Is BC the team to beat in the Beanpot?

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's an interesting year for the Beanpot this year.

The two powerhouse teams in last year's edition of one of hockey's greatest traditions are mere shadows of their former selves at this point in the season, while a disappointment from last year is surging. And oh, yeah. Harvard's in it, too.

Around this time last year, Boston College was suffering from the good old championship hangover and was plummeting its way down the rankings on its way to its first sub-20 win season since the 2001-02 campaign while Boston University and Northeastern were sitting pretty at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. And Harvard? Well, Harvard was struggling. As expected, BU and Northeastern ended up in the championship game, which the Terriers dominated on their way to yet another Beanpot title.

This season, it's the Eagles that are flying high, while the Terriers and Hustkies have been sniffing in the dirt. And Harvard? Well, Harvard's struggling.

BC is currently the only ranked team in this tournament at 14th. For the record, despite playing incredibly better than the 08-09 Eagles did at any point last season, this year's team is three spots lower in the polls than the year before at this point in the season. They are 13-8-2 overall and their 22 points (10-6-2) are second in Hockey East. They were playing some of the conference's best hockey and sported a seven-game unbeaten streak heading into the holiday break.

BU has suffered the same illness this season that BC did the season before, toiling through a year that has seen them go from the top-ranked team in the nation to a team struggling to get above .500. Northeastern lost Brad Theissen to the NHL and they became an afterthought in the league almost immediately. Harvard has less wins this year than they did last year heading into the tournament.

But does this necessarily mean that the Eagles are destined to win the Beanpot? BC probably wishes the break never happened because since the hiatus, the Eagles have not been the same team, going 3-5-0. Two of those losses? You guessed it. At the hands of BU.

But before you can even look forward to whether or not the Eagles will face the Terriers in the championship game you have to remember Harvard. Granted, people are lauding Harvard for going 3-3-1 since the break and that's not exactly stellar by any means, but you also have to remember that this is most likely the biggest thing the Crimson are going to play for this year and they have a habit of getting up for these games. Two years ago they knocked off Northeastern in the first round and nearly beat both BU and BC last season.

The odds seem stacked in BC's favor. Both the Terriers and the Huntington Hounds relied heavily on their goaltending last year and had success. This year, neither team has that luxury. Theissen is long gone for Northeastern and Keiran Millan might as well be for the Terriers. Bottom line is while the Beanpot is always up for grabs, Boston College has the most complete team on the ice. The Eagles have one of the top scoring offenses in Hockey East, along with a top-notch defense and a steadily improving/healing goaltender between the pipes, which has produced the second-best totals in scoring defense in the league. But for whatever reason, whether it be style of play, a psychological block on the part of the Eagles or something else, the Terriers have had Boston College's number. If they can get out of the semifinals with a win, expect another great chapter in the story of the Battle of Comm. Ave.

Prediction:
Semifinals
Boston College 4, Harvard 1
Boston University 5, Northeastern 2
Finals
Boston College 4, Boston University 3 OT

Patriots better show Wilfork the $$$$

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Time for the Patriots to pay up.

I know it's not the "Patriot Way" but it's time to get out the checkbook and pay the top defensive lineman in the NFL.

Yes, Vince Wilfork is the real deal. He's the best at his position in my book, and he's done anything and everything to help the Patriots win since he was drafted in the first round six years ago.

His rookie contract is over -- how many years did he outplay that contract? Exactly!

Now, Wilfork wants to see a lot of green, and I can't blame him.

The Pats had a shot to lock him up during the season and that bonehead move by the front office to not give him an extension is going to cost the best franchise in the NFL a lot more money.

But the bottom line is Wilfork is an elite player, he's played all out for the Pats and now it's his chance to cash in.

Nobody should blame him for trying to find that pot of gold, either.

To top it all off, Wilfork is a key piece on a defense that is and has been in transition. The monster tackle is a keeper, regardless of how much it's going to cost the Pats.

The Pats have been known to no pay top dollar to retain players, but if they have any dreams of winning another Super Bowl any time soon, then Wilfork needs to be up front taking on multiple blockers on every play with a Pats uniform on.

The Pats need him. And they need him in a big way.

Please don't try to play hardball with Wilfork and pull a fast one by franchising him. He's earned a big payday and a long-term contact.

The Pats need to show him the love ($$$$$).

Colts, Saints will go to the Super Bowl

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Super Bowl or bust.

Who's going to make it to the Big Dance?

It's two intriguing matchups with the surprising 'ground-and-pound' New York Jets traveling to Lucas Oil Stadium to face the high-flying Indianapolis Colts.

In the NFC matchup, Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings head to the Louisiana Superdome to square off with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

Yes, on paper, those are two very good matchups. But we all know many of these playoff games haven't been close. Here's to having two nail-biters today!!!

Here's a couple of quick-hitters and what I'm looking for out of each matchup:

Jets at Colts

We all know the Jets knocked the Colts from the upbeaten after the Colts started 14-0, but we also know the Colts packed up their starters in that game and basically let the Jets win, which gave them the inside track of earning a playoff berth. Will that move by the Colts come back to bite them in the AFC Championship?

I'm saying no way.

The Jets have surprised us all with their great play on defense and the ability to control the clock and run the football -- which they will try to do to the Colts today -- but if they get down by a couple scores, Rex Ryan's game plan might go right out the window.

The Colts can air it out on the Jets. Don't expect a big game from Reggie Wayne, who will be blanketed by Jets outstanding cover corner Darrelle Revis all day long, but the Colts have too many weapons in the passing game (TE Dallas Clark and WRs Pierre Garcon & Austin Collie, and RB Joseph Addai, who can catch the ball out of the backfield).

The Colts are simply too explosive for the Jets to keep up with. But if the Colts have to settle for field goals instead of TDs, then the Jets can stick to their game plan and pound the rock, while protecting rookie QB Mark Sanchez.

New York's luck runs out today. Sanchez will have to make some big throws in this game, and he won't. The Colts will attack, stop the run and put the game in the rookie's hands. He's not ready for that kind of pressure, plus Indy's relentless pass rush.

Prediction: Colts 27-13

Vikings at Saints

Now this should be a slugfest with two ball-hawking defenses and two prolific passers in Favre (those of you who thought he washed up are pretty quiet now, huh?) and Brees.

The knock on Favre has been that he chokes in big games. Well, can the Saints capitalize on some of Favre's errant throws and turn them into game-changing plays?

I think they can, especially with former Vikings safety Darren Sharper, who played with Favre in Green Bay, patrolling center field. If the ball goes up, Sharper has the awareness to go after the ball and make a play. If it hits his hands, you can bet your savings that Sharper will make the INT. Plus, I know Sharper is jacked for this game since his old team didn't re-sign him, forcing Sharper to sign with the Saints in the offeseason.

Besides Sharper, the crowd noise in the Superdome can't be overlooked. Advantage to Brees and that pass-happy offense. That noise limits Minnesota's attacking nature off the ball since they can't hear, forcing the defensive line and beast Jared Allen to be a tad slower since they have to watch the ball be snapped instead of reacting to Brees' cadence.

Same thing for when Minnesota has the ball. The Vikings will have to go to a silent snap count since the line won't be able to hear Favre, and that advantage also goes to the Saints attacking off the line of scrimmage.

If the Vikings have a real shot, they must pound away with tailback Adrian Peterson, who has disappeared at times this year but has the ability to overtake a game at any point. But it's not his fault for some iffy games; the Vikings simply don't have a great run-blocking offensive line.

My guess is that the Saints will take away Peterson, putting the game on Favre's shoulders. Favre will play real well in this game since he's got great targets to throw to as well.

Favre will not be to blame for this loss, you can pin it on the defense which is real weak against the pass. If the Vikings can't get to Brees and sack him and force him to get rid of the ball quickly, expect to see Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush wide open down the field. And when they're open, the Saints know how to put on a show and punch it into the end zone.

Prediction: Saints 34-31

What were you thinking Cooper?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's one thing to speak your mind, it's another to know when to shut up.

You can bet USC women's basketball coach Michael Cooper will think twice before opening his mouth to the media before or after a game.

If you didn't read what Cooper said, take a look at this. Cooper, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers many moons ago, quickly got initiated into the USC-UCLA rivalry when he dropped a bomb during his postseason news conference on Sunday.

Here's what he said, according to ESPN.com.

"My opening statement is (expletive) UCLA," Cooper said.

Mind you, the Trojans even won the game, 70-63.

First off, can you say insert foot in mouth?

Better yet, you've got to be kidding me.

If Cooper was trying to garner national attention for his club, he's got a real twisted way of going about it.

I guess all is forgiven (seriously joking) since he later issued an apology.

Call it the heat of the battle or whatever, but it still doesn't fly with me.

Cooper crossed the line.

Whether he knows it or not, he's in a position of power and what he says and does holds a lot of weight with his players, the fans, the school and the countless number of young aspiring female basketball players that want to be just like many of the current USC players.

I know, Cooper must really regret acting like that, but what's done is done. He can take it back all he wants, but that statement is still there and it still sends the wrong message.

Would you want your child saying that after a sporting event?

No way.

A rivalry is great, but after the game shake hands, accept victory or defeat and respect your opponent.

Cooper clearly didn't do that.

There's no place in athletics for that kind of behavior.

Kids need role models.

Would you want your kid looking up to Cooper?

Overhaul Needed for the Patriots

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Remember the 2006 New England Patriots and the debacle that was the wide receiving corp? Remember how they went out the next season and acquired both Randy Moss and Wes Welker? I do, and I think that type of aggressive off season is needed for the New England Patriots to return to the teams of the early part of this decade. In this article, I will highlight many areas where change is needed.

1. Hire a real Offensive Coordinator

I believe Belichick had his worst coaching season with the Patriots because his coaching staff lacks someone who has the cache to stand up to Bill and tell him no. If Charlie Weiss or Romeo Crennel were on this staff, there is no way they go for 4th and 2 against the Colts. Bill may be an evil genius, but even genius's need someone to temper their decisions sometimes. The kind of change I am talking about is the removal of Bill O'Brien . On offense, the play calling has been very conservative and very predictable. Tom Brady and the offense never looked comfortable this season. How many times did you see the offense prancing to the line of scrimmage while looking at the play book on their wrists.

2. Find a new Defensive Coordinator

Now that Dean Peas is no longer calling the shots for the defense, I think it's time to fill that position with someone who actually has NFL experience at the position. I am well aware the defense was riddled with old, slow players last season and this season dealt with a young and inexperienced defensive backfield. They also were unable to produce a healthy pass rush throughout the entire season. Realistically, Dean Peas is not the one who's at fault the most, but he's never been able to really build a consistent defense. I would have loved the return of Romeo Crennel, but that is not possible now that he's taken the same position with the Chiefs. If you've paid attention to the new since Peas was fired/let go/stepped down, the two most talked about candidates are Matt Patricia and Pepper Johnson. Both are in house candidates with zero experience at the coordinator position. Pepper Johnson, who played for Belichick and Parcells at the NY Giants, has been a long time defensive assistant for the Patriots, and is currently the defensive line coach. Patricia, sometimes referred to as the defensive version of Josh McDaniels, and has spent the past 3 seasons as the Pats linebackers coach. Since the Patriots are firm believers of hiring from their own ranks, I expect one of these two to get the job.

3. Rebuild the Foundation

It has been a long standing philosophy of Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells and many others that a successful football team is built from the inside out. What does that mean? That means a solid offensive and defensive line is the critical to a championship team. Think of the two lines as a foundation of a house. If the foundation is strong from the bottom up, then the rest can take care of itself. The two biggest Patriots entering free agency this off season fall into this category. On defense, the Patriots must resign Vince Wilfork if they want to run the 3-4 defense. He is, by far, the best defensive tackle on the market and has become the MVP of the Patriots defense. Even if they resign Wilfork, they will still need to add another lineman. Wilfork and Warren are a good start, but a pass rushing lineman, like Julius Peppers, would give them one of the best defensive lines in the game. This line is a possibility with an uncapped year on the horizon. If you watched the Pats playoff loss to the Ravens, than you know the offensive line is not nearly as good as most people think. Logan Mankins, like Wilfork, is a player the Pats must resign. He's one of the best guards in football. After "The Mank", there are still many questions about the line. Nick Kazcur signed a an extension that runs through the 2012 season, but has been relegated to the bench the past quarter of the season. He is due $2.7 Million next year. Sebastian Vollmer is clearly the Left Tackle of the future, as in 2010, so the Patriots need to make a decision on Matt Light. Light will be entering the final year of his contract, so I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't brought back. He's already mentioned that he would not move to Right Tackle, so you either have to keep him at Left or dump him. Personally, I'd dump him. There are rumblings that Stephen Neal may decide to retire, so that makes 4 major decisions that need to be made on the offensive line.

4. Fix the Pass Rush problem

The only consistent pass rusher for the Patriots this season was Tully Banta-Cain with a career high 10 sacks. The team total for the season was a measly 31 sacks which was good for 23rd in the NFL. While Banta-Cain had a fine season, there isn't one player on the defense that strikes fear in an opposing team as a legitimate pass rusher. Adalius Thomas is a huge bust, much like Roosevelt Colvin was before him, and is expected to be let go during this off season. With an uncapped year expected, why not spend the money to bring in Julius Peppers. He is versatile enough to play either at defensive end or outside linebacker in the 3-4 system.

5. Revamp the Wide Receiver Corp

Randy Moss is one of the best wide receivers of all time, but as far as I'm concerned it's time to move on. He was either hurt or dogging it at times this year, but the one thing we know was he wasn't at 100%. Why not bring in another talented, yet troubled receiver in Brandon Marshall? Belichick has showed he can work with players who have baggage, and the Broncos may just let him go rather than trade him. Can Julian Edelman be Wes Welker next season? No one can match what Welker has done in this offense, but Edelman will be able to be a very good receiver for them next year. I don't expect any meaningful contribution from Welker next season, so the Patriots need to add more depth at the position than Sam Aiken and Isaiah Stanback.

6. Brady does Deserve some Blame

Tom Brady had a major knee injury last season, we all know that. Realistically, he will still not be fully recovered until 2 full years after the injury. The balky knee definitely threw off his timing and pocket presence this season. At times it looked liked Brady would not take that step up into the pocket, avoid a defender, and make the pass. That is exactly what happened when Terrel Suggs strip sacked him in the playoff loss to the Ravens. Still, Tom Brady made some terrible decision throwing the ball this season, and played terrible in late and clutch situations. As long as the offensive line can keep defenders off his back, he will enter next season healthy, and ready to be the Brady of old. He's the least of my worries, but a point needs to be made that no one, especially Brady and Belichick, are above criticism.

Well, there you have it. It's somewhat amazing the New England Patriots went 10-6 and won the AFC East despite being in a transition year.

Hockey East providing suprises, but how good is it?

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

There's no doubt that Hockey East has once again been one of the most competitive and most entertaining conferences in college hockey.
Teams like New Hampshire and Maine have made a strong early push not expected by many, including yours truly. Boston College is once again one of the top teams in the conference and BU has taken a nosedive after its national championship last year.

But even with all the excitement the league has brought us, how good IS Hockey East this year? The conference does have six teams ranked in the USCHO poll, but the leading teams in the league have all had a hard time putting away opponents in out-of-conference games, which could lead some to believe that this year's national champion will not come out of Hockey East. Last year, Hockey East was dominant, winning 66.9 percent of their games against teams from other conferences. This year that number has dropped to 59.5. A Hockey East team has won the national championship six times since Hockey East started tallying out-of-conference records in 1993. Only once has it happened when the conference's non-conference winning percentage was below 61.5 percent - when Boston College won it in 2008.

Seeing as the heralded Frozen Fenway game featuring the two programs that won national championships over the last decade has just been played, it seems like a good time to review the season thus far, team by team. First, let's take a look at the standings:

Hockey East Standings (Overall record in parentheses)
1. New Hampshire 9-2-3, 21 Points (9-7-4)
2. Maine 8-4-1, 17 Points (11-7-2)
3. Boston College 7-4-2, 16 Points (10-6-2)
4. UMass - Lowell 6-4-2, 14 Points (12-7-2)
5. UMass - Amherst 7-6-0 14 Points (12-8-0)
6. Vermont 4-5-2, 10 Points (10-6-2)
7. Boston University 4-7-2, 10 Points (6-9-3)
8. Northeastern 4-9-1, 9 Points (8-10-1)
9. Merrimack 4-7-0, 8 Points (7-11-0)
10. Providence 2-7-1, 5 Points (7-9-1)

UNH, who just broke back into the poll at No. 20, has been an absolute enigma this season, leading Hockey East, including a 5-2-3 mark in games against ranked conference opponents. But outside of the league, the Wildcats have looked completely inept with an 0-5-1 record. To their defense, the 'Cats have played second-ranked Miami twice (one loss, one tie), traveled for two road games against No. 3 Wisconsin (two losses) and played No. 9 Cornell (loss). Still, the team's inability to beat quality opponents outside the conference suggest that at this point the Wildcats are just pretenders in the race for a national championship and another early exit from the tournament may be in the making. New Hampshire boasts two of the top scorers in Hockey East in Bobby Butler and Blake Kessel. Butler is second in the conference in goals with 15 and tied for third in points. Kessel is the top-scoring blue liner in Hockey East with 22 points, good for fifth overall, and his 16 assists have him tied for third in the entire league.

Maine, ranked 16th nationally, appears ready to regain some of the dominance it displayed a few years ago and one of the main reasons for their success has been a high-powered offense. No team averages more goals a game than the Black Bears, who interestingly don't have a player in the top-10 in the league in scoring. They also possess the top power play in Hockey East. They're 3-3-1 outside the conference, but have lost to three of the four ranked opponents they have faced. They beat No. 8 Colorado College in the Florida College Classic and beat No. 7 Michigan State once, but also lost once to the Spartans and has notable back-to-back losses to No. 13 Union.

No. 12 Boston College has a good thing working for it right now. Having one of the best scoring offenses and one of the top defenses statistically usually equals good things. The Eagles have the best penalty killing team in hockey, denying opponents on 87.2 percent of man advantages, an impressive number, considering power play efficiency throughout college hockey is the highest it's been in recent memory. John Muse recovered faster than anticipated from his hip surgery, but really has not been the same player since his freshman campaign that resulted in a national championship. Luckily for him, he's got a strong defense that doesn't let much by them. Freshman Parker Milner is undefeated in three games as Muse's backup with a 2.34 goals against average, but as long as Muse is healthy, the Eagles will ride him. Much like the other top teams in the league, the Eagles have struggled against quality opponents out of conference. They hold a 3-2-0 record, but none of their wins have come against ranked opponents (Notre Dame was ranked when they beat them, but has slipped out of the poll). They lost to No. 1 Denver and unranked St. Lawrence.

No. 15 UMass-Lowell turned heads at the end of last season and early on this season, those necks remained craned to watch the River Hawks as they started the season 8-2-1. But three straight losses to Providence, Maine and New Hampshire knocked them down a peg and they've been fighting to get up and get some consistency ever since. As it stands right now, they are still in position for home ice. UML does have one thing on its side - the best goaltender in the league. Carter Hutton's 2.16 GAA blows away anyone else in the league and he is also tops in save percentage (.926). They need Hutton because the River Hawks are nothing special offensively, though that's not to say they are bad. They do have a nice 6-3-0 mark against OOC opponents, but if you look closer, you'll see that only one of the teams they have beaten have even gotten votes in the polls. They have a very important home-and-home series with the other Massachusetts state university this weekend.

UMass - Amherst's strategy of trying to just plain outgun opponents has led to some impressive wins, but also some pretty embarrassing losses. The Mass Attack is second in the league in scoring, and has James Marcou, who leads the nation in points, but they are near the bottom in defense and their penalty kill is one of the worst. They got off to a hot start, but have since come down to earth, including giving up seven goals in back-to-back games to Boston University and UNH. A solid 4-1 win over Northeastern is probably the only reason they're still in the poll. That said, the Minutemen are still in the hunt for home ice and probably have the second-best OOC resume at 5-2-0 with wins over No. 5 Yale and No. 13 Union. The lost to No. 17 Quinnipiac in overtime and an unsavory loss to Bentley shows that this team loses to too many opponents it really should be able to handle.

Vermont, ranked 18th, made a nice run into the national tournament last year and was one of the three teams that outplayed BU before losing to the Terriers in that tourney. Vermont is just 4-5-2 in Hockey East this season, but an extremely strong 6-1-0 mark against teams outside the league has kept the nation's attention. Their only loss came to No. 1 Denver, whom they beat the following night and they also have big wins over Yale and No. 10 Minnesota-Duluth.

Boston University seems to be suffering from the post-championship slump that BC did last season. To the Terriers' defense, they have been riddled with injuries and surely miss their two Hobey Baker finalist (and winner), but the real killer for this team so far is the fact that Kieran Millan looks like a shadow of the player he was as a freshman, much like BC's Muse looked last year. Millan is ahead of only Merrimack's Joe Cannata and is the worst in save percentage by 11 points (.869). Millan's backup Grant Rollheiser hasn't been much better and the Terriers aren't getting enough of a scoring punch to make up the difference. They're 4-7-2 in Hockey East and 2-2-1 outside the league and have had trouble stringing wins together. Perhaps the win over BC on Friday in the Frozen Fenway game and a weekend set against Providence and Merrimack will provide some momentum.

Northeastern had its one year and now it's back to the bottom of the barrel for the Huskies. You kind of knew that it would be this way after Hockey East player of the year and Hobey Baker finalist Brad Theissen jumped ship. Add to that the fact that they lost four senior defensemen last year and you get the worst power play unit in Hockey East, something that has tortured the Huskies. Northeastern has allowed 56 goals on the season and nearly half of them have come on the power play. They have a 4-1-0 OOC record, but only one win is notable - a 4-3 decision over Colorado College.

Merrimack has statistically the worst goaltender in Hockey East. Honestly, it's probably the one thing that's keeping this team from legitimately fighting for a spot in the Hockey East tournament. They aren't anything special offensively, but they're comparable to UMass - Lowell and they have some of the best special teams in the conference. But sometimes it seems like Joe Cannata couldn't stop a beach ball. He's been out-played by senior Andrew Braithwaite, though that's not saying much, and coaches probably still remember how horrid Braithwaite was last season (2-11-0, 3.08 GAA, .892 SVPCT).

It's really sad to see Providence so low. Providence is 5-2-0 outside of Hockey East, but the best competition they've faced has come from within the conference and they just don't have the talent to deliver. They average the lowest number of goals per game, giving no help to goaltender Alex Beaudry, who would be a winner on a lot of other teams. He is one of the premier goaltenders in the league, but is often forgotten thanks to the rest of his team's ineptitude.

Win or go home for the Patriots

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's put up or shut up time.

When the third-seeded Patriots host No. 6 Baltimore on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium, both teams know there's no margin for error.

Can the Patriots advance or will the Ravens send them packing for a very long offseason?

It's win or go home.

There's just nothing like the NFL playoffs.

Both the Patriots and Ravens are physical football teams, plus they've already played earlier in the season (Pats won 27-21 as the Ravens' potential winning drive was stopped in the red zone after Mark Clayton dropped an easy pass on fourth down).

It's pretty simple to figure out: Both teams know each other well, so the team that's able to execute in all three phases of the game is going to come out on top.

It's easier said than done, though.

The Patriots know they're going to be in for a dogfight. The Ravens aren't explosive on offense and the defense isn't what it used to be, but every Pats fan knows these Ravens should be respected.

If the Pats don't execute, you can expect the season to be over at about 4 p.m.

But the Pats don't lose at home, and that bodes pretty well with Tom Brady leading the charge.

This is Brady's game to win. While the Ravens play the run very well, they are soft in the secondary (although you better watch out for safety Ed Reed on every single play) and that's where the Pats must attack.

Losing Wes Welker to a season-ending knee injury is a big blow to the offense, not to mention that's been Brady's security blanket -- especially on third down.

But when one man goes down, another must step up.

Rookie Julian Edelman, who possesses great quickness just like Welker (but I think the rookie has breakaway speed when he catches the ball unlike Welker, however), is in the spotlight this week. He's got to control the middle of the field and win every one-one-one matchup against a linebacker or safety.

I'll willing to bet the former college QB is going to see a lot of passes thrown his way because Randy Moss should command a constant double-team. If the Ravens double Moss (which they should since he's now Brady's only proven threat), that's going to open up the middle for Edelman to operate. Why do you think Welker has been so successful? Yes, it's because of all the attention paid to Moss.

But let's not forget about my secret weapon this week -- Benjamin Watson. The tight end with great speed should be open quite often, but Brady's got to find him and Watson needs to catch the football. If he produces, watch how successful the passing game will be and how the running game might find some lanes with Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris.

Let's also not forget about the offense line. They've got to pick up the Ravens' exotic blitz packages or Brady is going to be beat up and forced to hurry his throws.

So Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins, Stephen Neal, Matt Light and Sebastian Vollmer -- a very solid starting five -- need to step up and deliver. Games are won and lost in the trenches, so win those battles men!!!

That also goes for the Patriots' defensive line. Let's hope Vince Wilfork is back on the nose to help neutralize Baltimore's punishing running game. With Wilfork in the middle, it makes everyone around him so much better.

New England better be ready for a steady diet of power running by the talented Ray Rice, who is also a threat in the passing game, and Willis McGahee. The Ravens really lean on their rush game, but quarterback Joe Flacco is going to have to win this game because there's no way Bill Belichick will let them win by pounding the rock.

In the first meeting, New England got constant pressure on Flacco, forcing the strong-armed QB to throw a pick while also sacking him twice.

The Pats can't sit back and play coverage, they must put heat on Flacco or the QB will stay in the pocket and keep hitting his favorite target, Derrick Mason. But also don't sleep on tight end Todd Heap, who's lost a step but can still beat most defenders with great route running and sure hands.

But the key is stopping the heart and soul of the team, Rice. He's got the speed to pop a long TD off the edge, and he's strong enough to constantly pound the ball between the tackles. And when the Ravens throw, Flacco loves to check the ball down to Rice. What may appear to be a modest gain, Rice has the talent to turn those into game-changing plays.

How New England defends Rice will go a long way in determining if the Pats win or lose.

And don't forget about the kicking game. New England has a big advantage with the strong leg of Stephen Gostkowski vs. Baltimore journeyman Billy Cundiff. If the game is on the line, put your money on Gostkowski. Cundiff doesn't have a very strong leg and he's been plagued by misses throughout his career.

Prediction: New England 20-17.