by Christopher Price
chris@patriotsdaily.com

GLENDALE, Ariz. — In a cramped interview tent just outside of University of Phoenix Stadium late Sunday night, Randy Moss paused slightly for a moment while he pondered the question: Would he be back next year as a member of the Patriots?

“If I am in a New England Patriots uniform next year, I would love to be in one,” he said. “If I am not, you know, the show must go on.”

Moss was talking about himself, but he could have been speaking for almost one-fifth of New England’s 53-man roster. The Patriots face a number of personnel questions heading into the offseason — many of the players who were on the field Sunday night against the Giants may have been playing their final game in a New England uniform.

On offense, Moss is the biggest question, and the Patriots figure to try and move heaven and earth to get him to sign a cap friendly deal for next season and beyond. The wide receiver took a sizable pay cut to join New England last spring, and was a key part of a record-setting offense. It is known that a handful of players have been approached to re-do their deals, presumably in hopes of bringing players like Moss back. But late Sunday night, Moss wouldn’t tip his hand as to what he planned to do going forward, saying only he was just looking forward to the chance to spend some time with his family.

“I am not approaching the offseason. I have a family. I got kids to love and raise,” Moss said when quizzed again about his future. “I’m going to be with my kids probably until May or June. I am not thinking of anything football right now, so I can just relax my mind, my body, and love my kids.”

In all, the wide receiver position could ultimately see the same sort of turnover as last season when the Patriots completed an extreme makeover, bringing in new faces Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker. Stallworth is due an option bonus that is reportedly between $6 million and $8 million the team is not likely to pick up. (Stallworth declined interview requests after Sunday’s game.) In addition, Jabar Gaffney is an unrestricted free agent, while 36-year-old veteran wide receiver Troy Brown, who played in just one game this year, is a possible candidate for retirement. Wide receiver/special teams ace Kelley Washington is also due a sizable roster bonus, reportedly $4 million, while two others special teams stars, long snapper Lonie Paxton and special teams captain Larry Izzo, are unrestricted free agents.

On defense, cornerback Asante Samuel faces an uncertain future. Samuel was slapped with the franchise tag last season, which meant a one-year tender of $7.79 million. He was displeased with the offer and held out, eventually returning to camp two weeks before the start of the season. After another strong season — he now has 16 interceptions the last two seasons — he’ll become an unrestricted free agent in March, and it’s believed he’ll be seeking a lucrative deal somewhere in the neighborhood of the eight-year, $80 million deal that San Francisco’s Nate Clements signed, a deal he’s not likely to get with the Patriots.

Like Moss, Samuel would not elaborate on his future after the game.

“Everyone is down and heartbroken,” Samuel said when asked about the scene in the locker room after the game. “[Head Coach Bill Belichick] just told us that he appreciated everything we were able to do this season, like working hard and giving it our all. We weren’t able to do what it takes, and everybody is heartbroken.”

Fellow defensive backs Randall Gay and Eugene Wilson are also question marks as unrestricted free agents. Gay’s future may be tied to Samuel — if Samuel leaves, the Patriots would likely make more of an attempt to re-sign Gay in hopes of maintaining more continuity and depth in the secondary. As for Wilson, he has been bypassed on the depth chart at safety by James Sanders, and by the end of the season, was fighting rookie Brandon Meriweather for playing time.

The linebacker position is also unclear. Rosevelt Colvin, who ended the season on injured reserve, has a cap number that’ll increase to approximately $7 million next spring. Tedy Bruschi, 34, talked about the possibility of retirement in the days leading up to the game. Retirement could also claim linebacker Junior Seau — however, the 39-year-old would not commit one way or another after the game. “I haven’t thought about the future,” Seau said shortly after the loss. “I am having too much fun.” Asked if the loss will effect his decision to retire or not, Seau said, “No, this will not effect my decision.”

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.com.

by Christopher Price
chris@patriotsdaily.com

Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin are two examples of why people shouldn’t always make a snap judgment on the abilities of a first-time head coach, especially if they came of age as an assistant under Bill Parcells.

Both Belichick and Coughlin have taken similar routes to Super Bowl XLII: in their initial experience as a head coach in the NFL, the two former Parcells’ assistants both had a dogmatic approach that yielded minimal return, not unlike Parcells himself. In their second go-round as NFL head coaches, they’ve slightly softened their hard-line approach, and that new style has yielded considerable results.

In Jacksonville, Coughlin made his bones as an uber-disciplinarian. The early returns were favorable, as the Jags became the most successful expansion team in NFL history, making two trips to the AFC Championship Game in his first four years in Jacksonville. But the good times soon faded, and Coughlin’s approach soon wore thin.

He was soon hired by the Giants, but the baggage followed him to New York — Giants defensive end Michael Strahan thought to himself “this man is crazy” soon after his first meeting with Coughlin, and described his personality as “robotic.” And in his first three seasons in New York, there was just one season where they finished better than .500, and zero playoff wins.

But somewhere along the way, Coughlin loosened up. During training camp this year, he called off practice and took the whole team bowling. He let the players vote on captains instead of choosing them himself. And he held weekly meetings with an 11-player council to stay abreast of what the players were thinking.

“Instead of just telling these guys, ‘This is how it is,’ you have to say, ‘How’s that working for you?’ “ Giants running back coach Jerald Ingram told reporters. “He hasn’t changed totally. But he’s been able to see that you can do things differently and still be yourself.”

In the end, the new style paid off with Coughlin’s first trip to the Super Bowl as a head coach.

“There are times that I go, ‘Are you going back on us?’” Strahan said with a smile yesterday. “He has really changed. He is smiling, he uses the word ‘fun’ and ‘enjoyment’ and it blows my mind every time he uses it.

“He has come around,” Strahan added. “I think he’s definitely changed – it’s for real and it’s for the better.”

The situation was the same for Belichick, who was frosty with players, fans and media in his time in Cleveland. Tales of his overbearing approach were the stuff of legend, and his micromanaging spread him way to thin, distracting him from the things he needed to focus on as a head coach.

Now, like Coughlin, his approach has paid off. He’s more attuned to the needs of his players. He meets regularly with his captains. He places his full faith in his assistants. He’s still not the warm and fuzzy type, but, like Coughlin, a softer approach with players and staff has paid dividends.

“He’s still consistent about as far as being strict about things and wanting guys to do things right,” Anthony Pleasant, who played for Belichick at multiple stops, said a few years ago when asked about his former head coach. “But he’s not as dogmatic as he was in Cleveland. He’s more willing to give now than he was back then.”

“You learn something every game you coach, every practice, every year,” Belichick said. “Certainly the five years in Cleveland taught me a lot about managing a team.

“I took those experiences and tried to build off of them and improve them through the years — both how to handle the team and probably delegate more responsibility than I did in Cleveland to my assistants and other people in the organization that are involved in the operational and support ends of the game.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR 

1. How the Giants try and defend Randy Moss. The Jaguars and Chargers were able to take away the outside deep threat that Moss brings to the game by jamming him right off the line, playing physical with him and forcing him inside. Expect the Giants to at least try and do the same thing. If they do, expect the Patriots to try and be creative in their use of Moss — maybe some more reverse plays, or putting him in motion.

2. Ellis Hobbs. The diminutive cornerback had some issues against Plaxico Burress when the Patriots faced the Giants in December — including a 52-yard pass play from Eli Manning to Burress on the Giants’ second play from scrimmage — and New York will likely stay far away from cornerback Asante Samuel. Because the Patriots usually don’t match their cornerbacks man for man, but to either left or right side of the field, it’ll be interesting to see if the Giants make it a priority for Burress to find Hobbs. (Of course, that all goes out the window if Belichick shakes things up. As we know, the Patriots’ head coach has a knack for making some surprising decisions in big games, like the debut of the 2-5 defense in Super Bowl XXIX.)

3. Kevin Faulk. The veteran defensive back has become an invaluable part of the New England offense in this year’s playoffs, particularly in the passing game. We’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: this postseason, Brady has thrown 13 passes in his direction, and he’s caught all 13, the best ratio on the team among the regulars. With an aggressive New York front four, he should be called upon to run the screen pass on a few occasions Sunday.

4. The Patriots offensive line against the Giants defensive line. This is where the real battle of Super Bowl XLII will be fought. New York was able to get pressure on Brady in their first meeting, but only finished with one sack on the night. The Giants did hold New England to just 44 rushing yards, and New England had nine plays in the running game where they posted either no gain or negative yardage. However, this time will likely be different. The Patriots have their entire offensive line — plus No. 1 blocking tight end Kyle Brady — healthy. In December, the Patriots were without Brady, as well as Stephen Neal (their best run blocker) and Nick Kaczur.

5. Tom Petty. What’ll he play at halftime? My guess is that he and the Heartbreakers play these three songs, in no particular order: Runnin’ Down A Dream, Free Fallin’ and American Girl.

STAT OF THE WEEK

17,000. As of Wednesday night, the number of results you get if you Google the phrase “How to beat the Patriots.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
 
“There’s a couple guys who can’t grow hair. Their [bleeps] still haven’t dropped, I guessed.” — Patriots right tackle Nick Kaczur, speaking with the Washington Post about New England’s bearded offensive line.

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.com.

by Christopher Price
chris@patriotsdaily.com

The last time the Patriots faced the Giants — in that famous Week 17 clash at the Meadowlands — the right side of the New England offensive line consisted of second-year Ryan O’Callaghan at right tackle and all-purpose utilityman Russ Hochstein at right guard. New England rushed for just 44 yards and barely came away with a 38-35 win.

This time around, starting right guard Stephen Neal and starting right tackle Nick Kaczur are expected to be healthy enough to play. If their recent performance is any indication, the Giants’ defense — particularly their run stoppers — could be in for a long night a week from Sunday in Super Bowl XLII.

“Russ and Ryan came in and stepped in there when they needed to; they’ve done a great job for us,” said center Dan Koppen. “But Steve and Nick, they’re our guys,”

Back in that December matchup, O’Callaghan and Hochstein did a great job of helping blunt the Giants’ vaunted pass rush, as the Patriots’ offensive line held the likes of Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck to just one sack on the night. But with its starting offensive line in place for both playoff games, New England has averaged 147 rushing yards in the postseason, grinding out 145 against Jacksonville and 149 against San Diego.

This postseason, the Patriots have been able to dominate on the ground for several reasons. Bad weather has placed a renewed emphasis on the running game. In addition, favorable matchups have allowed the backs to flourish — the Jags were playing nickel and dime coverage much of the night in the divisional playoffs, concentrating on stopping the New England passing game as opposed to the running backs. There was also the move from three- and four-wides to a two- and three-tight end set against the Chargers that paid dividends down the stretch in the form of big yards on the ground.

But a large part of it can also be found in the fact that New England has had its starting offensive line — Kaczur, Neal, Koppen, left guard Logan Mankins and left tackle Matt Light — together for back-to-back games for the first time since early December.

“We expect that from them — they consistently do it,” said fullback Heath Evans after Sunday’s win over the Chargers. “Those guys have played together for a long time.” 

It’s not just lately — the last six times the Patriots had their starting offensive line on the field as a group, they rushed for less than 90 yards only once when they had 48 yards in a Nov. 18 win over the Bills in Buffalo.

According to Koppen, it’s not an accident that continuity has bred a successful offensive line. When you play alongside someone for an extended period of time, you develop a level of trust that isn’t there if you’re constantly shuffling guys in and out of the lineup.

“It’s important,” he said recently. “We’ve got guys that have been around here for a number of years, and we know what’s expected of each of those guys, and we know what they’re going to do and what their role on our offense is.

“When you’re rolling the same five guys out there — or six, or seven, for that matter, which we’ve had over the course of this year — it’s important to know what they do. It’s important to have trust in them, and really just build on that each week and try to get better.”

STAT OF THE WEEK

13. The number of passes that have been thrown in the direction of Patriots’ running back Kevin Faulk since the start of the postseason. He’s caught all 13.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Just give an old man a chance.” —Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, 39, answering a question about his mindset when he decided to come to New England before the start of last 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. 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.com.

by Christopher Price
chris@patriotsdaily.com

Both wear No. 55. Both went to USC, and call the West Coast home. Both took up residence in the same corner locker at Gillette Stadium. And during their time as Patriots, both quickly became important pieces in Bill Belichick’s defensive scheme.

But Willie McGinest and Junior Seau have both taken far different routes to become leaders in the New England locker room.

In his 12 years in New England, McGinest worked the Patriots’ locker room like a beat cop. He kept a lid on trouble, letting rookies or other newcomers know when they went a little too far, especially with the media. He was an intimidating presence. “I was scared of Willie,” said quarterback Tom Brady. “Every time I looked at Willie, I was like, ‘Man, I never want to mess with Willie.’” Everyone knew who was in charge of the locker room, right up until McGinest left for Cleveland after the 2005 season.

Seau works differently. Since his arrival in August 2006, the inside linebacker been an exuberant leader, a high-energy guy given to pep talks and the power of positive thinking. (Earlier this year, Seau was strolling through the locker room singing, “Thank You For Being A Friend.”) As a result, he was voted a defensive captain just a year after being signed as a free agent.

“He’s here early, stays late,” said Head Coach Bill Belichick of Seau, who will relax by strumming a guitar in the locker room. “Every time we go in the huddle he has an energy and a presence about him that’s pretty much non-stop. I think he’s obviously one of the most respected players in the league, certainly on this team. He has a good message and people listen to him, as they should. He has a lot of experience, and comes from the heart.”

On the field, he’s gone from a situational player to an every down linebacker, and that’s translated into 76 tackles this season, fifth on the team. In addition, he had 3.5 sacks and 3 interceptions (the latter being a career-high). Off the field, Belichick and the Patriots have managed to bottle that enthusiasm — they had Seau address the team before Saturday’s divisional playoff game against the Jaguars.

“He’s a fiery guy, passionate about playing the game, and he always has a few passionate words before the game,” said tight end Kyle Brady, who said the linebacker has talked to the team before games at other times this year. “He talked a little bit about opportunity, and how this is a great opportunity for all of us.”

Seau, who will turn 39 on Saturday, is a game away from the Super Bowl, a once unthinkable premise for a veteran linebacker who briefly decided to call it a career before the start of last season, only to be talked out of retirement by the Patriots.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. It really hasn’t,” he said after Saturday night’s 31-20 playoff win over Jacksonville. “Being part of this journey is definitely something special, but we’ll go back to work and keep plugging away. Hopefully at the end of the rainbow we can look at something that we’re proud of.

“You never can dream this. This is beyond all that. There’s a lot of hard work, a lot of perseverance and a lot of prayers that come into play.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. The Chargers to open their mouths. Most every team has decided to pop off before playing the Patriots this season, and you shouldn’t expect San Diego to be the exception this week. Between Shawne Merriman and Philip Rivers, expect someone from San Diego to say something that’ll end up on the New England bulletin board before the end of the week.

2. Laurence Maroney. If the Chargers try and defend the Patriots in the same manner the Jaguars did (that is, look pass first with mostly nickel and dime coverage packages) look for another big night for New England’s No. 1 running back. He’ll likely spend much of his time running behind Stephen Neal — in his first game back in the starting lineup since Dec. 3, the right guard was the lead blocker for more than one-third of the Patriots’ running plays Saturday against Jacksonville.

3. How San Diego defends Randy Moss. Look for speedy Antonio Cromartie — a cornerback who wasn’t even starting when the two teams met for the first time back in September — to get the bulk of the work opposite Moss. Cromartie, who was used mostly in nickel coverage early in the season, ended up leading the league in picks with 10.

4. The Chargers injury report. As of this writing, Tomlinson will likely be ready to play Sunday — he told the media Monday afternoon he had suffered “just a hyperextension” of his left knee — but Rivers is still a colossal question mark, as is tight end Antonio Gates.

5. Spider monkeys. After the Week 2 contest between the Chargers and Patriots — when New England shot to a 24-0 halftime lead on the way to a 38-14 win — San Diego fullback Lorenzo Neal told the media, “They just jumped on us like a spider monkey.” Another fast start for New England this Sunday afternoon would go a long way toward putting the game away early.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Zero. By our count, the number of defensive snaps missed by outside linebackers Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas Saturday night against Jacksonville — both were on the field for all 56 of the Jaguars’ plays from scrimmage. (As for the rest of the linebackers, Junior Seau played 55 snaps, while Tedy Bruschi 39 snaps and Eric Alexander was on the field for one defensive snap.)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I’m all Zen. I’m all Zen. I hope I’m Zen-like for another week. That would be a great feeling.” — Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, answering a question about his “Zen-like” focus after Saturday’s playoff victory over the Jaguars.

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.com.

by Christopher Price
chris@patriotsdaily.com

Yesterday at Gillette Stadium, Rodney Harrison was poking fun at rookie defensive back Brandon Meriweather, calling him “my favorite young safety … other than Jacksonville’s Reggie Nelson.” Heath Evans was laughing about his first playoff experience with the Seahawks in chilly Green Bay in 2003. “It was cold.”

And Tom Brady was smiling and joking during his weekly press conference as he gently needled the diminutive Wes Welker.

This is the intense world of postseason football?

For a team that many outsiders believe carries the weight of the collective football world on its shoulders this postseason, they seemed pretty laid-back yesterday as preparations began in earnest for Saturday’s divisional playoff game against the Jaguars.

“You have to enjoy these opportunities and enjoy these moments, because they don’t come by very often,” said defensive lineman Richard Seymour when asked about the postseason. “Just take care of your responsibility, and hopefully, the guy beside you will take care of his, and have fun while you’re doing it.

“It’s the playoffs. This is what it’s all about, and hopefully, everybody can do their job and give our team an opportunity to win.”

At least publicly, the 2007 Patriots have become adept at walking the fine line between acknowledging the pressure that comes with the playoffs but not becoming consumed by it. That starts at the top, according to Evans, who said that to be successful in the postseason, a team must learn how to “relax.”

“Some coaches do a better job than others of preparing their teams to be able to relax and to be able to handle the intensity of these games,” Evans shrugged.

Part of that relaxation also stems from the fact that the Patriots have been here before — on New England’s 53-man roster, 14 players have been involved at least 10 postseason games. (Wide receiver Troy Brown has been in 20 playoff games.) And even players who have yet to suit up in the postseason have felt the glare of the spotlight — New England has had to deal with the pressure of an undefeated season, not to mention six prime-time games.

“We’ve been tested on the road, we’ve been tested at home, we’ve been tested in poor weather [and] we’ve had to overcome deficits late in the games,” Brady said. “We’ve needed to put together critical drives in those games so hopefully we’ve learned from those, hopefully we can deal with some of the pressure.

“There’s pressure on us every week, but it’s different in the playoffs, because you realize you’re getting dressed — you’re going to bed Saturday night realizing that Sunday night, that could be it. You could be, you know, planning your vacations. That’s not a very good feeling,” he added. “We’ve experienced that the last few years and those are games you remember, that sit with you for a long time. Hopefully, we’re ready to persevere.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. The right side of the Patriots’ offensive line. Right guard Stephen Neal (shoulder) and right tackle Nick Kaczur (foot) – as well as blocking tight end Kyle Brady (foot) — didn’t play in the season finale against the Giants because of injury. The Jaguars don’t generate the same sort of pass rush at the Giants do, but the return of the starters — plus Brady — would go a long way toward keeping Brady upright. All three were in the locker room Monday, and we’ll get a chance to check their status when the first injury report is made available later this week.

2. Rodney Harrison. In a wholesale attempt to stop Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew from establishing any sort of consistent ground attack, expect the veteran safety to be spending most of his night in run support as the Patriots try and take away the Jags No. 1 offensive option.

3. The Patriots’ red-zone defense. After taking giant leaps forward over the final month, New England’s defense inside the 20 took a big step back last Saturday against the Giants, as New York scored touchdowns on all four of its possessions inside the red zone. Behind Jones-Drew and Taylor, the Jags are better than average at cashing in once they get down near the goal line — during the regular season, they were ninth in the NFL in scoring TDs in the red zone at 57 percent.

4. The Patriots at home in the playoffs. New England is as sure a thing at home in the postseason as death, taxes and a regularly-scheduled Britney meltdown — under Bill Beichick, the Patriots are 6-0 at home in the playoffs, and their average margin of victory is 14 points. As a franchise, New England is 9-1 at home in the postseason, with the last playoff loss coming in Foxboro on Dec. 31 1978 to Wade Phillips’ Daddy Bum and his Houston Oilers.

5. If there’s any sort of spillover from last season’s game, as well as “SpyGate” fallout. In last year’s Christmas Eve game in Jacksonville, the Jags and Patriots played a tough, physical contest punctuated by linebacker Clint Ingram’s hit — some say spear — on Brady. In addition, Jacksonville’s Paul Spicer didn’t back off his “SpyGate” related comments on the Patriots yesterday on ESPN2 (see below). The combination of the two could make things especially nasty come Saturday.

STAT OF THE WEEK

6. The number of times the word “physical” or “physically” was used in Tom Brady’s Monday press conference in reference to the Jacksonville defense.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“If they got to bring up something said so long ago, let that be their motivational tool.” — Jacksonville defensive lineman Paul Spicer, speaking with ESPN2’s “First Take” Monday morning about his comments on the Patriots in the wake of “SpyGate.”

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.com.

Editor’s Note: Join Chris and Michael Parente of the Woonsocket Call on patriots.com radio this afternoon from 2:00-4:00 p.m. While you’re waiting, check out our friend Kerry Byrne of Cold Hard Football Facts as he tracks down the one guy that didn’t vote for MVP Tom Brady.

by Christopher Price
chris@patriotsdaily.com

It got them home-field advantage and a spot in the record books. But beginning Thursday, 16-0 means next to nothing for the Patriots.

When they return to work that morning to begin preparation for their AFC Divisional Playoff opponent — whether it’s Pittsburgh, Jacksonville or Tennessee — expect the giddiness and excitement from Saturday night’s record-setting win to be squarely in the rearview mirror.

“There are plenty of things in the game that we can improve on and we can do better,” Head Coach Bill Belichick said a day after the 38-35 win over the Giants that allowed New England to become the only team in NFL history to finish the regular season with a 16-0 record.

“When you give up 35 points on defense and special teams, that’s not where you want to be. That’s not going to win every game for you in this league, that’s for sure.”

While they don’t know who’ll they’ll play until the end of this weekend, there’s enough general points of emphasis to keep them busy between now and then, including red zone defense. After making some headway over the previous three weeks — where they held the Steelers, Jets and Dolphins 0-for-9 in touchdown chances inside their 20 — the Patriots appeared to regress Saturday against the Giants. New York converted on all four times with touchdowns when they got into the New England red zone.

“We’ll make those corrections and identify them and try to improve them,” Belichick said. “The only difference is we have a couple of extra days this week before we actually come back to practice and go to work, and that’s a little bit longer than we normally do. But, it’s really still the same process.”

Those couple of extra days could make all the difference. With Wild Card Weekend off, the Patriots have time on their side, and historically, that edge has proven to be invaluable: Under Belichick, New England is 10-2 overall when they have two weeks to prepare, including 5-0 in the postseason.

And, the bye week will allow several players the chance to heal up, especially starting offensive linemen Stephen Neal (right guard) and Nick Kaczur (right tackle), and tight end Kyle Brady. The absence of all three was felt dramatically Saturday night — even though the Patriots allowed just one sack, the Giants pass rush was able to get sustained pressure on quarterback Tom Brady.

In addition, they’ll be home — the Patriots have never lost a home playoff game with Belichick at the helm, and the franchise has lost just one postseason home game in its history.

“We know what the situation is in the playoffs,” Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick said Sunday morning. “We’ve been there before. Lose and go home, win and keep 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. 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.com.

by Christopher Price
chris@patriotsdaily.com

The New England running backs are charged with much more than simply running the football. They are often the last line of defense between Tom Brady and an onrushing lineman or linebacker.

Through 15 games, the Patriots have allowed just 20 sacks on the season, the fifth-lowest total in the league. And while much of the success can be attributed to New England’s offensive line — three-fifths of which is headed to the Pro Bowl — a good chunk of it is also thanks to the backfield. In an offense that’s attempted more than 100 more passes than rushes, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Heath Evans, Kyle Eckel and Sammy Morris have all done their part to keep No. 12 out of harm’s way this season.

But when it comes to blocking, the backs might face their toughest test of the year Saturday night when the Patriots try and finish off a perfect regular season in the Meadowlands. Few teams are able to deliver the sort of consistent pressure on the quarterback than New York can: Led by Osi Umenyiora (13 sacks), Justin Tuck (10 sacks) and Michael Strahan (9 sacks), the Giants lead the league in sacks with 52.

And according to Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, those sacks don’t necessarily come as the result of blitzes.

“They can rush. Those guys — Tuck and Osi and Strahan — they don’t need any help,” Belichick said. “And no, they don’t need to blitz to get there at all. Definitely not. They have plenty of sacks and plenty of pressure on three and four-man rushes, if that’s what they want to do.”

One of the things that makes the New York pass rush unique is its occasional use of four defensive ends along the line, which can make things difficult for offensive linemen. To try and help, expect a lot of support from the running backs. Fullback Heath Evans has a ton of respect for the New York defense, no matter who the Giants decide roll out there Saturday night.

“They get up field,” Evans said of the Giants’ defense, which sacked Philly quarterback Donovan McNabb 12 times back in Week 4. “They have a great defensive line, they have great linebackers — they get a paycheck too. They’re going to create errors, and so I have to be ready to adjust and do my part when I’m called upon to get this running game going.”

For a running back, pass blocking can be a difficult skill to learn, but Faulk is one of the best. The veteran has mastered the art of blocking — and blitz pickup in particular — with a simple philosophy, one he says he’ll lean on Saturday night against New York.

“By being ready for anything,” said Faulk. “You have to be able to do it no matter what the situation is, no matter who the guy facing you is, no matter who you are. It’s you’re job. If you can’t do it, you won’t play.”

FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

1. Who plays and for how long? With both teams locked into postseason position, it figures the starters will not go wire-to-wire in this one. Who blinks first and yanks their No. 1 offense or defense? And how quickly does the other team follow suit? If the game is in hand late, odds are that Jared Lorenzen and/or Matt Gutierrez are calling signals by the two-minute warning.

2. Records. This may be the one of the most compelling reason to watch on Saturday night — if the Patriots take care of the record books early, it could mean the starters would be pulled sooner rather later. New England is within striking distance of several major records, including passing touchdowns, receiving touchdowns and total points scored in a season. Our favorite may be total point differential – currently, they’re plus-312. Unless disaster strikes, they’ll finish the season comfortably ahead of the old mark of plus-292, set by the 1942 Chicago Bears

3. Speaking of records, who gets No. 22? The Patriots have had 21 different players score touchdowns for them this season, tying an NFL record. If we’re taking bets on who could be the 22nd, I’ll go with Troy Brown as your best option, with Kelley Washington or a random offensive lineman (Ryan O’Callaghan?) also a distinct possibility as a tight end in a goal-line set.

4. The New England running game. Laurence Maroney and the Patriots were able to bite off big chunks of rushing yards against the Dolphins (196 yards) and Jets (131 yards) the last two weeks, two of the five worst teams in the league at stopping the run. The Giants enter the game in the middle of the pack when it comes to run defense — they allow an average of 101 rushing yards per game, 11th-best on the league. Was the performance of the Patriots’ running game the last two weeks indicative of an upward trend, or were they just feasting against two porous run defenses?

5. New England’s red zone defense. The Patriots’ red zone defense has steadily improved over the last month (see below). After spending most of the season at or near the bottom of the NFL in red zone defense, they are now 22nd in the league. The Giants are in the middle of the pack when it comes to finishing off drives inside the 20, so it should provide New England with a good sense of where it is in that area as the postseason looms.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Zero. In the last three games, the number of trips to the red zone that have resulted in touchdowns for New England’s opponents. (The Dolphins were 0-for-2, the Jets were 0-for-4 and the Steelers were 0-for-3.)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Well, you know, being associated with Santa Claus — there’s a lot worse associations to have. I’ll take it. When you’re a kid, sometimes you dream about being on the cover of Sports Illustrated. That’s not actually the one I pictured, but it’s pretty funny. Whatever sells.” - Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick on his appearance on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated, which has him photoshopped into a Santa suit.

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.com.