Is it my imagination or do the Pats have a tougher schedule than the Super Bowl Colts? The Pats have three short weeks. Two Mon/Sun games and one Sat/Sun. Also, comparing their opponents, Washington, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the Giants, vs. Denver, Carolina, Tampa and Oakland. New Orleans didn't show up and San Diego doesn't look all that great right now, it clearly looks like the scheduling favors the Colts. How does this happen?Mike Skowron

First of all, the NFC portion of the schedule is determined by which division you play. The Patriots play the NFC East and the Colts the NFC South, so there is nothing you can do about that. And for your "San Diego doesn't look that great right now," doesn't that apply to when they played the Patriots as well? I just hate all this talk about schedules. Line up and beat the teams in front of you and everything will be decided in the postseason. The Colts and Patriots will meet on Nov. 4 and probably again in the playoffs, so we'll find out which team is better then they play on the field.
-Tom Casale

How many pounds can Randy Moss bench press? What were his bench press numbers at the combine when he was drafted?Kevin Kessler

Kevin, from the information I got, I don't believe Moss lifted at the Combine. Also, my guess is he isn't a gym hero like yours truly. When you look at Moss, he's a stick. He gets by on God given ability. Plus, Moss is football strong, not weight lifting strong. There's a big difference between the two. When you can do things that no one else can, you don't have to spend hours in the gym bench pressing. I don't know how much Moss can bench press but I'm guessing it's not much. While Moss can't bench press as much as David Boston can, I think he'll do just fine in New England with that Brady guy throwing him the ball. Just a hunch.
-Tom Casale

Is Troy Brown still an active Patriot player, and, if so, why hasn't he been playing since the start of the 2007 season? Please advise his status.Jean Galbraith

Troy Brown began the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list so he must sit out the first six weeks of the season. Brown will be eligible to return to the team the Tuesday following the Dallas game.
-Tom Casale

Okay, we know about Richard Seymour as a lock to come back assuming he's ready. BB will find a place for Troy Brown. Chad Jackson is a good candidate for IR. Now what about Eddie Jackson? What do we know about him and is he likely to make the 53 man roster and if so, is he likely to be activated and who does he replace?
Alan Bernstein

I'm not sure who Jackson will replace but I'm pretty confident that he'll have a role on this team. The Patriots knew Jackson was injured and probably wouldn't be able to play until October when they signed him. The team obviously liked Jackson enough that Bill Belichick decided that he would be worth the wait. Jackson is a versatile player who will add even more depth in the defensive backfield once he's healthy enough to play. I think it will be another case of the rich getting richer, with the Patriots playing the role of the rich.
-Tom Casale

Dear PFW, Here is a question that I never understood. I wish it could be explained. Defensive players are penalized for intentional or unintentional grabbing of a facemask. Why are running backs and receivers allowed to do that without a penalty when they are running with the ball?Paul DeResta

Actually Paul, running backs and receivers are not allowed to grab the facemask either. The same rules apply to offensive players as they do to defensive players. I think where you might be getting confused is with the stiff-arm. It's legal for a ball carrier to stiff-arm a defensive player as long as they don't grab the facemask. But any time an offensive player grabs the facemask, the referee is supposed to call a penalty on the play.
-Tom Casale

Do you think the Patriots will re-sign Richard Seymour once his contract is up? I see no need to with Jarvis Green, Mike Wright, Kareem Brown, the surprising Santonio Thomas and even Le Kevin Smith is in the mix. I think it would be a waste of money and he is often hurt.Daniel Antinarella

Daniel, the Patriots may not re-sign Seymour when his contract is up but it won't have anything to do with the players you mentioned above. Jarvis Green is a good player but when healthy Seymour is better. Can we get that out of the way? Seymour will be closing in on 30-years old when his contract is up and Belichick and the Patriots brass will have to decide if he's worth another big contract or if Seymour's best days are behind him. Like always with the Patriots, it will come down to production and how much money the player is asking for. If I had to throw out a guess right now, I would say Seymour isn't back after this current contract expires but it certainly has nothing to with Mike Wright, Kareem Brown, Santonio Thomas and Le Kevin Smith. No offense to those players but that's a slap in the face to Seymour and how good he is.
-Tom Casale

Brady is slumping, a whole game and less than 60%, Moss goes an entire game without a touchdown, the defense let up the most points all season, the offense hasn't scored 38 since the third week... what is happening to our Patriots? Morris' production dropped 15% from week 4, Welker's average ypc is down over 50% in week 5, Samuel hasn't returned an interception for a touchdown all season and Hanson more than doubled his total punts for the whole season in a single game. How are we going to turn things around?
Austin W

I agree. This is getting ridiculous. Now we're beating teams by less than 20 points? This isn't what I signed up for. Hopefully the Patriots can get it together this week against Dallas. If they don't beat the Cowboys by at least 21 points, I'm really going to start ripping these guys. Let's just pray they get back on track after a slow start the season.
-Tom Casale

Even with Rodney Harrison's suspension this year, is he still a prime candidate for the Hall Of Fame? From what I've read he's the only player in NFL history to record at least 25 sacks and 30 interceptions (he is currently at 28.5 sacks and 32 picks). What do you think?
James P

I don't believe Harrison will make the Hall of Fame and his suspension has nothing to do with it. The Hall just does not vote in safeties. It's almost impossible to get inducted as a safety unless you played some corner as well. Plus, Harrison isn't loved everyplace else like he is in San Diego and New England. Don't get me wrong I love him and every other player in the NFL who plays with that aggressive style. I think it's a lost art. However, Harrison has a reputation in most cities for being dirty and if it's close, I think enough voters will be against him to keep Harrison out. You can certainly make a strong case for Harrison to be in the Hall of Fame, I just don't think he'll make it.
-Tom Casale

Well at least we know that if our worse nightmares come true and Tom Brady gets injured, Cassel is very adept at handing the ball off and taking a knee. After dominating the opening games I thought it would have been a perfect time to give Brady a rest in the fourth quarter and give Cassel some real game time experience but seemingly not. They don't trust him to attempt a pass even when we're 30 points up. I don't get it. What's your take on it?
Ray Towey

The Patriots are in big trouble if Tom Brady gets hurt. That's my take on it. I love Cassel. He's one of the best guys in the locker room and I hope he has success in this league. But in my opinion, his lack of playing the position over the years is too much too overcome. Cassel has the physical skills to play quarterback but he doesn't have that pocket presence and metal toughness. It's not his fault, he just hasn't played a lot. I can't answer why he hasn't played late in the fourth quarter. My best guess is that Bill is "doing what's in the best interest of the team."
-Tom Casale

Before the ball is snapped, I occasionally hear Mike Brady say, "Number (whoever) is the mike." What is the mike? Signed: a female fan who is trying to learn more about the game.
Terry Glazier

The "mike" is usually the inside linebacker but Brady calls out who it is because that's how the Patriots set their protection along the offensive line. Brady identifies the "mike" so the offensive linemen know where he is and who to block. Hope this helps.
-Tom Casale

Hi Guys, I have to say that the team's recent blowout style dominance has changed the way I root for games. It is not a question of whether they will win or loss, but if they will win by 20 points or more. I have two questions: First, so far I cannot recall the Pats ever being behind in a game this season - is this correct? Second, the Pats have yet to play a team with a winning record; do you think their blowouts are truly because of their great talent or because they have been playing sub-par teams? We will know next week way or the other against the Cowboys, but I would like to know your opinion.
Len LaPadula

The Patriots have trailed for roughly two minutes this season when they fell behind the Bills 7-3. That's when Trent Edwards came into the game and led the Bills on a scoring drive after the Patriots went ahead 3-0. It didn't last long as New England marched right back down the field to reclaim the lead.

I think the blowouts are a little bit of both. The Patriots are really good and most of the league is really bad. I don't think they'll go through the rest of the season winning every game by four touchdowns but the league stinks right now in my opinion. I guess parity means four good teams and a lot of bad teams. If that's parity then I'm not in favor of it.
-Tom Casale

How long do you think you will go undefeated in the season?
Justin Julianelle

From the way this team looks right now, I would say when the season is over. This is one of the best football teams I've ever seen from top to bottom in my over 20 years of watching NFL football.
-Tom Casale