Among the highlights…

· Bill Belichick discusses getting his team ready to play after a Bye Week and looks at the overall speed of the Steelers on the Belestrator

· Scott Zolak visits with Belichick and one of the coach’s boyhood idols, Heisman Trophy winner and Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach

· Vince Wilfork was mic’d up in the win over the Jets

· Steve Burton sits down with defensive end Andre Carter

· Dan Roche examines a rested Patriots team coming off their Bye Week as they prepare for a formidable opponent in Pittsburgh

· Patriots Football Weekly’s Paul Perillo and ESPNBoston’s Mike Reiss discuss the state of the team and offer analysis

Preview:

Among the highlights…

• Scott Zolak hosts a rare conversation with the three longest-tenured members of the Patriots: Tom Brady, Matt Light and Kevin Faulk. The veterans share thoughts from their years as teammates, including their first impressions of each other, the culture of winning they’ve helped create and which of the three can joke with Coach Belichick.

• With no opponent this week, Coach Belichick breaks down last week’s win over the Cowboys on The Belestrator, including analysis of a key fourth-quarter defensive stop and tremendous insight into the game-winning drive.

• All Access takes you behind the bench for game-winning drive and inside a victorious Patriots locker room.

• Dan Roche takes a look at the Patriots’ position heading into the Bye.

• Patriots Football Weekly’s Paul Perillo and ESPNBoston’s Mike Reiss share their opinions and analysis.

AFC

The Bengals are somehow 4-2 and have won 3 games in a row.  Still, Cincinnati is not quite a contender making the playoffs in 25.7 percent of simulations but it’s getting close.  That number represents a 10.3 percentage point gain from a week ago.  The problem is the in-division competition in the AFC North.  Baltimore is the favorite for the division at 53.7 percent with Pittsburgh trailing at 40.5 percent.  Both teams are well over 80 percent odds to make the postseason.  Cleveland is the one North team already out of the picture.

Oakland suffered the biggest drop in the conference despite winning because of the injury to Jason Campbell.  The Raiders dropped 12.7 percentage points, but the recent acquisition of veteran Carson Palmer could reverse those fortunes.  The Chargers benefitted from the injury despite being off on a bye week gaining 5.7 percentage points to add to their projected AFC West lead.  Kansas City and Denver also benefitted slightly but the two teams combine to win the division just 2.2 percent of simulations.

The Jets got a big win on Monday night to reach .500 at 3-3.  That moved New York up 4.9 percentage points which would have been more had it been over a better team than Miami.  The Dolphins are now the first team to reach 0.0 percent in playoff odds, and they are well on their way to winning the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.  Buffalo suffered a heartbreaker to New York this week, one that could be critical in the standings.  The Bills fell to 44.5 percent playoff odds and would slot in the final Wild Card spot in the AFC for now.  New England continues to roll as the most likely playoff participant in the AFC.

Houston didn’t look great without Andre Johnson and Mario Williams in a loss to the Ravens.  To be fair, Baltimore’s defense shuts down most teams, but Johnson’s injury has to be a bit of a concern given how much Matt Schaub relies on him in the passing game.  The Texans are still the favorite in the AFC South for now at nearly 63 percent for the division.  Tennessee is next at 34.7 percent, and made only minimal gains because of a bye.  Jacksonville and Indianapolis are a combined 1-11 and win the division a combined 2.5 percent of the time.

Among the highlights…

· Sights and sounds from New England’s victory over Oakland last Sunday, including footage from inside a victorious Patriots locker room.

· Coach Belichick discusses what’s new about the Jets since January’s playoff game and later examines a versatile Jets offense on The Belestrator.

· All Access follows Gary Guyton’s Path to the NFL.

· Steve Burton sits down with linebacker Rob Ninkovich.

· All Access catches up with the McCourtys, as identical twin brothers Devin of the Patriots and Jason of the Titans along with their mom, Phyllis, discuss the long odds of twin brothers making it in the NFL.

· Patriots Football Weekly’s Paul Perillo and ESPNBoston’s Mike Reiss offer opinion and analysis.

Among the highlights…

• Part two of Scott Zolak’s conversation with his former teammate, Drew Bledsoe, as the two discuss the emotional roller coaster that was Bledsoe’s final season with the Patriots.

• Steve Burton sits down with Vince Wilfork to dissect the nose tackle’s first career interception.

• Zolak discusses the win over the Chargers with Coach Belichick, who later previews Fred Jackson and the Bills on The Belestrator.

• Sights and sounds from an explosive offensive performance in the home opener versus the Chargers.

• Dan Roche looks at how depth is an issue heading into Week 3.

• All Access follows Mike Wright’s “Path to the NFL.”

• Patriots Football Weekly’s Paul Perillo and ESPNBoston’s Mike Reiss share their opinion and analysis of the Bills matchup.

Preview:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=914237643287

Among the highlights…

• Coach Belichick explains his reasoning behind some recent roster moves as the Patriots get ready for their week one contest on Monday Night Football in Miami. He also breaks down the Dolphins on the Belestrator.

• Sights and sounds from an eventful Patriots preseason.

• Steve Burton sits down with Patrick Chung, now the longest-tenured safety on the Patriots.

• All Access follows Leigh Bodden’s “Path to the NFL.”

• A look back at the ten year anniversary of the attacks of 9/11 through the eyes of Patriots past and present, including owner Robert Kraft, Tom Brady, Drew Bledsoe, Tedy Bruschi, Troy Brown and Joe Andruzzi.

• Patriots Football Weekly’s Paul Perillo and ESPNBoston’s Mike Reiss share their opinion and analysis of the Dolphins matchup.

Video Preview:

Maine: Portland – WMTW-TV Channel 8, Bangor – WVII-TV Channel 7.

Connecticut: Hartford – WCTX-TV Channel 59. 

Vermont: Burlington – WVNY-TV Channel 22.

Hawaii: Honolulu KHNL-TV Channel 9.

Alaska: Anchorage KIMO-TV Channel 13.

Canada: (Quebec/Maritimes): Rogers Sports Net East.

Once again, the duo of Don Criqui and Randy Cross will call the games. Tonight’s game starts at 7:30pm EDT.

The game will be rebroadcast on the NFL Network at the following times:

• Friday, 8/19, 4:00 PM ET

• Sunday 8/21, 7:00 AM ET

• Tuesday 8/23, 4:00 PM ET

Set your DVRs as those aren’t exactly in prime-time.

Note: In the past, the games had also been carried on stations in Honolulu, Hawaii and Anchorage, Alaska. That is apparently no longer the case.

Massachusetts: Boston – WBZ-TV Channel 4, Springfield – WWLP-TV Channel 22.

New Hampshire: Manchester – WMUR-TV Channel 9.

Rhode Island: Providence – WNAC-TV Channel 64. (Reader note: Last year In RI, the Pats/Saints got moved from WNAC (64) to their digital channel MyRI TV, which is 64-2 because of the So You Think You Can Dance finale.  That channel is also carried on Cox, Comcast, Full Channel and Verizon in RI. If you have Satellite, you might be out of luck.)

Maine: Portland – WMTW-TV Channel 8, Bangor – WVII-TV Channel 7.

Connecticut: Hartford – WCTX-TV Channel 59. 

Vermont: Burlington – WVNY-TV Channel 22.

Hawaii: Honolulu KHNL-TV Channel 9.

Alaska: Anchorage KIMO-TV Channel 13.

Canada: (Quebec/Maritimes): Rogers Sports Net East.

Once again, the duo of Don Criqui and Randy Cross will call the games. Tonight’s game starts at 7:30pm EDT.

The game will be rebroadcast on the NFL Network at the following times:

• Friday, 8/12, 4:00 PM ET

• Sunday 8/14, 7:00 AM ET

• Monday 8/15, 7:00 AM ET

• Tuesday 8/16, 4:00 PM ET

• Dan Roche re-caps an unusual spring for the Patriots, as urgency in the NFL’s labor negotiations pick up steam.
• Lyndsay Petruny chats with members of the Patriots coaching staff about the importance of Father’s Day.
• From the All Access vault, a trip to Oklahoma City with receiver Wes Welker to learn what those closest to him think motivates the Patriots Pro Bowler.
• All Access is at the 1986 New York Giants championship team reunion with Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
• Patriots Football Weekly’s Paul Perillo and ESPNBoston’s Mike Reiss offer their thoughts on when the NFL labor impasse will be resolved and how it will impact the 2011 season.

Video Preview:

Hey there. Did I get you? Did the headline pull you in?

I’m taking advantage of April Fool’s Day to make couple of quick comments about headlines, if I may.

A recent online column had the headline “Pats Sign Stud Free Agent Pass Rusher.”

Awesome, I thought. Perfect. Bill Belichick has done it again.

Then I clicked on the story to see that the stud in question was Marcus Stroud, who has all of 29.5 sacks in his 10-year career. Nothing against Stroud, but the only way his name and “stud” should appear in the same sentence would be if he a) gets in a time machine or b) takes up horse breeding.

Yet there I was, reading a page that I would have ignored had the headline read “Pats Sign Stroud.” It’s all about the ability to catch eyeballs, or – at the very least – catch and release.

Headlines should entertain and inform, not mislead. The best one I’ve seen recently came after Jimmer Fredette’s BYU team lost to Florida: “A Night To Fredette.” Makes looking through the sports section more fun, even online.

Tip-offs to a fake headline include big statements you haven’t seen anywhere else and question marks.

Let’s say you see “Tom Brady To New York?” That means either someone with zero credibility is discussing a fantasy trade, or the QB has tentative plans to head into Manhattan. Move on, folks. Nothing to see.

So, despite rumors to the contrary, sports media personality Michael Felger does not wear stiletto heels while staring at his Leni Riefenstahl movie poster. (And if he does, hey, no harm done. Right?)

We promise to avoid running headlines like that again. Unless this one pulls in big numbers, of course.

Email Chris Warner at chris.warner@patriotsdaily.com