What a wild two weeks to the opening of the season! In one way I am glad I was out of the country last week to miss some of the missing action, but the Monday Analysis is right back at it for Week 2. But before all of the new action, let’s recap some of the big doings from the past couple of weeks…

In a surprising move six days before the first regular season game, the Patriots cut four-time Pro Bowl Safety Lawyer Milloy. Milloy has been steadfast refusing to restructure his whopping contract of $5.9 million projected this year. Both he and cornerback Ty Law, coming in at $8.8 million, have been stubborn about restructures, and ironically, but to no surprise, both have the same agent, Carl Poston.

By the end of the next day, Milloy had a brand new $15 million, 4-year deal with the Bills, and was expected to start five days later in the season opener against is former team the Patriots.

The release slashed a hole in the Patriots locker room. Many veterans spoke out against the release, saying it was the wrong thing to do at the wrong time, but there is now a rumor circulating that Poston and Milloy may have received offers several weeks prior from other teams, which would constitute as tampering. Should the NFL investigate and discover this is true, Milloy, his agent and the teams involved could be in worst trouble than simply being released for salary cap reasons.

Just days after being released by the Patriots and then signed to the Buffalo Bills, Safety Lawyer Milloy and his new team completely blew the Patriots out of the water, 31-0.

So what happened to our team that went 4-0 in preseason?

Well, I'll be willing to bet it had an awful lot to do with Milloy selling all of the trade secrets to his new teams about the old team. That, and the distractions of their former teammate being released and then signing with the new team. Well, boo-hoo. Get over it fellas. Milloy is no brother, just a trader. That’s the biz of the NFL. Get used to it and get moving forward.

And the Patriots got right back at it, beating the helpless Eagles 31-10. Both teams came into Week 1 with a lot of high expectations, but neither could score any points to work that trend. In a game that was clearly a big challenge for both teams to break their scoreless/winless streak, the Patriots got over whatever was bugging them last week and the Eagles just kept on losing.

"We moved on," said coach Bill Belichick. "I thought it was a normal week of preparation. There were some things we screwed up in practice, but that happens every week. I just thought we played better today."

And the team was happy to get beyond last week and get a win.

``It's a tough town here,'' said safety Rodney Harrison, ``but the people here have got to remember they have a very good football team. I'm glad we won. Any time you can win on the road, it's huge, but when they're booing, you love it even more.''

And winning is a good thing for the 1-1 Patriots. Next week they'll open the Razor for the 2003 season against the New Jersey Jets.

Yes, it is back: Weekend Break Down where you get the scores and a jabbing comment about the losing team.

Bills 38 (2-0), JAGUARS 17 (0-2) - Final: Well, it’s no fluke: the Bills are dominatingly for real. The Buffalo Big Three of Bledsoe, Moulds and Henry continue to be a driving force in Buffalo.

RAVENS 33 (1-1), Browns 13 (0-2) - Final: The big story is Jamal Lewis who set an NFL single game rushing record of 295 yards.

Packers 31 (1-1), Lions 6 (1-1) - Final: The big story here is that Detroit is currently riding that 17-game losing streak on the road.

Chiefs 41 (2-0), Steelers 20 (1-1) - Final: Priest Holmes clocked in three touchdowns over 122 yards, and the Chiefs have themselves a 2-0 start.

COLTS 33 (2-0), Titans 7 (1-1) - Final: Tennessee isn’t going to get anywhere without scoring points. Indy got all over these guys and chalked up an impressive 30+.

Rams 27 (1-1), 49ers 24 (1-1) - Final/OT: Marc Bulger was in for Kurt Warner after receiving a concussion in last week’s game against the Giants. Bulger is also responsible for every Ram win since the NFC Championship game in January 2002.

Dolphins 21 (1-1), Jets 10 (0-2) - Final: Vinny Testeverde may have gone over 40,000 yards during this game, but none of them could help the J-E-T-S, even at home.

Saints 31 (1-1), Texans 10 (1-1) - Final: The Texans can’t catch a break, and the Saints started hot last season, so let’s not get excited.

Redskins 33 (2-0), Falcons 31 (1-1) - Final: How much does Dan Reeves miss Michael Vick? Even funnier, how much does Steve Spurrier miss his Florida quarterbacks?

Panthers 12 (2-0), Buccaneers 9 (1-1) - Final/OT: Whoa! World Champs blow out by Carolina in overtime! Chuckie Gruden is blowing every blood vessel in his forehead today.

Seahawks 38 (2-0), Cardinals 0 (0-2) - Final: How much does Arizona miss Jake Plummer? Better yet, how much do they love having Emmitt Smith right now?

Raiders 23 (1-1), Bengals 20 (0-2) - Final: When this game comes does to the final seconds and the score is separated by a field goal, the Bengals are on their way up and the Raiders are on their way down.

Broncos 37 (2-0), Chargers 13 (0-2) - Final: With Jake Plummer or Steve Beuerlein at the helm, it seems that the Broncos may have some production on offense, but can it last? On the other side, Diego needs a charging.

Patriots 31 (1-1), Eagles 10 (0-2) - Final: Ahhh….a good victory. Sorry Philly…

Vikings 24 (2-0), Bears 13 (0-2) - Final: Poor Bears. Everyone but Brian Urlacher has been let go. And with his big salary, all they can afford is Kordell Stewart at QB and Dick Jauron at head coach.

Dallas (0-1) at NY GIANTS (1-0) Tonight 9 PM ABC

The first ever draft pick Ron Burton has died at the age of 67. Mr. Burton, a pick in the 1960 draft lost his battle to bone cancer over the weekend, but not before leaving a very big humanitarian legacy, one that was honored during training camp with the Patriots announcement of the Ron Burton Award, an honor given to a current player who has given back to the community, something that Mr. Burton was well known for in the community. The first recipient of the award was Joe Andruzzi for his contributions to the community.

"Ron Burton was a tremendous asset to the New England community," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. "We are all saddened by his loss."

Mr. Burton leaves behind a wife and five children and a legacy to be admired.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Ron Burton Training Village, P.O. Box No. 2, Hubbardston, MA, 01452.

During the big loss in Buffalo during Week 1, linebacker Ted Johnson broke his foot and will be out for up to six weeks or more. Johnson has been with the team for nine seasons, and was recently just named defensive co-captain. Head coach Bill Belichick expressed disappointment in the loss, saying that Johnson had had a productive training camp and was having a good year so far.

Four players who were involved in he final cut were signed to the Patriots practice squad: seventh-round pick Ethan Kelley, a nose tackle from Baylor; offensive lineman Jamil Soriano from Harvard; safety Shawn Mayer from Penn State; and guard Russ Hochstein from Nebraska.

ejh