*The Boston Globe's* Mike Reiss offers a story on Georgia alums and long-time friends Ben Watson and Randy McMichael. They are both tight ends and will meet up when the Dolphins come to town to play on Sunday. "Randy was a mentor when I transferred to Georgia, kind of like the big brother I never had," Watson said.

*The Boston Globe's* Bob Ryan calls these The Good Old Days of Pats football, and compares the Patriots to the Celtics of the mid and early '80s, citing last week's win as characteristic of their play. It seems the Pats have remained dominant by always looking forward. "This is not the time to reflect," said Rodney Harrison.

Mike Reiss offers *The Boston Globe's* Patriots Notebook, in which he reports on Junior Seau, who played with the Phins during the last three seasons. He's not too nostalgic, according to Reiss, who also reports on Miami coach Nick Saban, wideout Doug Gabriel and others.

In the *Boston Herald's* Patriots Notebook, John Tomase also reports on Seau's lack of bitterness going into Sunday's game against the Dolphins. The *Providence Journal* has a story in the same vein.

Globe staff writer Susan Bickelhaupt reports on the relationship between coaches, players and broadcasters. Teams often give broadcasters inside information on upcoming games to improve the quality of entertainment during games. The story isn't Patriots-specific, but you may want to read it if you watch a lot of football at home.

According to Hall of Fame guard John Hannah, The Patriots have a tradition of playing smashmouth football. The Boston Herald's John Tomase interviews Hannah and reports on the Pats outstanding running game.

The *Boston Herald's* Albert Breer reports on coaching connections between the Patriots and the Dolphins. For more Patriots-Dolphins connections, check out Keys to victory against the Dolphins, which will be posted on Patriots.com later today.

Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald reports on the lessons of Bill Belichick. Massarotti was shown the light by Belichick yesterday.

Massarotti also reports on the importance of takeaways. "It's big because the No. 1 goal is to win the turnover battle," Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said.

The *Boston Herald* also reports that Daunte Culpepper missed a portion of yesterday's practice. His injury is listed as "shoulder."

*The Providence Journal's* Jim Donaldson reports that the preseason hype surrounding the Dolphins has all but crushed them already this season. "We didn't do anything to deserve, earn, or encourage any of those things," Miami coach Nick Saban said this week.

Kevin McNamara offers *The Providence Journal's * Patriots Notebook, in which he discusses adversities facing the Dolphins.

The *Hartford Courant's* Alan Greenberg reports on the play of QB Daunte Culpepper, who isn't as mobile as he was before having surgery to repair a distroyed right knee.

Rich Garven of the *Worcester Telegram & Gazette* offers an interview with rookie tight end David Thomas. "I just want to do whatever they ask me to do," Thomas said.

Eric McHugh of **The Patriot Ledger** reports on Ellis Hobbs, who revealed that he has a broken wrist this week.

McHugh also reports that Reche Caldwell said the hit he took against the Bengals was the hardest hit he's ever taken ... and that he believes it was legal contact.

*The Sun Chronicle's* Mark Farinella reports on a matchup between Matt Light and Jason Taylor, which will be renewed on Sunday when the Phins travel to New England.

Don't forget to check out USA Today's Inside Slant on the Pats, updated weekly.