by Rich Garven , TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Every NFL team gets one week off during the 16-game regular season with the league deciding when that breather will occur. The bye is always welcome, although teams typically prefer it to come midway through the season. Not too early, not too late.

That's pretty much the case with the Patriots , who are 5-2 following their 35-7 win over the Tampa Buccaneers on Sunday. With seven down and nine go, they get a break that breaks up things nicely.

The players are looking forward to the chance to rest and recharge for the second half. The coaches, with a decent supply of accumulated data, get an opportunity to analyze what has or hasn't worked in the first half.

"I think it's always an advantage to have a little rest and a little more time to absorb things," Bill Belichick said last season, the Patriots coach unavailable for comment yesterday due to travel. "Not only what the other team is doing, sometimes you get so caught up in scout reports, game plans and preparation for the next team and you don't focus as much on what you're doing and how you're doing it. Even though you talk about it on Monday after the game, sometimes that gets lost in the preparation of the coming week.

"This is a chance to spend a little more time on ourselves, what we are doing and how to do our things better, but at the same time get a jump on (the next opponent)."

The Patriots have a lot going for themselves at the moment. And, if past results under Belichick are any indication of future performance, things will only get better as fall gives way to winter.

They are in first place in the AFC East and have more wins than all but four teams in the NFL. After an uneven string of performances, the offense accounted for 87 points and 1,033 yards in back-to-back blowouts of Tennessee and Tampa.

While certainly encouraging, it would be wise to remember the Titans and Buccaneers are a combined 0-13. Tennessee entered its game against the Patriots tied for 23rd in the league in defense; Tampa Bay was 27th prior to its latest letdown.

The Patriots did get up fast on both underdogs early and then coasted, which is what good teams are supposed to do against bad teams. On Sunday, they did so in spite of themselves.

Quarterback Tom Brady looks more comfortable and confident with each passing game, but he uncharacteristically hoisted two casual passes that were picked off by Tampa. Brady was sacked only once, but the pocket wasn't impenetrable and the offense committed nine penalties - eight by the line - which left it in a number of long-yardage situations.

The Patriots extracted themselves out of some sticky situations by going 6 for 12 on third down. However, it's one thing to do that against the Buccaneers, quite another to pull it off against the undefeated Colts and equally unbeaten Saints, both of whom are part of the Patriots' five-game, 29-day tour that kicks off against the Dolphins on Nov. 8 at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots set a league record for fewest penalties in a 16-games season with 57 in 2008. They currently have 44, which projects to an unacceptable 101 for the year. That lack of discipline will undoubtedly be addressed this week.

The bye also allows running backs Fred Taylor (ankle) and Sammy Morris (knee) to continue their comeback from injuries without missing another game. The Patriots haven't put either player on season-ending injured reserve, a sign they believe both will be back at some point. Good thing because Laurence Maroney confirmed Sunday what a lot of people have been thinking - those 123 rushing yards against Tennessee were an aberration more than a indication of good things to come. The Patriots may be a pass-first offense, but they'll be hard pressed to remain in the running come January without a ground game and are going to need Taylor and/or Morris before it's all over.

Defensively, the Patriots have been solid but unspectacular.

It's a young defense that's forming an identity as an aggressive unit. It doesn't always make a play on the ball, but at least there's generally someone around the ball, which is more than you can say about last year's group.

Nose tackle Vince Wilfork is having a Pro Bowl season and doing his part to show management he deserves to be re-signed to a long-term, big-money deal. Linebackers Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton have brought a healthy douse of speed to the equation. Safeties Brandon McGowan and Brandon Meriweather have provided snap, crackle and, most importantly, pop to the secondary.

So there is work to be done as the Patriots enter their bye week. The good news is while not perfect to this point, things have generally worked out perfectly well, which is more than a lot of teams can say.

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