Jacksonville elicits some tough talk

''They're well-balanced and they're tough across the board," he said. ''They've come from behind in a lot of their wins. They've played well on the road, so I think they've shown that they are a physical and a mentally tough team. They can play in any conditions against any type of competition. That's why they are 12-4."

At some point, Belichick basically said everything associated with Jacksonville except jaguar meat is tough.

Their team is tough. Their defensive line is tough. Their inside linemen are tough. Their receivers are tough. Their tight end is tough. Their head coach is tough. Their front office executives are tough.

Belichick likes the word ''tough." He used it to describe Oakland, Tennessee, and Indianapolis, the teams New England beat to start the 2001, '03, and '04 playoffs.

But Belichick has never used it as much as he did yesterday, and little wonder, considering the team has two quarterbacks who are built like inside linebackers.

Still, it is money time for Belichick, who has not lost a postseason game with the Patriots.

Unlike the years above, however, the Patriots start the playoffs without a bye, and with a short week of preparation to boot.

''We have the same amount of time that Jacksonville has to prepare for the game, so we're playing on a level field there," Belichick said. ''We just have to do a better job."

And don't dare suggest that the Patriots did not try hard to beat Miami Sunday because a victory would have meant playing Pittsburgh this weekend.

''It's pretty ridiculous," Belichick said of that notion, pointing out that only three teams -- Indianapolis, Denver, and Seattle -- have better marks than the Jaguars' 12-4 record.

''I think they do a lot of things well," Belichick said. ''They can certainly play good defense; good front four, good front seven. They cover well. Big corners. Big receivers. Big offensive line. Good running game. Big quarterbacks.

''The team has a lot of depth. They're good in all three phases of the game. They cover well in the kicking game. They're tough. They're physical. They've played well on the road. I can see why they've won 12 games. We have a lot to get ready for."