The Boston Globe's Christopher Gasper offers a look into the life of wideout Doug Gabriel. Gabriel's mother died when he was only 14. After she passed away, Gabriel quit playing football for a few years, deciding to return to the field in high school. Then, in April 2003, Gabriel's son was born five day's before he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders.
Mike Reiss of The Boston Globe reports on the excellent pass protection the Patriots line has given Brady in recent weeks. The Pats allowed three sacks in their season opener against the Bills, and the rematch in Buffalo is Sunday. "They like to come after you and pressure you up front," said left tackle Matt Light, "I'm sure they'll dial something up for us this game, and we'll have to be ready for it." Light will match up with Aaron Schobel.
The Boston Herald's John Tomase takes another look at a defining play from the last meeting between the Bills and the Patriots. Don Davis stopped Willis McGahee on fourth-and-1 from the Patriots 7. The offense took the field and executed a scoring drive. "Looking back on it in hindsight, if we convert there, yeah, I think we win the game," said Bills wide receiver Lee Evans.
Tomase offers the Boston Herald's Patriots Notebook, which includes stories on Stanley Morgan, the Pats all-time leading receiver, though Troy Brown is six catches away from knocking him from atop the list. Also included are Junior Seau's thoughts on Rodney Harrison being named the NFL's dirtiest player.
Albert Breer of the Boston Herald offers a story on the Patriots offensive line, a very tight group. "You look at it like anything else," said Light. "If you work for a company and everybody gets along within your group - whatever it is, human resources, the engineering department - you tend to be a little more productive than a company (with people) that can't stand to be around each other."
Paul Kenyon of The Providence Journal compares the receiving corps from the Bills to that of the Patriots, pointing out that one issue does not always make or break a team.
Ron Hobson of The Patriot Ledger also takes a look at the Patriots receivers, reporting that they and Brady are working hard to improve the passing game.
The Sun Chronicle's Mark Farinella reports on the likelihood that Brown will break Morgan's record for most receptions in Pats history. Farinella explains that Brown has Morgan's approval.
The Providence Journal's Paul Kenyon speaks with Junior Seau. "Being in first place is always something you look forward to," the potential Hall of Fame linebacker said yesterday, the two-month anniversary of the day he arrived in New England. "But the job isn't over yet. I didn't come here to be in first place after six weeks. It's a long-term effort."
Alan Greenberg of the Hartford Courant reports on the Patriots difficulties completing deep passes. The Pats have only two passes of 30 yards or more on the season. They don't have one completion of more than 35 yards. Last season, they had 13. And five were for more than 50 yards.
Rich Garven of the *Worcester Telegram & Gazette* features Ty Warren, who tends to fly under the radar a bit, despite his proven ability. "Ty is definitely a hidden secret," Junior Seau said yesterday. "He's a guy that has been playing under the big boy, No. 93 (Richard Seymour). But when you look at Ty and you look at Vince (Wilfork), we've got some players here who really, really haven't scraped what their potential is. It's nice to see a guy like him working hard and getting to the point where he is recognized."
Garven of the *Worcester Telegram & Gazette* also reports on the Patriots performances in third-down situations. "Hopefully we can make some improvements there," coach Bill Belichick said. "That would help our football team, if we could do a better job in that situation."
Howard Ullman of *The Republican* takes a look at the last time the Pats and Bills squared off, which began with a strip-sack turned touchdown by the Bills defense. ""You never know what's going to happen in the first game and we especially didn't know but we just had to move on from that [play], put that out of our minds," center Dan Koppen said.
Plus don't forget to check out USA Today's Inside Slant on the Patriots, updated weekly.
