Bill Williamson

Bill Belichick can be as gruff and petty as he wants. But Belichick’s act only works when his team is atop the league.

However, Mr. Hoodie is in danger of, at least for the rest of the 2006 season, becoming the coach of an irrelevant team. Shutout wins over Green Bay are nice, but come on, the Patriots are back to playing NFL competition this week.

If New England loses to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, it no longer will be a candidate to win another Super Bowl. The Patriots aren't even in that good of shape in the AFC East.

The game is crucial for New England. The Bears a nice NFC team, but Belichick should devise a way to beat them. New England shouldn’t be intimidated or worried about the Bears.

However, the pressure is on. If Chicago pulls out the win, the Patriots will be nothing but an average team. And Belichick has proven he is rarely average.

Saints at a crossroads
This week we’ll find out whether the New Orleans Saints are merely a cute story of inspiration or if they are a contender.

Of course, the season is already a success. The fact that the Saints are even competitive is good enough considering what this team, city and state has endured.

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However, in pure football terms, the season hangs on the Saints’ game at Atlanta on Sunday. The Saints are suddenly 6-4 after back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Most frustrating is that Saints quarterback Drew Brees passed for 510 yards against the visiting Bengals and the Saints still scored just 16 points and lost by 15.

The Saints have to get it going now or the season will spiral out of control. OK, New Orleans is tied with the Panthers atop of the NFC South at 6-4. But the Panthers appear to be a team that is finally getting its act together. There is big talent and good coaching on this team. The Panthers are ready to explode.

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The Saints are on the edge of imploding. A third straight loss could mean big trouble. This is first-year coach Sean Payton’s biggest challenge. He has to put urgency in his sputtering team. He has to make sure his team knows it can win. He has to make the Saints believe they are a playoff team. He has to do it now.

This has already a great season for New Orleans. But if the Saints want to play into January, they must beat the Falcons.

Can’t flop the flex
As Donovan McNabb was being carted off the field Sunday, not only was the Philadelphia Eagles’ season abruptly and rudely interrupted, it served as a painful but valuable lesion to the NFL and broadcast suits that run the league.

Even the best intended plans aren’t fool proof.

It was announced less than week before McNabb’s — and ultimately the Eagles’ — season was lost that the NFL announced the Eagles' game against Indianapolis on Sunday would be moved to the night game as part of the new flex schedule that was introduced this season. The league and NBC move one of the most attractive games of the week to the night game in an attempt to break the recent trend of stinker games that have were pre-planned and provided bad prime-time viewing

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This game falls into that category. Who wants to see Jeff Garcia and/or A.J. Feeley face the Colts, even if Peyton Manning is part of the deal?

Hey, the plan worked early. The flex schedule’s first two matchups, the Bears against the New York Giants and the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers, were terrific pairings.  But this won’t be.

While the flex plan is a move in the right direction and should stick, this is a reminder to the suits of the world — you can’t plan on anything in the NFL.

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