Patriots Prefer Running Shtick

As exciting as they are on the field, the New England Patriots are deathly boring off it.

“We don’t have a bunch of clowns,” safety Rodney Harrison said. “We don’t have a bunch of guys doing push-ups and sit-ups.... We’re not trying to have guys draw attention to themselves and get singled out, flexing their muscles and stuff. Just play football and win some games.”

The formula has worked like a dream. The Patriots extended their NFL-record winning streak to 20 games Sunday with a 30-20 victory over Seattle, securing only their second 5-0 start in franchise history.

Playing a key role in the victory was a player only one week removed from Coach Bill Belichick’s doghouse for, well, un-Patriotic behavior.

Second-year receiver Bethel Johnson made a spectacular and possibly streak-saving catch in the fourth quarter, a week after being deactivated for the Miami game for reasons no one has fully explained. Speculation centered on Johnson having lackadaisical practices in the days leading up to the game.

Lackadaisical doesn’t cut it in New England, not with a team that won two of the last three Super Bowls and lately has been hurting for healthy receivers. Maybe more than any franchise in the league, the Patriots embrace a mentality that nobody’s bigger than the team.

“When 50 guys are all on the same page and one guy’s trying to rock the boat, it’s not going to happen,” tight end Christian Fauria said, speaking in general terms, not specifically about Johnson. “We’re not going to let it happen. Either you’re going to get onboard, or we’re going to leave you behind.”

Johnson’s catch Sunday showed he’s onboard, even though he didn’t stick around in the locker room to talk about it.

The play came with less than three minutes remaining, and the Patriots, who led by three points, facing a third and seven at their 40. The call was simple: a bomb to Johnson. Quarterback Tom Brady took the snap, heaved his longest pass of the day, and Johnson made a diving grab, using every bit of his blistering speed and 5-foot-11 body to get his hands under the ball.

“We always tell Tom, ‘Just throw it out there; you can’t overthrow him,’ ” Belichick said. “[But] he almost did.”

For Brady, who earlier in the quarter was sandwiched with such a brutal hit his helmet popped off, the catch was a thing of beauty.

“I just laid it up there and he tracked it down,” Brady said. “What a great catch. And I think it goes to show you that this team, it’s more than just one or two guys. Each week we’re going to need everyone.”

Two plays later, Corey Dillon scored on a nine-yard run, his second touchdown in a 105-yard rushing day, and the Patriots had a comfortable 30-20 cushion. Close calls are nothing new in these parts.

In all but four of the Patriots’ 20 victories during the streak, their opponent either led, was tied or was within seven points sometime in the fourth quarter. Eleven of those games were decided by eight points or fewer.

In a league of evenly matched teams, coaches usually don’t have the luxury of getting too critical about a victorious performance. But Belichick has earned the right to nitpick.

“We had some mistakes, and we screwed some things up,” said Belichick, whose team plays host to the New York Jets (5-0) on Sunday. “We just did a poor job. I did a poor job ... I should take responsibility and will take responsibility.”

It was surprising the Seahawks (3-2) were still in the game in the fourth quarter, considering they fell behind in the first 18 minutes, 17-0. They clawed back with four field goals by Josh Brown, and a nine-yard touchdown run by Shaun Alexander.

In the end, though, it wasn’t enough. Not against a New England team so accustomed to taking control at crunch time.

“They have been in more situations like this, and they’re more experienced than we are,” Coach Mike Holmgren said. “They are a very veteran and smart team, and that’s our goal: to get there.”

It could take a while. Seattle receiver Darrell Jackson upset the Patriots in the week leading up to the game by suggesting they’re vulnerable. Jackson repeated that after the game.

“I think they’re a good team but they’re still not that good,” Jackson said. “They’re beatable. I think if we played them again that we would beat them.”

During the game, Harrison said, Jackson’s mouth was moving as fast as his feet.

“All game I was in his ear, like, ‘You’re not doing anything today,’ ” Harrison said. “[Cornerback] Ty Law did a great job. I think [Jackson] had two catches, and one he was running free on after blown coverage.

“I told him, ‘You’re a good young player. Shut up and play football.’ ”

Asked how the New England players would handle that yammering if it came from within their locker room, Harrison shook his head slowly and said, “He’d get weeded out really fast.”