It’s Friday, which means Roundtable day over at the Patriots Game Day page. Dare I say things are a little testy around there these days. All it took was one loss, apparently.

John Tomase says that Corey Dillon will have some fire within him as he returns to Cincinnati for the first time in the regular season as a member of the opposition. Mike Reiss has a look at Otis Smith, who has continued his Patriots career as a member of the coaching staff. Joe McDonald has Rodney Harrison rising to answer the playful trash talk of Chad Johnson. Tony Massarotti has a rather weak column this morning on Bill Belichick and the fact that he might not have given himself enough to win with this season. I say weak not because the article is mildly critical of the Patriots coach, but because it doesn’t contain any strong arguments for the case he’s trying to present. He seems to waffle his way through it at times. Chris Kennedy has Tom Brady translating his body language for the media.

Michael Parente notes that the Bengal’s ball hawking defense will also provide a test for the Patriots. Hector Longo has Stephen Gostkowski remaining confident despite his early struggles. David Brown has more on the talk between Johnson and the Patriots. Eric McHugh has Tom Brady urging the media to move on from analyzing his body language. Christopher Price has a look at the knee injuries of Rodney Harrison and Carson Palmer. Massarotti looks at Rodney Harrison and Carson Palmer each returning from devastating knee injuries to start the season on their team’s active roster.

Alan Greenberg compares Chad Johnson to a young Muhammad Ali in his ability to good naturedly trash talk his opponents and then whip them on the playing field. Albert Breer notes that if the Patriots attempt to blitz Carson Palmer and the Bengals repeatedly on Sunday, they could end up getting burned. Peter May examines the off-field troubles of many of the Cincinnati Bengals. Jennifer Toland examines Palmer’s return from the knee injury suffered in the playoff game last winter.

Bob Ryan weighs in on the whole Terrell Owens story, and offers that no matter what we might think, we really don’t know the guy.

Reiss’ notebook has Belichick and Harrison returning some playful trash talk in the direction of Chad Johnson. Tomase’s notebook has more on the barbs being hurled between to two sides. McDonald’s notebook focuses on Belichick’s answers for Johnson. Toland’s notebook features more of the Chad Johnson show. Parente’s notebook has still more on this topic. McHugh’s notebook has a look at Dillon’s return to Cincinnati.

Jim Lazar opens his weekend Bet Box by predicting a Bengals win over the Patriots. Jim McCabe offers his picks for the weekend in the Globe. I.M. Bettor lets you know what’s bouncing around in his head for this weekend as well. Double D also has his pro picks.

Michael Salfino offers some Buy Hold and Sell advice for fantasy football. The Globe offers you who’s hot and who’s not in terms of Fantasy. You can also check their Fantasy Hub on Boston.com for more advice. Josh Bousquet also offers up some advice for those involved in fantasy leagues.

Nick Cafardo has a mini-feature on Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, who is frequently compared to David Ortiz, with good reason.

Michael Silverman has Alex Gonzalez hoping to be rewarded with a Gold Glove for his play at shortstop this season. Amalie Benjamin has Trot Nixon reflecting on his time here in Boston, which might come to an end this weekend. Jeff Goldberg has more from Nixon. Alex Speier also has a look at Nixon, the original “dirt dog”.

Steve Buckley has Carlos Pena remaining positive despite not seeing the field all that much this month. Steven Krasner has Mark Loretta acknowledging that this season hasn’t quite worked out as he had planned. Rob Bradford says that Josh Beckett is done learning on the job for the Red Sox. Kevin Henkin says that David Ortiz will be OK without Manny Ramirez. Silverman’s notebook has a sneak peek at some highlights of the 2007 schedule.

Scott Van Voorhis reports that the Red Sox may sell naming rights to the season next year.

David Scott follows up with Jerry Trupiano’s agent, Brad Blank who says that they still have not heard anything from the Red Sox. He also has a Jerome Solomon update and many other items. Susan Bickelhaupt has more from Trupiano, who is a bit peeved that he’s reading about his future in the gossip column.

Jeff Jacobs weighs in on the state of journalism. Lenny Megliola offers up a thoughts column.

Stephen Harris has Bruins defenseman Jason York talking about his time in Switzerland last season. Bud Barth says that Peter Kalus won’t have to be sent back to his Junior team in Canada if he doesn’t make the Bruins final roster. Fluto Shinzawa has the Bruins sweating it out at practice after a poor performance against the Rangers. Harris’ notebook has Wayne Primeau continuing to play through the pain in his surgically repaired hip.

Check back later for a weekend preview…

With time an issue this morning, here’s a few columns from the BSMW archives that I thought would be worth reviewing if you missed them the first time around.

Things that have ruined sports coverage in Boston for me – This is an entry from last October where I listed out the top 14 things in the media that have really ruined by enjoyment of sports.

Bill Belichick and the New England Media – A column from April 2005 looking at the relationship that the Patriots coach has with the media around here, and why things are the way they are.

The Tangled Web of the New York Times Co and the Boston Red Sox – A look at how the NYT Co values their investment in the Red Sox as evidenced by their financial statements and what their influence on the team is.

The Story Behind BSMW – Self explanatory.

What I’ve learned since starting BSMW – Sports media people are thin skinned? Sports radio is faked?

If BSMW was Full Time – What would I do with the site if it was my full-time job? I took a day to brainstorm some ideas on this topic.

David Scott talks to Red Sox radio voice Jerry Trupiano about an item that appeared in the gossip section of this morning’s edition of the Boston Herald.

The item suggested that the Red Sox were ready to move on from Trupiano after 14 years in the booth and that former team PR man Glenn Geffner was the favorite to replace him.

Scott talked to Trupiano this afternoon, and reached out to Red Sox Executive Vice President/Public Affairs, Dr. Charles Steinberg, as well as Entercom’s Jason Wolfe for comment on the story.

Mike Reiss talks to Gino Cappelletti and Bills kicker Rian Lindell about the early struggles of Patriots rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski, and gets their advice for him and the team in dealing with him. Michael Felger reports that the team worked out Vinny Testaverde yesterday, and also examines the defense’s problems on third down and in forcing turnovers. The Projo offers up a She Said/He Said between Shalise Manza Young and Joe McDonald. Subjects are Tom Brady and John Madden. Ian Clark has a report card for Sunday night’s game against the Broncos. Eric McHugh says that the Patriots came out of Sunday night very unsatisfied.

John Tomase gives us a good look at Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees and the path that he has taken to the NFL and the position he currently holds. Michael Parente looks at the Bengals, who are no longer the NFL doormat that they were for so long. Christopher Price has a look at the Patriots’ struggles in forcing turnovers, something that was a mainstay of the title years. Reiss’ notebook says that Matt Cassel and the Patriots won’t be getting any advance help this week from Cassel’s college teammate Carson Palmer. McHugh’s notebook has Belichick passing on questions about the team’s trip to China next summer.

Curt Schilling picked up his 15th win of the season and David Ortiz hit his 54th home run as the Red Sox defeated the Devil Rays 5-1 last night at Fenway Park.

Karen Guregian has Schilling suggesting with a single word that last night could’ve been his final big league appearance. Amalie Benjamin has Schilling ending his season on a high note. Jeff Goldberg has more on Schilling getting his 15th win of the season. David Borges looks at Schilling capping a difficult season with a win.

Michael Silverman reports on the sudden surgery to Matt Clement, which will likely keep him out all of next season, ending his Red Sox career. Rob Bradford has Terry Francona passing the test of the tough times as Red Sox manager. Steven Krasner has a look at the Red Sox stellar infield defense this season. Bill Ballou says that among the Red Sox biggest flaws this season was weak hitting in the clutch.

Lenny Megliola has a nice look at Johnny Pesky, who turns 87 today. Guregian also has David Ortiz trying to discourage any talk of trading Manny in the offseason. Alex Speier notes that Josh Beckett has made a lot of improvements since hitting rock bottom against the Yankees in August, with changes that bode well for the future. Joe Haggerty has Bronson Arroyo still missing Boston.

Silverman’s notebook has Alex Gonzalez hoping that he can sign a three or four year contact with the Red Sox, though the two sides have not spoken yet. Benjamin’s notebook has more on Clement’s “extensive” shoulder injury and surgery. Krasner’s notebook looks at David Ortiz continuing to come through for the Sox. Ballou’s notebook has more on Big Papi continuing to erase the Red Sox record book. Borges’ notebook looks at the strong Rhode Island contingent in the major leagues.

Fluto Shinzawa has a look at Bruins defenseman Paul Mara, who is back at home in Boston and looking forward to being a big contributor to the team. Steve Conroy has UNH product Mark Mowers hoping that he’s found a home with the Bruins. Bud Barth looks at Jeff Hoggan, hoping to stick with the Bruins. Mick Colageo has a look at the Bruins huge defensive corps. Shinzawa’s notebook also looks at Hoggan.

NESN has Red Sox/Devil Rays at 7:00. ESPN has Phillies/Nationals at 7:00.

Scroll down for TV ratings numbers from the weekend.

Greg Doyle deserves combat pay for going back and watching the Patriots/Broncos game a second time, but he comes away with a few new views of the game and individual performances.

Gerry Callahan chooses a focus point for his column on whether Tom Brady is out of sorts…Brady throwing the ball “into the ground” during a 3rd and 6 play on Sunday, which Callahan expands to mean that Brady was totally frustrated at a non-call from the officials and allowed his anger and frustrations to get the better of him. Jackie MacMullan says that Brady’s body language is downright troubling these days, and like Callahan, she projects that it is either because he is upset at the lack of talent around him, or that he is upset at himself for his own poor play thus far. Shalise Manza Young has Rosevelt Colvin upset at himself for not getting to Jake Plummer a split second earlier and having the chance to make a big play in the second quarter Sunday night. Albert Breer looks at the Patriots being unable to come up with the big play or stop.

Michael Felger has his weekly Patriots report card. Ian Clark says that the Patriots are work in progress, as the passing game needs to improve to take some pressure off the running game. Alan Greenberg has Bill Belichick focused solely on Cincinnati and not China or anything else going on at the moment. Michael Parente says that the Patriots need to solve their issues with the big play before this weekend’s meeting with the Bengals, who are all about the big play. Bill Reynolds says that the Patriots have lost their mystique and are just another ordinary team.

Christopher L Gasper looks at Doug Gabriel finally showing a glimpse of what he could bring to the Patriots during the fourth quarter of the Broncos game. Rich Garven, normally mild-mannered and solid with his reporting, gets a little critical of the Patriots this morning, saying that Chad Jackson is injured more than Manny Ramirez, that the Patriots did absolutely nothing to improve their secondary this summer, and compares Tom Brady on the field to Aaron Brooks and off the field makes reference to Brady calling out his teammates as if it’s like what the Yankees have been going through lately. Eric McHugh has Tom Brady seemingly not as frustrated after the game with his performance, yet still dealing with a loss. John Tomase looks at the Patriots opponents hitting it big against them.

Gasper’s notebook says that the long pass plays really have hurt the Patriots the last couple weeks. Young’s notebook has Belichick sidestepping specific questions regarding Tom Brady and his frustrations and struggles. Parente’s notebook had Belichick not choosing to talk about China. McHugh’s notebook has more on the big play struggles of the Patriots and capabilities of the Bengals. Tomase’s notebook has more on Gabriel.

Gordon Edes has Matt Clement going to visit Dr. James Andrews in an attempt to get some answers for the discomfort in his shoulder which has kept him out since June. Jeff Horrigan has the Red Sox hoping that Manny will be able to play before the end of the season, and has a few experts discuss knee tendonitis. Sean McAdam says that the Red Sox coaching staff will learn their fate pretty quickly once the season ends on Sunday. David Heuschkel looks at the Red Sox loss last night in which David Ortiz just missed his 33rd road homer of the season. David Borges ponders second base for 2007 – will the Sox bring back Mark Loretta, or will the position go to Dustin Pedroia? Phil O’Neill notes that we might be witnessing Trot Nixon’s final homestand as a member of the franchise this weekend.

Edes’ notebook looks at the Red Sox dropping into third place. Horrigan’s notebook has the Sox planning on having Wily Mo Pena work on his defense during this offseason. Borges’ notebook has more on the Blue Jays moving ahead of the Sox in the standings last night. O’Neill’s notebook looks at both the Sox and Jays struggling for hits early on last night.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell reports on the Bruins sending a dozen players down to Providence to trim their roster to 25. Bud Barth also looks at the cuts, which put the team close to the regular season roster size. Karen Guregian looks at the Bruins aiming to set a different defensive tone this season. Barth’s notebook looks at teenagers Phil Kessel and Petr Kalus, each of whom appear to have made the regular season roster and who sport very different playing styles. Guregian also looks at how the Bruins might plan to use Zdeno Chara on the power play.

Mark Blaudschun says that the ACC has not been an impressive football conference this season.

NESN has Red Sox/Devil Rays at 7:00.

We should’ve known. The Broncos beat the Patriots. Its what they do. Last night was no exception as Denver beat New England 17-7 at Gillette Stadium. While the Patriots will be under heavy scrutiny and fire this week in the papers and on the airwaves, a lot of credit needs to be given to the Broncos. They won the game. The Patriots didn’t simply lose it.

Alan Greenberg claims that this game came down to the Patriots not being willing to pay for the players who would’ve made a difference last night. Mike Reiss has Bill Belichick saying that his club needs to do better in every facet of the game. John Tomase says that the Patriots failed last night among other things to prove that they were not “the most fraudulent 2-0 team in the league.” Shalise Manza Young observes that the Denver jinx is alive and well for the Patriots. Rich Garven looks at the Patriots offense struggling mightily against the Broncos in the loss. Mike Lowe says that the Broncos pounded the Patriots on both sides of the ball last night. David Brown has more on the poor showing in front of a national audience. Chad Finn blogged the game in detail last night.

Michael Felger says that Tom Brady has been hung out to dry by the Patriots. Christopher Price gives us his 10 Things We Learned Last Night. Albert Breer writes that in the past, you could count on the Patriots not beating themselves. That doesn’t seem to be the case any longer. Steve Solloway says that it is too early to pass judgment on this team, but Dan Shaughnessy says that the Patriots truly look like a team in distress. Steve Buckley looks at how the lack of a running game killed the Patriots last night. Jim Donaldson has more on Denver maintaining their dominance over Brady, Belichick and company.

Christopher L. Gasper says that Tom Brady isn’t quite ready to give up on this team and is receivers just yet. Kevin McNamara says that Brady may not be ready to give up, but his frustration is clearly showing. Karen Guregian asserts that with the offense struggling as it has been, the burden falls to the defense to play even better than it did in the Super Bowl winning years. Tony Chamberlain looks at what the Denver defense did to stop the Patriots offense.

Tony Massarotti nails rookie Stephen Gostkowski for having a field goal blocked for the second straight week. Bob Duffy looks at Josh Miller, who had a great night punting, but that’s not a good thing for the Patriots. McDonald says everyone must be wondering this morning why the Patriots let Adam Vinatieri go. But he adds that its early yet.

Dan Ventura looks at Javon Walker burning the Patriots. Peter May asks why can’t we get players like Javon Walker. Yes, he really asked that. McNamara writes that “he playmaker the Patriots half-heartedly chased in the off-season came back to break their hearts last night.” Jennifer Toland has more on Walker burning the Patriots. Breer looks at Doug Gabriel’s fourth quarter (6 catches for 65 yards and a TD) as the lone bright spot in the passing game. Joe McDonald has more on Gabriel getting into the action for the Patriots.

Ventura highlights the play of the game as the 32 yard TD pass from Jake Plummer to Javon Walker in the second quarter. Felger notes that Denver’s blitz really wasn’t evidence last night and they didn’t need it. Joe McDonald provides his game analysis for last night on all sides of the ball. Greenberg has his turning point of the game and other analysis and notes. Tim Weisberg offers up a quick report card for the Patriots last night. Dan Pires had provided five keys to the game yesterday, today he looks at how they turned out.

Lenny Megliola looks at the Patriots going to China next summer for the first-ever NFL action in that country. Michael Parente has more on the announcement of the game. Garven also reports on the Patriots going to China.

Breer notes that tonight’s Saints/Falcons game in New Orleans is being viewed by many as the rebirth of that region after the devastation of last year. Christopher Price looks at five Patriots who will be watching the activities tonight with interest. Randall Gay, Kevin Faulk, Eric Alexander, Marquise Hill and Jarvis Green all have ties to the area and are glad to see football back in New Orleans.

You can check the coverage from Denver in the Rocky Mountain News, Denver Post and Colorado Springs Gazette.

Tomase’s notebook has Corey Dillon missing much of the game with an arm injury. Reiss’ notebook has more on the announcement that the Patriots will play a preseason game with the Seahawks in China next summer. The Projo notebook has more on the first China Bowl next summer. Garven’s notebook examines the Patriots inability to create turnovers in the first three games. The S-T notebook has more on the China game and a number of other items. Lowe’s notebook also reports on the trip to the far east for the Patriots next summer.

The news wasn’t any better for the Red Sox, who dropped a 13-4 clunker to the Blue Jays despite David Ortiz’s 53rd home run of the season.

Gordon Edes looks at a series of gaffes in the field doing the Red Sox in. Jeff Horrigan has a quick look at the game. David Heuschkel has more on the follies in the outfield for the Red Sox yesterday. Phil O’Neill has a look at Ortiz reaching another milestone. David Borges also reports from Toronto.

Horrigan looks at Ortiz tying Babe Ruth’s AL record for home runs on the road. Horrigan’s notebook has Terry Francona saying that the brutal travel schedule that the Red Sox have had this season could’ve contributed to their rash of injuries. Heuschkel’s notebook has more on Ortiz tying the Babe. O’Neill’s notebook says that Francona and Theo Epstein will discuss the coaching staff after the season ends next Sunday.

Fluto Shinzawa has the Bruins looking good thus far in the preseason. Stephen Harris says that the good results early make hockey more fun for the Bruins. Harris also has the Bruins counting on Hannu Toivonen as the key to their season.

Jim McCabe and George Kimball have Europe retaining the Ryder Cup with a runaway win this weekend. Bob Ryan says that this was another ugly effort by the Americans. McCabe’s notebook looks at Darren Clarke riding an emotional wave after losing his wife to cancer last month. Kimball’s notebook looks at Scott Verplank scoring a hole-in-one.

NESN has Red Sox/Blue Jays at 7:00. ESPN has Saints/Falcons at 8:30.

David Scott says that the Globe might be throwing stones in a glass house with their Bob Hohler series on minority hirings in college football.

One night after David Ortiz tied Jimmie Foxx in the Red Sox record books, he vaulted over him, hitting two home runs last night in a 6-0 Red Sox victory over the Minnesota Twins. Josh Beckett pitched eight shutout innings and Ortiz’s blasts put him at 52 for the season.

Gordon Edes reports on one last magical night at Fenway Park for Ortiz and the 2006 Red Sox. Michael Silverman has more on Ortiz warming things up in time for the arrival of fall. Steven Krasner looks at Ortiz standing alone in the Red Sox record book. Jeff Goldberg has more on a memorable night at Fenway. Bill Ballou notes that this will be as close to a playoff feeling as Fenway is going to have for at least a year.

Rob Bradford says that Ortiz might try to lure Torii Hunter to the Sox, should the Twins fail to pick up the centerfielder’s $12 million option for next season. Lenny Megliola wonders if Ortiz leads the league in curtain calls, in addition to home runs. Alex Speier writes that Ortiz is now the ‘baddest dude” in the Red Sox record books. Steve Buckley says that Ortiz is enjoying the record, but not as much as he would if the Sox were going to the playoffs. Later in the column, we’re treated to Buckley calling a piece in a New York paper “one of the dumbest stories of the year.” Irony, thy name is Buckley. He also has a short piece on the fans who caught the home runs last night.

Edes’ notebook looks at the Twins failing to capitalize on an opportunity to move into first place last night, ahead of the Tigers. Silverman’s notebook has Manny taking some batting practice yesterday. Krasner’s notebook looks at Beckett’s strong performance last night and wonders where that pitcher has been all season. Ballou’s notebook looks at the Twins making good use of their farm system, and also has a number of other noteworthy items.

Chad Finn offers up a number of Red Sox and Patriots related items.

The gang is back at the Patriots Game Day Roundtable, where the topics tossed around include Eugene Wilson, Tom Brady, the running game and predictions for the weekend.

Ron Borges has a tremendous article today on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and how he has applied lessons he learned from his father in the cutthroat world of politics.

Mike Reiss has a very nice piece on Troy Brown as he approaches Stanley Morgan’s team record for catches. John Tomase has a worthwhile read on Ty Warren, who has certain proved critics that were on his case coming out of college wrong. Joe McDonald says that the Patriots need to work on their tackling here in the early stages of the season. Alan Greenberg revisits the play that killed the season for the Patriots last year, and surprisingly Tom Brady doesn’t want to keep talking about it. Rich Garven has a look at Logan Mankins, who prefers to let his game do the talking, especially this week. Christopher Price says that getting pressure on Jake Plummer is going to be a key for the Patriots.

Tony Massarotti looks at the immense respect that Bill Belichick has for Mike Shanahan, and says that it’s probably due to the fact that the Broncos regularly beat the Patriots. Albert Breer has more on the coaching matchup and the mutual respect between the pair. Michael Parente also examines the matchup, and notes the many similarities between the two men. Breer also notes that facing the Broncos is old hat for Junior Seau. The Eagle Tribune has a story on Rosevelt Colvin as the Patriots linebacker aims for a complete, all around game in the Patriots scheme.

Nick Tavarez asserts that consistency is what the Patriots are seeking the most these days. The venerable Ron Hobson has a look at Tom Brady trying to change his luck against the Broncos. Michael Salfino looks at the return of the running back by committee, a topic which was explored in more depth yesterday by Bill Barnwell on the Patriots Game Day blog.

Reiss’ notebook has Rodney Harrison talking about how close he came to nearly signing with the Broncos. Tomase’s notebook has Belichick talking about his brief stay in Denver early in his coaching career. McDonald’s notebook has more on the Belichick/Shanahan matchup. Garven’s notebook looks at how the Patriots will attempt to offset the blitz of the Broncos. Parente’s notebook has the Patriots focusing on tackling.

Check back later for a weekend preview and national media column roundup.