TEAM TALK

• Andy Hart says Shane Vereen's early touchdown run was a key catapult to the Patriots blowout victory.
• Paul Perillo tackles the Ask PFW mailbag: Weathering the storm.
• Brady, Ridley nominated for FedEx Player of the Week.
• Patriots close out first half of 2012 season with another TV rating over 30.
• Patriots announced today that they have released LB Bobby Carpenter.
• Conference Call Transcripts: Bill Belichick - Josh McDaniels - Matt Patricia.
• Patriots Today - Reigning running backs. (2.51 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Gronk makes most of London. (3.08 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Inside the winning locker room. (1.16 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Slaters share special moment. (1.24 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Karen Guregian evaluates the Patriots at the midpoint and sees them moving towards consistency.
• Karen Guregian sizes up the rest of the AFC East.
• Brian MacPherson reports the Patriots will use the bye week to look back at recent games and focus on making improvements for the stretch run.
• Greg A. Bedard reports the Patriots blitzed the Rams on 20 percent of the snaps, but that only tells part of the tale.
• Field Yates notes Rob Gronkowski drew nearly as much attention for his TD celebrations as he did for his eight-catch, 146-yard night.
• Field Yates spotlights the Patriots' run defense.
• Tom E. Curran issues his Midseason Report Card: Offense.
• Mike Reiss gives us a stat check on where the Patriots stand in key categories as they head into their bye week.
• Christopher Price tracks the targets for the New England passing game.
• Christopher Price lists the offensive touches for each skill position player through eight weeks.
• Christopher Price tells us which defenders have done the best job getting after the QB in eight games.
• Christopher Price breaks down the Patriots penalties for the 2012 season.
• Mike Reiss answers his weekly reader mailbag. Fans feel better after the rout, but they still have questions.
• Mark Daniels Patriots Notebook: Belichick & Co. won't be using the bye as a vacation week; Coaching staff and players will use the time for self-evaluation, play-calling adjustments and improvement; Matt Patricia and Josh McDaniels were pleased to see how well the Pats played Sunday on both sides of the ball; Patriots released Bobby Carpenter.
• Michael Whitmer Patriots Notebook: At the bye week there is no shortage of focus points for the coaching staff; Heading into Week 9 the Pats lead the league in points (262), points per game (32.7), and yards gained (3,526) and have the top-ranked offense, perfectly balanced: No. 5 in rushing, No. 5 in passing; Players practice on Thursday but will get an extended weekend break.

NATIONAL NEWS

• John Parolin (ESPN Stats & Info) Three-point stance: Pats at midseason.
• James Walker (ESPN) AFC East Week 8 knee-jerk reactions. 'New England is a good team in a mediocre AFC'.
• Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Chalk talk video: Gronkowski vs. Rams' Cover 2. (3.33 min. video)
• Michael David Smith (Pro Football Talk) Tom Brady: We're 5-3, don't say we could be undefeated.
• Big Play Breakdown (USA Football) Week 5: Patriots vs. Broncos. Three key blocks spring a simple running play to convert a 3rd and 17. (1.47 min. video)
• Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com) Packers, Steelers, Patriots getting back on track; Week 8 notes.
• Peter King (SI) MMQB Tuesday edition; Mail.
• Jim Trotter (SI) Awards watch: Week 8.
• Peter Schrager (Fox Sports) Midseason Awards: Hand out hardware.
• Dave Dameshek (NFL.com) The Shame Report: Week 8. (4.31 min. video)
• Jason Whitlock (Fox Sports) NFL Truths. "I still can’t believe Patriots guard Brian Waters is going to sit out the entire season."