BOSTON (AP) – Model citizen Randy Moss is breaking receiving records. Model/quarterback Tom Brady has thrown 13 touchdown passes. The New England Patriots are unbeaten.
Coach Bill Belichick’s reaction? “It could be better.”
The Patriots (4-0) took a day off Tuesday after beating the Cincinnati Bengals 34-13 the night before to remain one of the NFL’s four unbeaten teams. It’s their best start since 2004, when they won the Super Bowl for the third time in four years.
But while Belichick and his players were satisfied with a victory, they said there was plenty of room for improvement.
“We’re still leaving some stuff out there,” Belichick said after beating Cincinnati. “I think every team at this point in the year is improving and that’s what we need to do. I’d like to think we’re going to be a better team. We should be.”
Asante Samuel, who helped limit Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson to 53 yards on three receptions, agreed.
“It’s still early in the season,” said Samuel, who intercepted a Carson Palmer pass with 1:22 remaining in the first half. “It looks perfect to you guys right now, but there are a lot of key mistakes we see when we watch the film. If we make those plays, the game would be even easier.”
There were plenty of highlights for New England:
– Brady, who made GQ’s “most stylish men” edition, threw three touchdown passes, completing 25 of 32 for 231 yards.
– Sammy Morris rushed for 117 yards, including 98 in the first half, and one touchdown.
– Linebacker Mike Vrabel caught a 1-yard TD catch, his ninth career touchdown reception.
But the biggest impact this season has been Moss, obtained from Oakland for a fourth-round choice in a draft-day trade. There’s been no hint of the attitude that brought him fines in earlier seasons.
Moss caught two touchdown passes, bringing his league-leading total to seven. He had nine catches for 102 yards, making him the first receiver in NFL history to have 100 yards in each of his first four games with a new team. His height and leaping ability came in handy on a 7-yard TD pass in the second quarter.
“It’s tough for those DBs because when you’re 6-foot-5, and you’ve got a 35-inch vertical leap and a huge wingspan, and great hands, there’s only so many places you can defend,” Brady said of his new favorite target.
Brady leads the league with 13 touchdown passes and a 79 percent completion rate. He has thrown just two interceptions.
Brady became the third player in NFL history to throw three or more touchdowns in each of the first four games of a season. Brady will have a chance to match Steve Young’s record (1998 season) of three TDs in each of the first five games when New England plays Cleveland on Sunday in Foxborough.
While Brady and Moss air it out, Morris has impressed on the ground. He took on the starting running back’s role when Laurence Maroney was scratched before game time with a strained groin. Morris, an eight-year veteran, gave New England a 24-7 lead with a 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
“Sammy does a good job,” Belichick said. “He has good vision on those inside runs. He has good balance and he’s tough. I thought he made some real good cuts out there. He did a great job.”
Morris credited the offensive line and the coaches’ play calling.
“It’s a matter of conditioning and trying to fight through whatever pain I feel,” he said of the increased workload. “If they keep calling my number, I’m going to keep grinding it out.”
The Patriots defense had its way with the Bengals, to the surprise of Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
“They played basic defense,” he said. “We should have moved the ball down the field. It’s frustrating. We game-planned for what they were going to do. That’s what shocked me. They did exactly what we thought, and we scored 13 points.”
On Sunday, Romeo Crennel brings his 2-2 Browns to Gillette Stadium, coming off of a 27-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Crennel was Belichick’s defensive coordinator in New England from 2001-2004. Quarterback Derek Anderson has thrown for 964 yards and nine touchdowns.
“We know they can score a lot of points,” Belichick said of the Browns. “They’re playing well.”
The Patriots are playing well, too, but Belichick says there’s work to be done.
“We’ve only played four games. We’re a quarter of the way through the season, that’s it. I’d like to think that we’ll be better.”
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AP Sports Writer Joe Kay contributed to this story from Cincinnati.
AP-ES-10-02-07 1654EDT
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