The New England Patriots had a successful off-season. It's now time for them to translate that success to the field.
Opening the season with perhaps the highest expectations of the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, the Patriots face a tough test Sunday when they visit the AFC East rival New York Jets.
This game is a rematch of an AFC wild-card playoff matchup from Jan. 7, won 37-16 by the Patriots at Foxborough. Brady passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns while improving to 6-0 during his career in home playoff games - all of them coached by Belichick.
The Patriots - who went 12-4 to win their fourth straight AFC East title - advanced to the AFC championship game at Indianapolis, where they let a 21-3 lead slip away en route to a 38-34 defeat.
After the loss, New England spent the offseason aggressively retooling its roster. To bolster an aging linebacking corps, the Patriots signed two-time Pro Bowler Adalius Thomas away from Baltimore.
To provide Brady with the reliable targets he lacked in 2006, New England signed wide receivers Donte' Stallworth from Philadelphia and Wes Welker from Miami, and acquired former All-Pro Randy Moss from Oakland for a fourth-round draft pick.
The flurry of moves has made New England a popular pick to win its fourth Super Bowl in seven years, but the Patriots are trying their best to ignore their press clippings.
"The amateurs do all the picking," said Thomas, who had a career-high 11 sacks last season. "Pros just come and prepare for work."
