Jerome Solomon of the Boston Globe writes that the Patriots are ready to turn it on after a week off. "There's a lot of football left to be played and at this point right now, I don't think anyone can say who's going to be in the playoffs and who's not," defensive end Richard Seymour said. "If anybody has a chance at postseason action, we're definitely a team that can do that." With a weak division and an easier second half schedule the Patriots will look to get back to their winning ways. Solomon writes that while the Patriots played on the road four times in their first six games, three of their next four are at home. They just finished a stretch of five games against playoff contenders, with four of the games on the road against teams with winning records, but only three of their final 10 games are against teams that currently have winning records -- Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay.
Michael Felger of the Boston Herald writes that though the Patriots have their share of problems, they still are considered a lock for the postseason. On Friday, the Pats (3-3) were tied for the division lead, in danger of being passed by one team (Buffalo) and caught by another (Miami). Instead, they woke up this morning in sole possession of first place, and they didn't even have to play a game.
Carol Beggy and Mark Shanahan of the Boston Globe report that Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi was the center of attention at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital's 35th anniversary celebration where he received the hospital's "Champion of Courage Award."
Chris Kennedy of The Republican writes that alot can be learned about a team from the state of its quarterback situation. That seems especially true in the AFC East, where no team has grabbed an advantage to this point. Until proven otherwise, New England remains the team to beat. The Patriots certainly do not seem poised to win another Super Bowl, but they still have Brady and that gives them a significant advantage over the other teams.
Mark Farinella of the Sun Chronicle writes that within the next month or so it is likely that Gino Cappelletti's record of 1,130 career points will be broken by Adam Vinaatieri. As one of the voices of Patriots radio, Cappelletti will be in a position to instantaneously comment on the breaking of the record. "I'll be happy for him," Cappelletti said. "He deserves it ... 10 years, all the kicks that he's made that have been so meaningful and contributed to so many victories."
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal offers a story former Patriots cornerback Ty Law, who is currently having a solid season with the N.Y. Jets with 3 interceptions in six games. Curran writes that Law likes the atmosphere with the Jets, feels he has a fair contract for a guy who came to New York with a broken foot, loves Jets head coach Herman Edwards and felt it was time to move on from New England. "I didn't shed any tears. I knew it was coming. I already anticipated the phone call (telling him he was being let go), it was a matter of when it was going to come. It would have been different if I hadn't broken my foot. It made it a lot easier for them to make that decision (to release him). I thought about the players, the championships, the run we had, the so-called 'dynasty.' I guess the most upset was when I found out I couldn't come back and play last year (before the playoffs). That's when I almost broke down. I wanted to finish that season because I knew it was my last year with the team from the time I came to training camp," said Law on his departure from the Patriots.
Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe offers his daily sports blog with Patriots notes. Reiss also offers his latest mailbag where he answers your questions.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal offers his daily sports blog with Patriots notes and commentary.
