IRVING, Texas --If the Cowboys win Sunday at Gillette Stadium, they'll have broken the Patriots' 19-game home regular-season streak. It's a tough task, particularly against a team they haven't seen in four years.
But the Patriots have the same issue. The Cowboys' personnel has changed drastically since their last meeting in October 2007 -- only eight of 22 starters remain -- and they have a brand-new scheme under former Patriots assistant Rob Ryan.
"I think it's hard to move onto this game because there's so much to prepare for," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said via conference call Wednesday morning. "It's not the quality of the opponent -- I don't think that's it at all. I think it's just the amount of preparation that you need for a team like Dallas.
"They do so many things offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. You have to prepare for a lot but you're only going to get a fraction of what you've prepared for, and in addition to that they're going to do a couple new things in the game that you really haven't prepared for because that's just what they do. They game plan specifically for you."
Belichick said the Jets have a similar approach, but the Patriots play them twice a year and there's an "accumulation of knowledge." The Cowboys are a different type of opponent.
