Ben Watson

FOXBOROUGH -- It was a messy, lurching 60 minutes of football. No rhythm. No flow. Lots of turnovers, penalty flags, and injury timeouts. The teams combined for three turnovers in a six-play sequence in the middle of the fourth quarter. New England ran off five plays of offense in the entire third period. Against the Lions . If you'd paid $750 for Fred Smerlas's luxury package, you might have questioned the investment. The Patriots beat the moribund Detroit team, 28-21, yesterday, but there wasn't a lot of happiness in Bob Kraft's playpen.

The Cleveland Browns hope a head injury sustained by tight end Ben Watson at their first practice is not too serious. The Browns' leading receiver a year ago walked off with an apparent concussion midway through new coach Pat Shurmur's first day of drills Saturday after taking a blow to the back of his head. "He was running a pattern, lost his footing and got a knee in the back of his head," Shurmur said of the pass play over the middle. NFL teams are particularly sensitive in caring for all head injuries, so even though Watson quickly got up and went to the sidelines, he slowly...

FOXBOROUGH -- Just how important is a game if your best players make only a token appearance? Extremely important, says Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Important in every aspect except winning or losing, that is. Of course, the detail-oriented Belichick will monitor each play of tonight's exhibition game at Cincinnati, but the final score will be of little concern. "We're evaluating a couple of things," Belichick said. "One, individual players. Two, the combination of players and how different combinations work together.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - David Thomas thought he had a secure, stable future when he woke up Sept. 5. He had been with the Patriots since 2006, and saw himself staying there for years. Months earlier, his wife had given birth to their second son, a brother for their 2-year-old. That day, the news struck Thomas like a sucker punch. He learned the Patriots had traded him to the Saints. The next morning, he was on a flight bound for New Orleans, leaving his wife and children home in New England.

FOXBOROUGH -- With his flowing dreadlocks and shaggy facial growth, Patriots wide receiver Doug Gabriel looks like he could be one of the characters on "Lost. " That's exactly what Gabriel was -- lost in the shuffle -- until his unexpected emergence during the fourth quarter of New England's 17-7 loss to Denver Sunday. After playing sparingly in the first three quarters, the fourth-year wide receiver, who was acquired from the Oakland Raiders Sept. 2 in exchange for a fifth-round pick, caught four passes for 44 yards on New England's only scoring drive.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - David Thomas thought he had a secure, stable future when he woke up Sept. 5. He had been with the Patriots since 2006, and saw himself staying there for years. Months earlier, his wife had given birth to their second son, a brother for their 2-year-old. That day, the news struck Thomas like a sucker punch. He learned the Patriots had traded him to the Saints. The next morning, he was on a flight bound for New Orleans, leaving his wife and children home in New England.

FOXBOROUGH -- Nine years ago, destiny pushed Miami junior defensive tackle Warren Sapp down to the Buccaneers at 12th overall. Sapp went on to become the anchor of Tampa Bay's defense. Yesterday, another Hurricanes junior, Vince Wilfork, fell to New England, at No. 21. Perhaps history repeats itself, but with an added bonus: The Patriots don't have to worry about "Baby Sapp," as Wilfork is known, taking after the loud-mouthed original. "I'm not a big talker," Wilfork said at the NFL Combine.

FOXBOROUGH -- It looked different. There was no denying that. You didn't hear Charlie Weis's booming voice or roaring laugh resonating through the practice facility. You didn't see the usual hands-on, fatherly-type coaching of Romeo Crennel, and he was always good for a Rac Attack when things weren't going so well. Nor did you see the ear-to-ear smile on Tedy Bruschi's face almost any day, even though as hard and as hot as training camp can be, Bruschi always seemed to enjoy the challenge.

Where's Bob? Where's Myra? And who invaded Bill Belichick's body over the weekend? The Patriots look like they're going to the Super Bowl in Arizona in February. They came within a few plays of making it to their fourth ubergame in six years in January and they have addressed all their major needs in one of the most active offseasons ever. But at what price? What happened to the sanctimonious standards they've set? For years they've been preaching team above self and telling us how proud they are of the fine young men who wear their uniform.

FOXBOROUGH - It was as if he never left. Tom Brady last night threw two touchdown passes in the final 2:06 to rally the Boston Patriots from an 11-point deficit for a 25-24 opening night win at the Razor. Knee? No problem. Shoulder? No problem. Brady completed 39 of 53 passes for 378 yards. In the second half he was 26 of 31. On the final drive, he was 3 for 3, needing only 66 seconds to take the Patriots into the end zone and the victory column. It was the best comeback concert since Elvis played the International in Vegas in 1969.

FOXBOROUGH - It was as if he never left. Tom Brady last night threw two touchdown passes in the final 2:06 to rally the Boston Patriots from an 11-point deficit for a 25-24 opening night win at the Razor. Knee? No problem. Shoulder? No problem. Brady completed 39 of 53 passes for 378 yards. In the second half he was 26 of 31. On the final drive, he was 3 for 3, needing only 66 seconds to take the Patriots into the end zone and the victory column. It was the best comeback concert since Elvis played the International in Vegas in 1969.

Where's Bob? Where's Myra? And who invaded Bill Belichick's body over the weekend? The Patriots look like they're going to the Super Bowl in Arizona in February. They came within a few plays of making it to their fourth ubergame in six years in January and they have addressed all their major needs in one of the most active offseasons ever. But at what price? What happened to the sanctimonious standards they've set? For years they've been preaching team above self and telling us how proud they are of the fine young men who wear their uniform.

FOXBOROUGH -- It was a messy, lurching 60 minutes of football. No rhythm. No flow. Lots of turnovers, penalty flags, and injury timeouts. The teams combined for three turnovers in a six-play sequence in the middle of the fourth quarter. New England ran off five plays of offense in the entire third period. Against the Lions . If you'd paid $750 for Fred Smerlas's luxury package, you might have questioned the investment. The Patriots beat the moribund Detroit team, 28-21, yesterday, but there wasn't a lot of happiness in Bob Kraft's playpen.

FOXBOROUGH -- With his flowing dreadlocks and shaggy facial growth, Patriots wide receiver Doug Gabriel looks like he could be one of the characters on "Lost. " That's exactly what Gabriel was -- lost in the shuffle -- until his unexpected emergence during the fourth quarter of New England's 17-7 loss to Denver Sunday. After playing sparingly in the first three quarters, the fourth-year wide receiver, who was acquired from the Oakland Raiders Sept. 2 in exchange for a fifth-round pick, caught four passes for 44 yards on New England's only scoring drive.

MIAMI -- Two plays. Two inches. Too good. The essence of what makes pro football the game America loves and coaches hate decided yesterday's gutsy 23-16 Patriots victory over the Miami Dolphins at Dolphins Stadium. Two plays. Two inches. Too good. That's what the Patriots did and what they were. They were too good by 2 inches, which is the way most things get decided in the NFL these days. In a game they badly needed to win, the Patriots made two plays that were too close for comfort, Tim Dwight's 59-yard catch-and-run that set up the winning touchdown and...

ATLANTA -- It's all about survival now. The number of healthy impact players on the Patriots continues to dwindle and the team's best defensive player, Richard Seymour (knee), was the latest to be relegated to street clothes, for yesterday's game against Atlanta. One wonders how the Patriots can continue to win without all the marquee names, and with the gaping holes they've left in their schemes. And then you remember: Tom Brady is still healthy. As long as the quarterback is still standing, this team always will have a chance.

ATLANTA -- It's all about survival now. The number of healthy impact players on the Patriots continues to dwindle and the team's best defensive player, Richard Seymour (knee), was the latest to be relegated to street clothes, for yesterday's game against Atlanta. One wonders how the Patriots can continue to win without all the marquee names, and with the gaping holes they've left in their schemes. And then you remember: Tom Brady is still healthy. As long as the quarterback is still standing, this team always will have a chance.

FOXBOROUGH -- Just how important is a game if your best players make only a token appearance? Extremely important, says Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Important in every aspect except winning or losing, that is. Of course, the detail-oriented Belichick will monitor each play of tonight's exhibition game at Cincinnati, but the final score will be of little concern. "We're evaluating a couple of things," Belichick said. "One, individual players. Two, the combination of players and how different combinations work together.