Grudge match on tap

Fenway Park won't be the only place hosting a rivalry game tonight. There will be one at Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots face the San Diego Chargers.

It doesn't matter that the teams are separated by more than 2,500 miles, play in different divisions, and have nowhere near the reservoir of history that Sox-Yankees does. The two AFC contenders have traded barbs and big wins on each other's home field over the last two seasons, making tonight's game a gridiron grudge match.

"Any time you face one of the best teams in the league, it's always a great challenge," said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady last week. "We played these guys in a very meaningful game last year. We came out ahead and I'm sure they've had this highlighted on their schedule for a long time and so have we.

"It should be a great contest."

The Patriots ended the Chargers' season in January with a 24-21 win in the divisional playoffs. Troy Brown's heady strip of San Diego safety Marlon McCree following a Brady interception set the stage for New England's comeback and a victory celebration that led San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson to say the Patriots "showed no class, and maybe that comes from the head coach."

The Chargers, who have switched head coaches since that game, hiring Norv Turner to replace Marty Schottenheimer, licked their wounds for a long time and still aren't convinced the best team won that day.

"It's one of those things, 'shoulda, woulda, coulda,' but you didn't," said San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman. "A lot of things happened that were unexpected and were uncharacteristic of this team last year, but it happened on the right day for the Patriots.

"But that game is over. We can't let that get in the way of our playing - any emotion or anything said. My mind is strictly on getting the win, and getting back home."

Ellis Hobbs, who was at the center of the playoff discord following his derisive imitation of Merriman's "Lights Out" dance, parroted Merriman again.

"That was last year," said Hobbs. "This is now two totally different teams, understanding that no matter what you say or what you did before or after the game, the game is played between the white lines, 60 minutes of ball, so this year, 2007, that is what we're worried about."

Sounds good, but football players are like elephants. They don't forget.

The Patriots also could be looking for a measure of redemption.

All week they've had to deal with the fallout from a spying scandal that resulted in coach Bill Belichick being fined $500,000 and the organization $250,000, as well as the likely loss of a first-round pick, contingent upon the team making the playoffs. Even more hurtful were the aspersions cast on the Patriots' success.

And the last time the Chargers visited Gillette in 2005, they ended the Patriots' 21-game home winning streak with a 41-17 rout. After that game, Schottenheimer implied that the Patriots' championship run had finally been derailed by injures. An angry Brady fired back at Schottenheimer, saying he had "no business talking about our team."

Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, who spent 13 seasons playing for San Diego, downplayed any emotional edge on either side.

"They run the ball well. They pass the ball well. They have 11 Pro Bowl players on their football team, and they're from my hometown," said Seau. "There is no more motivation that we need to step on that field and go out and perform like we should. And we will."

Said linebacker Mike Vrabel, "We go out and play hard every week; if you don't, you'll get hurt or you'll lose."

The winner could gain a lot more than bragging rights, as the game could have implications come playoff time regarding home-field advantage.

As Belichick said about the spying flap, all the other stuff is in the past.

"We know they're good. That's no secret. They're real good," said Belichick. "Our challenge is to continue to play better. I don't think it would make any difference how we had played against them before, we'd still want to play better.

"You always want to play better, and we know they're a good football team. They're a good offensive team. They're good on defense. They're good in the kicking game. We'll get challenged across the board. Every guy who is active will get challenged."