After leaving his starters on the field late in meaningless games all year long to punish dissenters and the disbelieving, there’s no way New England coach Bill Belichick would sit them down for the regular-season finale at the New York Giants.

Not with his history of playing regulars from first whistle until last. Not with a shot at a perfect record on the line, something that hasn’t been done in the NFL in 35 years. Not with the chance to squash any debate about whether these Patriots are the best team ever to set foot on turf. Not even if the Giants, as expected, rest a half-dozen of their own front-line guys to get ready for the playoffs.

Right, Bill? … Bill? … Mr. Belichick?

“I’m not worried about anybody else,” he said after New England beat Miami 28-7 to push their marker to 15-0.

It’s worth noting that was the third time Belichick essentially was asked the same question about starters and that each answer boiled down to a version of, “We’ll do what’s best for our football team.”

(Translation: Tune in next Saturday night to find out.)

Belichick may not give good quote, as reporters like to say, but nobody gives better misdirection.

It’s always more instructive to look at what Belichick has done in similar situations, including another textbook example from the Pats’ preparations for Miami last week.

Despite being an overwhelming favorite at home against the league’s weakest team, he made his players practice in full pads three times, something they haven’t done since training camp. And the Patriots’ injury report has been a running joke in the league for years; it’s always packed with names followed by “doubtful” and “questionable” during the week and almost always empty by game time. To play for Belichick is to live in fear of having a job.

As much as Larry Csonka was right when he said this about his 1972 Dolphins, “Perfection ends a lot of arguments,” it wouldn’t be hard to argue that if the Patriots win them all, their unbeaten season would mark them as the best of all time.