FOXBOROUGH -- To some, he's the other Chad. He's not linebacker Chad Brown, widely regarded as the Patriots' most significant offseason addition.
And to some, he's the other Scott. He's not safety Guss Scott, who has looked good in his much-anticipated return from a year on the mend following knee surgery.
At the Patriots' training camp, he could be just another guy wearing a jersey numbered in the 20s or 30s, another cornerback.
But Chad Scott is not an also-ran.
The free agent signee is the most experienced of the suddenly deep crop of Patriot corners, and despite giving him few repetitions with the first team in the first two weeks of camp, coach Bill Belichick doesn't talk about Scott as if he were a dark horse to make the team.
Yesterday, Belichick had nothing but praise for the nine-year veteran.
''He's been great," Belichick said. ''I think he really has shown what a professional he is. He's been a pleasure to coach.
''I have a lot of respect for Chad Scott and the way he's handled himself since the moment he's come into this stadium, whether it be in the weight room, the passing camps, training camp, meetings, the offseason program.
''When you say 'true professional,' then Chad Scott's one of the pictures that you see next to that name, from the experience I've had around him here in the last [four] months."
Professional is indeed the word often used to describe Scott, who spent eight seasons with Pittsburgh before joining the Patriots in April.
''He's a pro," safety Rodney Harrison said. ''He comes to work every day. He's a quiet guy, but he's a quiet assassin. He's a physical guy -- he can play corner, he can play safety.
''He's just a pro and that's what you like. He's a veteran guy. He's been through it. He works hard and does all the things that he needs to do. When you have guys like that, it really takes a lot of pressure off me."
Primarily because of injuries, Harrison was joined by three players with a combined five years of NFL experience in the starting secondary during last season's playoffs.
Scott is accustomed to being in the mix. A salary cap casualty with the Steelers, he has 87 career NFL starts (91 games overall) despite sitting out the entire 1998 season because of a torn ligament in his left knee, and he has started every game in which he has played since 1999.
''I've been accustomed to being with the first team, but in the NFL, you never know," said Scott, who is listed as a third-team corner on the Patriots' unofficial depth chart for tomorrow's exhibition opener at Cincinnati. ''Anything can happen. You're only one play away. You have injuries and all kinds of things that can happen in a season. So you need a whole team, a complete team, in order to be a winner."