But the performances of Seau and Colvin were, in a word, remarkable. They reflected the guts the Patriots displayed in their come-from-behind 24-21 win over the Seahawks.
Skeptics might scoff at the meaning of beating a team that entered the game with a 2-10 record playing with a backup quarterback, but given the cards the Patriots were dealt - such as losing three defensive starters to injury in the first half - it was a "football character" type of performance.
Seau (1 tackle) and Colvin (0 tackles, 1 quarterback hit) were improbable contributors, simply by their presence.
"It's like, 'Welcome back,' " said linebacker Mike Vrabel, who proved to be the glue of the linebacker corps in playing all but one snap and finishing tied for the team high with seven tackles. "They get thrown out there and they do a great job and compete. We needed them. We needed everybody."
The 39-year-old Seau had been surfing on the beaches of San Diego earlier this week, joining the Patriots on Friday after being out of football for the season. Colvin, 31, had been spending time with his family all season before signing on as an emergency replacement Wednesday.
So the plan entering yesterday's game was to use them sparingly, if at all.
Yet with rookie free agent Gary Guyton struggling as a fill-in starter at outside linebacker, the Patriots called on Colvin to replace him with 14:04 remaining in the second quarter. As Colvin arrived in the huddle, defensive lineman Richard Seymour turned to him and said, "Welcome home."
That came at the same time inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi remained on the Qwest Field turf, knocked out of the game from an injury after a teammate cut his legs out from underneath him on a running play.
So as Colvin raced onto the field, Seau was right behind. The two were regulars the rest of the way, playing 28 of the final 38 snaps - Colvin at outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment, Seau at inside linebacker.
"It was like old times out there," said Colvin, who didn't expect to assume such a heavy load. "I went into the game and asked Mike [Vrabel] which side he wanted, and he said, 'We're doing this old school.' "
Colvin then went to the right side, Vrabel went left, just as they did as teammates from 2003-07.
