Despite tactics, Pats' advantages cannot be denied

Wes Welker's 56 receptions this season has helped the Patriots score 100 more points than any other team through Week 8. AP

MAILBAG Dr. Z will answer select user questions each week in his NFL mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

I'm glad to see that my match-ups for this weekend's Colts-Pats game got posted in time for rapid e-mailers to get a crack at them. The layout of the match-ups always poses a problem for the technicians in the office, a problem of "formatting," as they say. Actually I don't say it because I don't like to use a noun as a verb. Quite exciting actually. One of the computers blew and lots of little names were flung off the screen, onto the floor, where they were seen scurrying toward freedom. Andrew came through, though, and caught them all in his butterfly net.

So in honor of that dramatic event, I will present match-up complainers, uh, e-mailers first.

Willis from Austin is upset over my choice of Wes Welker over Dallas Clark. One of the toughest choices on the board. Clark has been terrific, a real savior for Peyton and the boys. But Cowboys' offensive coordinator Jason Garrett pretty closely echoes my sentiments when he calls Welker, the greatest hot read receiver in history, his favorite player. And Jason started his collegiate life at dear old Columbia U., so he ought to know.

Phil of L.A. says he's not sure he'd give the Patriots' LG-C combination of Mankins and Koppen the edge over the Colts' Lilja and Saturday. Well, Lilja is a former SI all-pro but Mankins is, I believe, the best in the NFL right now. And I called Saturday and Koppen even.

Mike of L.A. would have preferred it if I'd have matched offense to defense, and vice-versa; in other words, match the people against the guys they have to play directly against. Oh, I've tried to make that work in the past, but after I tried to pair 'em up, I'd always wind up with something totally artificial, such as QB against free safety

From David of Akron: "C'mon, Z, don't waffle on Brady-Manning. Give us your opinion. Who's got the edge?" Brady, because protection has been better, and so have his receivers. But that's strictly for us e-mail chaps. On the Web site, where everyone can see it, it's a tie.

We move to the Patriots, who are becoming one of the most controversial superchamps in the modern era. Did they try to run up the score vs. Washington? Yes. Do I dislike it? Yes. How would I handle it? Don't know. Just let jayvee runners carry the ball once the score hit 38-0, I guess. My senior year at Columbia, we lost to Army, 67-12. In the last 10 minutes or so, the West Point guys were saying, "Don't give up, Columbia. We're not gonna pass any more." That made them even more hateful than usual. So I guess I'm arguing against myself at this point, right? Actually my sentiments are those of Steve Young, who said it was an ugly thing to see the celebrations that greeted each TD, when the score reached the stratosphere.

John of Boston has done a massive research project, listing his top average point differentials, going back to 1970, to prove ... uh, what exactly, John? That the Patriots, whose current 25.5-point differential, eclipses all of them, do run up the score? That they do it, but others did it, too. That previous teams with potent offenses couldn't help it? Well, I admire the research, no kidding, I really do, but they still shouldn't be throwing the deep one to Moss, up 38-0.

Vin of Boston (naturally) feels that the whole debate is asinine, and he gives all the standard reasons why everything was kosher out there. Yo, Vin! Some coaches throw the deep one, up 38-0, and some won't do it.

And we move on to Boston in general and why it's called Beantown when they have a hell of a lot more beans in the Plains states. From Eric of L.A. -- "What's your take on all this talk about the Patriots being the greatest team ever?" My take on the talk, or my talk of the take, is the same as when I hear wine dealers describing every new arrival from Bordeaux as the Vintage of the Century. Generally people who indulge in this kind of exaggeration have some stake in the action. Mindless promotion, in other words.

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