Last modified: Thursday, October 26, 2006 12:24 AM EDT Tedy Bruschi (54) and Bill Belichick are preparing to play Minnesota for the first time in a long time. (Staff photo by KEITH NORDSTROM) Bruschi, Pats feeling Minnesota BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO - There is no rest for the weary, especially when you're about to play a team you haven't played in four seasons. The DVD players have been working overtime this week in the homes of your 5-1 New England Patriots as they prepare for a team they haven't seen since 2002, the Minnesota Vikings. It will be like blazing new ground for the Patriots when they take the field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for their first appearance on ESPN's incarnation of Monday Night Football (8:30 p.m.; ESPN and Ch. 5), and that means lots of study. "This isn't the first day that we've dived in to start watching film," linebacker Tedy Bruschi said Wednesday. "You really start early after the game of last week because you're not really familiar with a team like this." The Patriots' last meeting with the Vikings was a 24-17 victory at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 24, 2002. Their last trip to the Metrodome was a 23-18 loss on Nov. 2, 1997, from which only two current Patriots remain - Bruschi and Troy Brown. Hence, the heavy commitment to extra film work this week. "It increases it a lot … especially in the film room, studying their players," Bruschi said. "You try to remember when you played against certain guys in the past. But it's different schemes and a whole different team that we haven't played in a while." The biggest concern for the Patriots' front seven, Bruschi said, will be the running talents of the 4-2 Vikings' Chester Taylor, who has 590 yards on 137 carries and broke a 95-yarder last week at Seattle. "I don't think he's fumbled yet," Bruschi said. "When you've got a running back like that who's doing as well as he is and doesn't cough the ball up, that's going to do good things for you offensively." But of course, the success of a running game doesn't always rest solely upon the running back. The Vikings' offensive line is one of the strongest in the league, buoyed immensely by the offseason free-agency acquisition of 6-foot-5, 313-pound guard Steve Hutchinson from the Seahawks. "We look at their running game, first and foremost. Taylor's one of the leading rushers in the NFL," Bruschi said. "Then you've got to look at the offensive line because of all the yards that he's gained, and you're looking at five guys that are good. It's probably one of the better offensive lines that we've faced to this point, and we know as a front seven, with a running back like that and the offensive line that they have, it's going to be a challenge to stop the run." The Vikings' line shows up on film as controlling the line of scrimmage at the point of attack and well beyond it, the veteran linebacker said. "It's staying on blocks … staying on blocks," Bruschi said. "They don't just try to block you and see if the running back is squirting through the line, they really look to stay on blocks and they do a good job at the second level, on linebackers and defensive backs, and that's a tribute to their athletic ability. They're able to stay with the more athletic guys down the field. "You judge how good the offensive line is by where's the running back in terms of league leaders in rushing, and Taylor's up there as one of the top rushers in the NFL," he added. "I'm sure he would give credit to the offensive line, first and foremost, and they do deserve the credit … they've got guys like (Steve) Hutchinson, (Bryant) McKinnie and (Matt) Birk, players that have been around a while and they really are great players." Add the supercharged atmosphere that should accompany the Vikings' first home Monday Night Football appearance in five years, and it will behoove the Patriots to be well prepared, Bruschi said. "I just know it's a big game against a good team," he said. "They've done what a lot of teams in the NFL haven't been able to do, which is go into Seattle and win, and they're riding high right now. "It's a Monday-night game, they've got a lot of momentum going their way, they've got a lot of players and it's going to be a tough game for us to win," he added, "so we've got to play our best." MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com