While Belichick picked on Starks, Manning picked on every Patriot wearing a number in the 20s. (And reserve cornerback Hank Poteat, who wears No. 32.)
''It was a tough night, we didn't do anything," said cornerback Asante Samuel, who was beaten by Marvin Harrison for two touchdown receptions. ''They just flat out beat us.
''We just played bad. Not one person, all of us."
Certainly an accurate assessment, considering the Patriots allowed a 300-yard passer for the first time in 13 regular-season games, and two 100-yard receivers in the same game for the first time since Tony Gonzalez and Derrick Alexander did it for Kansas City on Dec. 4, 2000. Harrison had nine catches for 128 yards, and Reggie Wayne had nine receptions for 124 yards.
The front seven wasn't exactly stellar, but it took Edgerrin James 34 carries to get to 104 yards (3.1 yards per attempt), and his longest rush was for 9 yards. Manning actually had the longest run from scrimmage for the Colts, a 12-yard scramble.
The secondary was almost invisible, save for showing up after catches were made.
Manning (28 of 37 for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns) beat them long, short, inside, and out, and connected on nearly every route imaginable -- posts, fades, slants, hooks, outs, crossing patterns. Nothing cute, nothing fancy, and nothing the Patriots didn't know was coming.
And nothing the Patriots could do about it. In fact, it could have and probably should have been worse, but the Colts dropped several passes.
''They just had all the right answers," safety Eugene Wilson said. ''It seemed like he had all the right answers. He went to places where we were soft and he did a good job of making checks and running that offense."
Therein lies part of the problem. The Patriots were soft somewhere on every play, and soft everywhere on some plays. Known for their physical play, particularly in the secondary, where cornerback Ty Law used to wrestle receivers into submission and safety Rodney Harrison played battering ram, the Patriots were rather gentle with the Colts Monday.
Starks and Samuel often lined up well off the outside receivers, and the coverages seemed out of synch.
