Thornton Traded: Bruins' "Bledsoe" Is Gone

The Boston Bruins have unloaded the Drew Bledsoe-like albatross they've had hung around their neck the last seven years. The Bruins traded Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for three players early this evening (Wednesday).

Thornton joins Bledsoe and Nomar Garciaparra as long-time overrated, overpaid players who have weighted down their teams while putting up great individual numbers, never leading to championships. If the Boston Red Sox had not won the World Series in 2004, I would have picked someone like Manny Ramirez instead of Nomar, but the facts speak for themselves. Paul Pierce may be the albatross of the Celtics. Time will tell.

The Bruins get Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart in return for Thornton, who in August signed a three-year, $20 million contract. All three now-former Sharks are also former first-round picks. Primeau, 29, was the 17th pick of the 1994 draft by the Buffalo Sabres. This is his ninth season in the NHL. Sturm, 27, was the 26th pick in 1996 by the Sharks. This is his eighth year. Stuart, 26, was the No. 3 overall pick in 1998, also by the Sharks. This is his sixth year in the league.

Thornton, also 26, was the No. 1 pick in the 1997 NHL draft by, of course, the Bruins.

Sturm, a defenseman, has six goals and 10 assists this season, second-highest for the Sharks. He had a career-high 28 goals in the 2002-03 season. Primeau, a center, has five goals and three assists this season. He has 563 career penalty minutes.
Stuart, a left winger, who has two goals and 10 assists, finished second in voting for the Calder Trophy as top rookie following the 1999-00 season, in which he had 10 goals and 26 assists.

Thornton was tied for 11th in the NHL in scoring entering Wednesday's games with nine goals and 24 assists.

Outside of that, I can't really tell you whether this is a fair or an even trade, but I can tell you that it's a good trade. Even if these three guys end up stinking up the Garden, in the long run, it will be worth it. Thornton is a great player. He wasn't a "cancer" like Terrell Owens. But, plain and simple, "he's not the guy."

I've watched Thornton over the years. I remember when the Bruins drafted him, he, like Bledsoe, was going to save the team from the depths of the doldrums and bring home title after title. And, now, after seven years and change (Bledsoe was eight and change -- technically he finished his ninth with the Pats, but you know that story), we have, like Bledsoe, an aging guy who has never lived up to his potential, never brought home a Stanley Cup, never had "that presence."

Of all the times I've watched the Bruins over the last several years, I never had the feeling like I used to with other players, like Terry O'Reilly or Rick Middleton, that when they came out on the ice, you knew something was going to happen, somewhere, someway. Guys who, when they came out on the ice, other players responded. Guys like Tom Brady, like Kevin McHale coming off the bench, like Curt Schilling and David Ortiz and Jason Varitek, like Pedro, like Yaz, like Cam, like Orr, like Russell, like Havlicek, like Bruschi. These are the greats in Boston sports history. They are the greats because they were and are like George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, George Patton. They're leaders. People respond to their mere presence, and then to their actions.

Bledsoe didn't have it. Thornton doesn't have it.

I was fortunate to see Thornton a little more up close a few weeks ago. My brother and I were at the Nov. 10 game .. shellacking .. vs. Ottawa. It was 5-2, remember? Ottawa's Dany Heatley scored 27 seconds into the game and 11 seconds into the 3rd period. There was one thing missing on the ice that night, and it was a leader. No one to rally the troops. No one to fire up anyone else. No one to even give the illusion that he was playing particularly hard himself. He moped around the ice, skated lackluster, hardly checked anyone. He ended up with an assist, and his line was -2. He looked ordinary, and that's giving him some credit. Between shifts, he hardly seemed interested in the action.

Sunday I watched Tom Brady have a horrible game, tie a career worst, and watch his team sink to 6-5. Brady was fired up. Definitely mad at himself. And because of it, he went and played harder. That's what winners do.

If Thornton wants to be that guy, he's going to have to do it in another team's sweater.

Now we can all get ready for WEEI's Dale Arnold lamenting the "loss" of Thornton the way we had to put up with The Boston Globe's Ron Borges incessant whining about the "loss" of Bledsoe until the Patriots won their third Super Bowl. Imagine if San Jose wins a Stanley Cup before Boston? Arnold go like a Chatty Cathy to his grave.

Ex-Cowboy Irvin Caught with Dope Pipe

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you what's funny, but this is funny: A friend and I were discussing Sunday (tongue-in-cheek, of course) how Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Jay Novacek were the only Cowboys from the Dallas Super Bowl teams that didn't have problems with the law.

He said, "What about Michael Irvin?"

I said, "His problems have been well chronicled."

He said, "Yeah, but nothing recently."

Oh, it is to laugh.

And you'd think that would be the funny part -- until you hear about the actual incident and post incidents.

I'm sure you've all heard about the drug pipe (I've heard lots of discrepancies about the drug of choice to say here) found in Irvin's car, so we'll forego rehashing all the details (post a comment if you have any questions about it).

So Irvin is pulled over for speeding (not a good start) and the cops find this pipe, and Irvin tells them, "It's my brother's." Except, later on, he says it's not his literal brother, but his long-time unidentified friend who is "like a brother." Like when you go buy [enter favorite item here: cigarettes, condoms, pregnancy kit] and say "It's for a friend."

OK, OK, that may be jumping the gun. Let's assume for a moment that Irvin is actually telling the truth so far. Irvin also says that this friend showed up at Irvin's house on Thanksgiving. Irvin took the pipe (and a couple baggies that contained drug residue) from the friend and put it all in his own car so he could dispose of it later.

[Throws a red flag] Hold it right there. I'm going to call for a replay on this one. Irvin said he's trying to help this friend of 17 years quit drugs. He does so by taking away drug paraphernalia and putting it in his own car. What?

I've heard plenty of people say, "If he was going to dispose of it, why didn't he do it immediately?" Absolutely, makes sense, 100 percent. But, hang on, I'll give Irvin the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it was an awkward situation and he couldn't just destroy it on the spot. What I want to know is at what point Irvin decided that putting it in his car was a logical conclusion. This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. If you're going to hide drugs where they're not going to cause problems (EVER), it's not in your car.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Irvin doesn't live in a split-level ranch, that it's maybe something a little bit bigger. Are you telling me there was no place in the house he could have hidden this stuff so he could dispose of it later? I mean, I can think of dozens of places where I'd hide stuff, and a half-dozen places (in a house) to easily dispose of it. Why in a million years would you put it in your car? And how are you going to dispose of the stuff from your car later?

I think we have enough here, your honor, but let's nail this baby shut, shall we?

Irvin "allowed" himself to be interviewed on the Dan Patrick Show on ESPN radio Monday. Among the ridiculous things he said (or refused to say) was when he danced around the topic of taking a drug test to clear his name outright. That would prove beyond the shadow of a doubt at least that the stuff wasn't his. Irvin kept babbling about lawyers and legalities and all kinds of basically irrelevant stuff guilty people usually say when they're ... well, guilty.

Now, Irvin is an independent contractor, according to his agreement with ESPN, where he appears on much of their NFL programming. That generally means that management can't force him to take a drug test. Irvin knew that for a fact, strangely enough.

Anyway, I've heard enough of Irvin week-to-week on ESPN -- more than enough, if you want to get into it -- to know that he's on there only to push an agenda, that if you call him on it gets you labeled by the PC police no matter how right you are. Most of pre-/post-game shows are to the point where they're almost unwatchable, and it's come to that point with the onslaught of Irvins, Shannon Sharpes and Deion Sanderses, who like yelling about things but really have nothing to say.

Oh, sorry, got roaring from my pulpit there for a minute. Back to Irvin ...

The whole point here was that the Cowboys teams that were collecting Lombardi trophies like they were baseball cards were basically a bunch of rehab center escapees, and probably most of them shouldn't even have been in football, much less winning championships and contemplating Hall of Fame inductions.

Alas, this is the world we have allowed. It's so sad that we need something to make us laugh.

"No, really. It's for a friend."

Whew! Ya. That's a good one.

General NFL open thread

If there's anything you want to talk about from around the NFL this week, let's hear it.

Note the two other stories about the Lions firing Steve Mariucci and about Michael Irvin (that one's coming a little later today). Post comments to those stories there. Anything else goes here.

You can comment about whether the Colts have a chance to finish undefeated and what "allowed" that to happen. You can comment about Michael Vick and how when he plays like a quarterback he loses. Whatever. As the Black Knight said, "Have at you!"

Lions fire Steve Mariucci

From NFL.com: The Detroit Lions fired coach Steve Mariucci and promoted defensive coordinator Dick Jauron to succeed him on an interim basis.

Mariucci's record with the Lions was 15-28, including 4-7 this year. His 2003 hiring was hailed by fans and media alike, but he was not able to turn around a team that has won one playoff game since 1957.

Can someone explain this to me? Yes, I agree there were higher expectations for the Lions this season. I picked them to win the North -- then again, you could pick this division with a dart board. And, really, I picked them first in the division with an 8-8 record, tied with Minnesota and Green Bay. It's not like any of them are good teams.

Things unraveled quickly when Jeff Garcia broke his leg on Sept. 2. And it's not like they've had an easy road. Of their seven losses, six have come to Chicago (twice), Tampa Bay, Carolina, Dallas and Atlanta -- teams with a combined 37-18 (.673) record.

OK, so they're in a terrible division, and I predicted an 8-8 finish, meaning "they're not really that good." They've also had a really tough schedule to this point, and they're 4-7 -- basically a game away from being "nearly .500", just about where they should be. Now look at their alleged "talent." There isn't much to brag about. A smattering here and there. Basically enough to be competitive in the NFC North.

Hmmm ... Let's see. Who would be responsible for that?

Oh, right. Matt Millen. Possibly the worst general manager in football. (Well, he's "team president," but he's the GM for all intent and purpose.) Millen did nothing to help Mariucci or his predecessor. I don't know how he convinces the owners that it's all the coaches' fault.

Let's take a quick look at recent Lions history.

Wayne Fontes had one of the oddest head-coaching tenures anywhere ever. He lasted more than eight seasons, finishing 67-71, after always having horrible starts and barely making the playoffs. Bobby Ross, undeniably a good coach, took over in 1997 and lasted about 3 1/2 years, compiling a 27-32 record. He was replaced by Gary Moeller, who finished the 2000 season, leaving with a 4-3 record.

Enter Matt Millen. He hires Marty Mornhinweg, possibly one of the worst head-coaching hires I've ever seen (besides Dave Wannestadt). Mornhinweg, "Millen's Boy", finished 5-27 in two seasons. Millen and Mornhinweg just about ruined Detroit. After that disaster, Millen turned to Mariucci to right the ship. Mariucci was 15-28 (11-21 over his first two seasons), definitely an improvement, when he's fired.

Joey Harrington is a bust, and was before Mariucci got there. Garcia broke his leg. Hardly Mariucci's fault.

If you can point to anything over the last two-plus years the front office has done to give Mariucci a chance, I'll eat my pants.

I'm sure it's too late to bring back Mariucci. Don't expect Dick Jauron to last too long. I can't imagine what the Lions do for coaches from here, but I do have one suggestion.

FIRE MATT MILLEN! (for crying out loud)

Postgame, Week 12: Patriots 16 @ Chiefs 26

Tom Brady tied a career high with four interceptions, and the New England Patriots defense gave up 420 yards, nearly all in the first three quarters, as New England fell to the Chiefs, 26-16, in Kansas City.

At least two, and possibly a third, of Brady's interceptions were catchable by receivers, but both Brady and his receivers had problems, not the least of which was an absent running game. The Patriots (6-5) were able to maintain a two-game lead in the AFC East, as Buffalo (4-7) lost 13-9 at Carolina. Miami, also 4-7, beat host Oakland, 33-21; and New York (2-9) lost at home to New Orleans.

New England remained in the game until the final few minutes with the defense playing like the 2001 "bend-don't-break" Patriots. Kansas City moved the ball at will, but found the end zone only twice, once in each of the first and third quarters. The Chiefs had to settle for four field goals in the second, and New England blanked KC in the fourth.

Unfortunately, the offense had problems all over the field and had a hard time putting any points on the board. Brady finished 22 0f 40 for 248 yards in a Drew Bledsoe like performance. Most of the completions and yards came later in the game when Kansas City had a comfortable lead. Brady threw one touchdown -- Christian Fauria's first TD reception of the season -- and was sacked three times. Kansas City safety Greg Wesley nabbed three of Brady's picks.

Brady consistently overthrew receivers, as he has done often this season, and had little explanation for it after the game. "You just do the best you can," he said, several times in fact. "You just have to keep trying it. We have to execute better.

"We didn’t run it very well, we didn’t throw it very well. Everyone needs to be better. We did some better things in the second half. It was similar to Denver, you get down so many points and you just have to be perfect. And we certainly weren’t perfect today."

That was an understatement, but the game was indeed similar to the poor performance in Denver, with the exception of the Patriots scoring first (a field goal) in that one. Against Denver, New England found itself down 21-3 after the Broncos scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter. They made it four in the third. Sunday, the Patriots were down 19-3 at the half, and a Chiefs touchdown opened the scoring in the second half. The only difference was that Brady went 24-of-46 for 299 yards, but no interceptions, in that one.

Incidentally, Brady broke the 3,000 yard mark Sunday and is the first quarterback to do so this season, 11 games being the fastest he has reached the mark in a season in his career. That's cold comfort considering the Patriots now have more losses this season than in the last two combined.

Brady also hit nine different receivers Sunday. Tim Dwight and Deion Branch accounted for five receptions apiece and for 76 and 49 yards, respectively. The tight ends combined for 6 catches.

The Patriots also had 5 rushes listed in the gamebook. Tim Dwight was leading the team in rushing with 17 yards on 2 carries until late in the game. When Brady ran up the middle for 15 yards 6 minutes into the third quarter, he was then the teams second leading rusher behind Dwight. Patrick Pass ultimately led with 26 yards on 8 carries (with a touchdown), and the team finished with only 74 yards on 18.

If there's any good news, it's that New England was flagged for just two penalties for 22 yards. Referee Bill Vinovich and crew pretty much kept their flags in their pockets it what ultimately seemed detrimental to the Patriots. Oddly, Kansas City was actually flagged for more penalties (5 for 35 yards).

Once again, the Patriots came up way on the short side on turnovers -- one forced fumble and recovery, no interceptions, for the defense. The defense got molested all day, allowing Chiefs running back Larry Johnson 119 yards and a touchdown. Trent Green threw only 26 passes, connecting on 19, for 323 yards and a score. Only five Chiefs had receptions, and New England apparently couldn't stop any of them.

Kansas City hosts Denver next Sunday at 4:15 p.m. New England comes home to play the New York Jets, also at 4:15 p.m. It will be Week 13 and these teams will be seeing each other for the first time this season. They play each other again three weeks later on Monday Night, the day after Christmas.

Patriots @ Kansas City open thread

Better late than never. Pats offense not off to a good start.
Let's hear it, Patriot Nation!

Game Preview: Week 12, Patriots @ Kansas City

In this week's Patriots Game of the Year, New England heads to Kansas City in a matchup of 6-4 teams. The Patriots lead the AFC East. KC is tied for 2nd in the West. A win for New England maintains at least a two-game cushion, while a win for Kansas City keeps them within two games of West-leading Denver. A loss for New England could allow Buffalo to creep within a game of the division lead, should they beat Carolina. A KC loss would probably eliminate the Chiefs from the playoffs.

The big story in New England of course is the passing of Bill Belichick's father Steve the night before last Sunday's win over New Orleans. It's a bigger story this week than last, because Belichick didn't announce his father's passing until after the game, and the Patriots were without their leader for a couple practices during what must have been a solemn holiday week in the Belichick household.

Will the story itself have any impact on the game? Absolutely not. And you have to believe that the well-oiled machine that New England is, the Patriots hardly missed a step in game-planning. Still, it's almost impossible to believe there wasn't a ripple or two in this week's preparation.

While New England's overall injury situation is improving (for once), there are still some big problems. Running back Kevin Faulk and offensive lineman Matt Light are still out. Running back Corey Dillon and receivers Bethel Johnson and David Givens are both out, too. Running back Patrick Pass is still nursing a hamstring, but he's expected to play. Heath Evans will get another start at running back with support from Pass and Mike Cloud.

Kansas City has a short list of various injuries. Standouts include tackle Willie Roaf (hamstring) and cornerback Patrick Surtain (ankle), both questionable.

Arrowhead stadium is one of those places most teams fear to tread. It's loud and a tough place for visiting offenses to play. But New England has had some success there, winning last year on Monday Night, 27-19. So eliminate that as a major story line until it has an obvious impact.

Kansas City has one of those combos the Pats have had trouble with this season: a good tight end, and a good running back (until recently, two good running backs). San Diego embarrassed New England at home with the tandem of tight end Antonio Gates and running back LaDanian Tomlinson. I've heard some people make the argument that Indianapolis was similar with tight end Dallas Clark and running back Edgerrin James, but I think we all know that Indy is a little more than that. New England beat Atlanta on the road, and they have tight end Alge Crumpler and a three-running back attack with Warrick Dunn, TJ Duckett and "quarterback" Michael Vick. So is tight end Tony Gonzalez and running back Larry Johnson enough to beat New England?

Well, there's another side of the ball, and the Patriots defense has been improving week-to-week with some of the injuries healing. The return of Tedy Bruschi and Richard Seymour have been monumental. Yes, monumental. The run defense has improved geometrically, and that has helped the pass defense to a great extent.

Oh, let's not forget the Patriots have an offense that can score points too. As long as Evans can keep the ground game legitimate, Tom Brady can manage the game like none other. He has lots of weapons, and he knows how to use them. Last I checked, New England had a couple decent tight ends too. KC's defense has definitely improved over last year, they have their work cut out for them.

One big key to the game will be field position. The Patriots special teams will be under pressure and need to perform.

Prediction: Patriots, 28-27.

Locally, this week's game will be broadcast on CBS, Channel 4 @ 1 pm with Dick Enberg and , and Armen Keteyian on the sideline. ... You can catch a better audio description of the game on WBCN 104.1 FM with Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti.

Week 12 Picks

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving and ensuing weekend. It was a strange week for me, and that kept me off my keyboard for a bit, but I'm back on track, and ready to impart my special kind of knowledge -- for what it's worth.

Hey, wouldn't you know it. I was actually posting picks for Thanksgiving Day. I didn't have much time, but there I was, pounding out a couple paragraphs, trying to give you a tidbit to add to your feast ... and I forgot to hit the publish button. And wouldn't you know it? I got both games right. I had Atlanta by 10 and Denver by 1, but, hey, I didn't get them in on time, so they don't count. Woe is me.

Anyway, let's look at the rest of this week's games:

Sunday, Nov. 27
Baltimore (3-7) at Cincinnati (7-3), 1:00 p.m.
Baltimore stole a game from a floundering Pittsburgh team, and Cincinnati lost to nearly unbeatable Indy. Evidently, Baltimore realized they're only role is that of spoiler, and they got off to a good start there by knocking off Pitt. Can they do the same to Cincy? I doubt it. Running back Jamal Lewis really is a piece of garbage, and he's about to lose his job. He'll probably just go back to running drugs instead of footballs. Quarterback Kyle Boller is nursing a back injury, so you can imagine how ineffective he'll be, considering how ineffective he is as usual. The defense is still missing linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed. Cincinnati is going to be looking to take out last week's frustration on someone, and the home town crowd is going to be there urging them on. As oft is the case in the NFL, last week is not this week.
Prediction: Bengals, 31-9.

Carolina (7-3) at Buffalo (4-6), 1:00 p.m.
Both teams are coming off humiliating defeats from last week. Carolina lost 13-3, but it was to Chicago, and while the Windy City team has been a surprise this season, that certainly doesn't make Carolina feel better. Buffalo was pummeled by San Diego. But Buffalo is at home, where they play far better (4-1 home, 0-5 road), and they have few injuries to speak of. Carolina is OK on the road (4-1 home, 3-2 road), but this is Buffalo, and it's getting cold. Running backs Deshawn Foster and Stephen Davis are banged up, and that could impact the game plan. Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman has yet to show the ability to win an important game. Buffalo is 3-0 against Carolina all-time.
Prediction: Panthers, 21-16.

Chicago (7-3) at Tampa Bay (7-3), 1:00 p.m.
Both of these teams are 7-3 and in first place in their respective divisions. There must be a conspiracy. Chicago has the best points-against defense in the league with a mind-boggling 110 after 10 games (easy math). They're also 7th against the run and 2nd against the pass, making them first overall in yards allowed, too. Tampa isn't too shabby. They're 3rd overall in yards allowed. Neither team has any significant injuries. Both teams have one home loss and two road losses. Chicago usually scores just enough to win. Tampa has lost big a couple times, keeping them out of the points-allowed race. It comes down to who makes the most mistakes. Tampa gets the edge on home-field advantage.
Prediction: Buccaneers, 16-13.

Cleveland (4-6) at Minnesota (5-5), 1:00 p.m.
Cleveland is coming of a stunning 22-0 domination over Miami. Minnesota squeezed by Green Bay on Monday Night, leaving them with a short week. Cleveland is 1-4 on the road. Minnesota is 3-1 at home. Quarterback Brad Johnson has gone 3-0 since the demise of Dante Culpepper. If -> IF <- Cleveland plays like they did last week, they have a chance. Reuben Droughns needs to have a huge day. Give the turf advantage to the home team. I don't think I've picked a Minnesota game correctly all season. Prediction: Vikings, 31-17.

New England at Kansas City, 1:00 p.m.
Read the stand-alone game preview. Thanks.
Prediction: Patriots, 28-27.

San Diego (6-4) at Washington (5-5), 1:00 p.m.
San Diego, again, is coming off a pummeling of Buffalo. Washington is floundering again after a home loss to Oakland. Two teams headed in opposite directions. Both teams need a win to keep pace in their respective divisions. One team has a wicked uphill battle after today. Both teams have their share of bruises. Washington is 4-1 at home. San Diego is 3-2 on the road. Can Washington stop a steamrolling San Diego offense?
Prediction: Chargers, 34-27.

San Francisco (2-8) at Tennessee (2-8), 1:00 p.m.
San Francisco is 0-4 on the road with 2 wins at home. Tennessee is 1-4 home and away. Meaning, if anyone can lose at home, it's Tennessee. But if anyone can't win on the road, it's Frisco. Really. Who cares? San Fran takes the NFC lead in the Reggie Brown sweepstakes.
Prediction: Titans, 28-19.

St. Louis (4-6) at Houston (1-9), 1:00 p.m.
Speaking of the Reggie Brown sweepstakes. San Fran could still end up with Brown because Houston doesn't necessarily need a running back. Houston's one win is at home, and St. Louis is 1-4 on the road. Houston is 31th in overall offense, and 30st in defense. The Rams are 29th in defense, BUT they're 5th in offense. There's your difference in this one. I don't know what happened to Houston after a couple years of improvement. Total collapse. Probably won't end today.
Prediction: Rams, 38-12.

Jacksonville (7-3) at Arizona (3-7), 4:05 p.m.
Arizona doesn't even have a winning record at home (2-3), and Jacksonville has a winning road record (3-2). Don't talk to be about Kurt Warner or Arizona's third-ranked passing offense. They can't run the ball (70.1 ypg, 32nd). Jacksonville has a good, balanced offense and the No. 1 ranked defense against the pass, allowing just 159.9 yards per game, and that's not because they're run defense is horrible (like other teams with good passing defenses).
Prediction: Jaguars, 24-13.

Miami (3-7) at Oakland (4-6), 4:05 p.m.
Miami linebacker Zack Thomas is out for this game. Oakland defensive tackle Warren Sapp has been placed on injured reserve (career over?). This game is irrelevant in so many ways. Oakland probably thinks they still have a chance, so they'll probably come to play. Miami coach Nick Saban is starting to use the rest of the season to evaluate players for next year, so while he will try to win, he knows his team is out of it, and he's going to do what needs to be done for the future.
Prediction: Raiders, 31-13.

Green Bay (2-8) at Philadelphia (4-6), 4:15 p.m.
This has been a bizarre season for both teams. You can throw out the stats and everything else you know about these two teams. Philly is against the ropes, and both teams are out of the playoffs. (OK, Philly is probably mathematically still in it, but let's dabble in reality for a while.) I don't know how you predict a game like this. You take a sneaker company's advice: Just do it.
Prediction: Packers, 17-14.

N.Y. Giants (7-3) at Seattle (8-2), 4:15 p.m.
The 4 o' clock game of the week. New York needed two 4th-quarter touchdowns to barely squeeze by Philadelphia (27-17) in the Meadowlands last week. Seattle gave up 13 late points to edge San Francisco in the Bay City, 27-25. Both teams are great at home, Seattle moreso (5-0). New York is 2-2 on the road. Seattle has the NFC West wrapped up, but they want to ensure home-field advantage for the playoffs. New York is still battling for the NFC East division lead. Eveyone is talking about Eli Manning, but Matt Hasselbeck is no slouch, and I'll take Shawn Alexander over Tiki Barber any day of the week. Seattle still has the best offense in the league, and their defense is pretty darn good too. New York's offense is okay and getting better, and their defense is solid too. The numbers give Seattle an edge, and so does home field.
Prediction: Seahawks, 31-21.

New Orleans (2-8) at N.Y. Jets (2-8), 8:30 p.m.
New Orleans might be the best 2-8 team of all time. They're ranked 16th in total offense and 12th in total defense. Meanwhile, New York is 30th and 13th, respectively. New Orleans should easily win this game, but there continue to be zillions of off-field distractions. I know, I know. You don't really care. This could be one of the lowest rated Sunday Night games ever. I know, I know. You don't really care.
Prediction: Saints, 24-20.

Monday, Nov. 28
Pittsburgh (7-3) at Indianapolis (10-0), 9:00 p.m.
One streak is ending tonight. Either Pittsburgh is ending Indianapolis' perfect season, or Indy is going to become the only team besides New England to beat Ben Roethlisberger. Indianapolis gets the domed, artificial-turf homefield advantage, and that could be a major factor with Roethlisberger still nursing a sore knee. Both teams traveled last week. Indy (4-0 at home) is coming off a 45-37 win at Cincinnati, while Pitt (4-1 on the road) blew it in overtime, 16-13, at Baltimore. But that was with Tommy Maddox at the offensive helm. The Indianapolis offense is ranked second overall in yards gained (7th rushing, 7th passing). The Pittsburgh defense is 6th overall (3rd rushing, 17th passing). On the other side of the ball, Pittsburgh's offense is 26th overall (3rd rushing, 23rd passing), but the passing could be misleading with Roethlisberger sidlined for so long. Indy's defense is 8th overall (12th rushing, 9th passing), certainly much improved over last season; but, as has been mentioned before, relatively untested. Indy has scored 305 points; Pittsburgh, 236. Indy has allowed 152; Pittsburgh, 161. Coaches Bill Cowher and Tony Dungy are a wash. Both are upper-tier coaches, but both are also liable to make some huge coaching errors. With a win, Indy is three games ahead of Jacksonville in the AFC South (two with a loss). If Pittsburgh wins, they pull into a tie with Cincinnati for the AFC North; otherwise, they fall back two and into a real battle for a wildcard playoff berth. Roethlisberger has a high quarterback rating, but he usually doesn't carry the team himself. Pittsburgh is going to have to run the ball, score points early, and keep Indy off the board. Indy has to force Roethlisberger to throw by stopping the run and play their usual offense. This could be a great game, but I think you'd have to be nuts to pick against Indy.
Prediction: Colts, 38-28.

Bill Belichick's Father Dies

Steve Belichick, father of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and former assistant football coach at the Naval Academy, died Saturday night of heart failure. He was 86.

Belichick served 33 years (1956-89) as an assistant football coach and an associate professor in the Department of Physical Education. He remained closely tied to the Naval Academy and the football program ever since, brining his association with the institution to nearly 50 years.

Following Sunday's Patriots win over New Orleans, Bill Belichick addressed the press.

“Personally, I coached this game with a heavy heart," he said. "My Dad passed away. I found out about it in the middle of last night. Obviously, he had a tremendous influence on my life personally and, particularly in the football aspect, it was great to be able to share the tremendous memories with him and some of our recent successes, as I did when I was a kid when he was successful as a coach of the Naval Academy and that program.

"Yesterday he did what he enjoyed doing. He went and watched Navy play, watched them win. Some of his former players were there. He had dinner and I spoke with him after the game. And like he normally does Saturday night, sitting around watching college football, and his heart just stopped beating. So I'm sure that's the way he would have wanted it to end. He went peacefully, which is unusual for him.”

I'm not going to say much here. I don't know any more about Steve Belichick than you do -- just what I've read in the papers and online and heard on the radio and TV. However, based on those reports and what we know of his son, we get a pretty clear picture of a man who maybe didn't set the world on fire, but he was to what he did the Einstein, the Shakespeare, the George Washington, the Ted Williams. He was a giant among men, and the father of another giant among men. Neither of them professing themselves to be anything but mere mortals.

We (again, that's "me") at Patriots Pulpit wish to extend our condolences to the Belichick family and to Naval Academy on the loss of someone so intrinsic to your lives.

Please feel free to post your own comments. Thank you.

The following is the remainder of the obituary released by the New England Patriots on Patriots.com:

A native of Struthers, Ohio, Belichick was a 1941 graduate of Case Western Reserve where he played football and basketball. A three-year regular at fullback, Belichick led Case Western, a football power back then, to the 1941 Sun Bowl. He was named to the school's Hall of Fame in 1976.

After graduation, Belichick played one year for the Detroit Lions where he played alongside future Supreme Court Justice, Byron “Whizzer” White.

Belichick was drafted into the Navy after Pearl Harbor and became an armed guard officer with an amphibious task force in the Pacific. After the war, Belichick became the head football, basketball and track coach at Hiram College (1946-48) where he met his wife Jeannette.

Belichick's career would take off in 1949 when his former coach at Case Western, Bill Edwards, asked him to join his staff at Vanderbilt. While at Vanderbilt, Belichick and Edwards became such good friends that Steve named his son, Bill, after him. In 1953, Belichick moved on to Chapel Hill where he was an assistant coach at UNC for three seasons before moving on to Annapolis in 1956.

While at Navy, Belichick was known for his meticulous advance scouting of upcoming opponents. He served under seven head coaches in Annapolis, was part of 17 Navy wins over Army, coached two Heisman Trophy winners (Joe Bellino in 1960 and Roger Staubach in 1963) and helped lead Navy to six bowl games, more than any other coach in school history. He also authored a book titled “Football Scouting Methods.”

Steve Belichick is survived by his wife, Jeannette, and son, Bill.

Week 11 Picks

Sorry, no time for scores even. Just the winners.

Sunday, Nov. 20
Arizona at St. Louis, 1:00 p.m.
Prediction: Rams

Carolina at Chicago, 1:00 p.m.
Prediction: Panthers

Detroit at Dallas, 1:00 p.m.
Prediction: Cowboys

Jacksonville at Tennessee, 1:00 p.m.
Prediction: Jaguars

Miami at Cleveland, 1:00 p.m.
Prediction: Dolphins

New Orleans at New England, 1:00 p.m.
Prediction: Patriots

Oakland at Washington, 1:00 p.m.
Prediction: Redskins

Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, 1:00 p.m.
Prediction: Giants

Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 1:00 p.m.
Prediction: Steelers

Tampa Bay at Atlanta. 1:00 p.m.
Prediction: Falcons

Seattle at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.
Prediction: Seahawks

Buffalo at San Diego, 4:15 p.m.
Prediction: Chargers

Indianapolis at Cincinnati, 4:15 p.m.
Prediction: Colts

N.Y. Jets at Denver, 4:15 p.m.
Prediction: Broncos

Kansas City at Houston, 8:30 p.m.
Prediction: Chiefs

Monday, Nov. 21
Minnesota at Green Bay, 9:00 p.m.
Prediction: Vikings

Patriots vs. Saints open thread

Once again, I head to Foxboro to watch our boys in red, white and blue go for two wins in a row.

I'll be exercising my lungs from high above the field. I don't know if they'll be able to hear me. But I'll be making noise.

I hope you will be too. Right here on this blog. I want to see some comments when I get back.

Now talk amongst yourselves, and ...

GO PATRIOTS!

Game Preview: Week 9, Patriots vs. New Orleans

Win. Loss. Win. Loss. Win. Loss. Win. Loss. Win. ???

I'm going to make this short and sweet this week. The New England Patriots (5-4), despite placing two more players on injured reserve, are attempting to win two games in a row this season for the first time. Fortunately, they have the 2-7 New Orleans Saints coming to town. The Patriots, as we know, are generally pretty solid in Gillette Stadium. This will be the Saints' first trip to the "new place", after losing what was the first of nine straight wins for the New England on their way to their first Super Bowl title in 2001 in the "old place".

The losses of center Dan Koppen and cornerback Randall Gay to injures will certainly have an effect on this team. Koppen now becomes one of several players missing from last years front five. The rest of the offensive line, which has done a pretty admirable job this year, will need to take another step up to maintain the status quo. The loss of Gay is less severe because of the cumulative losses there already. Gay is now the seventh defensive back who started the season with the team.

Old friend Antowain Smith returns to Foxboro to carry the ball for New Orleans. He's averaging an unbelievable 5.9 yards per carry in his last three games. He never did that for New England. Now the Patriots have to stop him. Shouldn't be a major concern. The major concern, of course, is the defensive secondary. Even with Donte Stallworth not at 100 percent, he and Joe Horn make a formidable deep threat, and that could be bad news if Bill Belichick and crew don't find some way to contain it without opening up any other gaping holes in the dike.

Look for Heath Evans take the lead in the offensive backfield again. He'll probably share some time with Patrick Pass. Corey Dillon is still ailing. Watch for problems in the snap between Tom Brady and the center. It will be the first time in 40-odd games Brady takes regular snaps from someone other than Dan Koppen.

Time is short. I gotta go.

Prediction: Patriots, 31-17.

Week 10 Picks Review

Sunday, Nov. 13
Arizona (2-6) at Detroit (3-5), 1 p.m.
Arizona, with the No. 4 ranked passing game in the league, has three touchdowns in 21 trips to the red zone. Sad. Arizona is 0-3 on the road. Detroit has virtually no offense but has scored 131 points, just 15 less than Arizona. The good news for Detroit is they've allowed only 152, compared to Arizona's 211. Arizona's only win against an NFC team was San Francisco in Mexico City. Detroit's was against Green Bay in Week 1. I've been concentrating on this game for 5 weeks. I hope that supermarket still has Kurt Warner's job available.
Prediction: Lions, 31-10.
Result: Lions, 29-21.
Detroit showed they can have an offense ... at least against a lousy defense. Three Joey Harrington to Roy Williams touchdown passes and two Jason Hanson field goals did the job. Detroit also had 157 yards on the ground. Arizona had 38.

Baltimore (2-6) at Jacksonville (5-3), 1 p.m.
Throw out that 3-point fluke loss to St. Louis, and Jacksonville has had a pretty good run lately. Baltimore has not (3-game losing streak). Both teams are good against the pass, so don't expect any aerial spectacles. Jacksonville has the best chance to grind out some ground yardage. Baltimore remains without Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, but quarterback Kyle Boller returns for the first time since Week 1. You really don't think that's going to matter, do you?
Prediction: Jaguars, 26-9.
Result: Jaguars, 30-3.
Baltimore: 110 yards passing, 53 rushing. End of story. You know what's funny? Baltimore scored first.

Houston (1-7) at Indianapolis (8-0), 1 p.m.
What is understood need not be discussed.
Prediction: Colts, 42-13.
Result: Colts, 31-17.
Nor does it need to be recounted.

Kansas City (5-3) at Buffalo (3-5), 1 p.m.
Even with Priest Holmes out, Kansas City should have a moderately easy time with Buffalo. The Larry Johnson kid is for real, despite his prior run-ins with Dick Vermeil, and the old guy couldn't be happier right now: Buffalo is 31st against the run. If Johnson does his job and holds onto the ball, that will make the passing game that much more effective. KC merely needs to put the brakes on Willis McGahee. Merely.
Prediction: Chiefs, 28-24.
Result: Bills, 14-3.
Larry Johnson is for real. 132 yards. But Trent Green tossed three picks and fumbled one away. Buffalo didn't self-destruct, and J.P. Losman played like a quarterback (2 TD, 0 TO).

Minnesota (3-5) at N.Y. Giants (6-2), 1 p.m.
The weeks you want Minnesota to pull an upset. Minnesota is horrible on the road (0-4). New York is solid at home (4-0). Just about all the key indicators and stats favor New York, so let's pick a score and move on.
Prediction: Giants, 35-10.
Result: Vikings, 24-21.
Ask and you shall receive, they say. Actually, there wasn't a lot of receiving out there. Lots of returning though. A punt, a pick and a kick, all returned for touchdowns. Li'l Eli had a horrible day with 4 interceptions. Besides the return scores (92 yards on the INT, 86 on the kickoff, 71 on the punt; total259), the Vikings had 2 more punt returns for 16 yards, 3 more kickoff returns for 72 yards, and 3 more interception returns for 57 yards; a grand total of 394 return yards; but only 137 yards offense (125 yards passing and 12 rushing).

New England (4-4) at Miami (3-5), 1 p.m.
New England has one of the top passing offenses in the league. Miami has one of the best pass defenses. Miami has one of the best running games. New England has one of the worse run defenses. Adam Vinatieri is not as automatic as before (9 of 13 this season, 0-2 beyond 50 yards). It looks like Richard Seymour is going to play. That will help New England more than I can express. Oh, Tom Brady still hasn't lost back-to-back games in his career.
Prediction: Patriots, 23-17.
Result: Patriots, 23-16.
Tom Brady still hasn't lost back-to-back games in his career. Seymour made a tremendous difference. Vinatieri was 3-for-3. The defense stopped the Dolphins running game dead. Then again, they allowed Frerotte to throw for 360 yards. You know all the rest. I already wrote about it. But how about that score prediction, huh? Huh?

San Francisco (2-6) at Chicago (5-3), 1 p.m.
Chicago has won four straight. There's something I never thought I'd write this season. San Francisco is 32nd in offense and defense. Only Chicago's defense is great (3rd), but their offense is horrible (27th). That's OK. Plenty of defenses score points. Chicago has really turned the dials on the scoreboard a couple times.
Prediction: Bears, 24-10.
Result: Bears, 17-9.
Chicago has won five straight. There's something I didn't think I'd write this season until last week. Might have been interesting if Joe Nedney had hit that field goal and Nathan Vasher never had the chance to run it back for a touchdown. Well, it might have been a different outcome, but it probably wouldn't have been interesting.

Denver (6-2) at Oakland (3-5), 4:05 p.m.
Despite the obvious disparities between these two teams, Oakland always gives Denver a battle in the "black hole of intelligence." Denver is coming off a bye, and Oakland just suffered a bitter last-minute defeat to another division rival. One team has preparation, the other has rage. Both play on the dirty side. Both have great running games. There's a gulf of difference between Jake Plummer and Kerry Collins, neither team is that good against the pass. Both Denver losses are on the road.
Prediction: Broncos, 32-27.
Result: Broncos, 31-17.
Collins out-threw Plummer, but Plummer outplayed Collins. Collins had 3 INTs, and the Raiders only gained 60 yards on the ground. Denver accumulated 121 rushing yards and Plummer was virtually flawless. I think I'd rather face Indy over Denver in the playoffs.

N.Y. Jets (2-6) at Carolina (6-2), 4:05 p.m.
Despite the obvious disparities between these two teams ... oh, wait. Never mind.
Prediction: Panthers, 28-6.
Result: Panthers, 30-3.
Nice prediction. Not the way I pictured it though. Carolina gained only 6 yards more scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

Green Bay (1-7) at Atlanta (6-2), 4:15 p.m.
Ditto.
Prediction: Falcons, 38-17.
Result: Packers, 33-25.
Don't say anything bad about Mike Vick's three-fumble performance, because (like a real quarterback) he threw for more than 200 yards. Of course, he got beat by the next to last team in the league with just one win. Hey, Mike: Did you see the guy calling signals for the other team? THAT's a quarterback.

St. Louis (4-4) at Seattle (6-2), 4:15 p.m.
OK, not quite as lopsided, but St. Louis is floundering, and Seattle can all but put away the division with a win. St. Louis is 1-3 on the road. Seattle is 4-0 at home. St. Louis has won 2 in a row; Seattle, 4 in a row. But, wait! St. Louis is second in the league with 5.9 yards per offensive play. Oh, Seattle is first with 6.1. St. Louis' offense is ranked 2nd; Seattle's, first. St. Louis' defense is ranked 30th; Seattle's, 14th.
Prediction: Seahawks, 30-14.
Result: Seahawks, 31-16.
Anyone have Seattle in the Super Bowl? They're looking pretty good. 174 yards (165 for Shawn Alexander) on the ground is impressive, even against a lousy defense. By the way, Seattle's average yards per play, 6.4; St. Louis, 5.5. Another pretty fine prediction.

Washington (5-3) at Tampa Bay (5-3), 4:15 p.m.
Even records. Washington is 1-3 on the road. Tampa is 3-1 at home. But these teams are headed in opposite directions. Tampa has lost 3 of 4, including their home loss last week to Carolina. And Washington picked up their road win in Philly last week too. The recipe for beating Tampa seems easy: Stop "Cadillac". It's been a pretty easy task lately.
Prediction: Redskins, 24-13.
Result: Buccaneers, 36-35.
Mike Alstott outgained the Caddy (21-20), had a better average (2.3-2.0) and more touchdowns (2-0). I think Alstott was stopped short on the 2-point conversion. I didn't see much of the game before the last few minutes, and no one wrote about anything except the last few minutes, so I have nothing else to say, but I think Tampa was more lucky than good.

Cleveland (3-5) at Pittsburgh (6-2), 8:30 p.m.
Despite Ben Roethlisberger riding the pine, Pittsburgh should be OK today. Cleveland simply isn't ready for prime time. Still, Romeo Crennel could pull a rabbit out of a hat against Charlie Batch, who looked less than professional last week against Green Bay.
Prediction: Steelers, 23-10.
Result: Steelers, 34-21.
Bill Cowher pulled out all the stops to get by a 3-5 team. I'm not exactly sure what his point was, unless he was treating it more like a preseason game and evaluating players for future reference. After a good start, Cleveland just didn't have enough to be competitive. But there are definitely signs that the future will be better.

Monday, Nov. 14
Dallas (5-3) at Philadelphia (4-4), 9 p.m.
While the other NFC East teams beat up on each other, the N.Y. Giants with their easy schedule and 9 home games are pulling away. Is Philadelphia still reeling from the Terrell Owens circus? I don't think so. Are they ready for this game? Yeah, probably. Will they finally try to run the ball a little? I would guess so. Have you seen a review elsewhere that has actually talked about the game, instead of a stinking loser who's not even putting on a uniform? Probably not. Dallas pummelled Philadelphia (33-10) earlier this season in Dallas. That was the beginning of a 1-3 slide for Philadelphia and a 3-1 streak for Dallas. If Drew Bledsoe protects the ball( no interceptions, fumbles or sacks that lead to punts), Dallas wins. If Philly loses this game, they can kiss the playoffs goodbye. Bledsoe gets sacked (but will it be deep enough?).
Prediction: Cowboys, 27-26.
Result: Cowboys, 21-20.
There have been many amazing finishes this season. This was perhaps the most improbable. And now that it's said and done, Philly is lucky the Giants lost too. Otherwise, they'd be finished. And with McNabb's injury, they might be finished anyway. Bledsoe got sacked. He had a pretty lousy game until the last scoring drive. Philadelphia dominated the game but couldn't score the knockout. That might ultimately be the difference between staying competitive until the end of the season and spending more time Christmas shopping.

Open date: Cincinnati, New Orleans, San Diego, Tennessee

This Week: 10-4. Good week. Just a couple tough losses from a really nice record. Just a couple slim wins from a mediocre record, too. What have we learned from this?
Season: 87-57. That's 60 percent. I'm usually 5-10 percent better. Going to have to turn it on going down the stretch.

Pats-Saints Injury Report

The good news is: Nobody on the Patriots is listed as "out"! (Of course, that doesn't account for the nearly dozen players on Injured Reserve.) More good news? Four defensive players (Richard Seymour, Ty Warren, Marquise Hill and Ellis Hobbs) were removed from the list altogether!

The Saints have a few notables on their list, including tight end Ernie Conwell, wide receiver Donte Stallworth and linebacker T.J. Slaughter.

New England Patriots (5-4)
OUT
Nobody!
DOUBTFUL
Kevin Faulk (RB) Foot
Matt Light (T) Ankle
QUESTIONABLE
Tom Ashworth (T) Knee
Monty Beisel (LB) back
Troy Brown (WR) Foot
Corey Dillon (RB) Calf
Tim Dwight (WR) Rib
David Givens (WR) Knee
Daniel Graham (TE) Shoulder
Jarvis Green (DE) Shoulder
Patrick Pass (FB) Hamstring
James Sanders (S) Ankle
PROBABLE
Tom Brady (QB) Right Shoulder

New Orleans Saints (2-7)
QUESTIONABLE
Ernie Conwell (TE) Knee
Courtney Watson (LB) Knee
Dwight Smith (S) Leg
Donte' Stallworth (WR) Shoulder
Kevin Houser (LS) Eye
T.J. Slaughter (LB) Groin

Goodbye to Byes (For Now); Brady Leads League

All teams have had their bye weeks, and now we can look forward to the rest of the season with 16 games per week.

Now that all teams have played an equal number of games, we can start looking at individual statistics.

New England's Tom Brady leads the league in passing yards with 2,560, just ahead of Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb (2,507), and nearly 200 yards ahead of Oakland's Kerry Collins (2,367).

There are seven teams with 2-7 records. There are five at 7-2, six at 6-3, four at 5-4, five at 4-5, three at 3-6, one at 1-8, and one at 9-0. Looks a little lopsided, but that means there are 11 teams at 7-2 or 6-3, and ten at 3-6 or 2-7. This parity thing is kinda scary sometimes.

No surprise here: Indianapolis is the highest scoring team in the league with 260. The Colts are followed by the Giants (254), San Diego (252) and Carolina (250). The lowest scoring team? Baltimore with 100 even. Followed by the Jets (121), Houston (124) and San Francisco (126).

San Fran tops the list of teams giving up the most points (263), followed by St. Louis (262), Houston (247), New Orleans (242) and Arizona (240). You'll never get this one. The team that has allowed the fewest points ...

... is Chicago(!) with only 107. Second is Indy (115), followed by Cincinnati (134), Jacksonville (142) and Pittsburgh (145).

FYI, our beloved Patriots have scored 203 (11th) and allowed 236 (26th).

Some notes from the last few weeks ....

Priest Holmes: I always liked this guy, especially when I had him on my fantasy team with Stephen Davis a few years ago. Seriously, he always seemed a class act, very Barry Sanders-like. He took the handoff, he ran, he often scored, he went back to the huddle. No dances. No trashtalk. No BS. Just football. Why do running backs and wide receivers seem to be born of such different molds?

Madden Curse: Looks like it hit last year's cover boy Ray Lewis a year late. Otherwise, the evidence has been mounting, culminating Monday Night, that it has a pretty good stranglehold on Donovan McNabb, quite possibly using Terrell Owens as an evil agent.

NFL.com, which generally takes game stories from the Associated Press, reported after the Raiders-Chiefs game (which KC won on a last-second Larry Johnson touchdown) that: "After most of the Raiders left the field following Johnson's game-winning touchdown, Collins took the safety position for the Chiefs' conversion kick." Remember when Randy Moss walked off the field with time left on the clock last year in Minnesota. Looks like Randy Disease is spreading in Oakland.

Mruczkowski, Hawkins added to roster

From Patriots.com

The New England Patriots signed free agent cornerback Artrell Hawkins and free agent offensive lineman (backup center) Gene Mruczkowski on Tuesday. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

Hawkins, 28, is in his eighth NFL season and has played in 103 career games with 76 starts for the Cincinnati Bengals (1998-2003) and Carolina Panthers (2004). The 5-foot-10-inch, 190-pound cornerback has recorded 404 career tackles (361 solo), three sacks, 10 interceptions for 166 yards and a touchdown, 67 passes defensed, 11 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. He tied for the longest interception return in Bengals history when he returned an interception 102 yards for a touchdown against the Houston Texans in 2002, a season in which he led the Cincinnati secondary with 92 tackles. The University of Cincinnati product was originally drafted by the Bengals in the second round (43rd overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft, and tied for the Bengals team lead with three interceptions in 1998 and 2001. In 2004, Hawkins served as Carolina’s nickel back after signing with the Panthers in the offseason. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2005 season and was released by Washington on Aug. 27, 2005.

Mruczkowski, 25, is joining New England’s active roster for the second time this season and was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 16, 2003. The 6-foot-2-inch, 305-pound offensive lineman has played in 10 career games, all with the Patriots in 2004. The Purdue product spent the entire 2004 season on the active roster and served as the backup center and played on special teams protection units for most of the year. He was released by the Patriots on Sept. 3, 2005 and was re-signed on Sept. 28. Mruczkowski was on the roster for the Patriots’ game against San Diego on Oct. 2, 2005 but was listed as a day-of-game inactive and was released again on Oct. 8. Mruczkowski did not play as a rookie for the Patriots in 2003, beginning the season on the reserve/PUP list and ending the year on injured reserve.

Commentary

Regarding Hawkins:
I don't know if we're quite scraping the bottom of the barrel, but the level is certainly getting shallow. Hawkins had a couple good years, but he's bounced around a bit lately, and that may be a sign that he's lost a step. On the other hand, he's been dumped by teams with pretty solid defenses, so maybe he's better than many people realize. We'll hope for the best and find out in a week or two.

Regarding Mruczkowski:
This is not a surprising move at all. Mruczkowski probably would have made the 53-man roster in the beginning of the season if he were more versatile along the offensive line. Given his recent history, and with Koppen out for the season, he's the absolute logical choice. Keep in mind, though, he is not Dan Koppen. Tom Brady has progressively been returning to 2001 form -- two and three step drops and quick throws. This will increasingly become a necessity with the degradations along the offensive line.

Koppen, Gay done for season

Just when you thought maybe the worst was over, lightning strikes again.

The New England Patriots placed center Dan Koppen and cornerback Randall Gay on injured reserved, ending their 2005 seasons.

Koppen left Sunday's win over Miami late in the third quarter holding his left arm. His shoulder was cited the reason he was placed on injured reserve.

Gay has been battling ankle problems most of the season, and they finally sidelined him. The addition of Gay to the IR list brings the total of defensive backs the Patriots started the season with to seven.

Koppen, 26, was selected in the fifth round (164th overall) of the 2003 NFL draft out of Boston College. He has played in 41 games for New England, including the last 40 consecutive starts. That was the second longest active streak after quarterback Tom Brady (71).

Gay, 23, was signed as an undrafted free agent in April of 2004. He has made 11 starts, including 2 starts in 5 games this season. Gay led the team in tackles with 11 in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Postgame, Week 10: Patriots 23, Dolphins 16

The "Just Enough"/"Bend, Don't Break" 2001 New England Patriots returned to action Sunday, beating the Dolphins in Miami, 23-16. The win kept the Patriots (5-4) in sole possession of first place of the AFC East and raised their division record to 2-0. Miami fell to 3-6, 0-3 in the division.

No, it wasn't pretty, and the injuries continued to mount, but there was good news too. Several no-names made names for themselves, and a few key players made key plays.

Perhaps most important was the return of Richard Seymour to the defensive line. While he had just one solo tackle, one assist and one pass defended, his presence was certainly felt. The attention Miami paid to Seymour paid off in freeing up other players to pressure Dolphin quarterback Gus Frerotte and stymie the 1-2 running back punch of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. The pair rushed for just 77 yards combined on 25 carries (3.1 yards per carry).

Patriot cornerback Ellis Hobbs had a career game (he's a rookie) and was one of four Patriot defenders with 7 total tackles. Hobbs made 5 solo tackles and a key interception, 4 passes defended (2 on Miami's last drive), and 2 fumble recoveries. Safety Michael Stone also had 5 solo tackles and a pair of assists, plus a special teams tackle. Linebacker Rosevelt Colvin had 4 solos, 3 assists and a forced fumble, and linebacker Mike Vrabel had 1 solo and 6 assists to go with a special teams tackle.

Not all the defensive news was good. Frerotte 360 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 of 47 passing. Fortunately, the New England defense stiffened in the red zone, a big turnaround from the last few weeks, and continually frustrated Frerotte. Miami left a lot of points on the field.

Asante Samuel gave up another touchdown, this time to Chris Chambers on a 3-yard pass from Frerotte. Ricky Williams paid for it, as Samuel delivered another Rodney Harrison-style hit of the former bowl-over back.

Tom Brady had his typical out-of-quarterback experience in Miami. Overall, he had good game, but he had several bad gaffes and gambles as well. Brady finished 21 of 36 for 275 yards with a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. He was allegedly sacked twice for one yard, which I'm pretty sure isn't possible.

Brady hit seven different receivers, all at least twice. Deion Branch was the primary beneficiary, catching five passes for 82 yards, but it was Tim Dwight and tight end Ben Watson who will be credited with the big plays. Dwight ripped the ball from Miami cornerback Reggie Howard who got his hands on Brady's deep ball just after Dwight did. Dwight then scrambled downfield for a total pickup of 59 yards. Brady then hit Watson just inches inside the left side of the endzone with 2:19 left in the game for the go ahead score. Miami castoff Heath Evans then successfully converted for two points.

Watson also scored on a 16-yard pass from Brady with 7 seconds left in the first half. That drive started with 5:01 left on the clock. The game-winning drive consisted of just the two plays above.

Brady got pounded all day, having protection from two rookies, two backups and one regular on the offensive line. He made a couple awful throws, but typical to his character, he came right back and make some huge plays.

Evans finished with 84 yards on 17 carries (4.9 avg). Mike Cloud added 8 yards on 7 carries.

Christian Fauria had his first catches of the year, but he also had a key drop near the end of the second quarter.

Punter Josh Miller had another great day. He had six punts for an average of 43.7 yards. He placed three inside the 20, and his first virtually on the Dolphins' goalline on the Patriots first possession, setting up an early game of field posision.
t
Remember, until Sunday, the Patriots had one just once in seven years in Miami. That means they lost there twice in their three Super Bowl seasons. Winning there Sunday, considering all their injuries, borders on Vatican-certified miracle.

Next opponent: New Orleans. they're coming off a bye. How many teams have faced Pats coming off a bye?

* Quotes in this story were taken from the Associated Press

Patriots @ Miami open thread

Is today the day Tom Brady loses back-to-back games? Is today the day the dynasty wavers? Is today the day we start thinking about next year?

Richard Seymour is ACTIVE. But there's no telling how close to 100 percent he is.

Miami is a good 1300 miles away, so you're going to have to be loud to let them hear it.

GO PATRIOTS!

Game Preview: Week 10, Patriots @ Miami

Due to the result of last week's game of the year, game of the decade, etc., today, we bring you the game of the year, game of the decade, etc. That's right, the New England Patriots are headed to Miami with momentum and control of the AFC East on the line. The Pats are 4-4 with Miami a full game behind. With all else being equal, the winner of today's game will have the edge when the Dolphins come to Foxboro on New Year's Day in the season finale.

Too much hype? Maybe. Maybe not. If you ask Bill Belichick, and if he gives you an honest answer, this is far from "just a game, like any other." In addition to everything above, it's a division game, and those are always more important than other games.

The Patriots are 1-0 in the division, having faced only the Buffalo Bills so far, and that wasn't pretty. The Dolphins are 0-2, having lost to both the New York Jets and the Bills earlier in the season, before their alleged re-emergence. Setting them two games back and 3 in the division would almost certainly take the pressure off, at least a little.

There's possibly more good news. Richard Seymour has practiced with the team this week. His return would be enormous considering Miami's 1-2 punch of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Brown is contending for rookie of the year, and Williams is starting to look like the pre-insanity-Ricky. Seymour is a tough run blocker, whose mere presence could give the Pats defensive line a boost. He hasn't been announced as a starter or inactive yet, so anything can happen.

There's bad news too. Wide receiver David Givens, running back Patrick Pass and offensive tackle Tom Ashworth are out. That leaves New England with an injured Corey Dillon, and newcomers Mike Cloud and Heath Evans as their only running backs. That also leaves them shorthanded on the O line. Givens is certainly a loss, dependable as he's been, but Tom Brady still will have a lot of targets, especially of the tight ends remain involved as they were last week.

Speaking of which, TE Daniel Graham is nursing a shoulder, so you may see a little more of Christian Fauria today.

Really, it boils down to this. The Patriots have to stop the run. End of story. Yes, they're susceptible deep as they have been all season, but Miami's quarterback is Gus Frerotte, possibly relieved by Sage Rosenfels. It's not Peyton Manning, not even Kelly Holcomb. And if Seymour plays (and if he's close to 100 percent), the extra pass pressure generates should contain the Dolphins' QBs.

If that doesn't work, we're going to have to hope for the best from Corey Dillon, and Tom Brady is going to have to have a game like last week. Adam Vinatieri, who is just 9 of 13 in field goal attempts this year (0-2 over 50 yards), is going to have to return to form.

Dillon should get some help from Cloud, but this pair has been subject to turnovers, so they need to protect the ball. Brady has a million weapons, and he's going to need them all, and they're going to have to make some catches. Brady will probably be under constant pressure, not only from Jason Taylor, but from everywhere on the field. I think Nick Saban will blitz on maybe 60 percent or more of the Patriots pass plays. The Dolphins defensive backfield is also miles ahead of New England's. Usually, you can say Brady is practicing against a defense as good as he sees on Sundays. Not this year.

The usual other stuff will be important. The Pats are now -7 in turnover ratio -- second worst in the AFC. The good news? Miami is -4. The Pats have one of the top passing games; Miami has one of the best pass defenses. Miami has one of the best running games; the Pats have one of the worse run defenses. New England has been horrible defensively in the red zone.

Oh, one more thing. As we all probably remember, the Patriots lost last week, and we all know that the Patriots have a pretty good record following a loss.

Therefore, I think the Pats can and will pull it off. I think Brady will have another great game, though he often struggles against Miami. I think Dillon will do enough. I think the presence of Seymour will make all the difference on defense. I think Rosenfels gives New England a scare late in the game.

Prediction: Patriots, 23-17.

Week 10 Picks

Sunday, Nov. 13
Arizona (2-6) at Detroit (3-5), 1 p.m.
Arizona, with the No. 4 ranked passing game in the league, has three touchdowns in 21 trips to the red zone. Sad. Arizona is 0-3 on the road. Detroit has virtually no offense but has scored 131 points, just 15 less than Arizona. The good news for Detroit is they've allowed only 152, compared to Arizona's 211. Arizona's only win against an NFC team was San Francisco in Mexico City. Detroit's was against Green Bay in Week 1. I've been concentrating on this game for 5 weeks. I hope that supermarket still has Kurt Warner's job available.
Prediction: Lions, 31-10.

Baltimore (2-6) at Jacksonville (5-3), 1 p.m.
Throw out that 3-point fluke loss to St. Louis, and Jacksonville has had a pretty good run lately. Baltimore has not (3-game losing streak). Both teams are good against the pass, so don't expect any aerial spectacles. Jacksonville has the best chance to grind out some ground yardage. Baltimore remains without Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, but quarterback Kyle Boller returns for the first time since Week 1. You really don't think that's going to matter, do you?
Prediction: Jaguars, 26-9.

Houston (1-7) at Indianapolis (8-0), 1 p.m.
What is understood need not be discussed.
Prediction: Colts, 42-13.

Kansas City (5-3) at Buffalo (3-5), 1 p.m.
Even with Priest Holmes out, Kansas City should have a moderately easy time with Buffalo. The Larry Johnson kid is for real, despite his prior run-ins with Dick Vermeil, and the old guy couldn't be happier right now: Buffalo is 31st against the run. If Johnson does his job and holds onto the ball, that will make the passing game that much more effective. KC merely needs to put the brakes on Willis McGahee. Merely.
Prediction: Chiefs, 28-24.

Minnesota (3-5) at N.Y. Giants (6-2), 1 p.m.
The weeks you want Minnesota to pull an upset. Minnesota is horrible on the road (0-4). New York is solid at home (4-0). Just about all the key indicators and stats favor New York, so let's pick a score and move on.
Prediction: Giants, 35-10.

New England (4-4) at Miami (3-5), 1 p.m.
New England has one of the top passing offenses in the league. Miami has one of the best pass defenses. Miami has one of the best running games. New England has one of the worse run defenses. Adam Vinatieri is not as automatic as before (9 of 13 this season, 0-2 beyond 50 yards). It looks like Richard Seymour is going to play. That will help New England more than I can express. Oh, Tom Brady still hasn't lost back-to-back games in his career.
Prediction: Patriots, 23-17.

San Francisco (2-6) at Chicago (5-3), 1 p.m.
Chicago has won four straight. There's something I never thought I'd write this season. San Francisco is 32nd in offense and defense. Only Chicago's defense is great (3rd), but their offense is horrible (27th). That's OK. Plenty of defenses score points. Chicago has really turned the dials on the scoreboard a couple times.
Prediction: Bears, 24-10.

Denver (6-2) at Oakland (3-5), 4:05 p.m.
Despite the obvious disparities between these two teams, Oakland always gives Denver a battle in the "black hole of intelligence." Denver is coming off a bye, and Oakland just suffered a bitter last-minute defeat to another division rival. One team has preparation, the other has rage. Both play on the dirty side. Both have great running games. There's a gulf of difference between Jake Plummer and Kerry Collins, neither team is that good against the pass. Both Denver losses are on the road.
Prediction: Broncos, 32-27.

N.Y. Jets (2-6) at Carolina (6-2), 4:05 p.m.
Despite the obvious disparies between these two teams ... oh, wait. Never mind.
Prediction: Panthers, 28-6.

Green Bay (1-7) at Atlanta (6-2), 4:15 p.m.
Ditto.
Prediction: Falcons, 38-17.

St. Louis (4-4) at Seattle (6-2), 4:15 p.m.
OK, not quite as lopsided, but St. Louis is floundering, and Seattle can all but put away the division with a win. St. Louis is 1-3 on the road. Seattle is 4-0 at home. St. Louis has won 2 in a row; Seattle, 4 in a row. But, wait! St. Louis is second in the league with 5.9 yards per offensive play. Oh, Seattle is first with 6.1. St. Louis' offense is ranked 2nd; Seattle's, first. St. Louis' defense is ranked 30th; Seattle's, 14th.
Prediction: Seahawks, 30-14.

Washington (5-3) at Tampa Bay (5-3), 4:15 p.m.
Even records. Washington is 1-3 on the road. Tampa is 3-1 at home. But these teams are headed in opposite directions. Tampa has lost 3 of 4, including their home loss last week to Carolina. And Washington picked up their road win in Philly last week too. The recipe for beating Tampa seems easy: Stop "Cadillac". It's been a pretty easy task lately.
Prediction: Redskins, 24-13.

Cleveland (3-5) at Pittsburgh (6-2), 8:30 p.m.
Despite Ben Roethlisberger riding the pine, Pittsburgh should be OK today. Cleveland simply isn't ready for prime time. Still, Romeo Crennel could pull a rabbit out of a hat against Charlie Batch, who looked less than professional last week against Green Bay.
Prediction: Steelers, 23-10.

Monday, Nov. 14
Dallas (5-3) at Philaelphia (4-4), 9 p.m.
While the other NFC East teams beat up on each other, the N.Y. Giants with their easy schedule and 9 home games are pulling away. Is Philadelphia still reeling from the Terrell Owens circus? I don't think so. Are they ready for this game? Yeah, probably. Will they finally try to run the ball a little? I would guess so. Have you seen a review elsewhere that has actually talked about the game, instead of a stinking loser who's not even putting on a uniform? Probably not. Dallas pummelled Philadelpia (33-10) earlier this season in Dallas. That was the beginning of a 1-3 slide for Philadelphia and a 3-1 streak for Dallas. If Drew Bledsoe protects the ball( no interceptions, fumbles or sacks that lead to punts), Dallas wins. If Philly loses this game, they can kiss the playoffs goodbye. Bledsoe gets sacked (but will it be deep enough?).
Prediction: Cowboys, 27-26.

Open date: Cincinnati, New Orleans, San Diego, Tennessee

A Halfway Look at the AFC East

Before we look at this week's games, let's take a quick look at the first half of the season in the AFC East with a glance toward the second half.

From NFL.com:

AFC East
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	Home	Road	AFC	NFC	DIV	Streak
New England	4	4	0	.500	180	220	2-2	2-2	3-3	1-1	1-0	Lost 1
Buffalo	3	5	0	.375	128	159	3-1	0-4	3-2	0-3	2-1	Lost 2
Miami	3	5	0	.375	146	151	2-2	1-3	1-3	2-2	0-2	Lost 1
N.Y. Jets	2	6	0	.250	118	170	2-2	0-4	1-5	1-1	1-1	Lost 3

New England (4-4): Until recently (like this week), I made fun of .500 or worse teams leading their divisions.

If you chose any arbitrary team and told someone, "They lost both coordinators in the offseason, half of their 10 defensive backs are on injured reserved, one of their key linebackers retired during the preseason, and they've had several injuries to their best defensive players, they've gone through 4 or 5 running backs, oh, and they've played the toughest first half of a schedule as there has ever been," they'd probably tell you that team is probably in last, no matter what division they're in.

That's the difference between the two-time defending Super Bowl champions and the other 31 teams in the league. Yes, things look rather bleak, but the Patriots are in the driver's seat in the East, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. New England has 5 of their 6 division games remaining on the schedule, and until the recent demise of Priest Holmes in Kansas City, there was only one non-division game that really worried you.

Now, we New Englanders know from experience that no matter what anyone's record is in the East, these games "generally" tend to be rather competitive (except the two Buffalo games in 2003). The Pats have never had an easy time in Miami (Remember the 4:11 collapse last year?), where they're headed this weekend, but New England has learned that it can win there. So, considering the state of the team, none of these are locks, but they're all winnable.

Buffalo (3-5): The Bills, underachievers in the 2005 East, are in second based on division record. Buffalo should be at least 6-2, losing winnable games to Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Oakland, and they perhaps should have beaten New England.

The J.P. Losman experiment went down in a ball of flames, and the Kelly Holcomb experience isn't much better. Last year's Drew Bledsoe debacle was just as bad. The offense can't score. The defense that has held the Bills together for several years is faltering, but still holding opponents to about 20 points (excepting Oakland).

Buffalo is much better at home than on the road. The bad news is that of the four teams coming to town this winter, only Carolina isn't a cold-weather team, too. That could eliminate some of the home-field edge when they play Kansas City (this week), New England and Denver. The road games are going to be tough, too, with San Diego, Miami and Cincinnati on the slate.

Miami (3-5): Nick Saban is the best thing to happen to Dolphins football since Dan Marino. Miami is miles ahead of where they were last year, no thanks to Ricky Williams. Miami's success story is probably as confusing, possibly more, than New England's. After wrecking Denver in week one and then losing to the Jets, the Dolphins edged Carolina and then lost to Buffalo, Tampa Bay and Kansas City. They then won convincingly over New Orleans and hung tough against Atlanta.

Miami seems to be moving in the right direction. Running back Ronnie Brown has proven Saban a "Piolian" judge of talent (so far), Williams is regaining his former status, and despite having nothing more than a questionable quarterback, the Dolphins are no longer an automatic for teams that chalked up the W when their schedules came out -- that would include our very own New England Patriots.

Miami's schedule isn't that foreboding. The Dolphins next eight are sandwiched between a home-and-away pair with the Pats. Traveling to Cleveland and Oakland should prove conceivable wins, and hosting Buffalo shouldn't pose a serious roadblock. A road trip to San Diego should be the most serious threat (at least until their return to Foxboro). All else they have is the Jets and Tennessee. Several of those teams are in the bottom third in run defense, so draw your own conclusions.

N.Y. Jets: The football god of injury prevention certainly hasn't been nice to the Jets either. The loss of Wayne Chrebet might not seem very key to a lot of people, but Chrebet and Curtis Martin are two of the most dependable players the Jets have had for many seasons. His loss will have more of a psychological effect. Regardless, this team is banged up in all the wrong places, and that's going to make it tough for them to do anything down the stretch. (Herman Edwards doesn't help either.)

I think New Yorkers (very predictably) are making a little too much of Brooks Bollinger's fourth-quarter success against San Diego last week. Beating Miami in Week 2 and Tampa Bay in Week 5 is nothing to brag about. Most of their losses have been by 10 points or more.

The Jets start the second half with a double-roadtrip-whammy of Carolina and Denver. Let's see how Bollinger looks after those two games before we retire his number. For any other team, the rest of the schedule after that would be manageable, and it might be for the Jets. Four more division games, including the last two games of the year, both at home. Their other non-division games are Oakland and New Orleans.

The Division, Looking Ahead

I'd like to say my powers of prognostication show a clear picture of the division in Week 17. Needless to say, they're a little out of whack this season. Must not be sleeping enough. Leaving off sentence subjects and such. Anyway.

Things could be much clearer after this week, but this is a murky weekend indeed, starting with New England at Miami. This game can make or break both teams' seasons. The winner will have an edge heading into the New Year's rematch finale -- what a day that will be! (Guess who has tickets.)

Whichever of these two win the division, it will be by a game at most. There's a good chance they'll have identical season records, and it will come down to division or even conference records. Most likely, it's going to come down to the Jan. 1 showdown. Good thing for the Patriots it's at Foxboro.

Buffalo is still in it, but they have the most uphill road and just don't seem to have much direction. The best they can hope for is to play a spoiler role in the final weeks. Mike Mularkey is going to start feeling the heat. The Jets are on the verge of collapse, but an upset in the next two weeks could alter that scenario as well. Barring that, a record of 2-8 would certainly have them on a downward spiral.

Here's how I see it turning out:

	AFC East
	Team		W	L	T
	New England		10	6	0
	Miami		9	7	0
	Buffalo		6	10	0
	N.Y. Jets		4	12	0

Starks on IR, Pats-Dolphins Injury Report

The New England Patriots placed cornerback Duane Starks on injured reserve with severe burns on over 80 percent of his deep coverages. Starks, who started the season with a thigh injury and recently had shoulder problems that may require surgery, is done for the 2005 season.

The Patriots have yet to fill Starks' spot, leaving 52 players on the active roster.

New England, who started with 10 defensive backs on the roster, have placed five on injured reserve. Starks joins fellow cornerbacks Tyrone Poole and Chad Scott, and safeties Guss Scott and Rodney Harrison.

The defensive backs available are far from impressive. The Patriots worked out Terrell Buckley, Aaron Beasley, Rod Babers and Mario Edwards last month. Chances are, New England will sign one of them.

Sunday's Injury Report

Miami Dolphins
No Injuries Reported

New England Patriots
OUT
Kevin Faulk (RB) Foot
Matt Light (T) Ankle
Duane Starks (CB) Shoulder/Thigh
QUESTIONABLE
Tom Ashworth (T) Knee
Troy Brown (WR) Foot
Corey Dillon (RB) Ankle
Tim Dwight (WR) Rib
Randall Gay (CB) Ankle
David Givens (WR) Knee
Daniel Graham (TE) Shoulder
Jarvis Green (DE) Shoulder
Marquise Hill (DE) Ankle
Ellis Hobbs (CB) Thigh
Patrick Pass (FB) Hamstring
James Sanders (S) Ankle
Richard Seymour (DE) Knee
Ty Warren (DE) Hip
PROBABLE
Tom Brady (QB) Right Shoulder

Week 9 Review

Sunday, Nov. 6
Atlanta (5-2) at Miami (3-4), 1 p.m.
Boy, is there going to be a LOT of running in this one. I'm really on the fence here, and for some reason, I'm picking ...
Prediction: Falcons, 21-17
Result: Falcons, 17-10
Only 267 total yards rushing? Oh, T.J. Duckett was inactive. And, as we all know from Michael Vick's little post-game diatribe, he's a real quarterback now because he threw for a little over 200 yards. So he told the press -- the press! -- they can't criticize him anymore. Guess he's not familiar with the First Amendment. I used to think Vick just wasn't a quarterback. Now he's a jerk, too. Otherwise, this was a competitive game, probably more than most people expected, and it wasn't decided until a Gus Frerotte (who may or may not be a quarterback) interception on Miami's final drive.

Carolina (5-2) at Tampa Bay (5-2), 1 p.m.
"Cadillac" hasn't been the same since "Chuckie" burned him out and got him injured. Carolina has TWO running backs. (And a quarterback, and a ...)
Prediction: Panthers, 26-13
Result: Panthers, 34-14
I guess I was the only one that saw Carolina winning this one by more than 10. Everyone else seemed so surprised. Caddy had a big 29 yards on 11 carries. Funny thing is, Carolina went nowhere, except on their scoring drives (59 yards, 32, 90, 16 and 77); non-scoring drives: -6 yards, 8, 9, 3, 1 and 15. Tampa lost two fumbles and two interceptions. Carolina turnovers: 0.

Cincinnati (6-2) at Baltimore (2-5), 1 p.m.
Balitmore is one of only four teams that has yet to score 100 points this season -- last with 88. Cincinnati is NOT one of the other three. Hey, I concluded the first two picks with an ellipsis, which is ...
Prediction: Bengals, 17-6
Result: Bengals, 21-9
Turns out that Kyle Boller's legitimacy as a quarterback is not a point for discussion this season. The scary thing is: He probably really was their best player at that position. This game is a microcosm of the different between this year's Ravens without Ray Lewis and past year's. Last year, it would have been 15-9.

Detroit (3-4) at Minnesota (2-5), 1 p.m.
No Moss, no Culpepper. Nothing you could consider a coach. Could it get any worse? Yet, every time I pick against them ...
Prediction: Lions, 24-3
Result: Vikings, 27-14
... they win. If anyone can explain this team, please post. I'm really interested.

Houston (1-6) at Jacksonville (4-3), 1 p.m.
Think Houston can win 2 in a row? I wonder ...
Prediction: Jaguars, 24-10
Result: Jaguars, 21-14
Houston had several chances to either win or send this game to overtime. They gave up touchdowns on Jacksonville's last three possessions. The last one came one play after the Jaguars fumbled the ball away, but the play was nulled because of a defensive holding call on the Texans. Like several other games, the quarterbacks both threw in the low 200s and each teams' running backs combined for less than 100 yards. Starting to look like the NBA.

Oakland (3-4) at Kansas City (4-3), 1 p.m.
Oakland has been playing pretty well, but ...
Prediction: Chiefs, 38-27
Result: Chiefs, 27-23
For a game that should have been loaded with offense, this was pretty disappointing. Kerry Collins, 175 yards passing. Trent Green, 235 yards passing. Oakland, 101 yards rushing. K.C, 114 yards rushing. Remember those days when Dan Fouts and Dan Marino would throw for 400 yards each? And the running backs for each team would close in on 150 or so? Anyway, this one had maybe the best ending of the year, the teams trading touchdowns in the last couple minutes. Pretty much came down to the last team that had possession.

San Diego (4-4) at N.Y. Jets (2-5), 1 p.m.
Please ...
Prediction: Chargers, 34-9
Result: Chargers, 31-26
I couldn't believe San Diego let New York creep back into this one, ultimately needing a last-second defenisve stop to finish them off. San Diego was in charge all game, as they should have been. The stats show a lopsided game, as it should have been. Too bad about Wayne Chrebet. I always liked him. Seems like a Bill Belichick kind of guy.

Tennessee (2-6) at Cleveland (2-5), 1 p.m.
The games are about to start ...
Prediction: Browns, 17-14
Result: Browns, 20-14
Pretty even game, as expected. Lots of offense. A few turnovers. Reuben Droughns came up big, just under a week following his arrest for drunken driving. Not a tremendous victory for Cleveland, but they have come up on the short end of a couple close games. Maybe this is a turning point for Romeo Crennel's crew.

Chicago (4-3) at New Orleans (2-6) in Baton Rouge, LA, 4:05 p.m.
You never know which New Orleans team is going to show up; or, when the good one shows up, if they're going to get screwed. They could as easily be 6-2 as 2-6 (although I predicted they'd be 0-8). Chicago is in first place, which indicates just how bad the NFC North really is. Aaron Brooks is far from a great quarterback, but Kyle Orton? Orton hasn't thrown a pass in his last 62 attempts. He's due. New Orleans needs to get hold of their turnover ratio.
Prediction: Saints, 24-13
Result: Bears, 20-17
Chicago, who I picked to finish last in the worst division in football, now has a better record than New England, who has the worst record of any division leader. I was reading a recap of this game, and I hardly recognized any Chicago player's name. I don't even know what to make of this game at this point with these two teams. The Bears won on a last-second field goal. The combined running games gained more yardage than the combined passing games. It's just bizarre.

N.Y. Giants (5-2) at San Francisco (2-5), 4:05 p.m.
Think SanFran can win two in a row? I guarantee there is absolutely no way New York loses this game. I'll stake my Keurig single-cup coffee brewer on it.
Prediction: Giants, 42-9
Result: Giants, 24-6
I don't know if I just don't have anything to say, or if these games really were this boring. Outside of Raiders/Chiefs and Jets/Chargers, it seemed like a pretty dull Sunday. At least my coffee brewer is safe.

Seattle (5-2) at Arizona (2-5), 4:05 p.m.
Seattle has had two weeks to prepare for this game -- not that they'd need it. Geez, not too many good games this week.
Prediction: Seahawks, 33-13
Result: Seahawks, 33-19
Looks like, for the most part, I'm still predicting these scores pretty close. I guess that can make up for the lousy games themselves. And not that this is anything new, but you don't really get any good analysis during these 5-minute post-game shows. Used to be they actually talked about the games, and weren't so focused on who got "jacked up." It's horrible. As a result, I have nothing to say about this game.

Pittsburgh (5-2) at Green Bay (1-6), 4:15 p.m.
Pittsburgh has a thousand -- no a million -- injuries. Doesn't matter. The only hope Green Bay has is that Vince Lombardi exhumes himself and brings Curley Lambeau with him.
Prediction: Steelers, 36-24
Result: Steelers, 20-10
I actually watched some of this game, so I can say something intelligent about it. It looked like Green Bay really came to play, at first containing Pittsburgh and limiting the Steelers to 6 first-quarter points. And despite having some guy named Sam Gado running the ball for the Pack, Green Bay marched right down the field. Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu was the story in this one, though, recovering two fumbles and returning one 77 yards for a touchdown. Good thing Lombardi and Lambeau didn't show. They could have tipped the balance.

Philadelphia (4-3) at Washington (4-3), 8:30 p.m.
I can't say what Terrell Owens deserves to have said about him. If there's something worse than "a cancer", that's a good start. Both teams are 3-0 at home and 1-3 on the road. Both teams have given up four more points than they've scored. You can keep throwing stats at this game all day, and you'll never know what the heck is going on. Possibly the most interesting? Philadelphia has the No. 1 passing offense in the league; Washington has the No. 1 passing defense in the league.
Prediction: Redskins, 23-20
Result: Redskins, 17-10
This was a great game, despite the constant talk about the biggest loser in football. Philly jumped out on top and looked like they would be just fine, but you just can't win running the ball for only 45 yards. Even when the Patriots were said to have no running game, they rushed for 70-90 per game. Meanwhile, after several years of chaos and quarterback controversy, it looks like Joe Gibbs has all the Redskins heading in the same direction. They could be your Cinderella dark horse (Cinderella dark horse?) in the playoffs this year.

Monday, Nov. 7
Indianapolis at New England, 9 p.m.
Prediction: Colts, 34-24
Result: Colts, 40-21
No need to beat a dead horse that has been beaten elsewhere. And no more horses.

Open date: Buffalo, Dallas, Denver, St. Louis

Prediction: Drew Bledsoe does not get sacked this weekend. (Actually, he might, but it won't appear on a stat sheet.)
Result: Bledsoe fell asleep on top of someone, whose brothers tied him up in a big burlap enclosure and dumped him in the Hudson River (see Seinfeld episode 7.18). Thus, he was sacked.

This week: 12-2. Did I really break out this time, or were most of these games jokes?
Season: 77-53. That, at least, looks respectable. I'm going to need several more weeks like this for it to actually be respectable.