FOXBOROUGH -- The little boy, about 6 years old, held his prize above his head as if he had the winning ticket for a 100-1 long shot.
In his hand was an autograph.
Asked if he knew who had signed the piece of paper, the kid smiled and said, ``No, but he's a Patriot."
Enough said.
Eric Alexander, the player who provided the signature, has to be wearing his jersey and leaving the field for someone to want his autograph.
He practices hard every day, just like fellow linebackers Tedy Bruschi and Rosevelt Colvin, but Alexander can walk down Newbury Street anonymously. Even if someone supposes he is a Patriot -- after all, he is 6 feet 2 inches and 240 pounds -- they likely wouldn't know his name.
Alexander hopes to do something about that in the coming weeks. He had better if he wants to continue signing autographs as a Patriot.
A good motto for Alexander at training camp is ``Now or Never," a theme for several players who have been on the team for years but have yet to make significant contributions. (See: Tully Banta-Cain and Dan Klecko.)
``This definitely has to be the best camp I've had so far," said Alexander, a third-year inside linebacker. ``It's kind of like the point of no return. I have to perform. I have to make the team, because there are no other options for me."
That desperation brings intrigue. For top stars and veterans, camp is about finding a groove and avoiding injury. For players like Alexander, it's about survival.
An undrafted free agent out of LSU, Alexander has spent most of his career on the practice squad, earning just $4,700 a week during the regular season. By league rule, a player can't spend three seasons on the practice squad, so this summer it's roster or bust.
That's a feeling Larry Izzo knows all too well.
Also an undrafted free agent, Izzo has carved out a successful career as a special teamer but he is closer to the day his career will end than the day it began. The special teams captain has been holding off the end for a decade.
``Basically, I feel I'm on the fringe every year," said Izzo, who is entering his sixth season with the Patriots, and 11th overall. ``Whether that's the case or not, I have to take the same approach I took as a rookie trying to make the team. Every training camp, that's my approach.
``Because I came in a certain way, I have the same mentality. It's not like, `Oh, this year I'm fighting for a job.' I'm fighting for a job every year -- from Day 1 to this year."
Favorable position It appears Banta-Cain is in good stead as far as a roster spot goes. He should be the team's No. 3 outside linebacker behind Colvin and Mike Vrabel.
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