they follow a simple maxim: just do your job, and everything else will take care of itself. Including that permanent locker space.

“I think if you try and do something out of the ordinary, you might make a mistake, and that would put you in a bad light,” Lua said of his overall approach to Thursday’s preseason finale. “I’m just hoping that myself and the rookies go out there and execute the game plan and do what the coach asks us to do.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THURSDAY

1. The battle for roster spots 48 through 53. While the upper reaches of the roster have all been decided, there are plenty of players — like Lua, Justin Rogers and Mike Richardson — who are looking to make the final 53, and a good performance Thursday against the Giants can make all the difference.

2. The kicking game. Stephen Gostkowski missed two field goals against the Panthers, and struggled the week before against the Titans at Gillette in a driving rainstorm. Belichick seemed to indicate that the two misses against the Panthers were not Gostkowski’s fault, but a perfect night against the Giants would quiet any talk of bringing in someone to challenge the second-year kicker.

3. Heath Evans. Through the first three weeks of the preseason, the veteran fullback has become more involved to the offense on a number of levels. He’s gotten more overall reps than almost anyone on either side of the football — we’ll see if he keeps his iron man status Thursday night.

4. Wide receiver. Most of the spots are already locked up, but a standout effort from one of the wide receivers on the bubble (as well as a final decision on what the Patriots decide to do with Troy Brown and Chad Jackson) could cause New England to go with anywhere between five to seven receivers when the season begins Sept. 9.

5. Overall health. The starters won’t play much, if at all, and that’s not such a bad thing. Many fans can still recall the 1989 preseason finale when Andre Tippett, Ronnie Lippett and Garin Veris were all hurt on the same night. Don’t look for a replay of that Thursday.

STAT OF THE WEEK

0. The number of successful third-down conversions the Carolina offense registered in the first half of Friday’s game.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“If you want to work on your running game, you have to call running plays. I don’t know how else to do it.” — Head Coach Bill Belichick, responding to a question about calling nine straight running plays (and 15 of the first 19 snaps overall) to start the Carolina game.

Christopher Price covers the Patriots for Boston Metro. His book “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” will be released in October by Thomas Dunne Books. He can be reached at [email protected]

by Christopher Price
[email protected]

The preseason is a necessary evil — players need the on-field reps to get game-ready ready for the regular season. But, at the same time, it can be a dangerous animal — do you go all out, pushing it to the limit? Or do you go half-speed, hoping to preserve the body in hopes of not sustaining an injury … in what really amounts to a glorified exhibition?

Finding that balance can mean everything to a football player. Just ask Ronnie Lippett, Andre Tippett and Garin Veris, three dependable, durable Patriots … who suffered season-ending injuries in a 1989 preseason contest. As a football player, it’s in your DNA to want to go all out, all the time. But the desire to save leave something in the tank in a meaningless game — and stay healthy for when the real bullets start to fly — is also human nature.

Laurence Maroney is about to walk that line. The second-year running back, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery, has worn a red non-contact jersey all summer in hopes of protecting his shoulder. He traded his non-contact jersey for a regular practice one for the first time Monday morning at Gillette Stadium, and will likely get his first on-field test Friday in Carolina against the Panthers.

Finding that balance between wanting to stay healthy and trying to avoid injury — especially with a running back — can be tricky in the preseason, according to Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. You don’t want to overexpose a player to injury in games that really don’t count. But at the same time, the player needs that level contact to truly prepare for the regular season.

“I think an individual player’s situation varies from player to player, but I think in general, players need to practice and play to get ready to play,” Belichick said of finding that balance needed to help get a running back ready for the grind of a 16-game season.

“I think if we just want to save everybody, we would just be sitting around here for six weeks and not do anything,” he added. “I don’t think we’d have a very good football team, but I think everybody would be safe. I don’t think that’s the answer.”

When it comes to running backs, veteran Sammy Morris says coaches have to remember that many starting backs will take more hits than Google during the regular season, so there’s no need to add to than number unnecessarily in the preseason.

“Obviously, it’s a physical game and there are a lot of collisions out there, so it’s kind of hard to come away completely unscathed as a running back,” said Morris, in his first preseason with the Patriots. “But you need to find a balance. ‘How many reps does this guy need? How many reps does that guy need? How much rest does this guy need?’ Coaches and players need to do that without second-guessing themselves in the end.”

Second-guessing can lead to trouble at any position. So can “sugar-footin’ or half-steppin’” — Ellis Hobbs’ favorite description of going half-speed in the preseason in hopes of not getting hurt. The third-year cornerback has seen plenty of guys take a play or two off in the preseason.

“Yeah, I’ve seen guys on film do that. I’m not calling anybody out on this team, but I’ve seen it on other teams around the league,” Hobbs said. “I think it’s human nature: in your mind, it’s the preseason, we can take our time, especially if you’re a high draft pick who knows he’ll be here.

“I think it’s harder for some players and it comes easier for others. The main thing I try to do individually – and I can only speak for myself on this – is to go out there and play as if it is a real game. Play as if it counts.”

In the end, it has to be a combination of player and coach working together in hopes of finding commonality.

“There has to be some middle ground between working and getting the team to be able to execute to a certain level — and at the same time you don’t want them worn down by the time you get to the season,” Belichick said. “But you have to be able to go out there and play competitively against pretty good competition in this league. We’re just trying to find that balance.”

5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. Matt Cassel. The two remaining preseason games are key ones for the third-year quarterback. Backup quarterbacks under Bill Belichick are traditionally given three years to succeed. If it’s not happening for them at the end of the third preseason, it’s not gonna happen — just ask Rohan Davey. If Cassel does not continue to progress over these next two preseason games, the Patriots could end up going out next April and using a second-day pick on a quarterback, or going and acquiring a veteran backup like Damon Huard.

2. The reaction to the first real hit Carolina lays on running back Laurence Maroney. Assuming he plays — and there’s every reason to expect he will for the reasons we detailed above — Maroney will start against a physical Carolina defense that should get him used to game action very quickly.

3. Danny Baugher. The rookie punter hasn’t clinched the job quite yet, but can do so Friday against the Panthers with another solid performance.

4. The Patriots’ offensive line. The Panthers were a lot better than the Titans at sustaining a pass rush last season (Carolina had a 41-26 edge in sacks), and could cause major problems for the New England offensive line and Tom Brady if the Patriots’ offensive line submits the same sort of performance they did against Tennessee.

5. Rodney Harrison. The veteran safety was vicious against the Titans, taking another step back to his 2004 levels with a savage sack of Vince Young. He’ll look to take another step against the Panthers and Jake Delhomme — someone he shared plenty of trash talk with in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

STAT OF THE WEEK

One of the points of emphasis during the week for the New England defense was to not allow Vince Young to beat them with his legs. (The Titans were sixth in the league last year in total percentage of running plays called.) Mission accomplished: the Titans had 36 passing attempts, compared to 31 rushing attempts.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“You see your quarterback on the ground, you look up and you say ‘Guys, it’s time to put their guy on the ground.’”
–Rodney Harrison, explaining the not-so-coincidental timing of his second quarter sack of Vince Young — which came shortly after the Titans’ dumped Tom Brady on his backside.

Christopher Price covers the Patriots for Boston Metro. His book “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” will be released in October by Thomas Dunne Books. He can be reached at [email protected]