Who's beeper keep beepin and beepin?

Yeah, that's right, it's Monday (in case the ESPN commercials didn't remind you already), which means it's time to recap some football action.

Has anyone noticed that the Patriots are currently in first place in the AFC East, and they lay claim to the second-best record in the AFC? Raise your hand if you thought that was a possibility in the second quarter of Week 1.

NOTE: If you're raising your hand, you're a dirty liar.

The knock on this 5-2 record thus far is with the schedule. The Pats squeaked out close wins over the Rams, 49ers and the Chiefs. They beat up on an overrated Denver team that lost it's only defensive playmaker during the game. The only "good win" came against the Jets, who were struggling to adjust to a new quarterback at the time.

When it comes down to it, there is no BCS in the NFL. Wins count the same whether they are against first-place or last-place teams. If you get 10 wins against the worst teams in the league, you're still probably going to the playoffs.

This season reminds me a lot of 2001, not just because of the new quarterback situation, but because of the lack of expectations. When Brady went down, the hopes went from Super Bowl Champion to winning five games.

Now, the expectations are a little higher, but only the biggest yahoos think this team will be raising the Lombardi trophy at the end of the year. As far as I'm concerned, every win from now on is a bonus, and that makes things pretty entertaining. This Patriots team simply can't let me down because they already have achieved more than I thought they were. If they get to six wins, I'll be pleased. If they get to 10, I'll be very pleased. If they win a playoff game I'll be ecstatic. If they win the Super Bowl I may cry with joy.

New England's time on the top of the football world has ended (for now), and Pats fans everywhere need to take a different perspective into a football season. It's kind of refreshing, but hopefully they'll restore Patriots fans to their arrogant, pompous selves next season.