Matt Cassel

So the Patriots and Wes Welker are about on the same wavelength with a contract as Chad Ochocinco was with the playbook last season. They're not close. Welker took his frustrations over the state of negotiations - which have only regressed since the Patriots offered two years at $16 million guaranteed before last season - public in comments to the Boston Herald last week. The Patriots did not react kindly to having their affairs aired that way. Big bulletin there.

So the Patriots and Wes Welker are about on the same wavelength with a contract as Chad Ochocinco was with the playbook last season. They're not close. Welker took his frustrations over the state of negotiations - which have only regressed since the Patriots offered two years at $16 million guaranteed before last season - public in comments to the Boston Herald last week. The Patriots did not react kindly to having their affairs aired that way. Big bulletin there.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - At 8:20 a.m. Tuesday, police and paramedics entered a mobile home in San Bernardino and discovered the body of Matt Cassel's father, Greg, a devastating trauma for Cassel's family and yet another shock to the Patriots. Greg Cassel's death, at 57, threw into question whether his son will play Sunday against the Raiders in Oakland, a must-win game for the Patriots in their late-season push for a playoff berth. Cassel did not participate in practice yesterday at San Jose State University, leaving the team to be with his family in Southern California.

FOXBOROUGH - Trevor Scott has but one regret when reminiscing about his two-sack game against the Patriots in 2008, when he was a rookie with the Raiders. "Too bad it wasn't [Tom] Brady," Scott said. Brady missed that game with a knee injury, so it was Matt Cassel who felt Scott's wrath. The defensive end, who combined for 12 sacks over his first two seasons, would love to put up similar numbers and make a similar impact for his new team. He signed with the Patriots last month, and met with the New England media for the first time since then, after a Thursday workout at Gillette Stadium.

This week's picks, 98.5 percent Tebow-free... Peter King, Sports Illustrated : Patriots 31, Chiefs 10. The story is so neat: Tyler Palko, cut in the NFL (Arizona) and United Football League (California Redwoods) and unable to crack the Montreal Alouettes lineup in 2009, makes his first NFL start in Foxboro. On Monday night, Palko should find out that Bill Belichick -- and more importantly, rejuvenated pass-rusher Andre Carter -- are not actors in a Disney movie. ESPN.com staff : Patriots across the board (Ron Jaworski, calling the game, doesn't pick)

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff The Patriots have just released their list of inactive players for tonight's game. They are QB Ryan Mallett, S Patrick Chung, CB Devin McCourty, RB Kevin Faulk, LB Dane Fletcher, LB Jeff Tarpinian, and LB Brandon Spikes. That means Marcus Cannon is active for tonight's game. Bill Belichick said earlier in the week he didn't know to what extent if any the Patriots would use Cannon. Wes Welker and BenJarvus Green-Ellis are also active for the Patriots.

FOXBOROUGH - Trevor Scott has but one regret when reminiscing about his two-sack game against the Patriots in 2008, when he was a rookie with the Raiders. "Too bad it wasn't [Tom] Brady," Scott said. Brady missed that game with a knee injury, so it was Matt Cassel who felt Scott's wrath. The defensive end, who combined for 12 sacks over his first two seasons, would love to put up similar numbers and make a similar impact for his new team. He signed with the Patriots last month, and met with the New England media for the first time since then, after a Thursday...

FOXBOROUGH - Can't get hurt if you don't play. And just about everyone you've heard of on Your Patriots did not play in last night's 27-20 exhibition game triumph against the New York Giants, which makes it a very successful evening. Game 4 of the exhibition season has a special feel. It is Last Chance Saloon for the kids and the pickups who are struggling to make the squad. The cut down to 53 is tomorrow at 4 p.m. Coach Bill and his cohorts will be poring over the tapes (which everyone still refers to as "films")

FOXBOROUGH --With quarterback Matt Cassel out with a hand injury, the New England Patriots will turn their attention to back up Tyler Palko. Palko has played in four games in the NFL but has never started. In his limited snaps, the Patriots have some film to prepare for the 28-year old quarterback. Here are a few comments from Bill Belichick and Nick Caserio, the Patriots director of player personnel, from earlier today: Belichick on preparing for Palko: "He's a player we have to do some work on and spend more time watching him. We of course haven't...

SAN FRANCISCO - We don't really know Matt Cassel. We never knew his dad. But we know there are universal truths when your dad dies when you are only 26 years old. Cassel is going to try to play a football game today. It's his job and his passion. This is a virtual playoff game for the Patriots and they need their starting quarterback if they are going to beat the Oakland Raiders and stay alive in the hunt for the postseason tournament. Cassel's dad, Greg, was found dead, alone in his mobile home in a downtrodden section of San Bernardino, last Tuesday.

INDIANAPOLIS - Picked up pieces from a week in a sleepy town that somehow rivals New Orleans for best Super Bowl site ever. ■Any chance Bill Belichick retires as head coach of the Patriots after the game Sunday night? Tom Coughlin has been asked if he will retire and rejects the notion even though he is 65 years old and could probably walk off with a ticket to Canton. But what about the Hoodie? He turns 60 in April and could cap his 21st century dynasty with a fourth Super Bowl crown in 11 seasons.

INDIANAPOLIS - Picked up pieces from a week in a sleepy town that somehow rivals New Orleans for best Super Bowl site ever. ■Any chance Bill Belichick retires as head coach of the Patriots after the game Sunday night? Tom Coughlin has been asked if he will retire and rejects the notion even though he is 65 years old and could probably walk off with a ticket to Canton. But what about the Hoodie? He turns 60 in April and could cap his 21st century dynasty with a fourth Super Bowl crown in 11 seasons.

FOXBOROUGH - Bill O'Brien is in State College, Pa., where last night he was hired as Penn State's new head football coach, but he will return to New England shortly to continue the work of helping the Patriots prepare for their playoff game next Saturday. O'Brien will remain the Patriots' offensive coordinator through the end of their season, which could be as late as Feb. 5 for the Super Bowl. He will be there for the meetings and practices, for game-planning and talking with quarterback Tom Brady.

FOXBOROUGH - Bill O'Brien is in State College, Pa., where last night he was hired as Penn State's new head football coach, but he will return to New England shortly to continue the work of helping the Patriots prepare for their playoff game next Saturday. O'Brien will remain the Patriots' offensive coordinator through the end of their season, which could be as late as Feb. 5 for the Super Bowl. He will be there for the meetings and practices, for game-planning and talking with quarterback Tom Brady.

I've heard the Bill Belichick sound bites. I've read the transcripts. And still, I can't decide if the 2011 Colts are more like the 1972 Dolphins or the 1985 Bears. You know the drill. "Respect your opponent. " It's a mantra right up there with, "Do your job," and it's a smart way to do business in professional sports. So we are asked to remind ourselves that the Colts are still really … a threat to win today's game. Vince Wilfork says this is still a rivalry. Belichick tells us we should not sleep on the Colts.

Behind all the dubious and duplicitous praise Patriots coach Bill Belichick served up for the Colts this week, there had to be a little gloating going on inside Fort Foxborough as the Patriots prepared to face an Indianapolis team that has been without injured quarterback Peyton Manning and a victory (0-11). The Colts' disastrous season only enhances Belichick's legend and legacy. This is schadenfreude on steroids. Watching his team's biggest rival and his nemesis, Colts vice chairman Bill Polian, drown in a sea of ineptitude without their franchise...

After losing to the Denver Fighting Tebows on Sunday, a game in which the winning quarterback completed just 2 of 8 passes, and watching the Dolphins get their first win of the season on their home field the week before, the Chiefs were probably at their low point of the season. But things got worse today, when coach Todd Haley announced that quarterback Matt Cassel had suffered a "significant" right hand injury against the Broncos and would be out indefinitely - and possibly for the rest of the season.

INDIANAPOLIS - Picked up pieces from a week in a sleepy town that somehow rivals New Orleans for best Super Bowl site ever. ■Any chance Bill Belichick retires as head coach of the Patriots after the game Sunday night? Tom Coughlin has been asked if he will retire and rejects the notion even though he is 65 years old and could probably walk off with a ticket to Canton. But what about the Hoodie? He turns 60 in April and could cap his 21st century dynasty with a fourth Super Bowl crown in 11 seasons.

The Kansas City Chiefs have placed quarterback Matt Cassel on injured reserve with a hand injury, ending his season. Cassel had surgery on his right throwing hand Nov. 14 after being injured one day earlier in a 17-10 loss to Denver. He was placed on IR shortly before Monday night's game against the New England Patriots. His absence made Tyler Palko, who had thrown 13 NFL passes, the first-stringer with rookie Ricky Stanzi the backup. The teams met for the first time since Sept.