Patriots score 34 again,
paste Browns 34-17 to go to 5-0,
and the coach still thinks they
suck.
By the Patriots' lofty 2007
standards, Sunday's performance
had a few flaws. The fact that
they were never seriously
threatened by the Browns and
ended up winning by 17 points
tells you all you need to know
about just how good the Patriots
are.
Tom Brady threw for 265 yards
and three touchdowns -- two to
tight end Benjamin Watson -- and
Sammy Morris ran for 102 yards
as the Patriots improved to 5-0
with the home victory.
New England had a 20-0 lead
at halftime, sputtered some in
the second half, but still had
plenty left to hold off the 2-3
Browns
How the heck do you grade this team? They didn't even get to play until the fourth round after wheeling and dealing away picks last year and this spring...
There was a palpable expectation of history here on a chilly night in the Arizona desert. Super Bowl XLII delivered on that score, but history of a different sort was made on Sunday...
The Patriots rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Giants 38-35 on Saturday and became the first team in NFL history to go 16-0 in the regular season...
The punishment is in and it appears that the league has decided that cheating the rules which has happened for a long time in the NFL is going to carry some serious consequences. New England coach Bill Belichick was fined the NFL maximum of $500,000 Thursday and the Patriots were ordered to pay $250,000 for spying on an opponent's defensive signals. The commissioner also ordered the team to give up next year's first-round draft choice if it reaches the playoffs and second- and third-round picks if it doesn't. If the Patriots lose their first-rounder next season they still will have a first-round pick, obtained from San Francisco in the deal that brought Moss from Oakland.
