Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

The New England Patriots could have set a record for the NFL's worst slaughter had they truly wanted to.

They didn't. They pulled up. They cruised for the final 23 minutes of Sunday's 59-0 shellacking of the Tennessee Titans in Gillette Stadium.

But many football fans are aghast over how the Patriots carried themselves, believing they showed no class in pummeling a winless and wounded opponent.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw five touchdown passes in a dizzying span of 9:44 in the second quarter, then took the field after halftime and threw another TD before stepping aside for rookie backup Brian Hoyer.

The Patriots threw after taking an NFL-record 45-0 halftime lead? Yes, they did.

Maybe the Patriots should have exhibited more diplomacy.

Then again, maybe that's the Titans' problem.

More to the point, it's the problem for every upcoming Patriots opponent.

If the players were Pop Warner or high school football, then I would be offended by how the Patriots treated the Titans.

But this is professional football, and I understand what Bill Belichick and Brady did.

The Patriots have been a tad wobbly. They'd lost their status as the NFL's most intimidating team. The Patriots are looking for their offensive identity.

But on Sunday they went a long way to re-establishing themselves as a team to fear.

Like Mike Tyson before he lost to Buster Douglas or after he exited prison, the Patriots used to have opponents beaten before the match began. They had a menacing aura that caused acid reflux the week of the game and made their other team weak in the knees at the coin toss.

The Titans were Marvis Frazier. I fully expect the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to respond like Frank Bruno next week in Wembley Stadium.

The Patriots showed they still can land haymakers with Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Laurence Maroney.

The Patriots did have something to gain from rolling up the score: a reputation you might find distasteful, but one that could give them a psychological edge.