Bob Ryan of* The Boston Globe* checks in with his thoughts on Troy Brown, who has impressed with his willingness to do whatever is asked of him -- playing both offense and defense against St. Louis this past Sunday. "It is beyond the grasp of my imagination how any Patriots fans couldn't worship Troy Brown," writes Ryan. "The team has never been graced with so much sheer professionalism in one compact package."
The Globe also reports a time change on the Patriots schedule. The November 28th home match-up with the Baltimore Ravens has been changed from a 1 PM start to a 4:15 kickoff. The change has been made to enable CBS to feature the marquee showdown as it's game of the day.
Michael Felger of The Boston Herald dishes out mid-season awards. Included in his hardware, Corey Dillon and Rodney Harrison take MVP's, David Givens is Best Replacement, and Randall Gay is Biggest Surprise.
In his Pats Insider, Felger discusses the tight end position, where offensive production has dropped drastically of late. Felger also looks ahead to this weekend's home match-up with the Bills, noting the emergence of Willis McGahee has eased the pressure on quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
The Herald runs another excerpt from Felger's book, Tales From the Patriots Sideline.
Also in the Herald, the Inside Track reports Tom Brady will be featured on *The Simpsons* during the week of the Super Bowl. The episode will include a spoof of last year's Super Bowl halftime fiasco, with Homer directing a dance troupe of Brady, Lebron James, Warren Sapp, and other sports stars.
Alisha Pina of The Providence Journal has a nice piece on a Seekonk second-grader who won JC Penny's "Take a Player to School" contest. Two Patriots joined Jacob Taylor at his elementary school yesterday. "The 4-foot-tall second grader took charge from the moment he stepped out of a limousine with New England Patriots wide receiver Bethel Johnson, to the end of his dream-come-true day when he threw an impressive spiral to Pats quarterback Tom Brady," writes Pina.
Alan Greenberg of The Hartford Courant assesses the team at its mid-way point, examining the many areas in which the Patriots would like be stronger.
Michael Parente of The Woonsocket Call looks to Sunday night's game with the Bills, and gives several reasons why the Pats should expect to have their hands full with the division rival. "Perhaps it's the level of competition, but the Bills appear to be rejuvenated," Parente writes. "Knocking off the favored Jets will give them confidence heading into Sunday's rematch with New England. With their defense still playing well and McGahee suddenly emerging as a No. 1 running back, they'll have a much better shot at knocking off the Patriots, who still can't stop the run consistently and probably won't have Ty Law or Tyrone Poole in the lineup again."
In his notebook, Parente looks at the team's options along the offensive line, after Tom Ashworth joined Adrian Klemm on injured reserve. Parente also reports on the Ravens game time change and Rams coach Mike Martz' post game comments.
Pete Prisco of CBS.sportsline.com unveils his weekly Power Rankings. With the Steelers dismantling of the previously unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles, the Patriots move up to the number two slot, behind only Pittsburgh. "They continue to amaze with the way they always find a way to fight through adversity to win games. I'm a believer. Finally, right?" Prisco writes.
