Inside the NFL went all-access this week inside the New England Patriots' locker room on Monday. And as usual, Patriots coach Bill Belichick remained modest after the big 23-20 last-second win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"[It was a] good competitive performance," Belichick said.
The game had a playoff-like atmosphere and the Patriots implemented the perfect strategy against Pittsburgh running back Willie Parker, making him a non-factor in the game. As for the Patriots' running game, Belichick certainly dispelled some of the critics. "I thought Corey [Dillon] did an excellent job in the game," Belichick said at his press conference on Monday. "He ran hard and he was able to block well in their blitz packages."
After a loss last week in which Patriots quarterback Tom Brady found Carolina Panther jerseys in his face all afternoon, the Patriots responded by keeping Dillon on the field as a blocker. The Pats were also able to take advantage of the Steelers' blitzing safeties through their passing game.
On the whole, New England has adapted well to the loss of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, continuing to put forth solid offensive numbers and running its offensive game smoothly.
"The flow this year and last year has been just as smooth, " New England tight end Christian Fauria said. "To be honest, I am just making sure that I am in the huddle when I am supposed to be. There doesn't seem to be any confusion this year."
On Sunday, the Patriots were able to work the ball quickly to David Givens and other receivers for short gains.
"I was very happy with the offensive effort," Belichick said. "The receivers did some great open-field work because it wasn't like there were any long passes. They had to make moves."
In particular, Belichick highlighted Givens' play.
"Here is a guy who came in very raw and caught seven or eight balls the first year and does things every year that he couldn't do the year before," he said.
However, the Pats may be worried about the injuries they sustained.
New England will be forced to play two rookies on the right side of their offensive line, as Nick Kaczur will be standing in for right tackle Matt Light. A third-round pick, Kaczur has good fundamentals but is not as strong as the team's first-round draftee Logan Mankins, and his play on Sunday may raise a question mark on the offensive line.
[Kaczur] needed work on a lot of other things," Belichick said.
Despite Rodney Harrison's likely season-ending ACL injury, don't expect the Patriots to panic. The reason: safety Guss Scott. The Patriots drafted him three years ago but he has not seen much time on the field due to injury. Safety Eugene Wilson is one of the smartest players in football, so look for him to help Scott with the learning process.
"If you have to learn 50 different situations in one week, it's impossible," Belichick said. "But if you learn one play every practice - and we have been practicing since early July - then you should be ready."
Meanwhile, Adam Vinatieri did not waste anytime getting back to practice on Monday after his game-winning kick. When he spoke to reporters, he was sweaty and a little bit out of breath.
"Thirty-two is not young for a kicker," he joked.
One Quick Dispatch
Inside the NFL is not one to jump on the bandwagon, but some outstanding young running backs are piling up yardage and prestige, especially former Auburn teammates Carnell "Cadillac" Williams and Ronnie Brown. Williams is quickly running his way to a Rookie of the Year award, compiling an NFL-leading 434 yards for the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, while Brown's 224 rushing yards are the most on the Miami Dolphins and good enough for twelfth-best in the league.
