FanHouse New England

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: All Tom Brady, all the time. Honestly, he's got it all: a rocket for an arm, Madison Avenue good looks, dreamy eyes (that's what the ladies say, anyway), a few Super Bowl rings, Hall of Fame career, lingerie model girlfriend. He's living the American dream, and as he goes, the Patriots go. Unfortunately for New England, he hasn't played a snap this preseason, and as a result, the Patriots' offense has gone from a battleship that bombed opposing defenses into submission, to a rowboat missing an oar, aimlessly spinning in circles. A healthy Brady is the key to the season, because if the two Matt's (Cassell and Gutierrez) can't get it done in fake games, what's going to happen if they face defenses that have actually game planned and are trying to stop them? Brady will play on one leg, if he has to. Heat Index: 9

So that Thursday announcement didn't pan out.

But the the Friday one certainly will. (At 12:30pm EST, actually!)

That announcement also won't likely carry any new news along for Lowe's Motor Speedway vs. Concord City Council, either, as Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith is expected to announce a purchase of Bob Bahre's independently owned track in New England -- New Hampshire International Speedway.

On Friday, Smith is expected to announce only the purchase of the track in Loudon, N.H., and not speculate on any plans to move either of its two Nextel Cup Series race dates, multiple sources said.

Smith has previously stated his desire to add a second Cup date to his track in Las Vegas. He also has expressed interest in an earlier date for his second Texas race to avoid a conflict with the opening of white-tail deer hunting season.

Yes, you read that correctly -- to avoid a conflict in Texas with not an open wheel race, a Cowboys game, or a rodeo but rather white-tail deer hunting season.

Think that just threw out every stereotype that the NASCAR bigwigs in Daytona have been trying so hard to abandon? You can bet Brian France is cringing to hear that a track owner is trying to help the fans that don't drink martinis or Perrier -- but rather is making them us a priority.

And to think, just Tuesday, I was questioning Bruton's commitment to the fans. (And well, I probably still would if he moves LMS, but as for now, he's got some points in my book.)

But the real announcement on this issue, apparently, isn't being made Friday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Don't you hate those karaoke singers who do the same thing everyone always does? The guy who thinks he's being cool singing "My Way"? The couple who think it's really hip to get up there and sing "Love Shack"? Yeah, Tom Brady is one of those people:

Thanks to The Big Picture for pointing out that when Tom Brady sings karaoke, he has to go with "I've Got Friends in Low Places." Because no one has ever thought of doing that one before.

How bad was the 41-0 rout to the New England Patriots? It was Washington's worst August loss since a 48-3 spanking to the Houston Oilers in 1974.

What does that mean for the outlook of the season? Only time will tell, but the Redskins aren't a team that folds easily. Last year they were 5-6 with only five games left in the season when they defied the odds and not only went to the playoffs, they even won a game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl runner-ups.

To predict the outcome of the regular season based off the preseason in the Redskins case would be a mistake. Sure the offense has looked like a Pop Warner team. And the defense got shredded by the Patriots. And the special teams look more like they were cursed. But the one variable that will separate these Redskins from the Redskins of the past and any other team in the league is the coaching staff. If it was Steve Spurrier's rookie staff, we would worry. Even if it was Norv Turner's team, a coach who has never truly succeeded in the league, we would worry. Marty? Well, he's been in the league forever and still hasn't earned a Lombardi Trophy.

But when you have a staff that has seen it all, you can maintain confidence that the Redskins will make a run for home field advantage during the playoffs. Joe Gibbs wears three Super Bowl rings and it's not because he's had the NFL's best talent, either. It's coaching.

Gibbs spoke Sunday night about the performance of the Patriots game, and it's evident there's a method to the madness. One of the things he mentioned was the Redskins played "straight up," not blitzing a lot, using misdirections or anything fancy. Just manning up.

At the expense of a confidence-shattering performance, it looks like the staff is going back to basics, looking at the foundation of the team, analyzing the players for their individual performances instead of the performance as a result of good play-calling, and sure enough, doing what great coaches do.

It may be taking a little longer than we hoped, but the coaching staff will have this team ready to play come the opening kickoff, and soon enough, this 41-0 thumping will be just a distant memory.