To the public, Bill Belichick's motivational skills might seem like an enigma.

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Bland beyond belief, yet somehow effective enough to lead the New England Patriots to two Super Bowl championships in the past three seasons and NFL-record winning streaks of 18 regular-season games and 21 games overall heading into their date Sunday against the Steelers at Heinz Field.

Belichick speaks of one-game winning streaks and taking things one week at a time and just about every other sports cliche you could think of. His players hear it, repeat it and live it.

Asked after the Patriots' 13-7 win Sunday over the formerly unbeaten New York Jets how the team was able to respond to Belichick week after week, safety Rodney Harrison said, "Concentration. Maturity. Confidence. And we don't panic. We go through a lot of situational football, so, when it is a critical moment, we don't panic. Someone always steps up and makes a play."

When he addressed his team after that game, Belichick handled the winning streak the same way as usual.

"I didn't say one word about it," he said.

That's no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to Belichick.

It turns out, though, that Belichick might not be as one-dimensional and dry as he lets on .

Cornerback Ty Law yesterday opened a door usually kept sealed and offered a peek at some of Belichick's techniques.

"Actually, coach Belichick is pretty funny, some of his sayings and things that he might come up with," Law said. "He'll let you know what's on his mind, but he has a great sense of humor."

Law refused to expound on that, but he did outline some of the motivating tools Belichick has used.

"Coach Belichick brings you examples of situations -- whether it's putting on a cartoon or taking a basketball game or another sport and making it like a scenario for football," Law said. "I mean, he can take a movie, he can use anything as a motivational tool for us, and we get the message."

He said Belichick once took the team to an obscure movie that no one had heard about. Another time, he brought in basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell to speak to the Patriots.

"It was like E.F. Hutton that time. Everybody was listening to Bill Russell," Law said.

But cartoons?

"I've been the part of the Roadrunner, which took me a while, but I got it," Law said, laughing.

"You never know what tricks coach Belichick is going to pull."

Taking the analogy further, Law likened Belichick to the Roadrunner's Looney Tunes nemesis, Wile E. Coyote.

"He's always trying to come up with things to stop somebody -- but his usually work," Law said. "He plans out a little better than the coyote."

Between Belichick's tactics and his players' performance, New England has stacked together some impressive numbers and accomplishments:

Only one of the wins in the streak could be considered a blowout (31-0 over Buffalo last year). The average winning margin has been nine points. Eleven of the 21 games have been decided by a touchdown or less, and two have gone to overtime.

New England has won its past 14 games against teams with winning records, dating to late in the 2002 season.

For the past 14 games, the Patriots have scored first.

The Patriots have won eight consecutive overtime games, the longest active streak in the NFL.

New England has won 32 games in a row when leading after three quarters.

Quarterback Tom Brady is 28-4 as a starter in games played after Nov. 1, 18-1 as a starter in games decided by less than a touchdown and 7-0 in overtime. He has led 16 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime.

Each of David Givens' 24 receptions this year has produced a first down.

Something is working.

There's one cliche that Belichick preaches whether it's in front of his team or in public: Each game, each week, is a vacuum.

The players listen to that, too.

"Why change the way it is going?" Brady said. "We don't plan to, and our approach is going to be the same, that we just have to win one game a week. That is what this team is all about.

"Coach Belichick, I think his whole philosophy is, 'What are you going to do for me this week?' Not what you did for me last week, what are you going to do for me next year, or what did you do for me last year? What are you going to do this week?

"I think that is how he addresses the team. That is how he watches us at practice. That is what it is all about for us."