The last time the Pats played the Saints, New England escaped with a 24-17 victory in Foxboro. This highlight vid from NFL films features a lot of old friends who aren't around anymore: Branch, Vrabel, Wilson, Davis just to name a few. The Saints look different, too. No one will mistake Aaron Brooks for Drew Brees, for example. No rest for the weary -- not this week, anyway.
Use this space for jibber-jabber, if anyone's up watching the Monday night tilt between Tennessee and Houston. They hate each other, and are treating us to a glimpse of playoff-level intensity. Keep an eye on Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and Mario Williams, as we'll be facing them the last week of the year -- a match that might have implications for playoff seeding.