| projo.com | The Providence Journal | Pats blog by Jack Perry

Updated 3:31 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2004

• Jammin' with the Pats on the plaza

   Patriots fans must be a little crazy.
   As linebacker Tedy Bruschi told them, “Whether it was 20 below or three feet of snow, you were there.”
   They were there yesterday, too, on a damp, cold day with light snow flurries. Some 1.5 million of them were packed into Boston’s City Hall Plaza, along Tremont Street and other parts of the parade route honoring the Super Bowl champions.
   On the jammed trolleys leading into the city or shoulder to shoulder, chest to back on the steps of City Hall, more than a few of the fans must have felt like Colts running back Edgerrin James when he ran into Ted Washington and Willie McGinest at the goal line on the final play of their regular season game. Stuffed.
   I know. I was one of them.
   The Patriots' Super Bowl victory apparently prompted a severe and early case of senioritis at area high schools. The typical age of fans at City Hall appeared to be 17 or 18, most of them playing hooky.
   Ashton Long, a senior at Seekonk High School, went to the rally with 16 schoolmates, all but one a senior. Waiting for their heroes to roll down Tremont Street, Ashton and her friends didn’t seem worried about trouble from angry school masters. On Monday, she said, one of her teachers had asked how many of the students would be attending the rally. About half raised their hands.
   There were, of course, fans of all ages.
   A middle-aged woman wearing a Patriots headband and team jacket rode the trolley in from the South Shore of Massachusetts. A man about the same age worked his way through the crowd, his shaved head with “Pats” written on the side and “Thank you” on the back. A few in the crowd even looked old enough to remember Gino Cappeletti, the former player and current radio analyst who was introduced at the beginning of the rally.
   In style were Patriots hats, red-white-and blue beads, Patriots sweatshirts and team jerseys. Brady, Vinatieri, Milloy and Bruschi jerseys were among the most popular. One fan didn’t let Lawyer Milloy’s departure for the Buffalo Bills prevent him from putting his Milloy jersey to good use. (Hey, those shirts are expensive.) He simply updated, covering Milloy’s name on the back with Rodney Harrison’s and changing the number from 36 to 37.
   A few fans were even wearing Drew Bledsoe jerseys. It was nice to see support for Bledsoe, who always seemed like decent guy, but the truth is, those Bledsoe fans would have had City Hall pretty much to themselves yesterday if Bledsoe were still quarterbacking the Pats.
   Bledsoe’s replacement, Tom Brady, was one of the show’s big celebrities on this team without stars. A sign posted in an office window offered a marriage proposal to Brady. Another proposed to kicker Adam Vinatieri. It must be pretty cool to be a great athlete, proven in the clutch -- and Hollywood handsome.
   Parts of the scene had a Red Sox opening day feel. It made me wonder if it’s always the same people who skip school or work for days like this. A nearby restaurant was packed after the rally with fans in their 20s, 30s and 40s drinking beer. Many of them were wearing Patriots jerseys. At one table, two "Ty Laws" talked with an attractive female "Tom Brady."
   For the most part, the crowd seemed well behaved. The Associated Press reported that seven people were arrested for disorderly conduct. Still, witnessing a near fight and a few fans acting like jerks, I couldn’t help but thinking that even more of them would have gotten tossed from Gillette Stadium, a place that’s become notorious for cracking down on bad behavior.
   As people waited for the team to arrive in at City Hall, some fans filled in the time by crowd surfing -- lifting people above the crowd and passing them along.
   Two young women were hauled away by Boston police after they lifted their shirts and exposed their breasts. At least that’s what I think they were doing. It was difficult to tell for sure since most of the guys in front of me had their cameras held above their heads trying to snap photographs.
   It seemed unfair taking away those two young women even before Brady or Vinatieri arrived. Janet Jackson got paid lots of money and won much more in free publicity for a similar act during the Super Bowl half-time show.
   When the Patriots finally did show, they were gracious and classy as usual, thanking the fans for their support. That gratitude might have taken some of the pain from standing in the cold for hours for the chance to catch brief and, in many cases, tiny glimpses of their football heroes.
   For much of the crowd, those who didn’t arrive in the wee hours to get spots up front, these huge men called the Patriots were mere specs on a distant balcony. Thankfully, two huge screens on the plaza displayed the events.
   Seeing owner Robert Kraft standing next to defensive lineman Richard Seymour on the big screen, I had to wonder: Is Kraft that small? Or is Seymour that big? I guess it’s a little of both. Anyway, Seymour looked like he could have carried Kraft around on one of his shoulders.
   The Patriots' no-nonsense coach, Bill Belichick, was among the first to address the crowd. Carolina Coach John Fox and Lawyer Milloy might disagree, but I think Belichick can be a funny guy in that understated, deadpan style of his. (Apparently somebody else thinks so, too. He'll be on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight.)
   Referring to their previous Super Bowl celebration, Belichick said, “We did this two years ago. We broke down the film, and you’re not going to see me dancing anymore.”
   But, for one of the few times this season, Belichick was wrong.
   Citing tradition, cornerback Ty Law later shamed Belichick, Kraft and Brady into getting up and dancing for the crowd.
   And Belichick’s moves proved it: He really can be a funny guy.

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Updated 5:27 p.m., Monday, Feb. 2, 2004

• Welcoming the Pats back home

   The Super Bowl champion New England Patriots were scheduled to return to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro at about 6 p.m. tonight after flying into Logan Airport in Boston.
   The city of Boston will honor the team tomorrow with a parade and rally beginning at noon from Copley Square along Boylston Street, Tremont Street and ending at City Hall Plaza. Boston.com has published a map of the parade route.
   The MBTA is advising fans to use public transportation and is running special schedules to help move people around the city.

Updated 1:59 p.m., Monday, Feb. 2, 2004

• Super Bowl XXXVIII: A superlative game

   "Greatest Super Bowl of all time."
   That's how Sports Illustrated's Peter King boldly begins his column today on SI.com.
   King writes, "The Jets' upset in Super Bowl III wasn't a great 60-minute game, it was simply an event that marked a sea change in pro football. The 49ers' 92-yard drive to beat Sam Wyche's Bengals in XXIII was fun, but the game wasn't a classic. Tennessee-St. Louis three years ago was my personal favorite (head-knocking defense, some great long plays, the Kevin Dyson stretch) until XXXVIII.
   "Now this was a wonderful championship battle, full of everything that makes the game dramatic, draining, enervating, maddening, fantastic, exciting -- and makes you so ridiculously upset that there is no more football, real football, for seven months."
   King isn't the only one of this opinion. The Providence Journal's own Tom Curran calls it "the greatest Super Bowl ever played" in today's game story.
   And the Miami Herald's Edwin Pope calls Super Bowl XXXVIII "the craziest of Super Bowls" and "one of the best, if not specifically the best."
   Pope writes, "As a contest, the whole thing was everybody's dream, if the ancillary activities most definitely were not.
   "Individually, Most Valuable Player Tom Brady and Jake Delhomme took up a shootout that threatened to riot on into overtime until Vinatieri's kick finally did it."
   And to think a lot of so-called experts expected this to be a boring match between two tough defensive teams that wouldn't be able to move the football on offense.
   Our Patriots didn't disappoint. They didn't disappoint the loyal fans who've been following them all year and spent the past two weeks praying for a win. And they didn't disappoint those football fans from Anywhere, USA, who tuned in simply hoping for an exciting match in the the NFL's ultimate game.

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Updated 6:33 p.m., Friday, Jan. 30, 2004

• Tough game, that Nerf football

    It's a good thing they won't be playing with Nerf footballs on Super Sunday. Otherwise, the game could be in trouble.
   "The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Friday that Hasbro Inc. of Pawtucket is voluntarily recalling about 294,000 Nerf Big Play Footballs because their hard plastic interior frame poses a safety hazard," according to the Associated Press. "The top on the ball flips open to reveal an erasable screen that can be used to plan football plays."
   CPSC said there have been nine reports of facial injuries from the balls. Eight of those incidents required stitches or medical attention.
   "The footballs are red, silver and black. Each has the Nerf name on it, along with a large black 'X' and the signature of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick."

Updated 5:05 p.m., Friday, Jan. 30, 2004

• Peck o' pundits pick Patriots

   Once again our rough and tumble Patriots are the darlings of the national pundits.
   The professional pontificators prefer the Pats, 14-7, according to an informal survey of Web sites.
That's not all necessarily good news. Among those favoring the Pats is Sportsline.com's Pete Prisco, who's switching sides after consistently picking against the Patriots -- and being wrong. Prisco acknowledges that Patriots' fans would probably prefer to have him in the Cats' camp.
   "There are three things people in New England don't want to hear: Bad things about anybody named Kennedy, winter is going to last until mid-April and Pete Prisco is picking the Patriots to win the Super Bowl.
   The sentiments of Patriots fans aside, Prisco likes the Patriots, 14-6.
   Prisco writes, "Two things will stand out from this game. One is the Patriots offensive line will somehow find a way to block the Panthers' dominant front four. The other is the New England defense will prove too much for Delhomme to handle.
    Here are the other picks:

ESPN.com's experts like the Pats , 9-3. Picking the Pats are John Clayton, Greg Garber, Mike Golic, Andrea Kremer, Randy Mueller, Len Pasquarelli, Dan Patrick, Mark Schlereth and Joe Theismann. Picking the Panthers are Merril Hoge, Kenney Mayne and Trey Wingo. Theismann says, "New England's offense can adapt to whatever Carolina tries to do." Hoge says, "The Panthers will win because of the core of both their offense and defense. Their lines will win the matchups."
Sports Illustrated’s experts like the Pats 3-2. Picking for the Pats are Dr. Z, Don Banks and Mike Silver. Picking the Panthers are John Donovan and B. Duane Cross. Dr. Z writes, "The Patriots defense, with two weeks to prepare, forces a couple of early turnovers. Given a short field, Brady registers some quick scores. The Panthers have to play from behind, and Delhomme's last-minute heroics fall short." Cross writes, "I believe Carolina's running game will be too much for New England to overcome; moving up safeties for run support will be the Pats' undoing. The Panthers throw the ball well enough to exploit any secondary shifts. If Romeo Crennel can play the run effectively with seven in the box, I'd like to see it. Then again, if anyone can, it's Crennel & Co. But it won't happen."
Foxsports.com has a pair of competing picks on its site. Vinnie Iyer, NFL editor for The Sporting News, likes the Panthers. Former NFL quarterback turned announcer Troy Aikman would pick the Pats "if you twisted my arm and forced me to predict the winner."
Sportsline.com has a counter to Prisco in Jay Glazer, who predicts a Panthers win.
For those Patriots fans who are starting to feel overconfident SI's Peter King has some words of warning, and they come from some guys who should really know what they're talking about.
Under the heading Five Things I Think I Think, King writes, "I think I have been surprised by the growing sentiment that the Panthers will win this game. At a Thursday afternoon news conference held to promote the Pro Bowl, three participating players -- Takeo Spikes, Jamal Lewis and La'Roi Glover -- all said they thought Carolina would prevail. Said Glover: "The Panthers have the ability the run the football, and they have the best front four in the league." But the last time we saw Spikes, weren't the Patriots beating up his Bills, 31-0?

Updated 1:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 30, 2004

• Everyone wants to get in on the Patriots' act

   Just when it looked like the Patriots' bandwagon was full, it's time to add singer Kid Rock and actor/comedian/talk show host Howie Mandel.
   Kid Rock, who will perform during the Super Bowl half-time show, has bet rapper/producer P. Diddy, another half-time performer, $10,000 that the Pats will win Sunday, according to MTV.com.
   The pair made the bet after Kid Rock told reporters he remains loyal to his hometown Detroit Lions, but that he's leaning toward the Pats in the big game. (Hey, it's always a good idea to have a backup plan when the Lions are your team.)
   Meanwhile, Mandel was spotted wearing a Patriots' jersey this morning on the Live with Regis and Kelly show. Mandel was born in Canada, but he did play Dr. Wayne Fiscus on TV's St. Elsewhere series, which was set in Boston.

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Updated 6:17 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004

•Harrison: We'll put a stop to the Panthers

Everyone expects the Carolina Panthers to try to run, run and then run some more against the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
   But Patriots safety Rodney Harrison pledges that his team will stop the Panthers' ground game, Patriots Football Weekly's Paul Perillo writes today on Patriots.com.
   Perillo writes, "It wasn't quite Joe Namath guaranteeing victory, but Rodney Harrison made no bones about how he feels his team will handle the Panthers potent running game."
   Perillo quoted Harrison as saying: “We're going to do what we've done – stop the run. We've allowed one 100-yard rusher (Denver's Clinton Portis) and it's not going to change.”
   Perillo adds, "Harrison didn't say the Patriots will win the game, but he clearly stated that neither Stephen Davis nor DeShaun Foster would be raking up triple digits on the ground. And preventing that from happening will be one of the keys to Sunday's game. The Panthers are truly committed to the run and were one of just three teams in the league who passed less often than they ran."

Updated 1:19 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004

• Beauty of play-action pass: Depends on your perspective

   The Carolina Panthers will rely on football's fine art of deception, the play-action pass, in an effort to beat the Patriots during the Super Bowl, John Donovan writes today in SI.com.
   Everybody knows Carolina likes to run the ball with backs Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster, Donovan writes, but to score against "the NFL's stingiest defense," Carolina will have to pass once in a while.
   "And that's where Jake Delhomme and the play-action pass come in," Donovan writes.
   "It's a beautiful thing when it works, the play-action is. The spin for the handoff. The fake to the midsection. The safety or the cornerback inching up just a bit to go get the running back. The receivers breaking free just long enough for the big play."
   It won't be so beautiful if it works against the Pats.

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Updated 3:10 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2004

• Cicilline bets Charlotte mayor will wear a Pats' victory well

   It will be bad news for Patriots fans if Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline is wearing a Carolina Panthers jersey on his first day back at work after the Super Bowl.
   That would mean the former high school fullback lost a bet with Mayor Patrick McCrory of Charlotte, N.C. Cicilline agreed to the wager during a telephone conversation yesterday. If the Pats win, McCrory will wear a Patriots jersey.
   Cicilline, who says he will attend the Super Bowl in Houston at his own expense, based some of his confidence on yesterday's weather forecast, which called for up to 10 inches of snow in Rhode Island.
   "I told Mayor McCrory, the Patriots always do their best when there's snow," Cicilline said in a press release, "so with a foot of more predicted back home, we know there will be a big win on Sunday."
   As it turns out, the storm didn't sock as much punch as expected. Let's hope the same won't be said of the Pats on Sunday.

• Another roster of Rhode Islanders taking to the field on Sunday

   Plenty of Rhode Islanders are rooting for Patriots running back Mike Cloud, a Portsmouth High School graduate, to help the Patriots win the Super Bowl Sunday, as Journal writer Tom Mooney noted earlier this week.
   But Rhode Island has at least five other locals -- all members of the team's cheerleading squad -- who will be on the field Sunday.
   The team's Web site includes biographies of the cheerleaders. Here is some info on these Rhode Islanders and their interests:
   Amber van Eeghen, a graduate of Cranston West High School, is a student at URI who wants to become a teacher. She is the daughter of former NFL player and Cranston native Mark van Eeghen.
   Charisse Draleau, a graduate of Burrillville High School, plans a career in law enforcement/forensics. Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese.
   Diana Martufi was born in Warwick and is a student at Rhode Island College. She wants to teach history in high school. Her favorite food is ravioli. Her favorite movie is Goodfellas.
   Jessica Wilson was born in Newport. She's a graduate of Middletown High School and URI. She works as a freelance reporter and wants to become a news anchor in a top 25 market. Her favorite musician is Nelly Furtado. Her favorite restaurant is the Brick Alley Pub.
   Tracy Sormanti, who was born in Warwick, is the director/coordinator for the cheerleaders. She graduated from Warwick Veterans Memorial High School and has a degree in business administration from Johnson and Wales.
   Her favorite songs are Rock and Roll Part II and -- the Patriots Touchdown Song.

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Updated 6:58 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004

• Let the other guys be blindsided

   Former NFL quarterback and current CBS announcer Phil Simms suggests in Superbowl.com that Carolina Head Coach John Fox's familiarity with the Patriots' coaching staff could give him an edge.
   "John Fox has been on the record saying his best friends in the business are Bill Belichick, Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel. Wow! So, he knows their styles and what they like to do from an Xs and Os standpoint.
   "But he also knows their personality, which I think always helps. It gives you a feel sometimes, in certain situations in a game, where a coach might be aggressive against you -- because you just know that's the kind of person he is. You might know when they want to take a chance. I think that always helps you in preparation. You won't get blindsided by something different during the biggest game of your life."
   Simms doesn't say it, but let's hope that kind of familiarity works both ways.

Updated 12:15 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004

• TMQB deduces Super Bowl will be offensive

In his weekly column today, Gregg Easterbrook says the defensive strengths of the Patriots and Panthers dictate that the offense will determine the outcome.
Easterbrook also points out an obscure statistic that might show Carolina has an edge this year: "Three of the last four Super Bowls have been won by a team that did not appear on Monday Night Football that season." Carolina did not appear in a Monday night tilt this season. The Patriots beat Denver in a thrilling come-from-behind contest at Denver on Nov. 3.

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Updated 6:49 p.m., Monday, Jan. 26, 2004

• Pats may need to find another motivator

It's been a familiar theme. The Patriots don't get respect. The team has used it as motivation in knocking off ballyhooed opponents such as Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
But that talk should stop, and the Pats should be considered one of the all-time greats if they beat the Panthers in the Super Bowl, writes Mike Celizic for MSNBC.com.

Updated 3 p.m., Monday, Jan. 26, 2004

• Super Bowl fun facts

   Fans who don't know a punt from a bunt -- or even those who could recite the starting offense for every Super Bowl winner -- might want to check out Superbowl.com's list of Super Bowl facts and figures.
   The site presents lots of Super Bowl info that could come in handy, especially for those "fans" who tune in once a year and worry about awkward lulls in the conversation by the Super Bowl party chip bowl.
   For example, do you know how much those flashy Super Bowl rings cost?
   The league pays the winning team up to $5,000 for each ring.
   Or how many people watched last year's Super Bowl?
   Last year's game drew a TV audience of 138.9 million, an all-time record. In fact, the 10 most-watched programs of all time were all Super Bowls.

Updated 9:31 a.m., Monday, Jan. 26, 2004

• Dungy says one mistake could lose Super Bowl

   Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy, whose team played the Patriots and Panthers this season, believes the Super Bowl will be close and could come down to one play, according to a report in Indystar.com, the online version of the Indianapolis Star.
   "People will assume New England is going to win the game, and they very well may," Dungy said. "But Carolina, I wouldn't want to play them.
   "It's going to be a tight game, and New England has won a lot of those kind of games."
Dungy believes little separates the two teams, and the game could be won, or lost, in the fourth quarter because of a turnover or another mistake.
   The Panthers beat the Colts, 23-20, in overtime during the regular season. The Patriots beat the Colts, 38-34, during the regular season and then, 24-14, in the AFC Championship game.
   Against common opponents, the Patriots are 9-1, while the Colts are 6-4, writer Mike Chappell notes.

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Updated 6:05 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23, 2004

• Experts give Pats' D the edge

The Super Bowl matches two teams with excellent defenses, but which defense is better?
   Superbowl.com asked five of its experts to consider the issue, and the Patriots defense came out on top.
   These three liked the Pats: Vic Carrucci of NFL.com, Phil Simms of CBS and Pat Kirwan of NFL.com.
   Fomer coach Art Shell of NFL.com liked the Panthers.
   Gregg Easterbrook of NFL Network didn't commit to either team. He said the Pats are better statistically, but that the Panthers seem to be peaking just in time for the Super Bowl, much like the Patriots did two years ago.
   Here's why Kirwan likes the Patriots:
   "The Belichick scheme has forced seven quarterbacks this season to have their worst game of the year, the Pats have the highest scoring defense in the NFL and when a team has reached the Super Bowl with that honor they won 10 of 12 times, and they have the best matchup corner in the game in Ty Law."
   Here's why Shell likes the Panthers:
   "If I had to choose one of those defenses, I'd probably take Carolina's. Because that front four is able to put pressure on the quarterback and create problems without any blitzing, that makes the secondary and the entire defense that much better."

• Fox expects "wrinkles" from Belichick

Carolina Panthers Head Coach John Fox hinted that both coaches would have something up their sleeves when the teams face off in the Super Bowl.
Asked to comment on the coaching matchup at a press conference yesterday, Fox said, "I know they are going to have a good plan. I think they know we will have a good plan. Now, it is just going to be a matter of executing. That is really going to be the difference. They are going to have two weeks to prepare, so they will have some new wrinkles for us, and I think they kind of expect they might get the same from us."

• He's OK anyway

Asked during the press conference to comment on Panthers GM Marty Hurney's background as a sportswriter, Head Coach John Fox said, "I have great respect for Marty Hurney, regardless of his background."

Updated 1:35 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23, 2004

• Coaches predict a smash-mouth Super Bowl

   The Super Bowl game between the Patriots and Panthers will feature a good, old-fashioned battle in the trenches, according to NFL coaches polled by SportsLine.com Senior Writer Jay Glazer.
   Glazer had a captive audience gathered in Mobile, Ala., for "the granddaddy of college all-star bowl games" when he asked which matchups were "piquing the interest of the coaching fraternity." He said most coaches attend the game each year -- except for those playing in the Super Bowl.
   "This game will be won up front," said Miami Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt. "I'm intrigued to see the defensive fronts that the Patriots will show. That will test the mental part of the Panthers offensive line's game much more than the physical. But on the other side, I think it's more of a physical matchup between the Panthers defensive line, which is the best in the NFL, against the Patriots' O-line. One matchup is more mental and the other is a physical battle."
   Glazer reported that a lot of coaches mentioned the battle between Panthers Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kris Jenkins against Patriots guard Russ Hochstein, a fill-in for the injured Damien Woody.
   The coaches also can't wait to see the strategy employed by New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick and Carolina Panthers Head Coach John Fox.
   "I think the thing that would be most intriguing in this game is if New England's blitz packages can nullify the Panthers' running game," said Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil. "Will they blitz to stop the run as well as the pass?"

• Belichick's a stand-up guy

   Who says Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick doesn't have a sense of humor?
   Belichick was asked at his press conference yesterday whether the coach had instituted any special rules to ensure his players stayed out of trouble on Super Bowl week.
   Here's the advice Belichick said he gave his troops: "Try not to get arrested."
   The coach's deadpan answer brought a round of laughter from the press corps.

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Updated 5:39 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 22, 2004

• Bruschi's uncertain status turns spotlight on Izzo

   It's still unclear whether Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who injured his lower right leg during the AFC Championship game, will play in the Super Bowl.
   “He’s doing a lot better than he was on Monday,” Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick said during his press conference today.
But the decision on whether Bruschi can play will be "day to day," Belichick said, adding that Bruschi is doing “all he can to be ready for the game.”
   If Bruschi cannot play, backup linebacker and special teams star Larry Izzo will probably play a greater role on defense.
   The Houston Chronicle ran an interesting piece today on Izzo, who is returning home to play in the Super Bowl at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
   Writer Joseph Duarte starts the story with this great anecdote about Izzo getting his professional start with the Miami Dolphins:
   "While addressing the Miami Dolphins after a preseason game in 1996, coach Jimmy Johnson told the players that only one of them had locked up a roster spot," Duarte's story begins.
   "Johnson pointed to future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.
   "Having made his point, Johnson began to dissect his likes and dislikes from the exhibition against the Chicago Bears. Sitting in the film room, Larry Izzo, a rookie free-agent linebacker from Rice, kept watching himself show up on the screen on kickoff and punt returns.
   "Johnson immediately stopped the film.
   " 'Forget what I said,' " he told the team. " 'Izzo, where you from?' "
   "Texas," Izzo replied.
   " 'Is that where your parents are?' " Johnson asked, and Izzo nodded his head. " 'Call your parents in Houston, son, and tell them you made the Miami Dolphins. Now we've got two guys. We need 51 more.' "

Updated 4:43 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 22, 2004

• Brady returns Sapps' trash, with class

   Cool as always, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had an understated but cutting reply when he learned that Tampa Bay defensive lineman Warren Sapp had insulted his team while predicting a Patriots Super Bowl loss.
   "He'll get a good view from where he's sitting," Brady said when he was told of Sapp's comments during today's press conference in Foxboro.
   Sapp's Buccaneers won the Super Bowl last year, but his team failed to make the playoffs this year.
   On ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" yesterday, Sapp said, "I think this defensive line of Carolina will dominate the front five of New England," according to a report in Boston.com.
   "I don't even think it's a fair matchup. I don't see how they're getting it done because I think Russ Hochstein started for them in the AFC Championship game and I've seen Russ Hochstein block, and he couldn't block either one of you two fellas," Sapp said, referring to his two interviewers.
   Sapp added that he'd "whupped up" on the Patriots when he'd played them.
   Brady laughed off Sapp's comments.
   "He's a great player," Brady said. "I think he likes to talk a bit, too."

Updated 12:27 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 22, 2004

• Fassel predicts a great Super Bowl

   Forget what Pete Prisco thinks, former New York Giants Head Coach Jim Fassel expects an exciting Super Bowl between the Patriots and Panthers.
   Fassel, writing for Superbowl.com, likes the Patriots' veteran intelligence and experience matched against the Panther's aggressive style on both sides of the ball.
   "As evidenced by their 14-game winning streak, New England just doesn't make many mistakes," Fassel writes. "The Patriots look for other teams to beat them. However, they are a perfect matchup for the Panthers. People might be suspect of this being an exciting Super Bowl, but let me tell you, these two teams are a great matchup."
   Fassel doesn't come out with a prediction, but he seems to lean toward the Panthers, which is understandable since Panthers Head Coach John Fox is his former defensive coordinator.
   "Don't get me wrong: Going against New England will be tough," Fassel concludes. "The Patriots have Super Bowl experience obviously, but the Panthers have a lot of momentum. Considering all that, this should be a great Super Bowl."
   That would apparently surprise Prisco of SportsLine.com, who predicted a boring matchup between the two defensive teams.

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Updated 1:25 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2004

• Forget all that talk about steroids

   How about Tom Brady as the first son-in-law?
   Brady is only slightly more popular with male Patriots fans than he is with women, young and old. The Boston Herald's Inside Track suggests that the quarterback might have been invited to President Bush's State of the Union address last night because First Lady Laura Bush wanted to fix him up with one of her daughters. (After all, tycoon Donald Trump has already tried fixing up Brady with his daughter.)
   "But if Brady couldn't tame Hollywood hellcat Tara Reid, how on earth could he cope with the Bush bad-girls?," the Track asks.
   We'd have no problem with Brady visiting Washington or dating one of the Bush twins just as long as he doesn't even think about staying down there and playing for the Washington Redskins.

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Updated 7:56 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2004

• New England's team boring?

   SportsLine.com Senior Writer Pete Prisco twice picked against the Patriots in the playoffs, predicting first that Tennessee would beat the Pats and then Peyton Manning would put an end to Tom Brady and Co.'s magical run.
We all know how those predictions turned out, right?
   So now "Can't Pick 'Em" Pete is trying a new tactic in dissing New England's team. He's saying the Pats-Panthers Super Bowl matchup will be boring.
   "They both have outstanding defenses and little in terms of excitement," Prisco writes. "Can we spell B-O-R-I-N-G?"
   "If it's conventional football you want, that's what we have. You get the impression that a 6-3 final would be a pleasing final for both coaches," he continues.
   Here's how Prisco describes the roadblock, defensive style of both teams:
   "In terms of eye candy, it's a hairy man in a Speedo, Oprah in a snug workout suit or Michael Jackson's face without all the makeup."
   Hey, we'll take Oprah any day, especially if she's handing wild and crazy Bill Belichick a Super Bowl trophy.

Updated 2:34 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2004

• Introducing the Carolina Panthers

   Who are these guys?
   Don't feel bad if you don't know the Carolina Panthers from the Frankfurt Galaxy.
   Even Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick acknowledged during his press conference yesterday that he wasn't too familiar with the Patriots' Super Bowl opponent.
   "I think we have a lot of work to do on Carolina. We don't have any exposure to them obviously this year," Belichik said.
"We will have to take a few days here to try to get caught up and familiarize ourselves with what obviously is a very good football team."
   Led by John Fox, in only his second year as a head coach, and quarterback Jake Delhomme, a backup last year in New Orleans, the Carolina Panthers have surprised much of the football world by making it to the Super Bowl.
   The Panthers were 1-15 two years ago, which included a 38-6 beating by the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots in the last game of the regular season. Fox took over in 2002 and the Panthers improved to 7-9 in his first year.
   The team went 11-5 this season to win the NFC South, a division that also includes last year's Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers played both of the Patriots' playoff opponents during the regular season, beating the Indianapolis Colts, 23-20, in Indianapolis Oct. 12 and losing to the Tennessee Titans, 37-17, in Carolina on Oct. 19.
   In the playoffs, the Panthers beat Dallas, 29-10; St. Louis, 29-23; and Philadelphia, 14-3.
   USA Today's Larry Weisman reports that "a new coach, John Fox, strong drafts and key free agent signings — including quarterback Jake Delhomme and running back Stephen Davis — enabled the Panthers to spring from the lowest echelon to the doorstep of an NFL title."
   He reports that the Panthers may have had a turning point in the last game of the season last year, when they beat New Orleans to knock the Saints out of a chance for the playoffs. Delhomme was sitting on the New Orleans bench that game despite cries from the New Orleans fans to play the Louisiana-Lafayette product.
   Within a couple of months, the Panthers had signed Delhomme as a free agent. He completed 266 of 449 passes this season for 3,129 yards and 19 touchdowns.
   "In Delhomme they found a steady player to work within their system," Weisman writes.
   This isn't Delhomme's first trip to a championship game. In 1999, he won a World Bowl Championship with the Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe, according to the team's Web site. He spent the season before that as a backup for current St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner with the Amsterdam Admirals.
   One of Delhomme's favorite targets is wide receiver Steve Smith, in his third year out of Utah. Smith caught 88 passes for 1,110 yards. He also returns punts and kickoffs.
   Like Delhomme, running back Stephen Davis was a key free agent signing in the offseason. Weisman notes that running back Davis "gave them the power back that let them control the tempo of games."
   Davis, 29, spent seven years with Washington before signing with Carolina before this season. He rushed for 1,444 yards on 318 attempts and 8 touchdowns.
   Former Buffalo Bills Head Coach Marv Levy, writing for NFL.com, considers the Panther's signing of Davis a great move. He likes the way the team has been rebuilt.
   "They started with a pass rush and a running game and built from there," Levy reports. "They have an outstanding front four and their secondary is playing better than people gave them credit for. It tells you that going for the "wide-open aerial circus" isn't always a good idea."
   There is at least one other name Patriots' fans might recognize on the Panthers' roster. Tight end Jermaine Wiggins, who played for the Patriots' Super Bowl championship team, is returning to the Super Bowl this year. This time he's going with the Panthers.

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Updated 5:35 p.m., Monday, Jan. 19, 2004

• Pats' fans are buying shirts, hats and booking trips to the Super Bowl

How popular are the Patriots? Gill Engles, president of Church Travel in Barrington, thinks he has a pretty good gauge.
About 20 people have already booked trips at $4,000 each with his agency to see the Patriots play in the Super Bowl in Houston.
"I'm astonished we've sold as many as we have," Engles said. "If the price had been more reasonable, we'd have probably sold 10 times as many."
Just two years ago, when the Patriots were last in the Super Bowl, Engles sold similar packages for $2,600. Engles says the price is much higher this year because ticket brokers are charging more.
The Church packages include the charter flight, three nights in a hotel, a rental car and a game ticket. Engles says brokers have been charging him $2,000 per ticket.
Kyle Stone, owner of City Ticket in Providence, says he had "a ton of calls right off the bat" this morning, but some of the customers were shocked when he told them they'd have to pay $1,650 just to get into the game.
One reason for the high prices: The face value of the cheapest ticket has increased to $500, according to Stone. He says that most ticket holders selling to a broker will want $2,000 for each ticket.
Some fans expect prices to drop as they did shortly before the Pats' last Super Bowl, but Stone doesn't think that will happen.
AAA Southern New England is also sponsoring a Super Bowl trip.
"We've had lots of interest throughout the morning," said Bill Sutherland, vice president of travel for AAA Southern New England.
"We actually had a couple of people make bookings last Saturday before the Pats even won," Sutherland said. "We have some very confident and loyal fans in New England."
The AAA trip also offers three nights hotel, flight, car rental and game ticket for about $4,000. Sutherland says there are a lot of travel packages available through a variety of organizations. He urges fans to deal with a reliable organization and make sure they know where to find the organizers if there's a problem. Another important point: he says AAA's customers will receive their game tickets before they board the plane.
Like Engles of Church Travel, Tara Borg-Myatt, front-end coordinator at Dick's Sporting Goods in Warwick, has a good gauge for judging interest in the Pats.
"We sold out already of the shirts and the hats," she said this afternoon.
Dick's sells AFC Conference Champions hats for $24.99 and T-shirts for $20.
More shipments were to arrive tonight and tomorrow.
Did Borg-Myatt expect them to sell so fast?
"I'm not surprised," she said. "People here are nuts when it comes to their home team."

Updated 1:05 p.m., Monday, Jan. 19, 2004

• Pats' defense equals Kryptonite for 'Super' Manning

   How did they do it? How did the Patriots stop Peyton "Super" Manning and the Colts' high-flying offense?
   Coming into Foxboro, Manning was the reincarnation of Johnny Unitas. He shared the NFL’s MVP award with Steve McNair, and he was coming off super-human playoff performances against Denver and Kansas City, throwing for 681 yards and eight TD passes.
   But yesterday afternoon, the Patriots’ defense made Manning look “confused and tentative,” as Vic Carruci reports in Superbowl.com.
   In losing 24-14 to the Patriots, the quarterback was intercepted four times after completing 45 of 56 passes and throwing no interceptions in the previous two playoff games.
   According to various reports on the Web today, the Patriots stopped the Colts' offense by disguising their defenses, and putting enough pressure on the quarterback to make him throw on the run. Their linebackers and defensive backs also blanketed and blasted Manning's receivers.
   At least one story, in The Indianapolis Star, reports that Colts' players complained that the referees let the Patriots' defenders get away with holding and other violations.
   Carruci reports in Superbowl.com, "Manning had been the picture of poise while flawlessly operating the Colts' no-huddle offense against Denver and Kansas City. The Patriots made him look confused and tentative. They baffled him with ever-changing defensive alignments that took one form as he hand-signaled what he assumed was the correct corresponding offense before the snap and then shifted to something else after the snap. With Manning often forced to hold the ball as he tried to diagnose what he was seeing, the Patriots were able to consistently generate pressure without blitzing. Consequently, he usually threw into a crowded secondary."
   The Providence Journal's Steve Krasner quotes Manning saying, "I just never quite found a rhythm, and I certainly didn't play the way I wanted to play."
   Fellow Journal sports columnist Jim Donaldson quotes Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick saying, "We knew we had our hands full with them. So we put in a few things that were kind of new, and that were maybe a little bit untested. But I think the players really responded well to them, they communicated well. I'm very fortunate, defensively, to have a lot of experienced players."
   Donaldson noted that "one of the things the Patriots did defensivly was use only two down linemen, rotating Richard Seymour, Ted Washington, Ty Warren and Jarvis Green."
   On Sportsline.com, senior writer Jay Glazer reports that the Patriots' defense surprised the Colts with their conservative game plan.
   "Once again, the Belichick mastery threw a new wrinkle at Manning. This time? Conservatism. Rather than throw the kitchen sink at Manning with blitz upon blitz, the Patriots defense instead ran a conservative plan with few early blitzes. They rushed four, yet got to Manning, anyway. "
   Former Buffalo Bills Head Coach Marv Levy, reporting for NFL.com, considers the Patriots' zone defense a key:
   "People always talk about the blitz and how great blitzing is, but one of the great advantages of doing a lot of zone or combination-zone coverages is that all of your defensive backs are facing the line of scrimmage and seeing what's happening. They're not running with their backs to the line of scrimmage," Levy writes. "Their linebackers also did a magnificent job. Something they did caught my eye -- they dropped deep enough and read the offense, and as a result, they were underneath deep-middle routes and were able to react quickly.
   He also gave credit to the Pats' offense for keeping the ball out of Manning's hands.
   "Running back Antowain Smith had a big day and it certainly helped New England maintain ball control, which was so important because it kept the ball out of Manning's hands. Smith was awfully important in the Patriots' time-of-possession battle, which they won."
   Finally, Jeff Rabjohns of The Indianapolis Star reports that the Colts were unhappy with the officiating:
   "The Colts were upset about several other perceived holds on receivers, an apparent helmet-to-helmet hit by New England's Eugene Wilson on receiver Reggie Wayne and a no-call when defensive end Robert Mathis appeared to be pulled to the ground as he closed in on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady," Rabjohns reports.
   He adds, "A number of television replays seemed to support the Colts' view. Colts president Bill Polian was animated and vocal in the press box after several non-calls. At one point, Polian shouted, 'Throw the flag.' Another time he said, 'That's holding,' and pounded his fist four times."

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Updated 1:56 p.m., Friday, Jan. 16, 2004

• Indianapolis mayor reaching for the moon?

   Looking past an opponent is considered a cardinal sin for football teams, but at least one Indianapolis politician and Colts fan is apparently already looking past the Patriots to the Super Bowl Feb. 1 in Houston.
   At a pep rally inside the RCA Dome in Indianapolis yesterday, about 1,000 fans, including Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, Gov. Joe Kernan and Colts owner Jim Irsay, cheered on the Colts, according to a report in The Indianapolis Star.
   "Houston, this is Indianapolis, and we have begun our descent to your city," Peterson said.
   Let's see if his team can make it out of Foxboro first.

Updated 11:40 a.m., Friday, Jan. 16, 2004

• Mass. ethics panel sacks game tickets for pols

   The Patriots-Colts AFC Championship game is a tough ticket to find, and it just got tougher for Massachusetts politicians.
The Boston Herald reports that the state's Ethics Commission passed stringent new rules Wednesday that bar politicians from using their clout to obtain tickets to sporting and other entertainment events.
   "The crackdown comes in the wake of a firestorm of controversy last fall, when dozens of politicians snatched Red Sox playoffs tickets either for free or at face value - whereas the average Joe was shut out entirely or shelled out hundreds of bucks to scalpers," the Herald reports.
   Violators face a $2,000 fine.
   Some pols don't think it's fair that they're being singled out, the Herald reports.
"I think that's absurd, the fact that you're being criticized for being able to go to a game,'' said Rep. Paul Kujowski (D-Webster), who went to one Sox playoff game with a ticket he bought at face value from a "local friend.''

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Updated 5:55 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004

• Tough guys practice outside

   Former Patriots head coach Bill Parcells liked to say that football isn't played in short pants, meaning it's not a game for softies.
   Current Coach Bill Belichick seems to share his former mentor's philosophy. He brought the team outside to practice in Gillette Stadium today, although the temperature struggled to climb above 10 degrees and winds made it feel even colder.
   "We're going to go outside to work in the stadium," Belichick said at his press conference today. "It will be good to get some fresh air, get the blood flowing."
   Belichick dismissed the concerns of one journalist who asked if it wasn't too dangerously cold to practice outside.
"I think we'll be all right," he said.
   The Patriots practiced indoors yesterday.
   The weather is supposed to warm this weekend, and it should be more pleasant in Foxboro Sunday afternoon than it was for Saturday night's game against the Titans. Still, with the temperature expected to range from 28 degrees during the day to 11 degrees at night, conditions will be less than balmy.
   The Colts, who play their home games in a domed stadium, insist that the cold won't affect them. Nevertheless, the Colts Web site reports that Coach Tony Dungy opened the doors at the team's indoor practice facility Wednesday to simulate the freezing conditions expected in Foxboro Sunday.
   “Practice was pretty crisp and enthusiastic," Dungy said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of work ahead of us. New England gives you a lot of things you have to work on, but I liked our preparation today and I think our guys will be ready to go.”

Updated 1:49 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004

• Local Guardsmen get free pass

   For a change, some Rhode Island National Guard members will be assigned to a pleasant duty Sunday afternoon.
   Forty-five Guard members will attend Sunday's playoff games against the Indianapolis Colts, courtesy of the NFL and the New England Patriots.
   The troops will attend the game in recognition of their service to their country, according to Maj. Gen. Reginald Centracchio, commanding general of the Rhode Island National Guard.
   Troops from Massachusetts and Connecticut will also be in the stands.
   Members of the Rhode Island and Connecticut National Guard will take the field during the National Anthem to hold a "gigantic" American flag, according to the Rhode Island Guard.
   Hundreds of Rhode Island National Guard members have been deployed in recent months to serve in Iraq and elsewhere.

• Colts' Stokley, Pollard missed Wednesday practice

   Two important players in the Colts' offensive attack weren't on the practice field Wednesday, according to an Associated Press report on ESPN.com.
   Wide receiver Brandon Stokley missed practice to be with his one-month old son, Cameron, who was admitted to a hospital Tuesday night, according to the report.
   "It it relatively serious, but I guess that I would rather not go into all the details in respecting their family's privacy," Colts Coach Tony Dungy said.
   Tight end Marcus Pollard sat out with a sprained ankle and probably won't practice until Friday, according to the report.
   Three starters in the secondary also missed practice. They are safety Idrees Bashir, separated right shoulder, and cornerbacks Walt Harris, sore right knee, and Nick Harper, back spasms.

Updated 12:14 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004

• Pats' DBs vs. Colts' WRs a key matchup

Who will win the important matchup between the Colts' speedy wide receivers and the Patriots' smart, hard-hitting defensive backs? ESPN.com wants to know. Early results from the Web site's poll gives the Patriot DBs the edge, 54 to 46 percent.
   The poll accompanies analyses of the matchup by Eric Allen and Merril Hoge.
Allen says, "To stop the Colts receivers, the Patriots are going to have to take options away from Manning and force him to make quick decisions. It might be a good idea to play bump-and-run coverage occasionally while blitzing to throw Manning and his receiver's timing off, which will result in sacks or incompletions."
   Hoge says double teaming star wide receiver Marvin Harrison doesn't guarantee success because of his ability to identify and break out of double coverage.
   "And while Harrison is drawing double coverages, the Colts have the advantage of turning to Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley to create mismatches. Mathematically, when one guy is doubled up, the others are in single coverage, and they've got to win those matchups.
   "Both Wayne and Stokley are not only making plays, but they're making plays consistently.

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Updated 4:02 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2004

• Rust could stop Colts offense

First the good news: Sports Illustrated’s Dr. Z., senior writer Paul Zimmerman, picks the Patriots over the Colts, 27-24, today in his Inside the NFL column.
But Patriots fans might cringe when they read Dr. Z's suggestion that the Pats will adopt a tactic used by former Patriots head coach Rod Rust to upset Peyton Manning's rhythm.
"Everybody's angle will be Manning against the Bill Belichick-Romeo Crennel defense," Dr. Z writes. "Well, he's a rhythm thrower and once I heard veteran defensive coach Rod Rust talk about how you handle rhythm throwers. He had had remarkable success against Dan Marino and Dan Fouts, the prime exponents of the rhythm method of during the '80s, and his theory was that if you're playing a 3-4 defense, your inside backers have to come up with at least two picks if you want to win. In other words, he wants them coming up from blind areas, popping into the lanes, disguising their coverages and disrupting the QB's rhythm -- which would take away from the ILBs' run defense, of course ... it's all a game of ebb and flow ... so the down linemen have to be stout.
"I see the Patriots playing this kind of form defense and getting their share of service breaks against Manning. And if Brady doesn't turn the ball over, I see New England's offense gaining 400 yards, even if there's weather in Foxboro."
Granted, Dr. Z points to Rust's success as a defensive coordinator in the 1980s, but it is still the same Rod Rust whose team went 1-15 in 1990, his one forgettable year as head coach.
Dr. Z also likes the Eagles to beat the Panthers, 20-16.

Updated 1:53 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2004

• Can Pats win with head games?

Have Patriots defensive masterminds Bill Belichick and Romeo Crennel already gotten inside the heads of the Indianapolis Colts?
Belichick, Crennel and outstanding defensive players such as Richard Seymour, Ty Law and Tedy Bruschi are clearly on the minds of Colts players and coaches, according to a report by Phil Richards in The Indianapolis Star.
Tight end Marcus Pollard calls Belichick "one of the best defensive strategists in the history of the game," according to Richards.
Of the Pats' defense, Colts linebackers coach Mike Murphy says, "You can almost rest assured you're not going to get what they did the week before. If they do what you see on tape from the week before or the week before that, it's going to be wrapped in a different package. They'll disguise it."
Can Belichick and Crennel can confuse quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Marvin Harrison and running back Edgerrin James enough to sidetrack the league's hottest offense?
Richards notes that Manning is 4-5 against Belichick defenses, going back to Belichick's days as defensive coordinator for the Jets.
Belichick has won the past three of those matches, Richards reports, but Manning's quarterback rating has improved from a "sickly" 64.4 in the first five games to an "outstanding" 98.2 in the last four.
What do you think? Can Belichick and Co. outsmart Manning and Co? If so, how do they do it?

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Updated 9:45 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2004

• Woody's season is over, Globe reports

The Boston Globe's Michael Smith reports today that Patriots' left guard Damien Woody will miss Sunday's playofff game against the Indianapolis Colts after suffering a torn ligament in the Patriots' first play from scrimmage against the Tennessee Titans.
Woody's injury, a partially-torn medial collateral ligament, typically doesn't need surgery, but would require four to five weeks of rehabilitation, according to Smith's report, which cites team sources. That means Woody would also miss the Super Bowl if the Patriots beat the Colts.
Woody had returned for part of the Titans' game after injuring his right knee, but was replaced in the third quarter by Russ Hochstein.

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Updated 5:21 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2004

Jack Perry is off today. Projo.com teammates Sheila Lennon and Frank Carnevale have taken to the blogging field in his place.

• When is a Colt a chicken?

The eagle eye of Gregg Easterbrook at NFL.com sees this:
"Peyton Manning loves to direct traffic before the snap. But when he does what Tuesday Morning Quarterback calls the chicken dance -- flapping his wings up and down the line of scrimmage, like he's auditioning to play a claymation roster in the movie Chicken Run -- it is almost always a rushing play. Why don't people catch on to this?"
See what other telling body language Easterbrook has spotted.

• Hunter S. Thompson hedges bets

   The original Gonzo journalist, now an ESPN columnist, writes:
    "The Patriots have won 13 straight games against the best teams in the league, including the Colts. And this time, they are playing at home in January.
   "The Colts are also a good team; but they play their home games in a dome, where the temperature rarely gets below 60 degrees -- which is a whole different world from playing New England on a frozen field.
   "To beat the Patriots at home, they will have to do something very special.
   "Winning in Boston has never been easy for visiting teams. The weather is rotten, the turf is always mucked up or frozen, and the crowds are consistently vicious and hostile.
   "All these factors combined, or even separately, have a tendency to intimidate visitors -- especially underdog visitors with no experience in ice storms...
   "Boston in January is so hostile, so cruel, and so intimidating that gamblers habitually factor it into the point spread ... just as home teams automatically get three (3) points in the NFL, just for being there.
    "The Colts will be getting at least six, and I think I will take those points on this one. Peyton Manning is easily the smartest quarterback in the league, and he may have the best arm. The Colts are playing Super Bowl football right now, and the show they put on against the Chiefs on Sunday was awesome and just about perfect. No punts, no turnovers, and only one penalty.
    "But the Patriots have played every Sunday for three months without losing a game. They are even-money favorites to win the Super Bowl, while the Colts are 2-1 underdogs. This one is going to be a tall-walking bitch of a game, and the smart money is riding with New England. ..."

• Early predictions

David Moore at FOXSports.com:
   ...And while we lavish praise on Manning and New England's defense, let's not forget about the other key figure in this game. Quarterback Tom Brady already has one Super Bowl title to his name. Look for him to meet the challenge of facing off with Manning.
Prediction: New England 27, Indianapolis 24

Spencer Porter, Stanford Daily
   ...on the AFC side of things, we have a matchup that is shaping up to be the greatest AFC title game of my lifetime. Neither of these teams are pretenders, hopping out of white limos that they didn’t pay for; both the Colts and Patriots are legit. These are the two best teams in football right now — the Colts are firing on all cylinders, and the Patriots are riding a winning streak that’s very reminiscent of their title run two years ago. Now, I won’t go as far to say that this is the “Super Bowl,” because I think that the Eagles, in a semi-fluke game, could beat either team, but I don’t think it’s likely.
    My prediction: The Patriots will bring it, and bring it hard. There are no better motivators than a passionate crowd, a freezing stadium and a team that loves it all. The Patriots will win in a low-scoring affair, playing their game, not letting Peyton play his, 17-9.
Prediction: New England 17, Indianapolis 9

Vote: NFL Playoff Predictions
    SportsNation at ESPN.com is asking the obvious questions. Voters would rather have Peyton Manning than Tom Brady as a quarterback, but right now the fans expect the Patriots to take it all. Join the fray.

• We're listening

Defense a concern for Dungy, writes the Indianapolis Star, where the Colts' message board offers eavesdropping fun.

• We're not listening

   Indystar.com's Bob Kravitz writes, "America needs, deserves a Colts-Eagles Super Bowl" (unbelievable): "...we've done the New England thing, and, frankly, we're bored to tears" as a the first reason to root for a Colts-Eagles superbowl.
    He goes on to pick on Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and other Pats players. He wants to see his Indy "big-name" football player play against the Eagles players:
   "... it's imperative the Colts knock off the Pats and the Eagles take care of business against the Panthers. Because the Colts and Eagles are a big-stage kind of game, with big-stage actors, with Peyton and Donovan, Edge and Duce, Tony Dungy and Andy Reid."
   I'm rooting for a Pats Superbowl and don't care who they meet. Both NFC teams have great story lines. Indy is getting on my nerves.

• Long-term weather report

Sunday and Sunday night. Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid-20s. Lows around 8.
The Patriots and Colts play at 3 p.m. Sunday.

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Updated 3:02 p.m., Monday, Jan. 12, 2004

• Pats will try to cool Manning's hot hand

   Expect another chilly playoff game at Foxboro Sunday, but it will take an all-out effort from the New England winter and the Patriots defense to cool off hot-handed Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.
    Manning has been unstoppable in playoff victories against the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. Manning threw five touchdown passes against Denver and three against Kansas City, the Colts Web site notes. He completed 44 of 56 passes in the two games, with no interceptions.
   "He's been outstanding the last two weeks," Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy says on the Web site. "He's been playing phenomenal, making the checks, putting us in the right third-down plays."
    Here's testimony to the Colts offense. The team hasn't punted in either of its two playoff games.

   So impressed was Sports Illustrated's Peter King that he named Manning his Offensive Player of the Week, saying Manning's performance against Kansas City "continued one of the great two-game runs in NFL playoff history."
   "During the years I've covered pro football, the only team I can recall being as equally unstoppable during the postseason as these Colts was the 1991 Bills, who scored 95 points in two playoff games leading up to Super Bowl XXV."
    (By the way, King named Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri Special Teams Player of the Week for his 46-yard, game-winning field goal in a "minus-10-degree wind chill.")
    For people who think the Colts aren't the same team on the road, consider that they won Sunday at Kansas City, perhaps one of the best home-field advantages in football.

   John Clayton of ESPN.com suggests that the Colts no-huddle offense has turned Indy into one of the NFL's best road teams, winning eight of nine games this season.
    Still, he noted that Patriots Coach Bill Belichick "brings out the worst in quarterbacks with his schemes." He observed that Manning is 0-4 in road games against the Patriots.
    Despite the best efforts of Belichick and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, Manning threw for four touchdowns and 278 yards in the teams' Nov. 30 meeting, a game the Patriots won, 38-34 with a goal line stance.
    Belichick calls the Colts offense "explosive."
   "We played the Colts this year and they scored, whatever it was, 21 points in 10 minutes, something like that," Belichick said in his press conference yesterday. "We saw what they did in the Tampa game where they came back from, whatever it was, a 21-point deficit in the last three minutes of the game, or whatever the exact situation was."

   Considering Manning's streak, Patriots fans might be intrigued by this line in former Buffalo Bills Coach Marv Levy's analysis in NFL.com: "So how do you stop Manning?"
    Unfortunately, Levy fails to deliver any secret formulas.
    He writes, "That's the million-dollar question, and it's one the Patriots will have to answer again next week; remember, the Patriots beat the Colts earlier this year -- but barely. I'll give the Patriots a hint: There's no big formula -- you prepare and work just as hard as Manning...and then you pray a lot."

Not to dismiss the power of prayer -- it sure came in handy when Vinatieri was kicking his game-winning field goal Saturday night -- but we hope Belichick and Crennel have a little more than that in store for Manning and Co. when they come to Foxboro.

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Updated 4:02 p.m., Friday, Jan. 9, 2004

• Pundits pick the Pats

   An informal survey of national pundits shows that seven expect the Patriots to win while five favor the Titans.
   Those picking the Patriots include Sports Illustrated's Dr. Z, the Harmon Forecast, Dan Scwhab of Real Football, SI.com's B. Duane Cross, and ESPN's Joe Theismann, Eric Allen and Ron Jaworski.
   These five like the Titans: Pete Prisco of SportsLine.com, and ESPN's Meril Hoge, Sean Salisbury, Mark Schlereth and Mike Golic.
   Here's why Schwab thinks the Patriots will win: "The hobbled McNair may not have the mobility to counter New England's multiple looks and blitz packages. The Patriots' defensive backs match up well against the Titans' receivers, putting added pressure on both George and McNair to fight through their injuries. Tennessee was the only team to score more than 26 points all season on New England's defense, but the Titans will have difficulty putting up points against a rested Patriots team.
   "Look for a lower scoring game than their first encounter, with New England coming out on top."
   Here's why Prisco likes the Titans: "The Patriots have won 12 straight games, but the streak stops here. Look for McNair to carry his team to a victory by making plays with his arm and legs. McNair struggled against the Ravens last week, but another week should help him get healthier. If not, a few shots to the trouble area will make him forget it for three hours. McNair threw for 391 yards when the Titans lost in October but wasn't as sharp as he can be. Look for that to change this time. Tennessee is great in this underdog role. It's 1999 all over again as they bump off the AFC's top seed."
   The Patriots also received what we might consider a qualified pick from seven of eight experts polled by Superbowl.com.
   Starting from the premise that it's difficult for a team to go on the road and beat a team that's had a bye in the first round, the eight experts were asked which of the four visiting teams has the best chance of knocking off its host.
   The experts were Cris Collinsworth of Fox, Boomer Esiason of CBS, Art Shell of NFL.com, Pat Kirwan of NFL.com, Phil Simms of CBS, Gregg Easterbrook of the NFL Network, Marv Levy of the NFL Network and Vic Carucci of NFL.com.
   Former Buffalo Bills Coach Levy was the only one to suggest that Tennessee could upset the Patriots.
"Tennessee gets the slight nod over Indianapolis. Indianapolis is going into an even tougher venue in Kansas City than Tennessee is in New England, but the Titans and Patriots are two very strong, very good football teams, and I think it will be a close game."
   Easterbook suggested that all the visitors are doomed.
   "The combination of the bye week and home-field advantage at the NFL divisional level is the single strongest one-game edge in all sports," he wrote. "Bye-week teams are 17-3 in the past five years, for example. That's what statisticians call a "strong" indicator.

Updated 1:18 p.m.

• George, Titans plan to run around Mt. Washington

   Titans' running back Eddie George didn't practice this week, but he's traveling to New England with the team today, and he expects to feel fine tomorrow night.
   "I feel good," George told the press yesterday. "My ankle still has a little bit of swelling in it. I didn't want to aggravate it much further. Some of the medication they have me on should clear it up by Saturday. I should be 100 percent and ready to go."
    George, who returned to last week's playoff game against Baltimore after dislocating his shoulder, also downplayed that injury.
   "It definitely was discomforting and painful. I didn't know the extent of it when I first did it. I knew that something was definitely wrong," George said. "Thank God they got it put back in quick enough and I didn't have any side effects from it – any major side effects. So I was pleased with that, and I was able to go."
    Patriots' massive defensive lineman Ted Washington no doubt hopes to make George and other Tennessee ball carriers feel some discomfort Saturday night. George and Coach Jeff Fisher are well aware of the impact Washington can have on a game.
   "He takes up the whole middle," George said. "Ted takes up the entire middle. He makes it very tough to get any push up the middle in that defense. He's pretty much the anchor of it as far as their run-stopping defense, and we're going to have to do some things outside of that to try and get some yards in the running game."
    Fisher said, "We have to run outside Ted Washington. As far as the run game is concerned, Ted, he's a good player. He wasn't there the first time we played and he's obviously a big factor as far as the inside run is concerned."

Updated 10:30 a.m., Friday, Jan. 9, 2004

• SI's Dr. Z likes Pats' passing attack

   The Titans can stop the Patriots' running game, but so what?, says Sports Illustrated's Dr. Z in his Inside the NFL column.
   "The Patriots' run game is merely an annoyance, not an integral part of their offense. It's all short passes and clever little slip screens and tricky throwbacks and stuff," Dr. Z wrote. "Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis is desperate to be a head coach, and you don't get noticed by running the ball. An owner has to be convinced you're a genius. Miserable weather, which is always a possibility in Foxboro in January, favors this kind of attack because the defenders slip and then a five-yard pass breaks for 25. And Tom Brady knows how to run the attack better than anybody. He's the Rich Gannon of 2003, minus a few shaky moments -- usually at the beginning of a game -- that he's always managed to overcome.
   Dr. Z suggests the Patriots could come out with a 4-4 defense to stop Eddie George and Steve McNair.
   He likes the Patriots, 13-10.
   In the other games, Dr. Z picks the Rams over the Panthers, 20-17; the Eagles over the Packers, 24-20; and the Colts upsetting the Chiefs, 38-31.

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Updated 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 8, 2004

• Ready to rumble

   Have you done all your preparation for Saturday night? Stocked the refrigerator? Washed your Tom Brady jersey? Hired the sitter? Reserved your spot on the couch?
   In short, are you ready and anxious for Saturday night's game to start?
   Yes? Well, so are the Patriots.
   Coach Bill Belichick told reporters in a press conference today that he could sense that his players and coaches were anxious to get on the field and play. He says he can feel it, too.
   "I think everybody is anxious. We played Saturday so it will be two full weeks this Saturday and we are closing in on that," Belichick said.
   "There has been a lot of preparation time. We have seen a lot of Tennessee. I think I have probably seen, I am not saying every single play, but I have seen all of their games," Belichick said. "I have seen a lot of snaps over and over again, our game [against Tennessee] I don't know how many times, the 2002 game, some of the plays leading up into the 2002 game from last year things that we had in the scouting reports. It is kind of like wanting the clock to a little bit faster than it is going to go but we are not going to be able to do that."

• Too much home-field advantage?

   No, it's not true that the NFL ordered the Patriots to resod Gillette Stadium after mistaking pictures of the field for NASA photographs of Mars.
   Patriots Coach Bill Belichick claims that the field wasn't in bad shape, but Bryan McGovern, NFL editor for The Sports Network, says the NFL wanted the field resodded because it felt the poor field condition gave the Pats a slight edge.
   "Since New England has a grind-it-out running game and relies more on its up-tempo passing attack to beat opponents, the slow track was viewed as a small advantage for the Pats since opponents' running attacks and pass rushes were said to be slowed by the old grass," McGovern wrote. "May not have a huge impact on the game, but it's an interesting subplot to keep an eye on."
   Ironically, The Providence Journal's Tom Curran says, the worst field in the league last year belonged to this Saturday's opponents, the Tennessee Titans.
   McGovern predicts that Belichick "will devise another masterful defensive scheme," and the Patriots will win 21-17 on the new turf.

• Fisher shines a light on the Titans

   Titans Coach Jeff Fisher had his team practicing under the lights last night in Tennessee's 28-degree weather to help acclimate them to playing in the dark and cold Saturday night in Foxboro.
   "It helps them to focus a little bit," Fisher was quoted saying on the Titans' Web site. "It's going to be an interesting contest just because the elements are a factor and everybody really wants to win this ballgame."
   Quarterback Steve McNair, who has ankle and calf injuries, particitpated in the practice, taking about 60 percent of the snaps with the first-team offense, according to an Associated Press report on the Titans' Web site.
   Running back Eddie George, who suffered a separated shoulder last week, did not practice but ran on the sidelines. George also twisted his ankle during the wild-card game against the Baltimore Ravens last weekend.

• Belichick and Law get high marks

   This will be a great weekend for football fans, even for fans without a hometown team in the playoffs.
   Eight teams will play four games to determine who plays in the conference finals. Pete Prisco, senior writer for SportsLine.Com, calls it the best weekend in sports, better than the Final Four, better than Super Bowl Sunday.
   In ranking the remaining teams in eight categories, Prisco gives high marks to the Pats' Bill Belichick -- "no better coach in the game today" -- and cornerback Ty Law -- "in the elite group of corners."
   But he suggests punter Ken Walter's leg could be the team's Achilles heel. Prisco writes, "The one thing that could really hurt this team in the playoffs is the punting game. They were 31st in the league."

• Hold the Smirnoff and pass the Swiss Miss

   Say it ain't so. Don't tell me Patriots fans are wimps.
   Providence Journal staff writer Tom Mooney points out on today's front page that the Pats-Titans game has become a soft ticket, that the frigid weather forecast for Saturday night has prompted some ticket holders to put their seats for sale.
   There's no way this would happen in Green Bay, where 3 degrees is considered seasonable, and Packers tickets are more precious than ice fishing trophies.
  Still, that doesn't mean you should display your beer belly Saturday to show you're just as tough as Packers fans.
  Here are a few tips on staying warm from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Environmental Health.
  Some of the advice, like wearing a hat, is stuff mom probably told you before she let you out in the backyard to play football with the other kids, but did she tell you to lay off the brews?
  That's because alcohol consumption causes the body to lose heat more rapidly. The CDC suggests drinking hot chocolate instead of alcoholic beverages.

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Updated 2:57 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2004

• Two Titan stars 'questionable' for Saturday

  Titans quarterback Steve McNair and running back Eddie George are both on the Titans' injury report submitted today and listed as "questionable" for Saturday's game.
   McNair has injuries to an ankle and a calf, while George has an injured shoulder and calf.
   Nevertheless, Patriots coaches and players fully expect both stars to play.
   Of McNair, Coach Bill Belichick said yesterday, "I think that McNair is obviously a very tough player. He is a very tough minded player. He has certainly played through a lot of injuries and things that may keep him from being 100 percent and he still plays very effectively. I don't think his toughness can be questioned in any shape, form or fashion. He is out there and he plays hard and plays physical regardless of whatever the circumstances are.
  Belichick had this to say about George, who returned to last weekend's wild-card game against Baltimore after suffering a separated shoulder.
  "He left the game," Belichick said, "and then came back and ran over everybody in the second half. Whatever is wrong with him, give me some of it."
  The Titans' injury report listed eight players, while the Patriots listed none, a big difference from their first meeting in October, when the Pats were without players such as Mike Vrabel, Willie McGinest, Ted Johnson and Ted Washington.

• Simms says home fans help

  Former New York Giants quarterback and TV announcer Phil Simms likes the chances of the Patriots and the other teams who are hosting playoff games after enjoying a bye week.
  "It will take an extraordinary effort for any of the visiting teams to come in this weekend and win. It will take extremely good play – and probably some good fortune – for them to upset teams that have had the week off," Simms wrote on SuperBowl.com."
  And, according to Simms, the 68,000 fans in frigid Foxboro, Mass., on Saturday night will play a role in the game's outcome.
"Crowd noise and environment have so much more to do with the outcome of football games than any other sport," Simms wrote. "Crowd noise can't really affect baseball or hockey, but it affects football because verbal communication is such a big part of the game."

• Warmth for an extra $1,250

  If you want to add to that noise and help the Pats win Saturday, tickets are still available from online sources– but you'll have to pay and not just with cold fingers and toes.
  A quick survey found tickets from one seller ranging in price from $160 each for seats in section 306, row 26, to $1,410 each for two club seats with indoor access. Another source offered tickets from $182 to $1,086. Hey, the extra thousand could be money well spent with the temperature expected to dip down near zero.
  To be sure, some loyal Tennessee fans will make the 1,125-mile trip to Foxboro. WKRN.Com, News 2, in Tennessee advised its fans on flight and travel plans Monday.
  WKRN said Bernie Driscoll of Nashville runs one of the most popular ticket sites on the Internet, OpenSeats.com. He says that you can still get tickets to the game if you know where to look, according to the Web site.
  Driscoll said, "There might not be big bargains out there. But there are plenty of tickets out there. For an upper-level seat way up high, you're probably looking at $200-$230 a ticket."

• A fair-weather team?

  Those Titans fans will learn what Pats fans already know. They'd better bundle up. Cold weather is certainly on the minds of the press in Tennessee, even as Titans' players and coaches are downplaying the weather's potential impact on the game.
  Jim Wyatt, who covers the Titans for The Tennessean, wrote: "The last time the Titans played in temperatures below freezing (32 degrees) was 2001, and they lost both games. Since 1998 the Titans are 3-3 when the kickoff temperature is below freezing. The Patriots went 3-0 this season when the temperature was below 32."
  Some Titans said the game is often different in really cold weather, according to Wyatt. Punter Craig Hentrich said the ball loses air and doesn't travel as far when kicked. Tackle Fred Miller said footing is tougher on a frozen field. Williams said pads don't give as much in the cold, so ''you definitely feel every lick more.'' Obviously, the ball is more difficult to throw and catch.   Titans Coach Jeff Fisher, in interviews yesterday, had fun with the issue but mostly dismissed it. "We've been a good cold weather team," he said. "It's not going to be a concern of ours."
  He later added, "What we're going to do is we're going to leave the Florida guys home. We'll bring them up on Saturday, put them up in the press box, give them some pizza and let the rest of the guys play.
  "What you have to do is dress so you can execute, so you can move around and execute, and you can operate. That's the bottom line. They‘ll be able to gather themselves on the sidelines. I don't expect any problems with it. We've gone on the road before to some cold environments, and done just fine."

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Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2004

• Seeking reassurance

  I'm worried about the New England Patriots' playoff game against the Tennessee Titans Saturday night. This Patriots team could be better than the team that won the Super Bowl two years ago, and that's part of the reason I worry.
  Two years ago, the Pats had nothing to lose. It was a beautiful, unexpected run. Found money. It was your blind date turning out to be a super model.
  This year, the Pats cranked out 12 straight wins on the way to the best record, 14-2, in franchise history and the top seed in the AFC. Heck, they were so clinical and reliable that they got a little boring.
  Nothing is boring this week. The team carries the weight of great expectations, but a botched kick, a dropped pass on Saturday night could wipe it all out and send us into the darkest part of winter without a glimmer of light from Foxboro.
  Now we're dating the super model, but she's got a new suitor, and he's no slouch. The Titans have already won 13 games. They have the league co-MVP at quarterback, went to the Super Bowl in 2000, and slapped the Pats all over the field last year, winning, 24-7 in Nashville.
   I turn to the newspaper, television, radio and Web for comforting words, but I don't always find what I want to hear.

• Boomer throws the caution flag

  Football analyst and former quarterback Boomer Esiason did little to allay my fears Monday morning during an interview with John Dennis and Gerry Callahan on WEEI-AM.
  Esiason suggested that the Titans are the toughest team that the Patriots could have drawn for this game, that they would give the Pats all they could handle Saturday.
  "This will be a lot closer than people think," Esiason said. "It's going to come down to the last five minutes of the game."
   Esiason characterized the Titans as a tough, battle-tested team capable of overcoming the cold weather and the Patriots' home field advantage.
  Like a football coach keeping his players focused on the task ahead, Esiason gently scolded the hosts when one asked whether the other remaining AFC playoff teams – Indianapolis and Kansas City -- could beat the Patriots in New England.
  "I would just worry about the Titans this week, fella