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It was only a short few weeks ago that the debate was raging across the NFL. Had Tom Brady and Bill Belichick finally met their match? Was the Patriots dominance over the AFC East – and most of the AFC itself -- over. Had Belichick finally outsmarted himself by relying too heavily on Brady without surrounding him with much actual talent? At the time, the Patriots were 2-2 with wins over Oakland and Minnesota, a loss to division rival Miami and an absolute shellacking at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs that produced an avalanche of critics and naysayers. (A confession ... yes, that was yours truly on the Oct. 1st Sportscentre, arguing with Tim Graham that Brady was no longer an elite NFL quarterback, based on his play during the first four weeks of the season.) Since then, New England has rattled off five wins in a row, outscoring opponents by an average of more than 18 points per game. Brady has been restored to his rightful place in the football universe and Patriots once again look like a force that will be hard to stop come December and January, erasing any doubt about what kind of threat they pose to the AFC by trouncing Denver. Before Sunday, the Broncos only loss had come in overtime to Seattle, but Peyton Mannings magic disappeared in New England, as it so often does, against the Bill Belichick defence. A healthy Rob Gronkowski has made a huge difference for New England. But to average more than 40 points per game on a team that was criticized for its lack of overall talent is about as remarkable as the manner in which the Patriots have overcome other injuries over that span. The most obvious answer comes down to coaching, with Sundays win over the Broncos illustrating the two most convincing points in the case for Belichick as the greatest NFL head coach ever. First, the manner in which New England was able to declaw the Broncos offence doesnt speak to the Patriots level of talent as it does to the fact that Belichick sees something in a Manning offence that others arent able to exploit. Secondly, it illustrates a signature of Belichick teams which traditionally get better as a season rolls along. Players improve and emerge between September and December, which is exactly what we saw back in 2001 when the Patriot greatness under Belichick first emerged. In that season, Belichick took a team that had been 5-11 the previous year, overcame an 0-2 start and led it all the way to the Super Bowl with a roster that wasnt exactly full of Hall of Fame players. In fact, the only one may have been the quarterback, a sixth-round pick whom few expected much of when he started and won a game for New England in Week 3 which sparked a remarkable turnaround. The quarterback of the other team that day? None other than Peyton Manning. The same Manning whose Broncos team looked like a sure thing to return to the Super Bowl this season, before being humbled by the Patriots. The Broncos were built to make a Super Bowl run, a veteran team stacked with talent, experience and depth. No one would say that about this edition of the Patriots. But would anyone really be surprised anymore if its them, and not Denver, thats playing for the Super Bowl come February? Wholesale Falcons Jerseys . Nikolaos Kounenakis has been hired as an assistant coach, the team announced on Monday. Cheap Falcons Jerseys China . - Henrik Samuelsson and Curtis Lazar each had two goals and two assists as the Edmonton Oil Kings secured top spot in the Eastern Conference by defeating the host Red Deer Rebels 7-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action. http://www.cheapfalconsjerseyselite.com/. With newly minted president of hockey operations Trevor Linden looking on from above one day after being handed the keys to the franchise, it was more of the same on Thursday night. Cheap Falcons Jerseys Authentic . -- Packers cornerback Tramon Williams has been fined $26,250 for contact with an official, per NFL guidelines. Cheap Falcons Jerseys .Kraft says Goodell realized before seeing a video showing Baltimore running back Ray Rice striking his then fiance that domestic violence was very serious for society in general.Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of former Philadelphia players teamed up to help the Blue Jackets win on Tuesday night. Scott Hartnell scored a power-play goal in the second period and Sergei Bobrovsky came up with 19 stops as Columbus claimed a 3-2 decision over the Flyers at Nationwide Arena. Kevin Connauton actually ended the contest at the 1:58 mark of overtime, breaking in alone and lifting a wrister under the crossbar off a feed from Ryan Johansen. The hosts were close to picking up two points while not allowing their opponents to take one away. Controversy erupted with 55.3 seconds to go, as a deflection from Brayden Schenn of a point shot slipped through Bobrovsky. Although referee Dave Jackson emphatically shook his head and raised his arms to stop play, televised replays revealed the puck was clearly over the line. Further review quickly confirmed the marker and the game headed to overtime. Boone Jenner also lit the lamp for the Blue Jackets, winners of a season-high four straight games. Schenn posted both scores for the Flyers, who finished up a five-game cross- country road trip at 1-2-2. Steve Mason halted 21 pucks in defeat, three days after his 37-save effort in Los Angeles allowed his club to pick up their lone win on the trip. Jenner produced the games first goal at the 12:34 mark of the first period, just 37 seconds into aa Zac Rinaldo interference call, by picking up his own blocked pass and scoring from the right post.dddddddddddd That pushed Columbus power-play prowess against Philly to 5-for-8 in two-plus contests. The Flyers got one back on their initial advantage, as Claude Giroux slipped a puck into a seam off the rush and Schenn one-timed it home from the high slot at 17:53. A scramble in front of Mason resulted in Hartnells turnaround backhander from atop the crease for another Blue Jackets power-play goal and a 2-1 lead at 10:39. Bobrovsky was quick to halt a Michael Raffl deflection with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, and Mason was called to the bench with 1:53 left for an extra attacker. Game Notes Jenner has scored in a personal best and team-high four consecutive games ... Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky was activated from injured reserve earlier on Tuesday, and made his season debut after missing 26 games due to recovery from abdominal surgery ... Columbus improved its power-play numbers against Philadelphia to six goals in 11 attempts over three meetings ... Flyers forward R.J. Umberger, traded for Hartnell in the offseason, participated in his 700th NHL game ... Schenns initial score was his first goal since Nov. 22, and he recorded his second multi-goal effort after a similar feat on Nov. 15. 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