New England Patriots Inside Slant
by Sports Xchange
Whether they like it or not, they'll face another week-long stay on the opposite coast as they prepare for back-to-back road games against the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders. Neither team has played well this year, but the Patriots can't afford to look past anyone anymore.
They trail the New York Jets by a game in the AFC East and also trail Baltimore and Indianapolis by a full game in the wild-card race. They'd lose tiebreakers to all three teams, so the truth is they need to pass someone to get into the playoffs, which essentially means they trail by two games with four to go.
The tough part now is preparing for a team they don't know much about. The Patriots haven't played Seattle since 2004 and a lot has changed for the Seahawks since then, except for the presence of head coach Mike Holmgren. He and Bill Belichick have a pretty extensive background together since Belichick's days as a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants.
"I have a great deal of respect for Mike," Belichick said. "We go way back to the Giants, San Francisco days and in Green Bay and Seattle. He has had a tremendous career. He has been a great coach, as an offensive coach and head coach. He has had a lot of success in the different programs that he has been involved with.
"I know that they will be ready to go on Sunday. This week we have our hands full. We are going to try to do the best that we can to be competitive in this game and go out there and play well. Every team has problems this time of year and we all have to deal with them. Right now, our focus is to go out there and win a game."
The Patriots spent a full week out West in October when they played the 49ers and Chargers on consecutive Sundays. Although they split the road trip thanks to a horrific loss to San Diego, Belichick felt the trip went well and said he and the coaching staff will "tweak" a few things this time to make sure it runs smoother.
"I think everybody felt we had a productive week, (the) players got a lot more rest and were better physically and fresher then if we crisscrossed the country two more times," Belichick said. "We got everything done that we needed to get done. In some cases it was a little bit better because we were all staying right there at the hotel. Guys didn't have to travel back and forth to home.
"You miss sleeping in your own bed, but from a team standpoint it gave us a little more time together both on and off the field. I think that was good for team bonding and spending time together as well as our preparation for the game. I wish we played a little better and had a better outcome in San Diego, but I don't think that was a result of the week. Finding out from the captains, it was very positive feedback from them and the other players."
Travel logs and other logistics aren't the main concern this time. The bottom line is the Patriots can't afford another split out West, nor can they afford what would be a debilitating loss to an inferior team with a potential playoff spot on the line.
This is uncharted territory for the Patriots given the success they had in 2007. The only thing that team chased in December was a 16-0 record and the lifetime immortality that came with it. Now the Patriots are chasing the rest of the AFC, which should make this final month that much more interesting.
"The big thing for us is that we have a lot of work to do to learn this team and get familiar with them during the course of the week," Belichick said.
SERIES HISTORY: 15th regular-season meeting. The series is tied, 7-7. The two teams haven't played since 2004 when the Patriots beat the Seahawks, 30-20, at Gillette Stadium. The last meeting was in 1993, which coincidentally is the last time New England visited Seattle. The Seahawks won that game, 10-9, at the Kingdome, which has since been torn down. Seattle now plays at Qwest Field and Sunday will be the Patriots' first visit.
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