2006 stories     Patriots Gained The Edge By Not Going Over It 31-Dec-2006, Boston Globe "The Titans had individual brilliance from quarterback Vince Young and returner Pacman Jones as well as a provocative air, but the Patriots had team brilliance (171 yards rushing, 134 receiving yards from Reche Caldwell, a fourth-quarter shutout from the defense) as well as the brilliance to understand that the street fight needed to stop if the football game was to be won. 'It was a tough-played, emotional game,' said Seymour. 'We just got a little testy . . . something that we didn't want to get into. It's part of football, but you just have to stay smart.'" full story           No Branch, No Problem For Pats 31-Dec-2006, Newsday "The Patriots were criticized heavily for their mishandling of the Deion Branch holdout – this writer included – and it appeared their inability to sign the best receiver on the roster would have an immediate and negative impact on the season. Well, here we are entering the final week, and the Patriots are right back where they've been in all but one of the last six seasons: atop the AFC East." full story           Patriots Are Deep Thinkers: Roster strength is no accident 27-Dec-2006, Boston Globe "Preparing for the unpredictability of injuries is part of the game, and it all comes back to depth, which Belichick defined as 'when you need to send a player on the field and he can compete against another good football player.' The game in Jacksonville provided two clear-cut examples of the depth the Patriots have built. … While the Patriots lost starter-level talent when those changes were made, the players stepping in were competitive enough to help the team win. In a nutshell, that's depth." full story           Judge's Five Coaches Who Are More Than Deserving 26-Dec-2006, CBS SportsLine "I know, having Tom Brady as your quarterback is a huge advantage, but at some point the head coach has to take some of the responsibility. All I know about Belichick is that he lost offensive and defensive coordinators, offensive linemen, wide receivers and defensive backs … yet continued to dominate the AFC East. In fact, until this season he hadn't lost consecutive regular-season games in nearly four years. Magnificent. So is this: He knocked off Chicago. He hammered Jacksonville in Jacksonville. He buried Cincinnati in Cincinnati. OK, so this isn't his best record. So the schedule isn't his most demanding, either. But this isn't his deepest or most talented team – not by a long shot – and Belichick has it behind only Chicago, San Diego and Baltimore in overall record. That tells you the job he's done." full story           Plan Was Well-Received: McDaniels, Patriots pass with flying colors 26-Dec-2006, Boston Globe "'The players really paid attention to detail and did all the little things that were asked of them,' said [Offensive Coordinator Josh] McDaniels, adding that the team's hope was to get the ball into the hands of skill-position players quickly after the snap. 'They did a great job of executing.' Chief among them was the triggerman, who bought into the plan when it was presented to him early last week. 'When the coach said, 'Try to spread them out and throw the ball,' I never mind that,' said Tom Brady, who finished 28 of 39 for 249 yards and one touchdown." full story           With Belichick And Brady, Anything Possible With Pats 24-Dec-2006, ESPN.com "For the Patriots…there remain two constants. And as New England demonstrated again on Sunday, having the stability of Belichick on the sideline and quarterback Tom Brady on the field certainly is a pretty comforting place to start when preparing to venture into postseason play. Have those two on the payroll, it seems, and anything is possible. The tandem has teamed up not only to win a ton of football games, including three Super Bowl titles, but also to debunk a lot of theories about how the game is supposed to be played." full story           Belichick Blasts NFL Competition Committee 21-Dec-2006, NBCSports.com "On Sunday, CBS analyst and former Houston Texans GM Charley Cassely said the New England Patriots had a 'man on (the Indianapolis Colts' sideline on Nov. 5) dressed in coaching attire with a video camera who was presumably videotaping the other team's signals.' Casserly said the Pats were warned and, that if it happens again, they'll be disciplined. On Monday, Belichick said New England wasn't contacted by the league and derisively said, 'Why don't you ask Charley Casserly? He seems to have all the answers on everything.'" full story           Most Valuable NFL Coaches 18-Dec-2006, Forbes "Bill Belichick, New England Patriots – Year hired: 2000; Avg. annual salary: $2.8 million; Avg. wins/season: 11; Team's avg. wins, previous five years: 9; Playoff appearances per five years: 3; Team's playoff appearances, previous five years: 3; Super Bowl titles: 3; Total Points: 11.4; Dollars per point: $244,561. Belichick is the overall point leader, and his salary and bonus money has been boosted since his original contract six years ago. Belichick's contract is up this year; what could a three-time Super Bowl winner command as a free agent coach?" full story           Brady Enjoys Coach's Trust: Bond between QB, Belichick solidifies Patriots 17-Dec-2006, Houston Chronicle "Of all the advantages Belichick has over other coaches in the NFL, his greatest edge might be he trusts Tom Brady, and the two probably form the best head coach-quarterback tandem in the NFL. 'Believe me, I've said many times, there's no quarterback that I'd rather have than Tom Brady,' Belichick said. 'I have tremendous respect for Tom and what he does and how he does it.'" full story           Tale of the Tapes: NFL Says Dolphins Did No Wrong Vs. Patriots 13-Dec-2006, ESPN.com "Without convening a congressional hearing or hiring an independent counsel to investigate the incident, the NFL has ruled that the Miami Dolphins violated no league rules in the Tapegate affair associated with the team's 21-0 victory over the New England Patriots last Sunday. The incident spawned considerable attention on Tuesday after some Dolphins players suggested to the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post that the team 'purchased' tapes of the New England offense that provided audio of quarterback Tom Brady making audible and line-blocking calls." full story           Kraft Is Positive About All This 13-Dec-2006, Boston Globe Patriots owner Robert Kraft: "'I think sometimes we're a victim of our past success. This league is so difficult to win consistently. I'm very proud of our people and our organization for what they've been able to do. The drive towards parity and making us all equal in the league is so great that to differentiate is so hard. You have injuries that are such a factor in this game, and there are so many factors that you can't plug in, like a science. I'm pretty happy with what our personnel people and coaching staff have been able to do.' Asked about the status of coach Bill Belichick's contract, Kraft said, 'Bill and I have an agreement that we don't discuss his contract.'" full story           Atmosphere Different In NE, But Team-First Attitude Produces A Winner 06-Dec-2006, USA Today "The old cliché says that money can't buy happiness, and it seems to apply in New England. 'Sure, you always want more money,' Evans says, 'but the older guys are mature in the sense that they realize, 'Hey, the extra money isn't making me happy.' You want to go somewhere where you enjoy going to work at 7 o'clock in the morning and stay here till 5:30 or 6 p.m. That's the uniqueness of it. You get 53 guys who really enjoy being around each other. There aren't those one or two or three guys that everybody is kind of whispering about, 'he's a jerk.' There is a bond here that's strong.'" full story           Inside The NFL: The Belichicks 06-Dec-2006, HBO Bill Belichick: "It's really special. It's kind of what you live for and what you work for. To see Amanda and Brian and Stephen after the game and being able to hug them and know that you won and know it was a good day. I know what that feeling's like, I've been a coach's son. It's a lot better when you can win a big game, when everybody's upbeat. It's great when I can share it with them." full transcript           Lions Need Some Of Pats' Ruthlessness 04-Dec-2006, Detroit Free Press "The worst franchise in the NFL almost beat the best franchise in the NFL on Sunday afternoon. We could call this another fine example of NFL parity, proof that the worst and best franchises aren't that far apart. But that's not the case. … Look closer. Look at how the Patriots won. If Sunday's game showed anything, it is why New England continues to thrive and the Lions continue to fail." full story           Player[s] Of The Game 03-Dec-2006, Providence Journal "[Corey Dillon] became the 15th player in NFL history to amass 11,000 career rushing yards, and is the only active player in the league with more than 10,000 yards. … [But he] isn't the only Patriots player to reach a milestone this season; record-breaking performances seem to be contagious in New England of late. On Nov. 5 against Indianapolis, wide receiver Troy Brown became the team's all-time leading receiver. With his eight catches Sunday, Brown stands with 552 receptions. Against Chicago, [Kevin] Faulk became the Patriots' all-time leader in receptions by a running back. With his 8 grabs Sunday, Faulk has 270 for his career. Also against the Bears, Tom Brady became the team's all-time leader with wins for a quarterback. He now has 77." full story           Driven Toward Success: Warren was steered by strong work ethic 03-Dec-2006, Boston Globe "Coming to a defense like this, you have to put a lot of your personal aspirations on the back burner,' [Richard] Seymour explained. 'Ty was a confident young man who was trying to show what he could do, but the coach really didn't care about that. He wanted someone to fit into the system. It leaves you kind of between a rock and a hard place. You want to prove yourself, be productive. But, as you get older, you realize it isn't so much about the numbers you put up, but what you can do for the continuity of the overall team.'" full story           Kick Blockers Had A Big Hand In Win 29-Nov-2006, Boston Globe "Using a chair as a prop and extending his arms with the tips of his thumbs touching, the Patriots coach was detailing the finer points of blocking a punt. Later, he dropped into a 3-point stance, took two steps forward and then thrust his arms in the air to illustrate proper technique for blocking field goals on an inside rush. They are nuances of football that Belichick first coached when he entered the league in the 1970s. More than 30 years later, those same techniques still apply, and the Patriots' 17-13 victory over the Bears Sunday provided a snapshot of how important they can be." full story           Top 10 Coach-QB Combos 28-Nov-2006, SI.com "In Belichick's most recent 100 games, dating from the start of New England's Brady era in Week 3 of 2001, Belichick is 76-24 (.760), with three Super Bowl victories, four playoff berths, and a fifth postseason run in six years looking very likely. It's a chicken or the egg question to determine who's responsible for whose success. But it's safe to say there's no more symbiotic relationship in the NFL than between a head coach and his starting quarterback, the position that most often impacts a team's won-loss record." full story           Casey Coleman, 55; Radio Host Had Been Voice Of Browns 28-Nov-2006, Associated Press "Casey Coleman, who did play-by-play for the Cleveland Browns and covered the city's other sports teams for nearly 30 years, died yesterday at home of pancreatic cancer. … In the early 1990s, he befriended Bill Belichick, then coach of the Browns. The relationship caused a backlash for Mr. Coleman's career… 'In this business, people come in and out of your life because they move around so much. But Bill is one of those people, who, after he left in 1995, never stopped calling. We've always kept in touch,' Mr. Coleman said." full story           Kicker, Punter Earn Praise For Their Feats 28-Nov-2006, Boston Globe "Patriots coach Bill Belichick gave a thumbs-up to the team's kicking game in Sunday's 17-13 victory over the Chicago Bears. Belichick said he was pleased with the play of rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who squeaked through a career-long 52-yard field goal, and retread punter Ken Walter, who averaged 37.3 net yards in three attempts and kept the dangerous Devin Hester idle, forcing the Bears rookie to make two fair catches and putting his other punt out of bounds." full story           Patriots 'Defend' Home Turf Against Bears 26-Nov-2006, NFL.com "The Patriots (8-3) persevered despite five turnovers against the Bears (9-2), who had allowed the fewest points in the NFL going into the game with 120. New England was the second stingiest with 131. … On third-and-9 at the Bears 14, Brady took off running for 11 yards, a scamper that left star linebacker Brian Urlacher behind. 'I'll tell my kids one day I slipped Brian Urlacher,' Brady said with a grin. 'They won't believe me.'" full recap           Sunday NFL Countdown: The Patriot Mentality 26-Nov-2006, ESPN Rachel Nichols: "The Patriot mentality. It is relentless, it is consistent, and when trouble strikes, it remains the team's biggest weapon." Troy Brown: "We check our egos at the door. You may be asked to do things you may not be happy with, but you have to go out there and get it done anyway for the betterment of everybody else." Rachel Nichols: "…During a two-game losing streak in early November – their first since 2002 – players once again did what they always do: they didn't talk, they didn't panic, they went about their business and won their next game." full transcript           Still The Ones: No reason to back off Pats as my Super Bowl pick 22-Nov-2006, SI.com "The franchise's two most important men are gearing up for that thing they do best – winning a Super Bowl, something they've accomplished three times in the last five years. If there's one thing the Killer Bs know as well as anyone in football, it's that Thanksgiving marks the unofficial beginning of the championship hunt. Oh, sure, you have to be semi-respectable up to that point, but until late November it is all about survival as you attempt to grow into your greatness." full story           Testaverde And Belichick Reunite 15-Nov-2006, Patriots.com "Vinny Testaverde began his 20th season as an NFL quarterback Wednesday when he arrived at Gillette Stadium as a Patriot. … Testaverde was Belichick's quarterback in Cleveland from 1993 to 1995 and was reunited with him when Belichick was on the Jets coaching staff from 1997 to 1999. 'He's got some experience in our system,' said Belichick on Wednesday. 'Hopefully he'll be able to pick things up and we can have him in an emergency role. Hopefully we won't ever need him, and I've told him that. I hope he doesn't play at all. But if something happens, at least we have ourselves protected there.'" full story           Colorless Coach Has Touch Of Red In Him 05-Nov-2006, Boston Globe "It was never about individual stats with Red. It was about outsmarting the other guy and taking away what he does best. And that is where Belichick is like Red. Auerbach won nine championships as coach of the Celtics. Belichick has won three thus far. It's a wide gap, but Belichick already ranks second to Red. No other Boston/New England coach has won more than two championships. With Red on our minds, and the Colts in town, what better time to cite a few of the similarities between Auerbach and Belichick?" full story           Corralling The Colts 03-Nov-2006, SI.com "There's no tougher defensive assignment in the league today than besting Manning, but the Patriots have consistently done it better than anyone else. How? It takes almost a perfect game by the defense, and demands that you win both the physical and mental battles that result when he's on the other side of the line of scrimmage. … But seven times in the nine meetings that have transpired since Bill Belichick became New England's head coach in 2000, the Patriots have passed that test, prevailing over Manning and the Colts." full story           I Really Hate The Colts 03-Nov-2006, ESPN.com "Belichick and Pioli adamantly stuck to their model for building a team … I love when front offices use common sense to build a team; I especially love when they stick to a specific game plan and avoid being pressured by owners, fans, media members or anyone else. It's the single hardest thing to achieve in sports – a stable front office with definitive goals that can't be swayed by anyone or anything. You can count the number of professional teams that pulled this off over the past 10 years on one hand. And with that said … They screwed up with Vinatieri." full story           Time To Finally Pay Some Respect On This Bill 01-Nov-2006, CBS SportsLine.com "The old timers in the media scoff at Belichick's success while having erotic dreams about Chuck Noll. They say the Commodity simply lucked into Brady and Brady is the reason for all of the Super Bowls. Brady does not play running back, however. He does not catch passes. There have to be players around Brady for it to work, and Belichick has created the best personnel assembly line in the history of football." full story           Mr. Popularity: Ron Borges November 2006, Boston Magazine "Borges has cultivated much of his infamy by beating up on the Pats. … What really gets fans boiling, though, is his gloves-off attacks on demigod Bill Belichick. … In one radio appearance, he took what many saw as a particularly cheap shot: '[Belichick] has cornered the market on convincing people…that no one has ever worked harder than he does and he's out, you know, when everyone else is sleeping, he's working, when everyone else is eating, he's working. I could say something, but I won't…about how at least some of his time is being spent.'" full story           Pats Have Plenty 31-Oct-2006, NFL.com "After New England's 31-7 Monday night win at Minnesota, do we still think Tom Brady doesn't have enough weapons in New England? Are we still concerned that the Patriots have not surrounded their franchise quarterback with good players? Or do they need more? Was the pass protection good enough in a dome against a good pass-rushing team? Did Ben Watson not look like a top-notch tight end? Do they not appear to have two big-time running backs? The New England offense once again showed it is not afraid to do anything. They utilize many styles and do it well." full story           Pats Value Linebackers For Brains Over Brawn 31-Oct-2006, Star Tribune "Bud Grant was a firm believer that smarts were as important to playing linebacker as athletic ability. … Bill Belichick, the NFL's reigning coaching genius, brought New England into the Metrodome on Monday night. A glance at his lineup demonstrated the same appreciation for crafty linebackers as Grant. The Patriots came out in the 3-4 alignment that Belichick prefers. The linebackers were Junior Seau (17th season), Tedy Bruschi (11th), Mike Vrabel (10th) and Rosevelt Colvin (eighth)." full story           Players React To 'Patriots Way' 30-Oct-2006, Viking Update "While the Patriots didn't win the Super Bowl last year, they made the playoffs and are 5-1 as they get set to play in the Metrodome Monday night. And they still have that high-level credibility with players around the league, including the Vikings. … Individual talent obviously has a lot to with the way the Patriots have conducted themselves on the field since they started their Super Bowl run in 2001, but so is consistency. Seems the only streak they know how to get into is a winning one. They may lose games here and there, but they haven't lost two in row in three years." full story           Red Hot, Patriots Maintain Their Understated Attitude 29-Oct-2006, Star Tribune "Despite a consensus that parity is at its level best in the NFL, only one team – the Patriots – has done all of the following: Won three of four Super Bowls from 2001 to 2004; won at least nine games in each of the past five seasons; won at least one playoff game in each of the past three seasons; gone 55 consecutive games without a losing streak, the league's second-longest such streak since 1970. The next-longest active streak is Denver's 25 games. 'It's just a great team with a great coach and a great system,' said former Gopher Laurence Maroney, the Patriots' rookie first-round draft pick." full story           Patriots Put Brainpower Into Their Cap 29-Oct-2006, Boston Globe "The Patriots were over the cap before the arrival of Belichick and Pioli, and correcting that has been a source of pride for ownership. Part of what makes the Patriots so successful in managing the cap is that they stay true to what they believe, even when the decisions involve high-profile players. 'They're absolutely one of the best teams in the league at managing the cap,' said player agent Michael Huyghue, a former executive with the Jacksonville Jaguars. 'The toughest part of managing the cap is to have discipline even when emotions and urgency come into the situation. They maintain discipline in their planning and have resolve in their plan.'" full story           The Cast Of "Ugly Betty" Gives Bill Belichick A Fabulous Mode Makeover 28-Oct-2006, ABC "Americas new icon, Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), her boss, Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) and nemesis Amanda (Becki Newton) decide to tackle New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick in a segment during ESPNs Monday Night Countdown NFL pre-game show, October 30 at 7:00 p.m., ET. The team from fashions leading Mode Magazine decide to sack the coach and give him a photoshop makeover that helps him score, turning him into quarterback Tom Brady." full story           Credit Belichick For Beating Super Bowl Curse 25-Oct-2006, Sacramento Bee "The Patriots won the Super Bowl in the 2003 and 2004 seasons and the AFC East title last season, and they lead the division this year. All that despite experiencing many of the maladies common to post-championship teams. When it comes to survival, Belichick is the master fixer-upper. Give him a nucleus of good players, and he'll find enough of the missing parts to remain competitive. No such luck, though, for the two most recent Super Bowl teams." full story           New England Continues To Make All The Right Moves 23-Oct-2006, Star Tribune "The Patriots aren't cheap. In fact, they recently took a chunk of the $10 million in salary cap space that they refused to give Branch and used it to lock up talented young center Dan Koppen, who would have become a free agent after the season. The five-year, $20 million extension included what is believed to be the second-largest signing bonus ever given to a center ($7.5 million). The deal means New England's top seven offensive linemen and top four defensive linemen are all under contract long-term. Each starter is signed through at least 2009. It's substance over style, the Patriot Way. A way that produced three Super Bowl titles in four years, by the way." full story (link fixed)           Defense Rates Highly Where It Matters Most 23-Oct-2006, Boston Globe "The NFL long has ranked its defenses by yards allowed, when there is only one defensive stat that really counts. There are many that are important, but in the end even a guy as uninterested in stats as Tedy Bruschi will concede that. 'Points allowed?' Bruschi said after he and his mates on defense had allowed only 6 to the poor Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in a rain-soaked 28-6 drubbing yesterday. 'That's the law. That's the tell-tale number. We've had games where we gave up over 300 yards of offense but single-digit scores. What matters isn't how many yards they got. It's what was the final score.'" full story           Charlie Weis: "No Excuses" 23-Oct-2006, NFL.com "The following is an excerpt from the newly released book, No Excuses by Charlie Weis and Vic Carucci. In this passage, Weis discusses what he learned as an assistant coach for Bill Parcells with the New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets. … Belichick and Parcells…you don't get any smarter than those two. They're on a different level than most everybody else in this game." full excerpt           Never Satisfied, Patriots Aim Higher 23-Oct-2006, Buffalo News "There's more to the Pats' long run of success than their insatiable appetite for detail. What makes the Patriots special, a perennial threat to go the distance, is that they strive for perfection while believing there's no such thing. They play two games every week, one against another team, one against their own expectations. And infrequently if ever during the Tom Brady era have they triumphed over the latter." full story           Don Banks: Inside the NFL 22-Oct-2006, SI.com "Memo to the rest of the NFL: Be afraid, be very afraid. The Patriots offense is getting better by the week, and Brady has himself some receiving options after all. Maybe it was the extra work Brady and his new receivers put in during the bye week, or maybe it just took some time for Tom Terrific to feel comfortable with the likes of Doug Gabriel, Chad Jackson and Reche Caldwell. But that trio combined for nine receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 28-6 road thrashing of the dispirited Bills." full story           Patriots Show Signs Of Returning To Super Bowl Form 22-Oct-2006, Mercury News "It's not too early to say the New England Patriots are a factor again. That's not based just on their 28-6 victory over Buffalo that left the Patriots with a 5-1 record, which is better than they started in two of their three recent Super Bowl-winning years. It's based on the team's body of work all season. While so much ink has been spilled over the loss of place-kicker Adam Vinatieri, over the depletion of the receiving corps and over Tom Brady's body language during a loss to Denver a month ago, the Patriots quietly have been repairing a defense that fell off during the 2005 season, and getting better on offense." full story           Patriots Driven To Start This Game Quickly 22-Oct-2006, Boston Globe "Patriots running back Heath Evans was sitting in a team meeting Friday and all he could do was shake his head. At the front of the room, coach Bill Belichick was rattling off all types of statistics. 'No notes and he's up there mentioning all these different things about the first quarter, and I'm thinking to myself, 'This dude is ridiculous,' recalled Evans. Ridiculous, of course, was meant in a flattering way because 'he knows so much about everyone and everything.'" full story           Patriots Pushing Polian's Buttons 22-Oct-2006, NBCSports.com "The New England Patriots have formally asked the NFL to ensure the safety of Patriots employees when the team hosts the Indianapolis Colts and their explosive president at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night, Nov. 5. The move, an evident tweaking of the Colts, comes after Colts President Bill Polian apologized to a Jets employee earlier this month for shoving him before the Colts-Jets game at Giants Stadium on Oct. 1." full story           New-Look Patriots Are Turning Heads: National 'experts' like what they see 16-Oct-2006, Boston Globe "Every team has a flaw, especially at this time of year. [Phil Simms] feels the key is how those flaws are addressed as the horses in contention reach the latter parts of the race. … 'The thing you want to do now is keep trying to find yourself, keep finding a way to win games, and just hope that you hit your groove when it counts. The thing that I have a hard time with is that everyone wants the distinct answers right now. They say New England is winning, but it's not impressive. Not impressive? It seems like people expect greatness all the time and I'm not sure they understand how difficult it is at all levels in the NFL." full story           Bye Week Gives Belichick Chance To Toss Changeup 11-Oct-2006, Boston Globe "Belichick compared his time with La Russa to other coaching meetings he's had in recent years, such as visiting with Red Sox manager Terry Francona, Miami Heat coach Pat Riley, and University of Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan. He and La Russa were connected through mutual friends, and have plenty in common. 'Tony is just totally consumed by baseball, that's his thing,' said Belichick, who playfully modeled his jersey – with the name 'La Russa' on the back – for photographers. 'He's into baseball like I'm into football. It's different, but there are some common threads there.'" full story           A Week Inside The Mind Of The Patriots 08-Oct-2006, Boston Globe "When Bill Belichick puts on his headset and starts pacing the sideline today, 10 days of preparation will begin to unfold in front of him. What exactly happens in those 10 days? There is film review. Team meetings. Individual meetings with players. More film review. Coaching meetings. Practices. Media obligations. Some more film review. With the Patriots set to take on the Dolphins today, Belichick offered an inside glimpse of the game-planning process, through the lens of the head coach." full story           Pats' Machine Running Strong 07-Oct-2006, Palm Beach Post "It happens so often, it almost doesn't register anymore. Whether it be an assistant coach or standout player, someone's always on the way out of New England. Yet the Patriots just keep winning – at nearly a 75-percent clip (71-24) since 2001, including playoffs. But this season seemed different. It had to be. … Still, the Patriots enter Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins with a 3-1 record after a 38-13 trouncing of the previously unbeaten Bengals in Cincinnati. Oh, and New England has the AFC's top-ranked offense." full story           Phil Simms: The Patriots Live! 04-Oct-2006, NFL.com "Maybe people are just tired of the Patriots. I don't want to go into one of my usual rants, but I just don't understand why more people aren't infatuated by them. They can't wait to tear them down and criticize them for making some tough decisions – balancing money and loyalty on a football team. They find fault with what they are not doing, but don't give them enough credit for what they are doing." full story           Unsung Heroes: The Difference Makers 04-Oct-2006, NFL.com "A few Week 4 winners of the Unsung Hero award were coaches who helped their teams get to first place in their divisions. … 1. Dante Scarnecchia, assist. head coach/offensive line for the Patriots: The Patriots were in a must-win situation on the road against the 2005 AFC North champion Bengals. Scarnecchia has been in the NFL for too long to remember, but this superb teacher has been taking average linemen and making them very effective blockers. The first thing that jumped out was the fact that the Bengals didn't create one sack all day long." full story           Collapse At The Top 04-Oct-2006, SI.com "You'd never know it from CBS' No. 1 announcing crew because they don't bother with trivial details such as this, but the Pats opened against the Bengals in a 4-2-nickel, with Hank Poteat as the starting nickelback and Junior Seau out. Poteat is a street free agent they picked up Wednesday before the game. He's been on and off their roster for three years. And they got by with this, against one of the NFL's flashiest passing offenses, with Carson Palmer, etc. … you know, the Bengals, who a few idiots had ranked No. 1 in the NFL. Yeah, the Patriots are resilient, almost spooky in a way." full story           NFL Motorola Coach Of The Week 03-Oct-2006, NFL.com "Head coaches Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, Gary Kubiak of the Houston Texans and Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears are the nominees for Motorola NFL Coach of the Week honors for games played October 1-2, the NFL announced today. … Bill Belichick, New England: Led the Patriots to a 38-13 road victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Following a 17-7 defeat to the Denver Broncos in Week 3, Belichick had his players ready for their matchup with the previously undefeated Bengals. With New England leading 14-13 midway through the third quarter, the Patriots took control of the game with a 75-yard drive capped by Laurence Maroney's 25-yard touchdown run." more info           Otis Smith Adjusting To His Secondary Coaching Career 29-Sep-2006, Boston Globe "The question to Bill Belichick was simple: If there is any room for an extra staff member as part of the NFL's minority coaching program, could Smith be a part of it with the Patriots? The answer was yes. … Smith was scheduled to coach only through training camp … but … by the time training camp ended, he had a permanent job. Smith is now a full-fledged member of Belichick's staff, working with the defensive backs alongside Joel Collier." full story           Hell Week In The Coaching Fraternity 27-Sep-2006, New York Times "Bill Belichick is no sap for romantic attachments. He is a practitioner of disposable emotion. Say goodbye, Deion Branch and David Givens. Not there for you, Adam Vinatieri and Willie McGinest. What was once a gruff quirk is now an obsessive pattern of behavior. The more glorified his mystique, the more Belichick's anti-star prejudice expands. He mistakes star requests for complaints and their contract demands for insubordination, and locker-room dissent as a challenge to his brilliance. He insists on humility from everyone but himself." full story           Patriots Face Seahawks in First-Ever NFL Game in China 24-Sep-2006, National Football League "The National Football League has been selected by the city of Beijing to stage a game in the Chinese capital city that will serve as the kickoff of the one-year countdown to the opening of the XXIX Olympic Games in China. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Sunday night that the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will play in the first NFL game in China – the world's fastest growing market – when the teams meet in Beijing on Wednesday, August 8, 2007 … NBC will carry the game live in the United States at 8:30 AM ET." full story           Broncos Are A Rare Breed: They have no fear 23-Sep-2006, Boston Globe "It is the one team that has failed to get on board. It is the team with no fear of the Patriots' Super Bowl mystique. It is Kraft Kryptonite, the only NFL franchise that refuses to fold at the sight of Bill Belichick in a hoodie and Tom Brady in a huddle. That team is the Denver Broncos and they own your New England Patriots. Hard to believe, but true. While assorted tough guys from Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Carolina have fallen like tomato cans, the Broncos have dominated the Patriots. While New England's division foes rolled over and worshiped at the feet of Genius Bill, the Broncos have had their way with Belichick and Brady." full story           How To Build A Running Game 22-Sep-2006, SI.com "I think it's fascinating the way the Patriots have changed their style, from Charlie Weis' short pass attack to a running game, to adjust to a shift in personnel. … I saw what they did to the Jets last Sunday, and even with Brady having an off day, they controlled things with their ground game. … I saw two things with that Patriot ground game, which looks like the best since Martin was on their team. Their left tackle Matt Light…is one of the best drive blockers in the game at that position. … The second thing I noticed was the quickness of New England's center, Dan Koppen. 'You can't have a decent running game in the NFL with a slow center,' says a Patriots scout who actually did talk to me." full story           Former Patriot Cobbs Has Little Love For Belichick 20-Sep-2006, Colorado Springs Gazette "Denver Broncos running back Cedric Cobbs spent one season playing for New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and that was enough. Cobbs said Belichick's reputation as a heavy-handed coach is well deserved. Cobbs, who was with New England in 2004, described the Patriots' players as being scared of Belichick. 'There's definitely a lot of fear out there,' Cobbs said. The Broncos play Belichick's Patriots at New England this Sunday. Belichick is known for his three Super Bowl championships, his lack of personality in the media and his authoritarian reputation." full story           No Branch, No Problem: Pats still good, Jets still Jets 17-Sep-2006, CBS SportsLine.com "When did Branch, a decent wide receiver, become Lynn Swann? Did I miss that Deion Branch Hall of Fame ceremony somewhere? In moments like these common sense becomes atomized. The Patriots – 24-17 winners over the Jets on Sunday – are not the only team in the grand history of the universe to dump older, more expensive players for cheaper, younger ones. This has been occurring since the kicking tee was invented. If the San Francisco 49ers can strap Joe Montana and Jerry Rice into an ejector seat, then the Patriots can certainly cut Branch from their payroll." full story           Rise Of McDaniels Was Well-Coordinated 17-Sep-2006, Boston Globe "Young Josh [McDaniels] watched his father coach the tradition-rich Canton McKinley High School team (Thom is the school's all-time winningest coach). The high school football scene was intense; McDaniels remembers his father receiving death threats. The young boy would tag along for scouting trips and sometimes join film sessions, much like Belichick did with his late father, Steve, at the Naval Academy. So for those wondering where the philosophy of the Patriots' offensive coordinator was born, go to the fields of Ohio." full story           Phil Simms on the New England Patriots 17-Sep-2006, Star-Ledger "I think the losses they've had have been overrated. Everyone has them but we're paying more attention because they won three Super Bowls. Did they lose good players? Yes. But I don't think they lost anyone and said, 'Oh, boy, we didn't want to lose him.' I think all along they knew how it was going to play out and they handled it accordingly." full story           Mack Recalls Belichick's Early Days 17-Sep-2006, Boston Herald "Former All-Pro running back Kevin Mack, one half of the last pair of teammates to rush for 1,000 yards, experienced the start of the Bill Belichick era in Cleveland and has some insight into the subtle changes that turned Belichick into a winner. 'He had a real plan of how he wanted to do things, but we just didn't have the people who understood what he wanted done,' Mack said. 'Once he got in a position to communicate how he wanted things done, that's when his career really took off.'" full story           Peter King on the Dale & Holley Radio Show 15-Sep-2006, WEEI "What they have preached to all their players – Tom Brady, Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi – to all of these guys, these loyal, Patriot guys, is yeah, if you were out on the open market there's a good chance you could make more money elsewhere, but if we all team together and everybody takes a little bit less, and Junior Seau, you only sign for $1 million instead of going to New Orleans and signing for whatever, if everybody does that, then we're going to be a stronger team and a stronger organization." full audio           Patriots Are Disheartened by Branch's Departure 14-Sep-2006, New York Times "'I speak for myself when I say that I'm a very emotional person, and over the last four or five months it's been draining,' [Tom] Brady said. 'Last week I spent a lot of energy thinking about it, and at the end of the week it really wasted a lot of my time and a lot of my energy. It was a big mental drain and I think it affected the way I played. I just didn't feel like I brought as much to the table as I normally could.'" full story           Players Believe In Pats' Methods 13-Sep-2006, Daily News Tribune "Proof came in the locker room after the Patriots stumbled all over themselves into a 17-7 halftime deficit against the Bills on Sunday. In some locales, there might be tipped Gatorade canisters, high decibel levels and maybe even fisticuffs. Not in Foxboro. '(It was) calm and consistent, like always,' [Patriots FB Heath] Evans said. 'It's almost like laughing in the face of a hurricane. These coaches, they breed confidence. Last year, when I got here from Miami, that was the major difference from every other team I'd been on.'" full story           Pats' Belichick Has It All In Perspective 10-Sep-2006, Providence Journal "Bill Belichick was returning from his son's lacrosse game in Greenwich, Conn., on July 22 and, in an instant, football didn't matter to the New England Patriots' head coach. He was driving North on Route 95 in Connecticut, just three miles south of the Rhode Island border at approximately 4:30p.m. He was alone and likely thinking about training camp and the upcoming season when suddenly he was confronted with an accident." full story         Elliott Kalb: The Greatest Coaching Staff Ever 07-Sep-2006, HBO: Inside the NFL Columns "For my money, the coaching staff that the late Leon Hess employed in 1999 for his New York Jets team was the best ever. Although several of the coaches didn't get along, and the team failed to post a winning record, the staff coached their ass off. The coaches on this staff have gone on to dominate the National Football League in the 2000s, and their influence permeates the league today. Bill Parcells … Bill Belichick … Charlie Weis … Romeo Crennel … Eric Mangini … Dan Henning … Bill Muir …" full story           Belichick Halts The Coaching Carousel 07-Sep-2006, Boston Herald "Even though it was understood that Belichick's first season on the job, 2000, was to be about 'building for the future,' not many people came away from the experience – a 5-11 record – believing that a spree of three Super Bowl championships in four years was on the horizon. Now look at him. Not since Red Auerbach was whipping the Celtics into shape at the Cambridge YMCA has the coach of a Boston-area big league sports franchise had more control over his team. No longer is he a coach, but the coach." full story           Not For Love Or Money 06-Sep-2006, Boston Herald "[Tom] Brady was asked recently how the players view the Pats organization in relation to the often tough stances it takes at contract time. '…The most important reason for me why I play here is to win,' Brady said. 'I realize I'm not going to be the highest-paid player, and that's fine. I'm not going to feel the most love from my coach … but you know you're going to win. So I feel like I can deal with everything else, because that's what I want. … We're trying to build something special, and it's not about who spends the most money. There are a lot of teams that spend a lot of money that don't perform well. We consistently perform well.'" full story           NFL Team-By-Team Average Ticket Prices 06-Sep-2006, Associated Press "Average ticket prices charged for 2006 NFL games at the 32 home sites, according to the Team Marketing Report." Highest: New England $90.89; Lowest: Buffalo $41.29. full story           Two Bills Better Than One 04-Sep-2006, Dallas Morning News "Bill Parcells has been a lousy coach without Bill Belichick on his staff. Parcells, entering his fourth year with the Cowboys, is 46-50 when he goes sans Belichick. Wayne Fontes (66-67) was better than that. Parcells has also never won a playoff game without Belichick around to point him in the right direction. Belichick has done rather well in the playoffs without having to carry Parcells." full story           The Parcells Tree Has Wide Branches 03-Sep-2006, MSNBC "Belichick's Patriots have won three Super Bowls in the last five years and the Tuna, now in Dallas, hasn't won a title – with three different teams – since he got his second ring after the 1990 season with the Giants. That date is significant, because that team from the Meadowlands spawned one of the most successful coaching trees in the NFL and the upper echelons of college football. … Roll call: Parcells, Belichick, Tom Coughlin (85-75 lifetime with the Jaguars and Giants), Crennel, Al Groh (Jets and Virginia), Charlie Weis (Notre Dame) and Ray Handley (Giants 1991-92)." full story           The NFL's 5 Toughest Jobs 01-Sep-2006, Palm Beach Post "Outsmarting Bill Belichick … 'If you really want to beat Belichick, you almost have to concede that he's going to shut your best option down and be willing to do something unorthodox in order to surprise him,' said ESPN's Sean Salisbury. 'But most coaches don't have enough guts to go down playing away from their strength. Belichick knows that and it plays right into his hands.'" full story           Parcells, Belichick Sharing Ideas, Advice 29-Aug-2006, Associated Press "Whatever the reason, the lines of communication are open and the coaches who've combined to win 25 percent of the Super Bowls over the last two decades may even have each other on speed dial. 'I have talked to [Belichick] say four, five times in the last month,' Parcells said. 'We just talk. It doesn't take long to get to the point. One of us has something to ask we just go right to it. I called the other day and I called him back the next morning to ask him another 30-second question about something that he was doing.'" full story | related story           Numbers Often Lie When It Comes to Football 27-Aug-2006, New York Times "[Mike] Vrabel has been one of the Patriots' most productive players, helping them win three Super Bowls, and scoring touchdowns in Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX. Not once has he made the Pro Bowl. He is a good example of how little an individual's statistics mean in football. Numbers like the quarterback rating, yards per rush and total tackles are so closely tied to the performance of others that they become almost meaningless." full story           Belichick's Dad Had Weis Pegged 26-Aug-2006, South Bend Tribune "The elder Belichick, an anonymous career assistant coach, taught his son the defensive principles that became the foundation of his reputation. 'Nobody ever knew about him,' George Terlep said of Bill Belichick's old man, 'but this guy was … he was the sharpest defensive coach in my day, of anybody.' … Weis, he insisted to Terlep, would revive the [Notre Dame] offense like the kid who reboots a computer in a few keystrokes while everyone else stands by mystified. … 'Everything he said, it came true,' Terlep said. 'Just the way he told me.'" full story           Numbers Pretty, But Manning Still Stuck With Miss Congeniality 25-Aug-2006, CBS SportsLine.com "Brady stood in front of his locker Thursday and was asked what drives him. He gave a smart answer, but when I asked him to explain further, Brady gave an answer that might define why he is who he is and why he is so different from Manning. … 'I was a backup quarterback in high school as a freshman, on a team that lost every game,' Brady said. 'I was seventh string at Michigan. I was fourth string at the Patriots, barely dressed the first year I played. … Because of that, I've had to compete. And I still feel like I'm competing every time I step on the field…" full story           The NFL Waits For No One! 24-Aug-2006, NFL.com "Mike Shanahan, Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick have seven Super Bowl rings between them as head coaches. They know what it takes to get to the big game and win it, and they know dealing with adversity is part of the game. Some coaches might be furious when players don't show up for camp or don't practice all the time. Don't get me wrong, these Super Bowl champion coaches can get as mad as the next guy, but in the end, they do what every coach does who wants to win. They move on and coach the guys that show up to practice. They provide an opportunity to anyone they gave a practice uniform to, and if the upstart players can respond to the challenge, then the team survives another obstacle in the road to victory." full story           McGinest: Seau Shouldn't Drive 55 for New England 22-Aug-2006, Cox News "Willie McGinest has come to grips with the fact that the New England Patriots didn't want him anymore. That's just life in the cold-hearted NFL. But he struggles with why they have given away his uniform number, the one he wore for 12 seasons while helping them win three Super Bowls. Fellow linebacker Junior Seau will wear No. 55 for the Patriots, the team he joined a few days ago after briefly retiring. It was obvious Monday that McGinest, now with the Cleveland Browns, considers this a slap in the face." full story           NFL Preseason Football: New England Patriots vs. Arizona Cardinals 19-Aug-2006, NFL Network NFL Network analyst Sterling Sharpe, on rotating the quarterbacks: "You can't fault Bill Belichick when you look at these numbers. You might not like the move of interchanging the two quarterbacks in this situation, but look at the record, look at the points, look at the division titles, look at the Super Bowl titles. The postseason is scary – because that dude can flat-out coach. So, he knows what he's doing. Whatever Bill Belichick does, I dare not second guess it." Graphic: Patriots Success since 2001 – Regular Season Record: 58-22, NFL Rank: 1st; Point Differential: +462, NFL Rank: 1st; Division Titles: 4, NFL Rank: T-1st; Super Bowl Titles: 3, NFL Rank: 1st; Postseason Record: 10-1, NFL Rank: 1st.           Junior Seau Conference Call 18-Aug-2006, New England Patriots "There were teams that wanted me, but I didn't feel like they pushed for it. Obviously, when Bill Belichick and the Patriots called, you answer that kind of call and I did. … They've been very successful on defense and it goes both ways. Offensively, they're up by 14 points so they can throw a lot of wrinkles at you with Belichick leading the way, he's obviously the mastermind of defense. That was one of the big keys of me coming back here and kind of getting under the belt of Belichick and the New England Patriots. Whatever role I play, it's going to be something that we're all going to be suited for and obviously we're going to try to have success at it." full