Give him the ball

1. I saw enough down the stretch yesterday to convince me that LaMont Jordan should be this team's starting tailback, and I am completely serious about this. He ran the way the delicate Laurence Maroney should run, if he'd just stop doing the Reggie Dupard Shuffle in the backfield before hitting the hole. I realize Jordan had additional motivation yesterday because he was playing against the team that drafted him, but his performance was no fluke: this is a player who has had significant success in the NFL, he's known as a tough runner, and his style suits the Patriots' needs in this Brady-less season. He can - and should - be exactly what Antowain Smith was to another certain unproven quarterback in 2001. As for Maroney, if he wants to retain his job, he knows what he has to do.

2. By now, you've heard all the usual terms and phrases regarding Matt Cassel's steady debut as a starter yesterday. He managed the game well . . . he limited his mistakes . . . he was poised and efficient . . . in other words, pretty much all of the things they used to say about Tom Brady back when he was labeled a "system quarterback." While Cassel did some things that made you appreciate just how consistently great Brady is - he airmailed a couple of basic throws, was a split-second late in spotting open receivers on occasion, and seemed a little too eager to run - he played the way we hoped he would (it's eerie how close his final numbers were to Brady's in his first career start), and made a lot of skeptics around the country gulp down some words in the process. The Patriots can win with this kid. After what happened a week ago, that's enough for me.

3. Adalius Thomas was positively fearsome yesterday (somewhere, Leon Washington quivers in agreement), and I probably don't need to tell you that an effective Thomas makes the Patriots a much more imposing defensive team, particularly when it comes to rushing the passer. Add in the fact that Richard Seymour looks healthy and rejuvenated and Jerod Mayo is flying around in the middle like he has his heart set on being the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and you have to be giddy about the potential of the Patriots' defense, particularly the front seven.

4. Another thing that makes me feel better about the Patriots' chances than I did at 7:37 of the first quarter a week ago: The other supposedly elite teams in the AFC all appear to have significant flaws. The Colts, with a makeshift offensive line and a moping and immobile Peyton Manning, looked like a team headed for a down season yesterday against the Vikings, while the Chargers simply looked like a team coached by Norv Turner. Trendy picks Jacksonville, Cleveland, and the J-E-T-S are a combined 1-5, and only Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Denver qualify somewhere between intriguing and impressive. I might not have said this a week ago, but I'll say it now: I like the Patriots' chances against this field.

5. Cassel seemed to target tight end Dave Thomas often yesterday, and considering that starter Ben Watson might as well move his locker into the trainer's room, it's probably a good thing for them to develop a rapport. I've always thought Thomas, a Rose Bowl hero at Texas, was a talent, though he's hardly been durable himself. And speaking of Patriots tight ends (or former Patriots) tight ends, how did Daniel Graham ever land a national commercial?