Ochocinco seeks Patriots fan to be roommate to start season

Ever wanted to be roommates with Chad Ochocinco? If you live near Foxborough, Mass., you have a chance.

That's because the newly acquired New England Patriots wide receiver still is looking for a place to live, and he said Tuesday that he's toying with a novel way of getting to know the Boston area.

"I'm going to do something different -- I'm actually going to stay with a fan, probably the first two or three weeks of the season," Ochocinco said. "So that should be fun until I get myself acclimated, I learn my way around and actually just find a place."

Ochocinco hasn't picked the fan yet, but he laid out a simple set of requirements.

"They have to have Internet, and they have to have Xbox, and that's about it," Ochocinco said.

The number of tweets by Ochocinco, who has more than 2 million followers on Twitter, have decreased since he became a Patriot on July 29. So, he was asked Tuesday if he could both be himself and still be a Patriot, and he just smiled.

After signing with New England, Ochocinco said he "will always be me," but he also said he was "going to blend in and do it the Patriot way, which is win. It has been a part of my game to always be me, but there is a certain way the Patriots do it and it's easy for me."

The veteran receiver said he still has a lot of work to do, but he's starting to feel comfortable with his new teammates. He gave fellow receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch and quarterback Tom Brady credit for his progress.

"I've been able to assume a lot of information in a short period of time," Ochocinco said, while adding "there's still a lot of work to do."

Notes: Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he doubted he would play veterans more than he usually does in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also said it was "probably right" that players who haven't been practicing won't play in the game. ... Belichick said newly acquired Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis are both "day to day" when it comes to returning to the field. Haynesworth has missed the past four practices. "He's in the 'day to day' category and getting some treatment," Belichick said. "He'll be out there as soon as he can." He said Ellis is in a similar situation. Ellis has been placed on the physically unable to perform list. He can resume practicing whenever he is ready, and he still counts against the 90-man roster limit. "He's making progress and getting better," Belichick said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Patriots G Mankins reportedly will sign his franchise tender

New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins will sign his franchise tag tender and report to training camp this week, The Boston Globe reported, citing ESPN.

Mankins, one of the 10 plaintiffs in the Brady et al v. the National Football League et al lawsuit, held out for the first seven games of the 2010 season after refusing to sign a restricted free-agent tender by the June deadline. He returned in early November and started the final nine games, making the Pro Bowl in the process.

Mankins' franchise tag will cost the Patriots more than $10 million, increasing the possibility the team will try to negotiate a long-term contract to provide it some salary cap relief and Mankins some security.

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Brady back for more, heads Patriots' heavily attended practice

BOSTON -- Tom Brady has done plenty of traveling this offseason -- to Brazil for Carnival; to Mexico, where he navigated a water slide; to the Kentucky Derby, where he sported a Panama hat over his long locks.

Patriots QB Tom Brady throws a pass during Thursday's players-only workout at Boston College. (Winslow Townson/Associated Press)

All captured, of course, on camera.

Now the New England Patriots' globe-trotting quarterback is back in Massachusetts with teammates at informal workouts.

"Oh," wide receiver Wes Welker told them with a smile as he left, "you found us."

Just 20 miles north of his home stadium in Foxborough, Brady helped lead the session at Boston College's Alumni Stadium on Thursday.

More than 40 players, including several draft choices, attended. There was no hitting -- since injuries wouldn't be covered by the team -- uniforms or football pads. Most players wore T-shirts and shorts. Still, they were together while the NFL lockout kept them from practicing at Gillette Stadium.

"We're running around, and we're just doing some basic stuff," linebacker Rob Ninkovich said after the two-hour session, "but it feels good because we're together and everyone's out there having fun. So we're just waiting for all this stuff to be over with and then we'll be back, hopefully soon."

The workouts began Wednesday and were expected to continue Friday.

While many players have regularly worked out in the area, Brady has done it elsewhere.

The quarterback returned for the workouts and activities of Best Buddies International, which supports programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He'll participate in a Friday touch football game at Harvard and a Saturday charity bike ride that Patriots coach Bill Belichick is expected to attend.

On Thursday, though, there weren't any coaches -- the lockout forbids them from running team practices. So Brady took charge of the offense, and linebacker Jerod Mayo ran the defense.

"The best thing about it is just that we get to hear some plays again," running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis said. "Everybody got familiar with the sounds and the terms."

There were positional drills, pass routes run at slow speed and sprints from sideline to sideline on a sunny, breezy morning.

Brady walked without a noticeable limp 4½ months after undergoing surgery for a stress fracture on his right foot. At one point, he dropped back, pumped his arm toward the middle, then threw a completion on the right side to another quarterback, Brian Hoyer.

Hardly typical of a disciplined Belichick practice.

"It's just good to be around all these guys," Hoyer said. "That's the main thing."

During the closed workout, several reporters stood behind a locked gate and peered through binoculars at the players.

While Hoyer conducted a 23-second interview as he left, Brady passed by, smiled and said, "Come on, Hoy, no media interviews."

Among those attending were wide receiver Deion Branch, tight end Rob Gronkowski, center Dan Koppen and defensive backs Devin McCourty and Brandon Meriweather. The draft picks included first-rounder Nate Solder, a tackle from Colorado, and third-rounder Ryan Mallett, a quarterback from Arkansas.

Several players who were sidelined for most of last season -- running back Kevin Faulk, defensive end Ty Warren and defensive tackle Mike Wright -- also participated.

Faulk has spent 12 seasons with the Patriots, although he played in just two games in 2010 because of a torn ligament in his right knee, and is unsigned. Danny Woodhead took over his role as the third-down back and also was at the workout.

"I'm fine, just trying to get back into form, that's all," Faulk said. "Right now, you can't say anybody's ready. We're just trying to get back into football."

Ninkovich said he has regularly worked out with Mayo and about 10 other players who remained in the area after the season ended with a 28-21 playoff loss to the New York Jets.

The large turnout this week showed "team camaraderie," Ninkovich said.

"Last year, we didn't end it the way we wanted to, so this year, we've got to start all over again," he said. "I'm just getting ready to play ball, and whenever they tell me to play, I'll be ready. That's all you can do."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Brady heads to Boston, will lead Patriots' workouts

Tom Brady will lead the New England Patriots in players-only workouts beginning Wednesday, ESPN Boston reported, citing sources familiar with his plans.

The quarterback, who is returning to the Boston area for charity appearances Friday night and Saturday for Best Buddies International, contacted teammates about joining him on the field while he was in the region, and sources said a number of teammates have traveled to join him.

Brady has been recuperating from foot surgery in January and working out in his native California. He was especially interested in pass-catchers joining the workouts, sources said.

Locally based players, such as tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Brandon Tate, won't have to alter their plans much to join Brady's sessions. Receiver Julian Edelman, who has been working out in Los Angeles, flew to Boston on Tuesday.

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Patriots' Belichick is AP's NFL Coach of the Year for third time

Bill Belichick is closing in on Don Shula.

Belichick, the New England Patriots' coach, won The Associated Press 2010 NFL Coach of the Year award Wednesday, the third time he has earned the honor. Belichick, who also won in 2003 and 2007, now trails only Shula, a Hall of Famer and four-time winner of the award.

Voting for 2010 NFL Coach of the Year

For leading the Patriots to a 14-2 record, the best in the league, and the AFC East title, Belichick received 30 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. That easily beat Raheem Morris, who led a turnaround in Tampa Bay and received 11½ votes.

Belichick, whose honor was announced exclusively on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access," has overseen a transition in New England to a younger team, particularly on defense. Of course, he still has NFL Offensive Player of the Year Tom Brady at quarterback.

"I will say the foundation of the Patriots organization, which starts with Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick, has not changed since the day I arrived," Brady told The AP. "They have and will always do what is in the best interest of the team, and they will continue to find selfless players that love to work hard, compete and strive to be the best they can possibly be."

Then Belichick makes them even better.

"He really stays on top of us," wide receiver Wes Welker said. "He makes sure that we're not getting overconfident or believing in the noise outside the locker room and understand that every game's tough in the NFL."

Belichick's record with the Patriots is 126-50, plus a 14-5 mark in the playoffs, with losses in the last three tries with teams that went a collective 40-8. His career winning percentage of .716 ranks eighth, tied with Hall of Famer Paul Brown, and no other coach has four 14-victory regular seasons.

This might have been Belichick's most impressive work as the Patriots retooled much of the roster, yet had a dominant regular season in which they won their final eight games.

"When you have so many things that go into a team, so many things that go into what's happened over the last decade, which ones do you point to?" he said. "You can make an argument for a lot of different things. In the end, it's each individual team and that collection of players that particular year and that particular time during the season or whatever it is, that was able to go out there and be successful."

Belichick, whose team started the season as the 13th youngest in the league and by season's end had 27 players on the active roster -- including 12 rookies -- in their first three professional seasons, basically rebuilt the defense, particularly the secondary, from which rookie Devin McCourty made the Pro Bowl.

Belichick showed confidence in BenJarvus Green-Ellis as the Patriots' main running back, and he rushed for 1,008 yards. Belichick claimed Danny Woodhead when the New York Jets cut him, and he was a dynamic piece of the offense and special teams.

On NFL Network
Watch "NFL Total Access" (7 p.m. ET) during Super Bowl week for the exclusive reveal of The Associated Press' NFL player and coach awards.

Monday: Defensive Player of the Year
(Troy Polamalu)
Tuesday: Offensive Player of the Year
(Tom Brady)
Wednesday: Coach of the Year
(Bill Belichick)
Friday: Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year (TBA)
Saturday: Comeback Player of the Year (TBA)
Sunday: Most Valuable Player (TBA)

Then there was the Randy Moss case.

Eager to remove the recalcitrant receiver, Belichick stole a third-round draft pick from Minnesota in early October for Moss, who lasted a month with the Vikings, then was cut.

Meanwhile, Belichick traded with the Seattle Seahawks for Deion Branch, the 2005 Super Bowl MVP with the Patriots. Branch had a rebirth in New England, making the Moss deal look even better.

The Patriots scored a league-high 32.4 points per game and were eighth in total offense (363.8 yards per game) under Belichick, who doesn't have an offensive or defensive coordinator.

Making the Patriots a better team is typical of what Belichick has done since receiving his second chance to be a head coach. He had been a flop with the Browns, going 37-45 in four seasons and alienating nearly everyone in Cleveland.

"When I chose him, people at the league office, people in this town, sent me tapes of him in Cleveland and said, 'You don't want to hire this guy,'" Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. "And, remember, he went 5-11 (in his first year with Patriots) and we gave up a No. 1 draft choice (to the Jets to get him). People thought we were nuts.

"So I think that probably was one of the best decisions I've made in football."

Belichick, a disciple of Bill Parcells, the only other New England coach to win the award, credited his players for the award and said their ability to handle challenges was pivotal to the Patriots' success.

"They're the ones who stepped up and made the plays this year," Belichick told "NFL Total Access." "We had a lot of new people on this team, young players that contributed, and it's certainly an honor to receive this award on behalf of our performance in the regular season. Unfortunately, we were not able to carry that over to the playoffs."

The Patriots, seeded No. 1 for the AFC playoffs, were beaten by the New York Jets in the Divisional Round.

Belichick said his team "had to face a lot of different challenges this year. ... It was really a different challenge every week, and I've got to give a lot of credit to the players. They adapted, they adjusted. You know, we had some tough weather conditions -- like the snow out in Chicago, for example -- but the players did a good job of staying focused and played though those conditions. And we were able to get a lot of turnovers defensively at the end of the year, and offensively we had a lot of points and special-team scores early in the year, so it all kind of balanced itself out one way or another during the course of the season."

Morris lifted the Buccaneers from 3-13 in his first season to 10-6 in 2010 and in playoff contention until the final week. He did it with the league's youngest roster.

"We put a lot on his plate," Bucs general manager Mark Dominik said, "and he has absolutely handled it all. We all see where this ship is headed."

Also receiving votes were Kansas City's Todd Haley (4½), whose team went 11-5 and won the AFC West; and four coaches with one selection apiece: Atlanta's Mike Smith, Philadelphia's Andy Reid, Chicago's Lovie Smith, and St. Louis' Steve Spagnuolo.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Bills turn the ball over seven times as Patriots cruise to No. 1 seed in AFC

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Playoff spots within reach for Patriots, Steelers, Jets, Falcons

NEW YORK -- The division-leading New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons, and the second-place New York Jets can clinch playoff berths this weekend.

Would your team be in or out of the playoffs if the season ended today? Find out who's in, who they'd play and who's on the outside looking in. More ...

The Patriots (10-2) would do so simply with a victory over the Chicago Bears. The Patriots also would get in if the Miami Dolphins (6-6) and Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5) both lose or tie, or if the Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts (6-6) both lose or tie.

The Steelers (9-3) need a variety of scenarios, all of them requiring a win over the Cincinnati Bengals except one, in which a tie and losses or ties by the Dolphins, Oakland Raiders (6-6) and San Diego Chargers (6-6), and an Indianapolis loss would do.

The Falcons must beat the Carolina Panthers and have any two of the Giants (8-4), Philadelphia Eagles (8-4) and Green Bay Packers lose (8-4). A Falcons tie and losses by the Giants, Eagles, Packers and a loss or tie by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5) also would work for Atlanta.

The Jets need a win over the Dolphins and losses or ties by the Chargers and Jaguars, or Chargers and Colts. A Jets tie and losses by San Diego and Indianapolis, plus a loss or tie by Oakland would do it, too.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Patriots activate Pro Bowl guard Mankins, release two

The New England Patriots announced Saturday that they have activated Logan Mankins for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns, and a source told the Boston Herald that the two-time Pro Bowl guard could start.

Mankins, a 2005 first-round draft pick out of Fresno State, reported to the Patriots this week after holding out for the first seven games of the season in search of a better contract. He didn't receive one, so he signed his restricted free-agent tender Tuesday.

Mankins, a Pro Bowl pick in 2007 and 2009, practiced with the Patriots' first-team offensive line all week, the Boston Globe reported. Mankins has started all 80 NFL games in which he has played.

Backup guard Dan Connolly has started in Mankins' place all season.

To make roster room for Mankins, oft-injured cornerback Terrence Wheatley was released. Also, linebacker Tyrone McKenzie was released from the practice squad, a move the Herald reported came at the player's request.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Mangini has no qualms starting rookie McCoy vs. Patriots

Browns coach Eric Mangini has no qualms starting third-string, rookie quarterback Colt McCoy against the AFC-leading New England Patriots on Sunday in Cleveland.

"He's been in a couple of tough arenas -- going into Pittsburgh for his first game, that's about as tough as it gets," Mangini said.

Billick: Browns should play McCoy It’s time for the Browns to go with Colt McCoy and find out how good he can be," writes Brian Billick. "I’ve always believed the only way to learn is to play." More ...

McCoy will get the call because neither Jake Delhomme nor Seneca Wallace was able to practice all week as they recover from high ankle sprains.

Mangini left open the possibility that Wallace could be active for the Patriots game.

"I think Seneca has a shot this week (to be active), but it's an outside shot," Mangini said.

This will be McCoy's first start at home. He's 1-1 with a loss to the Steelers and a win over the New Orleans Saints, who fell for several trick plays during a 30-17 loss to the Browns two weeks ago.

The Browns had hoped to have Wallace back this week, but he has not yet been cleared by doctors.

Wallace hasn't played since injuring his ankle Oct. 10 against the Atlanta Falcons, his fourth consecutive start filling in for Delhomme, who rolled his ankle in the season opener at Tampa Bay. High-ankle sprains typically take four to six weeks to heal, and Wallace is just one month into recovery.

Starting tackle John St. Clair (ankle) also didn't practice Friday. Mangini held out hope that all three injured players could return soon.

"We just follow what the trainers and doctors say," Mangini said. "The week he (Wallace), John and Jake had was the best they've had in terms of movement."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Report: Patriots WR Branch reworks final year of contract

After trading a fourth-round draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Deion Branch earlier this week, the New England Patriots hope the wide receiver and quarterback Tom Brady can rekindle some of that old chemistry.

Branch is banking on it as well.

He adjusted the final year of his contract Thursday, forgoing a $5.95 million salary for a heavily incentive-laden one in 2011, according to the Boston Herald. He has two years left on a six-year, $39 million contract he signed with Seattle after being traded in 2006 by New England, where he spent four seasons.

Branch, who is scheduled to earn $5.47 million this season as part of the six-year, $39 million deal he signed with Seattle when he was traded there by New England in 2006, reduced his 2011 base salary by more than half, according to the report.

Branch confirmed that his contract had been restructured, but he didn't give details. His agent, Jason Chayut, didn't return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The Herald noted that Branch's renegotiated contract likely will help facilitate an extension for Wes Welker, who is scheduled to earn $2.5 million next season. With Randy Moss shipped to the Minnesota Vikings, Welker is unquestionably the Patriots' most valuable receiver and likely will command more money than Branch, who's 31.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Report: Patriots talk to Chargers about Mankins-Jackson trade

The New England Patriots have two issues: They need a big-play wide receiver after trading Randy Moss, and Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins hasn't budged in his contract holdout.

The team has tried to resolve both problems by holding preliminary talks with the Chargers about a deal that would send Mankins to San Diego and bring wide receiver Vincent Jackson to Foxborough, Comcast SportsNet New England reported Thursday, citing a source.

La Canfora: Week 10 returns likely Logan Mankins and Vincent Jackson vow to sit out until they receive new contracts. However, a labor issue could change that stance, Jason La Canfora writes. More ...

Jackson was a Pro Bowl alternate last season and, like Mankins, is holding out because he wants a long-term deal, not the restricted free-agent tender he was offered. Unlike Mankins, Jackson was placed on the roster-exempt list by the Chargers, meaning he must sit out three games if he signs or is traded.

Mankins' agent rejected the idea of the Patriots and Chargers making the deal for a simple reason: Neither player has signed a contract.

Frank Bauer told the Boston Herald: "Somebody can call me tomorrow and say, 'You've been traded to Cincinnati,' and I can say, 'No, no, no, no. You got to have a contract.'"

Bauer called the speculation "totally insane,” then added: "But who knows? The Patriots do strange things. … Until it all (shakes out), you don’t know. But ... that’s totally ludicrous.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune confirmed that trade talks have been held, but it termed the chances of a deal happening as "highly unlikely." The newspaper reported that the Chargers' asking price for Jackson is a first- and a second-round pick, but the Patriots might not be willing to meet that price.

Comcast SportsNet New England reported that, according to a media source in San Diego, the Chargers are not interested in dealing for Mankins.

Mankins hadn't missed a game in his NFL career before the holdout and is considered a premium guard. However, the Chargers are set at the position with veteran Kris Dielman and second-year pro Louis Vasquez.

If the Patriots were to land Jackson, he would be a younger replacement for 33-year-old Moss, who was dealt to the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday. Jackson, 27, has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and, at 6-foot-5, provides quarterbacks with a big target.

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Reaction mixed as Patriots fans take stock of Moss trade

Janna Robinson doesn't need another Randy Moss jersey, even at its new bargain price.

The New England Patriots fan can pull her old purple No. 84 out of the closet now that one of her favorite players is back with the Minnesota Vikings.

She'll watch Moss catch passes from Brett Favre instead of Tom Brady, who moves on without his only proven deep threat.

"He's played really well with Brady, but if he's not happy, he won't play well," said Robinson, 41, of Alexandria, N.H., as she browsed the shelves of the Patriots Pro Shop in plain view of the end zone where Moss caught some of his 50 touchdowns in three-plus seasons with New England.

The shop didn't waste any time in marking down Moss' jerseys Wednesday, just hours after he was traded for two draft picks. The Patriots received a 2011 third-round selection and a 2012 seventh-round choice in the deal, NFL Network insider Michael Lombardi confirmed, citing a league source.

The price dropped from $249.95 to $75 for an authentic Moss jersey and from $79.95 to $25 for a replica version.

Moss, who's in the last year of a three-year, $27 million contract, had said several times that he didn't believe the Patriots would re-sign him. Less than an hour after a season-opening 38-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last month, Moss spoke for 16 minutes, almost entirely about his contract and his feeling that he wouldn't be with the team after this season. He said he was hurt but wasn't mad.

Two days later, Moss told The Associated Press he "would love to" retire as a Patriot, but "if I do leave here, I want everything to be positive -- that I was a good guy, I was well-coached, well-mannered, a good man in the locker room, a good teammate to be around."

Patriots coach Bill Belichick indicated that a trade had been under consideration for some time.

"Over the course of the past several months, I have spoken with Randy and his representative about Randy's place on our team and his future in football," Belichick said in a statement released by the team. "Consistent with my dealings with Randy from the day we acquired him through our conversation this morning, it has been honest, thoughtful and with great mutual respect."

Moss set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches for the Patriots in 2007 after he was traded during that year's draft by the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round pick. He had spent two years with the Raiders after seven with the Vikings, who took the two-time first-team All-American from Marshall in the first round in 1998.

The Patriots are tied for first with the New York Jets in the AFC East at 3-1 after Monday night's 41-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins. For the first time in his Patriots career, Moss didn't have a reception. He has nine catches, three for touchdowns, this season.

Now Belichick must do his game-planning without Moss, but the timing of the trade in the Patriots' bye week should help.

Brandon Tate, a third-round pick last year, likely will take Moss' starting spot. The Patriots have two other youngsters at the position: Julian Edelman, a seventh-round pick last year, and Taylor Price, a third-round pick this year who was inactive the first four games.

Rookie tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez provide Brady other options.

Wes Welker has thrived since he and Moss joined the Patriots in 2007. The slot receiver's 346 catches were the most in the NFL over the past three years. Without Moss, defenders likely will pay more attention to Welker.

"(Welker) can't play to an elite level outside the numbers. He can only play to an elite level inside the numbers and the hashes, because that's the style of player he is," said Cris Carter, a Vikings receiver in Moss' first four seasons with the team and now an ESPN analyst. "(Brady) will be a great quarterback until he retires, but he will have to work extra hard. Wes Welker's job just became a little bit harder."

Last year, the Patriots' defense received a youthful makeover when linebacker Tedy Bruschi and safety Rodney Harrison retired and defensive end Richard Seymour and linebacker Mike Vrabel were traded, all before the season started.

This year, the Patriots are without four major pieces of their offense. Running back Laurence Maroney was traded to the Denver Broncos after the first game -- and his jerseys were going for the same prices as Moss' on Wednesday. Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins hasn't reported in a contract dispute, and running back Kevin Faulk is out for the year with a knee injury.

Now Moss is gone.

A third-round pick in the Moss deal gives the Patriots two choices in each of the first four rounds of next year's draft -- plenty of chances to stockpile young players.

But what about this year?

"I feel really bad," said Geri Braun, 66, of West Bath, Maine, another visitor to the Pro Shop. "They should have extended his contract. They'll lose something on offense. They don't have the experience. It makes a difference."

Another shopper was more upbeat.

"I don't feel too bad about it," said Tony Chicoine, 27, a native of Worcester, Mass., who was wearing Moss' No. 81 Patriots jersey. "They got a third-round pick. ... We won Super Bowls with (wide receivers) Troy Brown and Deion Branch. Belichick will find ways to win. He's won without him."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Tom Brady, Patriots Win Stunner

"They missed him. For most of the past year, while attempting to move forward, they missed him.

Patriots players can admit it now.

Tom Brady sat out most of last season with torn knee ligaments, a surreal experience that left players with no choice but to blindly move forward. The blinders came off in last night's opener, allowing them to see what a nation did and realize what they temporarily lost.

Brady is back, a fact he punctuated in the Patriots' dramatic 25-24 win against the Bills in front of a delirious crowd of 68,756 at Gillette Stadium. All the quarterback did was lead an 11-point comeback with 5:32 left.

"It's a great feeling to have that rhythm, that aspect of the game back," left tackle Matt Light said. "He was out there making all the right plays, delivering the ball downfield, those guys were all making huge catches, and we were able to hang in there and get the job done."

With 50 seconds left, Brady found tight end Benjamin Watson in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown to seal the comeback - Brady's and the team's. The defense made it stand with two sacks of Bills quarterback Trent Edwards on Buffalo's final attempt.

Despite an uneven, often-sloppy performance, it was the Pats' 12th straight win against the Bills.

"I'm glad it's over," said Brady, who turned in his 29th career comeback. "I'm glad we're moving on, and I'm glad we got the win."

Perhaps the only negative was that star linebacker Jerod Mayo suffered a right knee injury in the first quarter, hobbling off the field and not returning.

Brady tied a career high in completions, going 39-of-53 for 378 yards with two touchdowns and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. None of it would have been possible without a huge special teams play.

After Brady led an 81-yard drive that also ended with the ball in Watson's hands for an 18-yard score, Pierre Woods stripped Bills returner Leodis McKelvin with the Pats down 24-19. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski dove in and recovered it.

"Can't say more about the kicker, man," Woods said. "He was all awkwardly bent like a pretzel. One of the guys from Buffalo tried to get it, but I pulled him off him. It was chaos."

Even with the large deficit, there was no panic. Certainly not from Brady.

"There's 5:32 left in the game," receiver Randy Moss said, "and you see Tom coming off the sideline. He comes in the huddle talking about, 'We're going to win this game.' "

Moss had 141 receiving yards, and Wes Welker had 93 - both on 12 catches. It all ended with heartbreak for Buffalo.

"I'm frustrated, disappointed," said Edwards, who was 15-of-25 for 212 yards with two scores. "We put, I feel, all our eggs in one basket and to come up one point short is frustrating.""

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