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We start this edition of “In The Red Zone” with head coach Bill Belichick and the audio from his weekly radio appearance on WEEI in Boston.  Glenn Ordway, the host of “The Big Show” along with Pete Sheppard, Fred Smerlas and Steve DeOssie talk with the coach about the game in Buffalo and the next opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tom Brady suprassed Steve Grogan as the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown passes.  With the five he threw Sunday night against the Bills he now has 185 in career.  Grogan had 182.

The team also set a franchise record for most touchdowns in a season with 54 scores.  The scary part is that there are six games left, four of which are at home.

The Boston Globe ran a story on Sunday by Bob Hohler about Patriots running back Kyle Eckel entitled “Troubled Waters“.   The article deals with Eckel’s time playing football for the Naval Academy and his post-graduation expulsion from the Navy.  It isn’t a full out character assassination but it isn’t a flattering profile either.

Turns out Laurence Maroney wasn’t used in the second half because he suffered a foot injury and was actually x-rayed at halftime.  That along with the concussion suffered by Kevin Faulk left the Pats with just two healthy running backs, Heath Evans and Eckel. 

Randy Moss leads all NFL receivers in yards with 1,052 and TD catches with 16.

Tom Brady is 11 TD passes shy of Peyton Mannings single season record of 49.  With 6 games left he needs to average just two per game to break the record.  He currently is throwing nearly 4 TD’s a game (3.8).

Head coach Bill Belichick tries to explain to the soccer moms out there why he went for it twice on 4th down against the Bills. 

“Those situations, that point in the game I think I really don’t like kicking field goals,” said Belichick. “I feel like that’s just adding points, so I’d rather go for it on fourth down and give them an opportunity to stop us. Our offense moved the ball well, so give them an opportunity to keep playing.”

As Brady said after the game:

“Coach says he puts us out there to score every time we touch it.  I think that’s the job description of every offense in the NFL.  He’s not putting us out there to punt”.

Moss was asked after the game if he uses the fact that Terrell Owens had four TD Sunday as motivation:

“I saw the real 81.  I think he had like 170 yards and four touchdowns.  Yeah, I saw the real 81.  But I don’t really get into that.  I have a job to do and that’s to go out and block and catch balls.  To try to go out there and try to duplicate or do something better than a receiver did on Sunday is not my game and I don’t want to do that”.

Make sure you check out the article on the NFL Network and how fans can see the game on the seasons final week against the New York Giants.  There are going to be a lot of mad Patriots fans out there that won’t be able to see there team from the comfort of their own home.

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope you and your families have a great holiday.  Remember smart Patriots fans do not drink and drive.  If you’ve had too much holiday cheer hand the keys to someone else.  It may not be just your life you save.