Things were pretty weird after the Patriots-Vikings game last week. Yes … only a week ago. Since then Moss misbehaved his way out of Minnesota and Brad Childress demonstrated a grasp of command usually only seen in squirrels trying to get across a busy highway.

How Moss will fare on his latest team – the Titans – remains to be seen. It may be interesting to see if he lasts longer working for Jeff Fisher than Chilly is able to last as head coach of the Vikings.

Oh, and lets not forget that after the win against the Vikings the Patriots – whom some ‘experts’ declared could never get far with so many young and/or no-name players – now have the best record in the league.

Patriots return from the bye a changed team

Heading into the bye week there were a lot of questions still about the New England Patriots. The status of Randy Moss was just one of these. The growth of the defense was another.

And then … then Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft did what they always seem to do … the unexpected and unconventional. They traded Randy Moss – the jewel of the offense – to the Vikings. Then they brought back Deion Branch from the Seahawks. Oh, this was all after they traded the closest thing they had to a “franchise” running back (Lawrence Maroney) to the Broncos.

Heading into the bye the Patriots won a game which changed the 2009 dynamic – they won a tough game on the road. Now, today, they needed to defend home turf against one of the top seeds in the conference – and absorb all the change in personnel.

And a funny thing…

Patriots Enter The Bye Week On A High

Monday’s game was reminiscent of the “classic” Patriots road wins. Some how, some way, they did it. And not in the ways anyone could have predicted.

Who could predict that Rob Nincovich … a linebacker … would have two interceptions? Who could have predicted that Pat Chung would block two kicks and run back an interception for a touchdown? They won by 27 points and Brady only threw for 153 yards and Moss didn’t have a single catch – who could have predicted that? Danny Woodhead has only been with the team two weeks – he had a touchdown. Jarrad Page also only with the team two weeks – he had an interception.

But that’s what this team used to do. When they needed a play, they made the plays. This wasn’t happening last season. Sure, at times the defense got gashed. But it sometimes felt like they were just waiting for…

Rauno Aaltonen and Paddy Hopkirk are paying a visit to the twisting streets of Monte Carlo, where they celebrated their greatest victories at the Rallye Monte Carlo in 1963/64.

Different to the Sixties this time the duo drives a brand new MINI John Cooper Works Cabrio. The car and the tricky corners bring back lots of memories, go-kart feeling and driving excitement. You can see the rallye legends driving through Monte Carlo passing famous places such as Col de Braus, Col de Torini.

Of all the players the Patriots could not afford to lose, Kevin Faulk ranks right up there in the top 3 or 4. But he has an ACL injury and is gone for the season. How the team replaces the many roles he filled is yet to be seen. In the meanwhile, highlights of #33 in action: