Mark Craig: Belichick wins again

In Week 1, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots got caught cheating. In Week 2, while still at full strength because the NFL's punishment has no competitive impact this season, the Patriots:

A. Used the adversity as motivation to crush fellow AFC Super Bowl contender San Diego 38-14.

B. Handed Belichick a game ball. Gag.

C. Smiled as Belichick smugly told reporters, "It's time to move on."

Meanwhile, down in Dallas, old friend Wade Wilson, a 48-year-old quarterbacks coach who hasn't thrown a competitive pass in eight years, still has another three weeks on his five-week suspension for getting caught with performance-enhancing drugs. He said it was for his diabetes. The league believed him and said evidence supports Wilson's claim that he did not distribute drugs to the players. Of course, that was right after the NFL kicked Wilson out of Valley Ranch until Oct. 9.

While Wilson sits, Belichick and the Patriots actually stand to benefit emotionally from the soft punishment that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell imposed after the Patriots were caught violating league rules by filming the New York Jets' sideline to steal coaching signals.

Goodell fined Belichick $500,000 and the Patriots $250,000. He also will take New England's 2008 first-round pick if it makes the playoffs, or its second- and third-round picks if it doesn't make the playoffs. Either way, the Patriots will have a first-round pick next year, because they traded for San Francisco's.

I said last week that Belichick should have gotten a four-week suspension. Sunday's rout of the Chargers -- a game that was 24-0 at halftime -- is a good example of why.

The Patriots don't need to steal signals illegally to be a great team. Now, without a suspension to make them pay for Belichick's utterly arrogant crime, they're a supremely talented team that's still supremely coached and, oh yeah, supremely ticked off and determined to prove their legacy isn't based on cheating.

"We play for the best head coach in the history of the NFL," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was quoted as saying in USA Today on Monday. "I know it's a big week for him, and I'm just proud of the way we came out and performed tonight."

How ticked off and determined are the Pats? Don't be surprised if Don Shula and his '72 Dolphins finally met their match.

The Patriots are 2-0 with an uncluttered path to 5-0 (Buffalo, at Cincinnati, Cleveland). If they win at Dallas, they'll win at Miami, against Washington and be 8-0 going to Indianapolis.

By that time, some people will be grouchy that the Cheatin' Pats are 8-0, ultrafocused and kicking everybody's tail. That will make Belichick and the Patriots grouchier, which could push them to victory at Indy and on to wins at Buffalo, home to Philadelphia and at Baltimore.

They'll be 12-0 with Pittsburgh coming to Gillette Stadium. Besides the Jets, who squealed on the Patriots, no team has come down harder on the Patriots than the Steelers.

Some Pittsburgh players have called into question the legitimacy of New England's three Super Bowl victories. Of course, there's some sour grapes there because two of those Super Bowls came after the Patriots beat the Steelers in the AFC title game.

"[Steelers defensive back] Deshea Townsend said he felt like they cheated during the AFC Championship Game, so we should get Super Bowl rings," Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told reporters last week.

Belichick will recycle that quote, and others like it. So that's 13-0. Then it's the Jets rematch, and maybe the first NFL team to win 200-0. And then it's Miami at home and at the Giants to close the regular season at 16-0.

That would put Goodell within three games of having to hand Belichick his fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy.

By that point, maybe the commish will think he should have tossed Belichick on the bench next to poor Wade Wilson.

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com