The Patriots already beat the Eagles last week when they plucked University of Miami safety Brandon Meriweather off the draft board two picks before the Eagles' scheduled 26th selection. That domino - Meriweather was the player the Eagles really wanted in the first round - triggered the trade that brought Kevin Kolb and a quarterback controversy to Philadelphia.
But this isn't about the Eagles. This is about the almighty Patriots, winners of three Super Bowls in the top half of this decade and apparently hell-bent on making sure they don't go a third straight season without hoisting a Lombardi.
Meriweather's selection in the first round wasn't even big football news in New England by the end of the draft because of the next day's addition: star receiver Randy Moss from Oakland in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
That meant in the span of two months, the Patriots had given star quarterback Tom Brady three new receivers - Moss, former Eagle Donté Stallworth and Miami's Wes Welker.
That's quite a contrast from a year ago, when Brady's top targets were Reche Caldwell, Doug Gabriel, Jabar Gaffney and aging veteran Troy Brown. Now, Brady has two deep threats in Moss and Stallworth, a solid slot receiver in Welker and an outstanding tight end in Ben Watson.
Add in Kevin Faulk's ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, second-year running back Laurence Maroney's expected emergence, and one of the league's best offensive lines, and you have the potential for a lot of 30-point games from the New England offense. Opposing defenses against the Patriots feel a lot like the Washington Generals defending the Harlem Globetrotters.
