Christopher Gasper of The Boston Globe reports on Adam Vinatieri's return to New England with the Colts. He's been his usual Automatic Adam this season with the Colts, and downplayed his return to Gillette Stadium. "Obviously, it will be a fun game and a special game for me, but ultimately this game is no more or less important than some of the other AFC games we'll be playing," said Vinatieri.
Mike Reiss of The Boston Globe reports on the mutual respect shared by quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Last week, Brady and his crew of receivers put together 372 yards of passing offense. The never-satisfied Brady said he had hoped to hit the 400 mark. "I wish I made a few better throws the other night," said Brady. "I might have gotten over 400 [yards] for the first time in a while. That would have been pretty cool. There are still goals out there for us."
The Boston Globe's Patriots Notebook includes players thoughts on Adam Vinatieri's return to New England as a Colt. Also included are stories on Billy Yates, the field conditions at Gillette Stadium and the Pats red-zone play.
The Boston Globe's Christopher Gasper reports from Indianapolis. Included are stories on coach Dungy's feelings about the field conditions at Gillette as well as Vinatieri's thoughts on the Pats rookie kicker.
John Tomase of the Boston Herald reports on Vinatieri's return to New England. "He looks so ugly in that uniform," Tom Brady joked yesterday. "Nothing seems to affect him," said Colts coach Tony Dungy of the former Patriots kicker, who has been plagued by injuries this season.
Boston Herald and MetroWest Daily News writer Albert Breer revisits the history between the Patriots and Colts, including last season's 40-21 Colts victory. Indy's Manning is 3-10 against the Patriots and 87-44 against everyone else.
The Boston Herald's Patriots Notebook reports that the Colts and the Pats each listed one-third of their rosters as questionable on the week's injury report. League spokesman Greg Aiello last night said he couldn't recall a team being disciplined for putting too many names on the list.
Michael Felger of the Boston Herald reports that the Patriots were facing serious personnel problems last season when Indy came to town. This season, things are different. "We have a different confidence about ourselves. We'll see what happens," said safety Rodney Harrison.
The Providence Journal's Joe McDonald reports on Vinatieri's return to Gillette Stadium, saying "this is the one time to actually believe the hype."
The Providence Journal's Patriots Notebook includes a comparison of the Patriots and the Colts by a highly qualified evaluator, Adam Vinatieri.
Hartford Courant writer Alan Greenberg reports that Vinatieri's return is a sore subject for coach Belichick.
Rich Garven of the Telegram & Gazette reports the Billy Yates filled in nicely on the offensive line in last weeks game against the Vikings.
Eric McHugh of The Patriot Ledger reports that Colts-Patriots games have been all about the quarterbacking matchup in recent years. McHugh evaluates the Pats play against the Vikings and takes a look at matchups in Sunday's game at Gillette Stadium.
Glen Farley of The Enterprise reports on the Colts rookie defensive end Ryan LaCasse. LaCasse is a resident of Stoughton, Mass. He's played in every one of the undefeated Colts seven victories this season.
Don't forget to check out USA Today's Inside Slant on the Patriots, which was updated today.
