It's eminence domain here
FOXBOROUGH - Maybe it's the stylized lighthouse and the bridge where fans gather and gossip before kickoff. Maybe it's the Minutemen standing behind the end zone, muskets in hand. Maybe it's the knowledge that 68,756 fans will still be in their seats after 11 p.m.
It's the Razor's Edge.
The Patriots love playing at home. Especially in the playoffs. Entering tomorrow night's game vs. the Jaguars, they are 9-0 in postseason play in Foxborough since 1978. Among teams that have played at least three home playoff games, the Patriots own the best record (9-1) in NFL history. They have never lost a postseason game (5-0) at Gillette Stadium.
Razor's Edge.
Maybe they like the cozy Route 1 hotel where they stay the night before the game. Maybe it's the giant inflatable helmet they run through when they hear Ozzy Osborne's "Crazy Train." Maybe it's the cornball "first down!" cheer fetched by the public address announcer every time the Patriots move the chains. Maybe it's the prospect of hearing Springsteen's "Glory Days" when they run off the field at game's end.
Obviously a 16-0 team is going to be pretty good in its own arena, but New England's home dominance pre-dates this 2007-08 pursuit of perfection. Since Gillette opened, the Patriots are an NFL-best 44-9-0 in their own stadium.
The Patriots were stopped in the playoffs last year on the road. They were able to win in San Diego, but they lost to the Colts at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. They have not lost since that day and this year they made sure they would not be traveling in the playoffs. Sixteen and zero puts you home until the Super Bowl.
"It's good," said Tedy Bruschi, who was here for the 1996 season when the home playoff run started. "You can stick to your routine. You know you don't have a flight to get on and you know you're going to have the fans with you. We worked hard for this."
"It's home," added Junior Seau. "It's as simple as that. It's not a place where you're a visitor. They serve great food here and it goes a long way, so we're definitely glad to be here."
Foxborough dominance speaks to a level of fan appreciation by the men in shoulder pads. We all know that a ticket to a Patriots home game represents a 10-hour commitment. Nobody arrives late, nobody leaves early, and nobody complains about gridlock after midnight. This is not the case elsewhere in NFL America. Our vision of the pro football experience has been skewed by Route 1. In most NFL cities, you can actually expect to be on your way home within an hour of the final whistle.
No matter. Patriots fans would walk through broken glass for a chance to see their team play the Jaguars at Gillette. You love the Patriots and they love you back. They reward your sacrifice. The Patriots haven't lost any game at Gillette since November 2006 when Eric Mangini's Jets stunned the Belichickmen. And it's been almost three decades since Earl Campbell and Bum Phillips bounced the Patriots from the playoffs on New Year's Eve in 1978.
The debacle against the Oilers (New England coach Chuck Fairbanks had already bolted for Colorado) stands as the only home playoff loss in Patriots history. Bill Parcells's Patriots started the dominance in old Schaefer/Sullivan/Foxboro Stadium, beating Pittsburgh and Jacksonville en route to Super Bowl XXXI in 1997 (remember Bob Kraft clutching the AFC Championship trophy and declaring Parcells "the greatest coach of the modern era?"). One year later, Pete Carroll had the Patriots pumped and jacked for a home playoff win against the Dolphins. It was the only playoff victory of the Carroll Error.
Belichick resumed the streak with a little help from Walt Coleman in the flurried, famous final scene at the crumbling old bowl on Jan. 19, 2002. And now the Patriots are perfect in five tournament games in their gleaming new crib. That includes two thrashings of Peyton Manning's Colts, pedestrian wins against the Jaguars ('06) and Jets ('07), and a divisional playoff win against the Tennessee Titans Jan. 10, 2004 - a night when your spit turned to ice before it hit the pavement.
It's the second-longest home playoff winning streak in NFL history. The Green Bay Packers won 13 consecutive home playoff games from 1939 until 2001. Overall the Packers are 14-2 in home playoff action, second to New England in winning percentage.
"I'm glad we're playing at home," said Tom Brady. "And hopefully it's Foxborough-type weather."
Alas, no Frostbite Falls here tomorrow. There'll be no packed powder tossed into the air after Patriots TDs. No Lonie Paxton making snow angels after extra points. The playing field will be level - as level as it can be when New England is involved in a playoff game at home.
There's been a lot of effort to paint the 2007-08 Jacksonville Jaguars as the 2001-02 Patriots. The Jaguars have only one Pro Bowler, haven't been seen much on prime time, and can dance to the tune of "no respect" throughout the playoffs.
"They do sort of remind me of us because of the way they approach the game," Bruschi said. "They just want to be the more physical team . . . I do see similarities."
"They have really good players, they're well-coached, so I think when you look at us, I think it's sort of like the same qualities," added Richard Seymour.
It's a nice story and the Jaguars are a good team. But this is where the road ends for them. It ends on the banks of Route 1 - the same place where playoff dreams ended for so many Steelers, Colts, Jets, Titans, Raiders, Dolphins, and Jaguars of seasons past.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com. 