FOXBORO – After the past two games, you’d think the league would be mobilizing to find a way to ensure the Patriots get a crisp officiating crew.

Instead, the group that will officiate Patriots-Eagles is in Foxboro due to a performance-related demotion.

Pete Morelli’s crew was set to work the Sunday Night Football game between the Colts and Steelers. But after bungling terribly a too-many-men-on-the-field call and looking generally clueless for nearly 10 minutes, Morelli and his men got demoted. To New England.

Bill Belichick seemed unperturbed that Team Morelli was relegated to New England.

“It’s not anything we have any control over,” Belichick said in response to a question posed by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “We’ve had Pete’s crew twice already this year and there really haven’t been any problems. I thought in terms of communication and all the things on the field there was no issue with them.”

In the game Patriots game against the Bills, Gene Steratore’s crew seemed completely overmatched, blowing dead a play that was in progress and keeping the clock running at the end of the game despite the Bills’ seemingly successful attempt to get out of bounds.

Against Denver, the officiating went from poor to diabolical as a litany of manufactured calls went against New England.

While many head coaches have unloaded on the refs, Belichick has generally tried to stay on the high road this season.

“There’s 17 crews and we got ‘em all and I don’t think any of ‘em are noticeably one way or the other,” he said. “Each game has its own dynamics and close calls. Some go one way, some go another way. Overall, I think they do a pretty good job of balancing the crews out. However they do it, I don’t know, it’s not really my thing. They’re professional and overall they do a pretty good job. Not perfect, like all of us.”

Patriots owner and CEO Robert Kraft is still taking shots about Deflategate.  Our Boston Sports Tonight crew discusses Kraft's comments and who he should really be targeting.

Things aren't all hunkydory between Malcolm Butler and the New England Patriots.

Sure, he showed up to the Patriots optional workouts this week. And sure, that likely means he's not going to hold out come training camp. But that doesn't mean he's happy, according to CSNNE's Mike Giardi.

"He wanted to be traded," Giardi said on Early Edition Thursday. "He knew what the money was in New Orleans. So when we talk about him, 'Oh he's happy. It's nice that he's joined his teammates again.' He had no other choice.

"He wanted New Orleans. He wanted them badly. They couldn't work out a deal. So what's he supposed to do now? Sit at home? No, you suck it up. You have to turn yourself back into a Patriot at least for a year, and hope. Who knows, maybe you do your work and maybe they say, 'Hey, Malcolm, you know what, we can't give you Gilmore money. But maybe we can find something. Maybe we've got $10 or $11 million."

In the meantime, Butler will play for $3.91 million after his teammate Stephon Gilmore inked a deal worth $65 million this offseason.