The New England Patriots will announce shortly that they are removing long time RB Kevin Faulk and Worcester, MA native and Boston College alum DL Ron Brace from the PUP list.  Both are expected to practice Tuesday and Wednesday.

The 35-yeard old Faulk has never played for another team since being drafted out of LSU by New England with their 2^nd round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.  He is a 3-time Super Bowl champion and a member of the Patriots all-2000’s and 50^th anniversary teams.

While at LSU Faulk was second in SEC history to Hershel Walker in rushing yards and held the SEC record for touchdowns with 53 until it was passed by Florida’s Tim Tebow.  He also holds more than a half dozen LSU football records.

In the NFL, he has proven that his versatility makes him a precious commodity in that he can run, catch passes, pass block and return kicks and punts.

Brace will help solidify the defensive line that over the last few weeks has had some injury concerns.  Several defensive linemen have missed games and practice since the start of the season.

Brace who can play inside or outside was a second round pick in 2009 out of Boston College.  He played in 13 games in 2010 making five starts.

Also on the roster front CB Phillip Adams has returned. He will be added to the practice squad.

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As the New England Patriots head into their bye week it looks like the defense may be making strides.  In the category that means the most, points allowed, they are now 13^th in the NFL.  Last week they were 20^th, the week before that they were 27^th.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick continue to climb up the record charts in various categories.  Brady in TD passes, Belichick in career wins and the pair as the winningest combo in the Super Bowl era.

As of now there are two roster spots open on the 53-man roster and one on the practice squad so for sure there will be movement.  Some of that movement may come from the PUP list.

With the other teams in the division having at least 2 losses each the Patriots are guaranteed to remain in first place through the bye.  After the bye they go to Pittsburgh, have a home game against the Giants and then face the Jets on the road. A 2-1 mark in those games would still have them at least in a first place tie in the division just past the halfway point of the season.

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New England head coach Bill Belichick had his weekly day after media meeting via conference call about Sunday’s game and the week ahead.

The Patriots have not lost a regular season game at Gillette Stadium since the 2008 season having won 20 consecutive regular season home games.  It is the longest current streak in the NFL.

Since 2002 when Gillette Stadium opened the Patriots are 70-14 at home.

They are 18-1 at Gillette Stadium vs. the NFC.

On Monday afternoon the team announced that CB Sterling Moore and S Ross Ventrone had both been released.  No corresponding roster moves were announced but you have to wonder if RB Kevin Faulk, DE Ron Brace or DL Brandon Deadrick are ready to come off of the PUP list.  Moore and Ventrone are both practice squad eligible.

The Patriots wore their white jersey at home Sunday forcing the Cowboys to wear the little worn navy jersey.

QB Tom Brady made his weekly appearance as part of “Patriots Monday” on Boston’s WEEI AM/FM.

Brady and Belichick tied Miami’s Dan Marino and Don Shula as the winningest quarterback-head coach combination in the Super Bowl era with their 116 win on Sunday.

Brady passed former teammate Vinny Testaverde for 8^th all time on the TD pass list with 277.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7^th with 290.

LB Jerod Mayo missed the game with a sprained MCL and could return after the bye against Pittsburgh.  In addition to Mayo players who missed the game Sunday with injuries were Sergio Brown, Ras-I Dowling, Julian Edelman, Josh Barrett and Sebastian Vollmer. Ryan Mallett was a healthy scratch for the 5^th time in 6 weeks.

With the Patriots playing mostly with 2 wide receivers and 2 tight ends Chad Ochocinco was only on the field for 7 plays against Dallas.

So what is Ochocinco’s role and what’s next for him?

The New England defense had one three and out the entire game and that was when they got Brady the ball back for the game winning drive. It was the 32nd comeback win of his career and his first in 2011.

TE Aaron Hernandez says with Brady anything can happen.

CB Kyle Arrington had a 1^st quarter INT, it’s his fourth of the season, he now leads the NFL in INTs.

Poor decisions do in Cowboys.

ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss and his Patriots 3 Up, 3 Down.

Did anyone really think Brady wouldn’t deliver with the game on the line?

Rookie RB Stevan Ridley made his first NFL start on Sunday.

The Gronkowski brothers, Rob and Dan, were in the starting line up together for the first time.

In the end the Cowboys couldn’t conserve the lead.

Wilfork praises progress of the defense.

A look at how the Patriots got physical with Cowboys TE Jason Witten.

The defense is starting to state its case.

Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan honored not only Myra Kraft but also Al Davis on his play sheet.

With the bye next week the Patriots were off Monday, back at Gillette on Tuesday and Wednesday and then off from Thursday through Monday.  They return on Tuesday October 25.

And unless there’s major news involving the team so will we.  Have a great Sunday with no Patriots game.  I’m sure your spouses/significant others already have a fall foliage ride, apple picking or yard work in your future.

New England plays the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday October 30 at 4:15 p.m. at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.  Look for the Sox & Dawgs “In The Red Zone Game Preview” available on Friday October 28.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

On Saturday afternoon the New England Patriots released DT Marcus Harrison who was just signed 24 hours before to provide defensive line help.

The release of Harrison leads to speculation that DT Kyle Love and DT Albert Haynesworth will play on Sunday vs. Dallas.

Taking the spot on the 53-man roster is practice squad member CB Sterling Moore.

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On Friday morning just before practice the New England Patriots released CB Phillip Adams and replaced him on the 53-man roster with DT Marcus Harrison.

Adams, who was released last Saturday only to be re-signed on Thursday, once again is the odd man out on Friday.

Harrison, a 2008 3^rd round draft pick of the Chicago Bears out of Arkansas, is expected to add some depth to the interior of the line.  Generally when a move happens late in the week it’s due to some injury concerns.

Those concerns for New England are with DT Kyle Love and DT Albert Haynesworth; both are battling back injuries.

Harrison has 53 tackles and 3 sacks in 33 NFL games all of them with Chicago.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

This Week

The New England Patriots host the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium on Sunday at 4:15 p.m.

The Patriots (4-1) are 2-0 at The Razor, 0-0 against the NFC East and 0-0 vs. the NFC.  The Cowboys (2-2) are 1-1 on the road, 0-1 vs. the AFC East and 0-1 against the AFC.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday the line on the game from Yahoo! Sports has the Patriots minus 7.  The over under is 55.

My Prediction is Patriots 35, Cowboys, 17.  Give the points (Patriots) and take the under.  I am 3-1-1 against the spread and 4 of 5 on calling the over/under in 2011.

Tickets

The Patriots are reporting the game as a sell out. It is the 186^th consecutive sell out dating back to the 1994 season opener.  The record includes preseason, regular season and playoff games.

Tickets to the game, if available, can be purchased through Ticketmaster.  You can check the availability here.

After market tickets are available through the Official Patriots Ticket Exchange where season ticket holders can sell their unused seats to fans on the season ticket waiting list.

Getting to the Game

If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game in Foxboro make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Foxboro, MA.

Click for all the game day information including stadium directions, parking information and map and a Gillette Stadium seating chart.

Tailgating

Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgating.com.  There’s something there for everyone and every type of meal or snack.  I’ve tried some of the recipes and they’re very good.

And with tailgating many people enjoy some adult beverages.  With that in mind check out Drink Nation for how to make all sorts of great drinks.  You can look things up by name, ingredient(s) or theme.

Whether it’s at the game, a bar or a friend’s house moderation is always the key to a great time.  Please don’t drink and drive and designate a sober driver.  Remember You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

FOX is televising the game regionally and Thom Brennaman will do play by play while Troy Aikman will provide the game analysis.  You can look here for your local affiliate.

See if you’re getting the game courtesy of J.P. Kirby at the506.com.

The DirecTV designation is Channel 713.

Here are all the rules on NFL TV broadcasts including explaining the blackout rules, flex scheduling and commercial breaks.

Radio

The Patriots Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBZ-FM, 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play, former Patriot Gino Cappelletti does the color and new this year Scott Zolak will man the sidelines. It all starts with Gary Tanguay, Andy Gresh and Zolak with the pregame show at 1 p.m. along the network. The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours along the network.

If you are outside the broadcast area of the stations on the Patriots Radio Network you can purchase NFL Field Pass, which allows you to listen to any game live.  You can also pick which teams broadcasters you want to listen to.

All NFL Games are also available on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio also carries all the NFL games under a special additional package.  They usually only carry the home team feed.

The Patriots radio network call is available on Sirius Channel 86, XM Channel 230 and on SiriusXM Internet Channel 872.

The Cowboys Radio network has Brad Sham calling play by play and former Dallas quarterback Babe Laufenberg doing the color via their flagship KRLD-AM/FM.  Their call is available on Sirius Channel 137 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 877.

Patriots All Access

Patriots All-Access features behind the scenes looks, interviews and breakdowns with head coach Bill Belichick and in depth features on the team.  It’s hosted by Steve Burton of WBZ-TV (Boston) and airs weekly in most New England television markets.

• Boston MA on TV 38 Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
• Providence RI on WNAC Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
• Manchester NH on WMUR Saturday at midnight
• Portland ME on WMTW Sunday at 5 a.m.
• Hartford CT on WCTX Saturday at 5 p.m.
• Springfield MA on WFXQ Saturday at 7 p.m.
• Bangor ME on WVII Sunday at 11 a.m.

You can also watch it anytime on the teams website in the media section.

To continue reading the Dallas Cowboys @ New England Patriots preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Last Week

The Patriots beat the Jets at the Razor 30-21; while the Cowboys had a Week 5 bye.

History

• Dallas leads the all-time series 7-3.
• The Patriots are 2-3 as the home team in the series.
• Dallas hasn’t played in Foxboro since 2003.  The other Dallas visits to Foxboro were in 1999, 1987, 1981 and 1975.
• Combined the two franchises have appeared in 14 Super Bowls winning a combined eight times.
• The two teams last met in the 2007 season in Dallas in a game won by the Patriots, 48-27.  Prior to that game both teams were 5-0.

Patriots Team Notes

Here is the Patriots roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.

2011 Patriots Schedule/Results

The Patriots overall franchise record is 405-364-9.  They have won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) in six appearances.  They last appeared in the playoffs in 2010 when they lost at home to the New York Jets in the AFC Divisional Playoff, 28-21.  They last appeared in a Super Bowl in 2007 losing to the New York Giants 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.  They won the AFC Conference championship that season with playoff wins over Jacksonville and San Diego.

The Patriots are the defending two-time AFC East Champions; they have won the division 8 times since 2000.

The Patriots are dedicating the 2011 season to the memory of Myra Hiatt Kraft, the late wife of owner Robert Kraft. Every Patriots player and coach will honor Myra’s memory by wearing a patch with her initials on it in recognition of her lifelong contributions to the local and global community and her influence on the charitable mission of the entire Patriots organization. The patch will be worn on the left chest of every player throughout the season.

The Patriots will wear their white jersey on Sunday.

The last time the Patriots played the Cowboys in Foxboro the field surface was natural grass.  It has since been replaced with field turf.

New England is 17-1 vs. the NFC at Gillette Stadium.

Since 2002 the Patriots are 7-1 vs. the NFC East in the regular season.  The lone loss was in Washington in 2003.

The Patriots have not lost a regular season game at Gillette Stadium since the 2008 season having won 19 consecutive regular season home games.

Since 2002 when Gillette Stadium opened the Patriots are 69-14 at home.

Since 2003 New England is 31-5 in October with a 17-1 mark at The Razor.

The Patriots have scored 30 or more points in 13 consecutive regular season games.  The NFL record is 14 games set by the St. Louis Rams in the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

The Patriots defense has allowed opponents to convert 44.3% of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 51.8%.

The New England defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 8 times in 5 games.

The Patriots are 2nd in the NFL in points per game with 33.  While they allow 23.8 points per game good for 14th in the NFL.

Opponents are outscoring the Patriots 51-45 in the 4^th quarter.

CB Devin McCourty leads the team in tackles with 35.

DE Mark Anderson leads the team in sacks with 3.5, he also leads the team with 5 quarterback hits.

New England is now plus 3 in turnover differential, tied for 6th best in the NFL.  The offense has given up 6 INT and 0 fumbles, while the defense has 7 INT and 2 fumble recoveries.

Several Patriots players helped United Health Care and volunteers build a new playground at Dexter Training Ground in Providence, RI this week.

The Gillette Stadium fans were pretty loud last Sunday.

Patriots Staff Notes

This is the link to head coach Bill Belichick’s Wednesday press conference on the Jets.

Bill Belichick is 3-1 vs. the Cowboys in his career.  He is 2-0 as the head coach in New England.

Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 166-95 in 16 NFL seasons.  He is 129-52 with New England and 36-44 with Cleveland.  He is 15-6 in the playoffs, 14-5 as head coach of the Patriots in the post season.  When you combine his regular season and post season records he is 181-101.

Belichick’s 181 wins are good for 10^th all-time.  Bill Parcells is 9^th with 183 wins.

He was named NFL Coach of the Year for the 3^rd time in 2010.

Belichick was on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “Movin’ the Chains” and he talked about the switch to the 4-3 defense.

Patriots Possible Starters

Offense:

• LT: Light
• LG: Mankins
• C: Connolly
• RG: Waters
• RT: Vollmer
• QB: Brady
• RB: Green-Ellis
• TE: R. Gronkowski
• TE: Hernandez
• WR: Welker
• WR: Branch

Defense:

• DE: Ellis
• DT: Wilfork
• DT: Warren
• DE: Carter
• OLB: Guyton
• ILB: Spikes
• OLB: Ninkovich
• LCB: McCourty
• RCB: Arrington
• S: Chung
• S: Ihedigbo

Patriots Players Notes

This is Tom Brady’s 12^th NFL season he is 2-0 vs. Dallas.  In the last meeting in 2007 at Dallas, Brady threw for 388 yards on 31 of 46 passing and 5 TD’s.

Overall Brady is 115-33 as a starting QB and is 14-5 in the playoffs for an overall record of 129-38.  Brady is a 6 time Pro Bowl QB; two time NFL MVP and has won 3 Super Bowls while twice being named the games MVP.  He is also listed as the 21^st Greatest Player in the History of the NFL according to the NFL Network.

In 2010 Brady won his second NFL MVP and he was the first unanimous winner in league history.

Brady has won 30 consecutive regular season games at home, a NFL record.  His last regular season home loss was November 12, 2006 to the New York Jets.

Brady is 64-10 at home in the regular season in his career.

Brady has thrown 14 TD’s and 6 INT’s while being sacked 8 times in four games.

Brady has 275 TD passes in his career he is now tied for 8th all-time with former teammate Vinnie Testaverde.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7^th with 290.

With a win on Sunday Brady and Belichick will tie Dan Marino and Don Shula as the winningest quarterback-coach combination in the Super Bowl era with 116 wins.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 87 consecutive games including playoffs, 70 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis has 18 rushing TD’s in the last two seasons that’s the most in the NFL.

CB Kyle Arrington has a team leading 3 INT’s in 2011.  DT Vince Wilfork is second with 2 INT’s in the last 3 games.  S Sergio Brown and S Patrick Chung have the other INT’s.

DE Andre Carter played for Washington for 5 years and got a lot of experience playing Dallas.

RB Kevin Faulk is preparing to come off of the PUP list.

Patriots re-signed recently released OL Thomas Welch to the practice squad on Wednesday.

Patriots announced that DL Mike Wright has been placed on season-ending injured reserve with a concussion. It is the 2nd year in a row that Wright has had his season end due to concussion.  It could be a career threatening injury.

New England re-signed CB Phillip Adams to take the roster spot opened up by Wright.

Green-Ellis (toe) and Wilfork (personal) were not spotted at Thursday’s practice. LB Jerod Mayo (MCL) and Josh Barrett (hamstring/thumb) also were not spotted.  Most of the other injured players were limited in practice.

Barrett and Mayo both missed last week’s game against the Jets.  Mayo is expected to be out several more weeks while the timetable for the return of Barrett is unknown.

The Patriots have four New England natives on the roster they are: TE Aaron Hernandez (Bristol CT); OL Donald Thomas (New Haven CT); S James Ihedigbo (Northampton MA) and DE Ron Brace (Worcester MA – PUP).  They have 8 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: WR Deion Branch (Louisville); S James Ihedigbo (UMass); C Dan Koppen (Boston College – IR); CB Devin McCourty (Rutgers); NT Vince Wilfork (Miami), OL Donald Thomas (UConn); DE Mike Wright (Cincinnati – IR) and DE Ron Brace (Boston College – PUP).

The Patriots have 7 retired numbers: 20 – Gino Cappelletti, 40 – Mike Haynes, 73 – John Hannah, 78 – Bruce Armstrong, 79 – Jim Lee Hunt and 89 – Bob Dee.

Cowboys Team Notes

Here is the Cowboys roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.

2011 Cowboys Schedule/Results

The Cowboys all-time record is 440-324-6 and they are 33-25 in the playoffs with their last playoff appearance coming in 2009.  They beat Philadelphia in the Wild Card game, 34-14 and then lost to Minnesota in the NFL Divisional match up, 34-3. The Cowboys last appeared in a Super Bowl following the 1995 season and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 to win Super Bowl XXX. Overall they have won five Super Bowls (VI, XII, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) in eight appearances.

When the Cowboys last visited Gillette Stadium, Quincy Carter was the quarterback and Bill Parcells was the head coach.

The Cowboys will be wearing their navy jersey on Sunday due to New England being the home team and choosing to wear white.  It is the first time that Dallas has worn the navy jersey on the road since December 27, 2009 at Washington.

Dallas has lost the three meetings to New England.

The Cowboys mascot is named “Rowdy”.

The Dallas defense has allowed opponents to convert 38.2% of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 34.6%.

The Cowboys defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 13 times in 4 games.

The Cowboys are 12th in the NFL in points per game with 24.8.  While they allow 25.3 points per game good for 23rd in the NFL.

Dallas is minus 4 in turnover differential, tied for 25th best in the NFL.  The offense has given up 7 INT and 3 fumbles, while the defense has 4 INT and 2 fumble recoveries.

The Cowboys gained ground in the division without even stepping on the field last week.

Cowboys Staff Notes

Hear what Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett had to say to the New England media about the match up.

Jason Garrett is 7-5 in his first full season as a head coach after replacing Wade Phillips halfway through last season.

Garrett has never coached against New England.

Rob Ryan, the twin brother of NY Jets head coach Rex Ryan, is the Cowboys defensive coordinator.

Jerry Jones is one of the few owners who also handle the general manager duties.

Cowboys Players Notes

Tony Romo is 41-24 as a starting QB and is 1-3 in the playoffs for an overall record of 42-27.  He signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Illinois in 2004.

Romo is 0-1 vs. New England in his career.

He has thrown 7 TD passes and 5 INT’s while being sacked 7 times in 4 games.

Romo is ready for anything from the Patriots.

The key for Dallas is to eliminate 4th quarter turnovers.

WR Miles Austin and WR Dez Bryant are getting healthy for the Cowboys.

Does DeMarcus Ware compare to Lawrence Taylor?

Cowboys don’t want to sleep on the Patriots run game.

There’s no Darrelle Revis on Dallas so who covers Wes Welker?

Looks like CB Orlando Scandrick will be the man on Welker.

Dallas defense is going to bring the kitchen sink for Brady.

Dallas captains for 2011 are Romo, TE Jason Witten, P Matt McBriar, LB Bradie James and Ware.

The Cowboys have 3 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are LB Alex Albright (Boston College); CB Mike Jenkins (South Florida) and FB Tony Fiammetta (Syracuse).

The Cowboys do not officially retire any numbers.

Next Week

The Patriots have a bye in Week 7.  They return to action against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on Sunday, October 30^th at 4:15 p.m.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

If you are a true Patriots fan wouldn’t it be great to accompany the team on the road?  Well now you and a guest will have that chance.

The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation is holding the “Ultimate Patriots Road Trip Raffle” with the Grand Prize winner getting to travel to a mutually agreed upon road game.

The prize includes round trip airfare for two on the team plane, one night hotel accommodations, two game tickets, transportation to the game, a pregame field visit, complimentary dinner and a gift bag.

Others can win two tickets with a pregame field pass to a Patriots home game, an autographed jersey or autographed football.

To get in on the action just go here to buy your tickets, they are $25 each or a book of five for $100.

Raffle winners will be drawn on October 17.  Winner must be 18 years of age and they will be contacted.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

The thing I enjoy most about Monday’s (or the day after the game) is that I have had a chance to digest what I saw and read.  While watching a game you’re too invested in it, you get so busy looking at some things you miss others.

That’s why Monday is a day of reflection.  And after some reflection on the well balanced effort of the Patriots on Sunday against the Jets it looks even better than I thought it did, especially defensively.

You’ll see a note in here about the New York possessions.  The Jets had the ball 11 times.  They went three and out 7 times.  That’s pretty good for a ragged, much maligned defensive unit.

They once again didn’t allow a 100-yard rusher.  In fact they didn’t even allow the opponent 100 rushing yards total.

Passing wise they were better than they have been.  On the Santonio Holmes TD catch he ran a great route and confused the coverage.  S James Ihedigbo and CB Kyle Arrington ended up looking at each other after the catch trying to figure who should have had him.  Most NFL corners and safeties are going to give that TD up, I can live with that.

Also on the TD pass Mark Sanchez threw to the rookie WR Jeremy Kerley, the pass was thrown down and away from the coverage and there was nothing S Patrick Chung could do except hope that Kerley didn’t get his hands on it.

Funny thing is those were probably the two best thrown balls all day by Sanchez, who to me, hasn’t been worthy of being a first round pick that New York invested in him three years ago.

Offensively, on first inspection I thought they were ok but on reflection you realize they had an entirely different plan than usual.  Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien decided they were going to ground the Jets to a pulp with the running game and with the help of BenJarvus Green-Ellis they did exactly that.

Sometimes with the effectiveness of Tom Brady and his receivers you forget that they still have a running game.

The Patriots still did there fair share of throwing on Sunday and the biggest one was the 74-yard hook up to Wes Welker early in the second half.  The only thing that prevented an 80-yard TD pass was some extreme hustle from Darrelle Revis.

Next week they face the Fighting Jerry Jones’s, the Dallas Cowboys, at The Razor.  Dallas is coming into town off their bye week they are 2-2 and have really struggled at times as a team and as individuals.  The Patriots usually use these teams as a whipping boy and it’d surely be nice for them to head into their bye week with a crushing victory.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

New England head coach Bill Belichick had his weekly day after media meeting about Sunday’s game.

The Patriots have not lost a regular season game at Gillette Stadium since the 2008 season having won 19 consecutive regular season home games.  It is the longest current streak in the NFL and 5th longest in NFL history.

Since 2002 when Gillette Stadium opened the Patriots are 69-14 at home.

New England is 50-15 vs. the AFC East since 2001.

On Monday morning the team released OL Thomas Welch.  Expect him to end up with the open practice squad spot that occurred when RB Eric Kettani was ordered back to duty by the Navy late last week. The Patriots re-signed tight end Dan Gronkowski to the roster spot vacated with the release of Welch.

The release of Welch bodes well in one area in that it’s more likely that T Sebastian “Sea Bass” Vollmer is ready to return to action after missing four of the first five games with a back injury.

WR Wes Welker has 740 receiving yards this season it is the most ever by a Patriot through the first five games of a season.

QB Tom Brady made his weekly appearance as part of “Patriots Monday” on Boston’s WEEI AM/FM.

Brady’s streak of throwing at least a pair of TD passes ended on Sunday.  He and Peyton Manning hold the NFL record for throwing at least 2 TD passes in 13 consecutive games.

Brady also tied former teammate Vinny Testaverde for 8^th all time on the TD pass list with 275.

Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino thinks his single season total passing yards mark will fall sooner or later.  Five current QB’s, including Brady, are currently on pace to do it this season.

Connecticut native, TE Aaron Hernandez returned to action on Sunday against the Jets and he had 5 catches after missing the last two games with a sprained MCL. He also contributed by drawing two big defensive penalties against New York so I’ll forgive him for boxing that sure TD pass at the end of the 1^st half that lead to the Antonio Cromartie INT.

LB Jerod Mayo missed the game with a sprained MCL and could miss up to 6 weeks, in addition to Mayo players who missed the game Sunday with injuries were Mike Wright, Julian Edelman, Danny Woodhead, Josh Barrett and Sebastian Vollmer. Ryan Mallett was a healthy scratch for the 4^th time in 5 weeks.

We’ll have to see what the week brings and if the players are able to get back on the field for the Dallas game.

Patriot injuries of note from Sunday vs. New York are: WR Matthew Slater (ribs); DT Albert Haynesworth (cramping); TE Rob Gronkowski (illness).

Mass Live’s Nick Underhill writes BenJarvus Green-Ellis is flying high following the win over the New York Jets.

The offensive line had mixed results on Sunday.  While they were good in the ground game they struggled with pass defense.

The offensive line allowed the Jets to get a season high four sacks of Brady while adding an additional 5 hits, which tied the amount that San Diego had in Week 2.

UMass alum and Western Mass native S James Ihedigbo got some redemption against his old team.

ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss has his 3 Up, 3 Down for the Patriots.

It was a frustrating day for the Jets defense.

New York was balanced on offense but it wasn’t enough to beat New England.

The Jets had 11 possessions, 7 times they went 3 and out and of those 7 three and outs, three were on 3^rd and 3 or less and each time the Jets tried to pass.

Haynesworth says the defense “knows we have the talent”.

And before I close I just want to offer my condolences to the Oakland Raiders staff, players and fans for the loss of owner Al Davis.  Like him, love him or hate him he was a maverick and he made a difference.

Davis did some great things in his life.  He helped the leagues merge, he hired the first Black NFL head coach, the first Hispanic NFL head coach and the first woman NFL CEO.  He was ground breaking.

His players past and present loved him.  He touched the lives of so many inside and outside of football and he had a generosity that was hidden from most.

The NFL is richer because of him at the same time it’s poorer because of his death.

New England plays the Dallas Cowboys Sunday at 4:15 p.m. at the Razor.  Look for the Sox & Dawgs “In The Red Zone Game Preview” available on Friday morning.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

In what may have been the most complete game of the season the New England Patriots never trailed and were carried by an undrafted running back to a 30-21 win over their division rival New York Jets at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Sunday afternoon.

The much-maligned defense is still far from great but it did look improved and did enough to hold off a so-so offensive effort by the Jets.  The biggest stat of the day was that the Patriots held New York to 3 for 14 on 3^rd down conversions, one of the sorry spots for the teams defensive unit this season.

New York only had 255 total yards on 97 rushing and 158 passing without turning over the ball once.  It was the first game this year that New England failed to get a takeaway.

New York QB Mark Sanchez was sporadic in his play and largely ineffective against the leagues worst rated pass defense and if you’re a Jets fan you have to start wondering two and half years into the Sanchize-era if it’s truly the correct way to go.

One week after throwing for only 115 yards vs. Baltimore he was 16 of 26 for 166 with 2 TD’s, 0 INTs and 2 sacks against what the rest of the league has made look like a prep school defense.

Rushing wise the Patriots held Jets RB Shonn Green to 83 yards on 21 carries he also added a TD.

Meanwhile the Patriots offense was leaving points on the field.  Three times they had drives stalled and needed a trio of field goals by Stephen Gostkowski.  He connected from 44 yards early in the second quarter, from 24 yards out early in the 4^th and with a minute left he sealed the game with a 28 yarder.

New England QB Tom Brady also got picked in the red zone in the final seconds of the first half as New York CB Antonio Cromartie got his hands on a ball that was boxed by Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez in the end zone.

Brady finished the day 24 of 33 for 321 yards with 1 TD, 1 INT and he was sacked a season high 4 times as most of the sack pressure came from out on the edges by mostly unblocked Jets defensive backs.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis was the offensive star for the Patriots on this day as he had 136 yards on 27 rushes and scored on a pair of 3-yard rushing TD’s.  WR Deion Branch had 7 catches for 74 yards and a TD, while WR Wes Welker and Hernandez each made 5 grabs.

The Patriots entertain the Cowboys next Sunday at Gillette Stadium game time is 4:15 p.m.

Jets at Patriots Gamebook. This includes the box score, all the stats, play by play, drive charts and more.

Jets at Patriots Game Recap via Associated Press.

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Turning Point(s) of the Game

The game clinching drive that lasted 6:12 seconds and led to the pad points on the Gostkowski 28 yard FG to seal the win with just over a minute left to play.

Offensive Player of the Game

Patriots RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis had a career high 136 yards rushing on 27 carries and scored 2 TD’s.  He also had 1 catch for 13 yards.

Defensive Player of the Game

Patriots DE Mark Anderson had 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 QB hits and 1 tackle for loss.

Game Notes

Starters for the Patriots were:

On Offense:

LT Light
LG Mankins
C Connolly
RG Waters
RT Solder
TE Gronkowski
TE Hernandez
WR Welker
WR Branch
WR Ochocinco
QB Brady

On Defense:

DE Ellis
DT Wilfork
DT Love
DE Carter
OLB Guyton
ILB Spikes
OLB Ninkovich
CB McCourty
CB Arrington
S Chung
S Ihedigbo

Inactives for the Game:

Patriots

1. LB Jerod Mayo (MCL)

2. T Sebastian Vollmer (back)

3. RB Danny Woodhead (ankle)

4. WR Julian Edelman (ankle)

5. DE Mike Wright (concussion)

6. S Josh Barrett (hamstring/thumb)

7. QB Ryan Mallett

Jets

1. LB Garrett McIntyre (concussion)

2. WR Logan Payne (wrist)

3. TE Josh Baker

4. C Colin Baxter

5. DT Kenrick Ellis

6. QB Kevin O’Connell

7. RB Bilal Powell

The spread (Patriots minus 9) was a push while the over/under (49 1/2) was covered.  I am now 3-1-1 vs. the spread and 4 of 5 calling the under/over.

The overall series between New York and New England is now tied at 52-52-1 including playoffs.

The Patriots have not lost a regular season game at Gillette Stadium since the 2008 season having won 19 consecutive regular season home games.

Since 2002 when Gillette Stadium opened the Patriots are 69-14 at home.

Since 2003 New England is 31-5 in October with a 17-1 mark on The Razor.

Since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994 the Patriots are 23-14 vs. the Jets.

New England is 50-15 vs. the AFC East since 2001.

The Patriots have scored 30 or more points in 13 consecutive regular season games.  The NFL record is 14 games.

Bill Belichick now has 181 wins – 10th all-time. Bill Parcells is 9^th with 183 wins.

Tom Brady is now 15-4  vs. Jets

His streak of throwing 2 or more touchdown passes in 13 consecutive games ended today.  He shares the NFL record with Peyton Manning.

Brady has won 30 consecutive regular season games at home, a NFL record.  His last regular season home loss was November 12, 2006 to the New York Jets.

Brady is 64-10 at home in the regular season in his career.

Brady has thrown 14 TD’s and 6 INT’s while being sacked 8 times in five games

Brady’s 1 TD pass gives him 275 in his career he is now tied for 8th all-time with his former teammate Vinny Testaverde.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 87 consecutive games, 70 as a Patriot including playoffs.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis has 18 rushing TD’s in the last two seasons that’s the most in the NFL.

Green-Ellis also had a career high in rushing yards with 136.

It was his 4^th career 100+ yard rushing game.

WR Matthew Slater suffered a rib injury and he did not return.

DT Albert Haynesworth suffered from cramping late in the game he did return.

TE Rob Gronkowski played with an illness that kept him from pregame warmups.

Haynesworth and TE Aaron Hernandez contributed after missing the last two games with injuries.

Jets QB Mark Sanchez found Sunday’s game “just frustrating”.

New York head coach Rex Ryan says the Patriots are just “the better team right now”.

In 7 of the 11 New York possessions they were held to three and out by the New England defense.

40% of Sanchez passing totals came on the final Jets scoring drive in the fourth quarter.

The New England defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 8 times in 5 games.

New England is now plus 4 in turnover differential.

Jerome Boger was the game referee.  The temp at kickoff was 82, sunny and humid.

Before the game the Boston Bruins brought out the Stanley Cup to show off to the Gillette Stadium crowd.

Game attendance was 68,756.

Post Game Interviews

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots QB Tom Brady post game press conferences via patriots.com

This Week in the AFC East

Buffalo beat Philadelphia, 31-24

Miami had a bye week

AFC East Standings

Patriots                   4-1/2-1

Bills                        4-1/1-0

Jets                        2-3/0-1

Dolphins                  0-4/0-1

Next Game

The Patriots host the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA on Sunday.  Kick off is at 4:15 p.m. on FOX.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Photo credit: AP Photo

Released last week before the Oakland game and re-signed to the practice squad midweek, S Ross Ventrone now once again finds himself on the New England Patriots 53-man roster for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

Ventrone, a Pittsburgh native who played his college ball at Villanova, has bounced back and forth between the practice squad, the regular roster and unemployment the last two seasons for the Patriots.

With the promotion of Ventrone that means CB Phillip Adams was released to make room for him on the roster.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem