A peak inside Patriots Nation

I spent Sunday at Candlestick Park covering a winning NFL team. Of course I was doing a freelance job for the Boston Herald and writing a sidebar about New England Patriots running back Kevin Faulk -- not the 49ers.

Faulk hadn't run for a touchdown since 2006, but he rushed for two against the 49ers. It was that kind of day for the home team. Faulk seemed like a class act, a team-first type of player. He caught the 49ers napping when he took a direct snap and scored a crucial touchdown in the third quarter on a 2-yard run.

After spending decades sitting in football press boxes where I was surrounded by beat writers and columnists from the Bay Area, it seemed odd being smack in the middle of Patriots Writers Nation. It kind of reminded me of the 49ers' press corps near the end of the team's dynasty. Let's just say the standards are extremely high after so many Super Bowl seasons. Understandably so.

Here's the link to my story in the Herald.http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view/2008_10_06_Kevin_Faulk_just_rushes_to_judgment/srvc=pats&position=3

The Patriots are going to practice most of this week at San Jose State before heading to San Diego for a game against the Chargers. No wonder they rallied to beat the 49ers 30-21. The fear of losing back-to-back games then being stuck in the same hotel for a week with Bill Belichick, their warm and fuzzy coach, was more than enough motivation.