Gabriel lost, then found

After a statistical correction that took a catch away from Ben Watson, Gabriel ended up leading all New England receivers with six catches and 65 yards, making all six grabs in the final quarter, during which the Patriots may have found a new go-to receiver.

"He was bringing what we didn't do all game," said tight end Daniel Graham. "He was getting open, catching the ball, and moving the ball for us."

"That's what I'm here for," said Gabriel. "They got me here for a reason, and that's what they got me here for -- me coming out and helping the team whenever I can."

While it was obvious what the 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pounder brought to the passing attack, what was less clear is why it took three quarters to utilize it.

Gabriel, who had 37 catches for 554 yards and three touchdowns for Oakland last season, didn't have a ball thrown his way until he hauled in an 18-yarder on the second play of the touchdown drive, his first catch in a New England uniform.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked yesterday why Gabriel wasn't a factor earlier in the game and seemed to indicate it was a conditioning issue. Gabriel, who has been battling a hamstring injury, was inactive for the first game of the season. He had no catches in limited action against the Jets.

``From where we were from a depth standpoint at that position, there weren't too many players who were really in a position to go all the way," said Belichick.

Another possible explanation is that Gabriel is still playing catch-up with the playbook. The Central Florida product said he feels comfortable with his knowledge of the offense, despite his late arrival.

``I've been in a lot of systems," he said. ``It's just trying to make sure you have the terminology down. I got the terminology down. It's just different terminology in every system."

Gabriel's performance could be dismissed as simply piling up stats in garbage time, since Denver held a 17-0 lead and loosened up its coverage.