01:00 AM EST on Monday, November 8, 2004

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS -- It was to have been a day of modest redemption for mad scientist Mike Martz. Undone in Super Bowl XXXVI, the St. Louis Rams head coach stood yesterday to get a little payback against a dinged-up Patriots team still smarting from its first loss in nearly 400 days.

Instead, Martz's beakers got smashed, his Bunsen burners got knocked to the floor and his goggles got steamed as the Patriots schemed, tricked, connived and hit their way to a 40-22 win.

Linebacker Mike Vrabel caught a touchdown pass, kicker Adam Vinatieri threw one, wide receiver Troy Brown played cornerback, Willie McGinest covered Torry Holt, long-snapper Lonie Paxton made the biggest special teams play of the day, dogs laid down with cats.

It was chaos and bliss for New England, which moved to 7-1 with a win that -- even for a team that had just come off a 21-game winning streak -- seemed a little implausible.

The Patriots entered the game without either of their starting cornerbacks -- Ty Law and Tyrone Poole. In their places were Asante Samuel and Randall Gay, and Samuel didn't play for three quarters after he was injured on the Rams' second offensive play, giving way to practice-squad signee Earthwind Moreland. When the Patriots were forced to go to extra

defensive backs in obvious passing situations, Brown -- the 12-year -- came in.

It wasn't a recipe for success against the fleet-footed Rams. Beyond that, running back Corey Dillon missed the loss in Pittsburgh the week before and was desperately needed against St. Louis. And beyond that, the Patriots themselves wondered how they would bounce back from their first loss in a dog's age.

"We hadn't lost for a long time and it was a different feeling last week," quarterback Tom Brady admitted. "When you lose, you think about a lot of things. You think about the way you're approaching things, the way you're practicing, the way your attitude is. A lot of people had heart-to-hearts with themselves about what they have to do to help us win."

A week earlier, in the volatile climate of Pittsburgh, the Patriots imploded in the final minutes of the first quarter. Yesterday, they rebounded from what could have been early disaster and simply stuck it to the Rams.

Already leading, 3-0, after a 43-yard Vinatieri field goal at the end of their first possession, the Pats caught a break when Rams punt returner Shaun McDonald boxed around a Josh Miller boot until Paxton recovered it at the St. Louis 28.

Vinatieri added a 31-yarder this time, but soon after, the Pats faced some adversity. Kevin Faulk called for a fair catch at the New England 6 on a punt that likely would have bounced into the end zone. On the next play, Brady was strip-sacked and Leonard Little recovered for a score to make it 7-6 Rams and set the dome rocking.

But Brady marshaled a solid drive downfield, handing to Dillon five times for 32 yards and Faulk carried for 9 and made a 12-yard catch on a third-and-10. Eventually, New England got to the Rams' 2 and Brady hit Vrabel on -- of all things -- a fade to the left corner that Vrabel made a diving catch on.

The Rams got that score back quickly on a five-play 46-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce with 5:29 left in the half making it 14-13 Rams. But a 50-yard bomb to Givens set up another Vinatieri field goal to give the Pats the lead back.

The biggest play of the first half came on the ensuing drive when Rams' quarterback Marc Bulger was flushed out of the pocket by Willie McGinest on third-and-11 at the Pats' 30 and fumbled. Jarvis Green recovered at the Pats' 28 and, after a replay challenge by St. Louis, the Pats tacked on a field goal at the halftime gun to make it 19-14.

At that point, one had to figure the Rams would come out firing in the second half. With Brown in as the extra defensive back, they merely needed to spread the field and find mismatches. But the Patriots pass rush made it impossible for Martz to feel comfortable without protection for Bulger (23-for-33 for 285 yards, 2 TDs and an interception).

St. Louis got nothing on its first drive of the second half and the Patriots flew downfield to the St. Louis 4, where they lined up for a field goal that never came.

Instead of kicking a 22-yarder, New England sent Brown trotting down the sideline just on the edge of the field. He lingered there as the Rams milled about, the Patriots snapped it directly to Vinatieri, and he hit Brown for a 4-yard score to make it 26-14.

Rattled, Bulger got picked off by Roman Phifer four plays later and Dillon (25 carries, 112 yards) scooted into the end zone with a killer cross-step move on DeJuan Groce from 5 yards out to make it 33-14.

The Rams threw it around pretty good after that and managed two touchdowns, but the Pats added another on a 4-yard pass to Bethel Johnson from Brady (18-for-31 for 234 with 2 TDs) and the game was never really in doubt after that.

With a Jets loss, the Patriots are back in the lead in the AFC East and Belichick gushed about his team's effort.

"I'm really proud of our football team," he said with emphasis. "I think that those guys did a tremendous job today. This was probably as complete a team victory as I've ever been around."