ST. LOUIS (AP) - Dick Vermeil, who coached the St. Louis Rams to their first Super Bowl championship in 2000, doubts dirty tricks prevented the franchise from winning it all again under Mike Martz in 2002.

Vermeil, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from his home near Philadelphia, said Monday night that players win games, not schemes. He used the New York Giants' 17-14 upset over New England on Super Bowl Sunday as an example.

``How was that game decided? By a receiver catching a ball

On Saturday, the Boston Herald reported that an unidentified source said a member of the Patriots' video staff taped the St. Louis Rams' last walkthrough before they played in the 2002 Super Bowl. The Patriots beat the favored Rams the next day 20-17 for their first NFL title.

Specter said he questioned why Matt Walsh, who did video work for the Patriots during that time, was not

PHOENIX (AP) -A member of the New England Patriots' video staff taped the St. Louis Rams' last walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl, a Boston newspaper reported Saturday.

The NFL, however, said it was satisfied this was not another Spygate.

``We were aware of the rumor months ago and looked into it. There was no evidence of it on the tapes or in the notes produced by the Patriots, and the Patriots told us it was not true,'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press.

Citing an unidentified

PHOENIX (AP) -A new spying charge has nicked the New England Patriots.

A member of the Patriots' video staff taped the St. Louis Rams' last walkthrough before they played in the 2002 Super Bowl, an unidentified source told the Boston Herald for a story Saturday.

New England beat the heavily favored Rams the next day 20-17 for their first NFL title. The unbeaten Patriots will try to win their fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons Sunday when they play the New York Giants.

Early this season, NFL commissio

An injury to Drew Bledsoe gave Brady that chance and he quickly took advantage. He was MVP of the 2002 Super Bowl, leading the Patriots past the St. Louis Rams. Super Bowl triumphs over Carolina and Philadelphia came later - all three wins were by exactly three points - and enhanced his reputation as cool under pressure.

Teammates say he does not raise his voice while calling plays, though he'll occasion

Two of the Patriots' three Super Bowl victories came on late field goals by Vinatieri, one against the St. Louis Rams in 2002 and the other against the Carolina Panthers in 2004.

Norwood missed a potential winning 47-yarder for Buffalo against the New York Giants in 1991.

Both kickers are etched in Super Bowl lore. Now it could be Tynes' or Gostkowski's turn.

ST. LOUIS (AP) -Though he had been mentioned as a candidate for the Washington Redskins head coaching job, Al Saunders figured he'd be changing teams when Joe Gibbs resigned in early January.

Negotiations with the St. Louis Rams began several days before Saunders was formally fired on Saturday, a day after the Redskins hired Jim Zorn as his replacement to run their offense. That made it far less of a whirlwind courtship when Saunders got a three-year contract Wednesday as the Rams' new offensive coordina

ATLANTA (AP) -New Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith continued to shape his coaching staff on Thursday, adding Paul Boudreau as offensive line coach.

Boudreau has 21 years of NFL coaching experience, most recently as offensive line coach for the St. Louis Rams the last two years. In 2006, the Rams line helped running back Steven Jackson rush for more than 1,500 yards and quarterback Marc Bulger throw for more than 4,000 yards.

Boudreau coached Jacksonville's line from 2003-05 and previously was offensive