The New England Patriots' rematch with the New York Jets is being billed as "The Revenge Game", which makes it hard to distinguish it from every other game the Patriots have played this season. Most NFL writers are convinced that Belichick, having been embarrassed by Jets coach Eric Mangini in the opening game's now infamous "Videogate", has embraced a scorched-earth approach to the season---taking aim on a historic 19-0 season.

Belichick never acknowledges such considerations, making light--or what passes for light for somber Bill--of any motives other than winning. When the Steelers' backup safety Anthony Smith guaranteed a victory over the Pats before last week's game, the Patriot coach and players barely acknowledged the boast--except to say they don't do that kind of thing. So it must have been just a coincidence that all four Brady TD passes appeared to be at Smith's expense--on one, the flea-flicker, Brady seemed almost to wait for Smith to just not catch up to the receiver--and Brady could be seen at one point barking in Smith's face. After the game, Belichick couldn't resist one pointed dig for a postscript: "We've played better safeties than that."

Belichick chooses once again to maintain that there is nothing special at stake this Sunday. But if Smith, an unknown backup, can provoke the Pats that way, it's hard to believe that a coach that Belichick regards as a quisling--one who embarrassed him not to mention cost him $500,000 and a first draft choice--will not be targeted for some humiliation in what has been an already humiliating season for the sophomore coach. While Randy Moss can't leave Mangini in his dust on a post pattern, the Patriots can, at the very least, be expected to show even less mercy to the Jets than they have other teams. And that's in a season in which they have shown their opponents absolutely none.

Still, the most fascinating thing about the Pats' potentially historic run--and that last word is truly ironic--is that Belichick is doing it in unprecedented fashion, one that defies the bedrock beliefs about football that coaches, analysts and fans have all come to accept. "You can't win without establishing a running game," "You;ve got to run to pass," etc.--Belichick has ignored all that and virtually thrown the run out of the Patriots attack. If you don't count Tom Brady's one scramble and Laurence Maroney's two clock-killing carries at game's end, the Pats ran the ball just six times against the Steelers on Sunday. At one point, the Patriots threw the ball on 33 consecutive plays. Of the 11 other likely playoff teams, only one, Dallas which was playing catchup the whole day against Detroit, ran the ball less than 20 times, and the other ten teams averaged about 30 rushes apiece.

Is it possible that Belichick is not only taking aim in history, but is intent on going 19-0 while pulling an absolute Sinatra--"I Did It My Way!" ?