Brady at head of class again

Last night, Brady reached out and connected with Benjamin Watson, Reche Caldwell, Doug Gabriel, Laurence Maroney, Troy Brown, Corey Dillon, David Thomas, Chad Jackson, Jabar Gaffney, and Faulk.

The only guy he didn't toss a spiral to was linebacker Mike Vrabel, whose goal-line wizardry as a receiver was not needed on this night, when the Patriots came away with a 31-7 win.

No need to rub it in. As it was, the Patriots destroyed the Minnesota Vikings, a supposed NFL contender, with an efficient offensive attack that began with a seven-play, 86-yard drive to start the game.

During that opening sequence, Brady was 6 for 6 for 94 yards. During that drive, he hit Watson twice, Gabriel twice, Brown once, and Caldwell in the end zone. As he directed his team down the field, he looked like a player who was in total control.

''That was fun,'' said the quarterback. ''We had great protection all night. It was a nice feeling to get up on a team like that.''

Translation: It was a nice feeling to put up numbers like a Pro Bowl quarterback again. Brady is a team guy; he's proven that repeatedly during the early days of this Patriots season, which began with a ragged, dysfunctional offensive arsenal. He has never complained about the fact that he doesn't have Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, or, for that matter, Adam Vinatieri.

Yet he wouldn't be human if he didn't daydream about what it would be like to have those weapons on his side of the ball.

Those daydreams couldn't - and didn't - last long. Brady took a long, hard look at the personnel he did have and determined he needed to provide equal parts encouragement and tough love. There wasn't enough time to coddle the guys or bring them along slowly. So he spent time before practice, after practice, during practice, whispering in their ears, working on their psyche, preparing them for what the Vikings would do to stop them.

Last night, he walked into the locker room with his eyes wide and his energy level exaggerated.

''Yeah, I was excited,'' he said. ''I felt good about what we were going to do.''