Free swag for Brady, Patriots?

First ‘hat and T-shirt game’ looms Sunday vs. Eagles

 

 

NFL. In the words of linebacker Tedy Bruschi, it’s the first hat and T-shirt game of the year — you win, you find an extra hat and T-shirt when you get back to your locker.

If the 10-0 Patriots beat the Eagles Sunday night at Gillette Stadium, they’ll find “2007 AFC East Champions” hat and T-shirts waiting for them. A victory — or Buffalo loss — would would be their fifth straight division title for New England, and would tie the earliest division clinch since the NFL established the 16-game schedule in 1978. But to get that free gear, they’ll first have to get through Philadelphia.

Offensively, that doesn’t appear to be a problem — behind quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss, the Patriots’ passing game is without peer. The two are the best at what they do — Moss leads the NFL with 16 touchdowns and 1,052 yards receiving, while Brady leads the NFL in pass completions percentage (74.0), yards passing (3,059) and passing touchdowns (38). Small wonder that when Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel was asked what he was thankful for this year, he said with a smile: “I’m thankful for Tom Brady, and Randy Moss and a good offense.”

Defensively, the Patriots will face a challenge on two fronts. One, they’re still uncertain as to who will be under center for the Eagles on Sunday — starting quarterback Donovan McNabb has been hobbled by ankle and thumb injuries, and backup A.J. Feeley took snaps with the starting offense yesterday.

New England safety Rodney Harrison says he knows who’ll be playing.

“McNabb will be there. We’re not worried about him,” Harrison said of the starter, who has led the Eagles to a 5-5 mark this season. “He’ll be there. That’s who we expect. Regardless of who’s back there, we still have to stop them. We still have to play solid Patriots defense.”

Two, the Patriots will have to contain Brian Westbrook. The dangerous running back  has 849 yards rushing and 518 receiving yards, and is used in much the same manner as St. Louis used All-World running back Marshall Faulk a few years ago — he’s as much of a threat in the passing game as he is in the running game.

“There are a lot of similarities. They’re both smart backs with great talent,” veteran linebacker Junior Seau said of Faulk and Westbrook. “There are a lot of similarities.”