With three strip sacks, 13 tackles, and a touchdown catch, Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel arguably had the best game of his career according to a piece in the Boston Herald.
"He had a lot of good plays. Three strip sacks in one game, that's a lot of ball awareness and being close to the quarterback," said Bill Belichick. "The touchdown pass was well executed, he was in on a lot of tackles, so he played well. He did a good job. But you know, so did a lot of other guys. I mean - you can't play team defense - it's not all about one guy. A couple of times we had good coverage that forced (quarterback Jason) Campbell to hold the ball a little bit. It gave Mike a little more time to get in there, but it was all working together."
The Providence Journal points out that though the Patriots may not have a household name in the backfield, the rushing attack has more than held their own and opened the door for the Patriots high-octane passing attack. The Patriots average 135.8 rushing yards per game, a statistic that few other teams in the NFL can claim. New England amassed 152 yards on 35 carries during Sunday's 52-7 win over the Redskins with running back Laurence Maroney leading the way with 112 all-purpose yards (75 yards on the ground).
*The Providence Journal* and *The Boston Herald* both offer stories discussing a report by nbcsports.com that Washington Redskins linebacker Randall Godfrey confronted Patriots head coach Bill Belichick after his team's 52-7 loss to New England on Sunday. According to the report Godfrey accussed Belichick of running up the score.
The MetroWest Daily News writes that Sunday's matchup between the Patriots and the Colts will be the first time in NFL history that two undefeated teams with at least seven wins have ever met. The upcoming matchup is being hyped as a game for the ages, a battle of two high-octane offenses.
Both the Patriots and Colts defenses will be bracing for a tough test according to a piece in the Boston Globe. The Patriots (8-0) have scored at least 34 points in all eight of their games this season, a feat matched only by the 2000 St. Louis Rams, while the Colts (7-0) are averaging 32 points per game.
Quick Hits
- The Patriot Ledger notes that Rosevelt Colvin's fumble recovery for a touchdown was the first his career.
- The Boston Herald offers its Patriots Report card and for the first time this season the entire team is awarded A's across the board.
- The Boston Globe's Patriots Blog takes a look at offensive positional groupings from Sunday's 52-7 win over the Washington Redskins.
