Patriots-Raiders: Analysis and Comment

Statistic of the Year: Vince Wilfork leads the league in interceptions.

Really, there's no way that was a forward pass, but there was no need to review it, so it goes down as an interception.

Anyway, Oakland -- and probably the rest of the league, coaches and fans -- found out that it's better to have a half-dozen very good receivers than one prima donna receiver. Randy Moss was a complete non-factor. Outside of his first catch in double coverage, which Kerry Collins just hucked in his general direction, and the 71-yard touchdown, which Collins just hucked in his general direction, Moss did nothing.

OK, he didn't cry from getting constantly bumped off the line. The Pats barely touched him, especially after that phantom defensive holding call early in the game. And, no, he didn't cringe every time down the field after Rodney Harrison hit him. There was no need. I don't think Harrison hit him, but Moss was nowhere to be found.

He was nowhere to be found because Collins could hardly get a decent pass off, and because -- like I said would happen -- Bill Belichick wrote the book on covering this guy: You put someone on him at the line of scrimmage, and you drop a cornerback into centerfield. If (and when) Collins starts throwing into that, yes, Moss will catch a few, and yes, the defense will catch probably two to three times as many. Collins may have to learn to take a quick three-step drop and find Moss slanting across the middle. Of course, if Moss gets hit there, he may snap in half.

Now it's time to see if anyone else was paying attention and plays Moss the same way. If they do, and if the Raiders keep committing 15 or so penalties a game, and if the Oakland secondary remains a sieve, Oakland fans will be thinking about spring training before winter arrives.

I said Tom Brady would throw to between eight and ten receivers. He connected with eight. Brady is 28 years old. Deion Branch is almost exactly 2 years younger. These guys could play together for a long time. The could go down in history as this decade's Montana-Rice connection.

Corey Dillon got off to an Antwain Smith-like start, carrying the ball nearly 30 times for just a 2.7 yard per carry average. Oakland shouldn't have been that tough to run against, especially when Brady started distributing the ball all over the place, but maybe their switch to the 4-3 made a difference. Not sure if it was Dillon or the whole line that wasn't getting to the corners, but New England couldn't run around the ends to save the season.

Dillon looked much better coming out of the backfield, so I'm not worried.

I'll tell you two things that did bother me: A blocked extra kick, and a blocked punt. So rare that it was rather unnerving. I'm pretty sure Belichick saw them, so I'm betting the special teams will get a little extra work Monday and Tuesday. I can almost hear the protectors now, "It'll never happen again, I swear!"

The upstairs officials really blew that non-review on the Brady-to-Watson incomplete call. ABC's replays showed Watson's hand was clearly underneath the ball, and even though perhaps a part of the ball may have touched the ground, the rule is common knowledge know that if the receiver has control of the ball, which Watson most definitely did, the ball's contact with the ground is irrelevant. Pretty bad when you have one job, you're called upon only once, and you totally blow it.

The losses of Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel don't look like they're going to have any long-term affects on this team. But really, it's only the media keeping that ancient history alive.

The broadcast, minus all the up-front junk, was better than I expected, especially this early in the season. John Madden was actually informative and insightful, followed the game, explained replays, spoke about things that weren't obvious. Al Michaels regressed, by saying "doing" (and surprisingly Madden didn't go for it).

ABC's camera work was a little off. The zoom in way too close, and you miss a lot, especially peripheral action, which is sometimes more telling than the center of vision. I mean, there were more than 30 penalties called, and I hardly remember seeing a flag fly during live shots. There was also the typical "zoom in on so-and-so" so that you can only see two eyes and a nose; meanwhile, they're blowing off a reply of the most recent play when defensive holding is called, and you never get to see what happened. Really aggravating.

And there weren't nearly enough incidental cheerleader shots.

One down, 19 to go.