Mike Celizic

The New England Patriots were once the fuzzy and warm feel-good story of the NFL Now they’re the Evil Empire, and it’s a role they seem to have welcomed and embraced.

Over the past week, the franchise did the impossible — it replaced Barry Bonds in the public mind as the most notorious cheater in sports. With commentators from coast to coast calling for coach Bill Belichick’s head and the locker room crawling with reporters wanting to know what it’s like to play for a cheat, the team did what championship outfits have done from the beginning of time.

They’ve circled the wagons and dug in. If it’s going to be them against the world, as far as they’re concerned, it’s the world that’s in trouble.

Sunday night’s romp over San Diego was more than another dominating performance by a team that’s without question one of the two best in the league — the other, for those who haven’t been paying attention, is the Indianapolis Peytons. It was an unapologetic and defiant statement to every other team in the league.

And the statement was this: Eat my shorts.

So much for warm and fuzzy.

The transformation from great story to the Team Everybody Loves to Hate has been going on for some time. The sideline spying scandal was just the smoking gun tossed on top of a huge pile of grievances levied against Belichick, the coach who dresses like a slacker teenager — a slacker with the laid-back, live-and-let-live world view of Vlad the Impaler.

Belichick set the tone from the moment he issued what he called an apology for misinterpreting the rules about spying. He handed out the press release and then refused to talk about it again, turning back every effort to get him to talk by saying all he was concerned about what San Diego.

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And afterwards, when somebody asked Belichick if this had been the toughest week of his life, he once again talked about how tough it was to prepare for San Diego. It was as if the spying incident, the $500,000 fine, the loss of next year’s first draft choice never happened.

The Chargers kept talking about having a score to settle with the Patriots dating back to the playoffs, when the Pats knocked out favored San Diego. You got the feeling they actually expected to win the game.

Analysts thought they’d at least acquit themselves well, but the Chargers didn’t look any better against the Patriots than the Jets had in Week 1. Tom Brady stood unmolested in the pocket, the running game did whatever it wanted, the defense held LaDainian Tomlinson, the 2006 league MVP, to 43 yards.

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There was no turning point in this game. The Patriots ran out to a 24-0 halftime lead. Only once where they threatened, early in the fourth quarter when the Chargers scored a second touchdown to make it 31-14, then recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff.

And that’s when the Patriots showed what they’re made of and how this year is going to be. In three plays, the Chargers were pushed back from the New England 31 to their own 49. Instead of a touchdown that would have made it a contest, the Chargers had to punt.

This is what great teams do. Just when you start to feel good, they crush you. The Pats did it first with their defense, then Tom Brady took over and for the next 10 minutes and 15 plays methodically drove the ball down San Diego’s throat and into the end zone for the final touchdown in a 38-14 rout.

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New England’s fans loved it. The rest of the NFL had to watch it and shudder. Belichick remains the best coach in the game, even when he has to play by the rules. For the past two years, the team has struggled without a great go-to wide receiver.

But this year, they have Randy Moss, a player that a lot of teams could have taken a chance on. With Brady at quarterback and a revived running game, Moss has made the Patriots downright frightening. He’s tall and he’s fast and he’s turned New England into a high-scoring and explosive team.

Brady already has six touchdown passes against one interception and nearly 600 yards passing. Laurence Maroney and Sam Morris are combining for about 120 rushing yards a game.

In the past, teams frequently thought they had a chance against New England because the offense didn’t put up huge numbers. This year, there’s been no such illusion. They look like a team that can do anything it wants to at any time.

They’re under attack from every quarter and the only way for them to fight back is to crush everything in front of them. In Week 1 it was the Jets. Sunday it was the Chargers. Next week, they’re in Buffalo.

Good luck, Bills.

NFL game stories Quick look at Week 4 games STEELERS 23, RAVENS 20, OT: Baltimore loses first game of season REDSKINS 26, COWBOYS 24: Dallas can't contain Portis in 1st loss BEARS 24, EAGLES 20: Goal-line stand boosts Chicago JETS 56, CARDINALS 35: Favre throws career-high 6 TDs BUCS 30, PACKERS 21: Ryan's 3 FGs lift Tampa CHARGERS 28, RAIDERS 18: San Diego tops rival 10th straight time BILLS 31, RAMS 14: Buffalo 4-0 for first time since 1992 CHIEFS 33, BRONCOS 19: Johnson rushes for 198 yards for K.C. BROWNS 20, BENGALS 12: Anderson throws TD TITANS 30, VIKINGS 17: Tennessee 4-0 for first time ever PANTHERS 24, FALCONS 9: Smith honors Lucas after TD JAGUARS 30, TEXANS 27, OT: Scobey kicks game winner SAINTS 31, 49ERS 17: McAlister scores first TD of year