for the game. Whether with his famous pre-game dance, his speeches, or his trash talk out on the field (even with Brady), he brings a team with him into Gillette Stadium that many believe is playing motivated, inspired football.

While no NFL player should ever need to use another player’s personal narrative to motivate himself for a game, Lewis’ retirement has certainly been one of the major storylines of this NFL postseason, and cannot be totally overlooked going into the game. Baltimore has overcome a sluggish finish to the regular season, going 1-4 in their final five games, and are coming in with loads of confidence and swagger. They are one of the few teams that are truly not awed by or afraid of the Patriots.

Patriot Discipline

Despite all this,Luhnow On Mills Firing, Possible Replacements

Late last night, the Astros fired manager Brad Mills and coaches Bobby Meacham (first base) and Mike Barnett (hitting). This morning, the club announced their replacements, all on an interim basis: manager Tony DeFrancesco, first base coach Dan Radison, and hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo. The "getting to know you" phase shouldn't be difficult for DeFrancesco as seven of the nine players in the Astros' starting linuep today played for him in the minors, tweeted Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Here's the latest out of Houston:

The coaching staff had no sense the firings were immenient, instead thinking changes would be made after the season, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter).

General Manager Jeff Luhnow, however, told reporters, including McTaggart, the decision was made a