Rosevelt Colvin

FOXBOROUGH -- That he is even back on the field is impressive. A hip injury in Week 2 last season against the Philadelphia Eagles left linebacker Rosevelt Colvin unable to play for the remainder of the season and, for a while, raised doubt as to whether he would ever play football again. Now Patriots Nation wonders if the Rosevelt Colvin who registered 21 sacks in 2001-02 with the Bears will reemerge. He was a fast, instinctive, ferocious pass rusher with Chicago, a perfect complement to All-Pro middle linebacker Brian Urlacher.

The last time his team played the Patriots, assistant coach Larry Izzo was a loser even though the Giants came away winners. Despite New York's win over New England in late November, the first-year special teams assistant was nailed by the Giants' kangaroo court for violating the hugging rule — a $20 fine per hug for greeting his former Patriot teammates before the game. Izzo, a special teams player for the Patriots who won three Super Bowls and lost another to the Giants in 2008, won't say how much money he handed over that day, but he'd gladly pay the price again if his new...

FOXBOROUGH -- Tedy Bruschi went back to his roots yesterday. Returning to practice for the first time since July 31, Bruschi reflected on the slogan of his alma mater -- the University of Arizona -- for inspiration. Written in black letters on the cast that covered his right wrist was a reminder for him to "Bear Down!" That's been the rallying cry for Arizona's athletic department since 1926. As the regular season bears down on the Patriots, Bruschi took a step toward suiting up Sunday against the Bills by participating in the team's full-pads workout.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Truth be told, Tom Brady would rather toss a Super Bowl touchdown pass to almost anyone but Mike Vrabel. At least that's the way Vrabel described their relationship last night after the Patriots linebacker cameoed as a receiver and snagged a touchdown pass from Brady in a second straight Super Bowl. "Tom gets mad at me in practice and won't throw it to me," Vrabel said after his acrobatic catch helped the Patriots stop the Eagles, 24-21, for their third Super Bowl victory in four years.

SEATTLE - Everything was easy last year. Blowout after blowout. The unstoppable march toward history and perfection. It was obvious the Patriots were great. The only real questions involved whether they were good sports. On the way to the Super Bowl they lost their way and became a little harder to admire and emulate. Not anymore. The 2008 Patriots have struggled for everything they've gotten, and in many ways it's been more fun to watch than last season. You never know what's going to happen.

He had his right hand on the ground and was peering left toward the football before exploding out of his stance and shooting himself like a missile toward the quarterback. For Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, it was the routine act of rushing the passer, something he'd made a name for himself doing over his nine-year NFL career. But this time, Sunday night against the Eagles, the quarterback wasn't sacked. Colvin was. Colvin sustained a foot injury on the play, one serious enough to end his season.

INDIANAPOLIS - Redemption has a final score and it's 24-20. Returning to the RCA Dome, the scene of one of the most heartrending losses in franchise history, the Patriots rallied from a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit to hand the Indianapolis Colts a 24-20 loss and reclaim their position as the pre-eminent football power in the AFC. Kevin Faulk scored on a 13-yard catch-and-run, crossing the goal line before he fumbled, with 3:15 remaining and...

FOXBOROUGH -- Perhaps Bill Belichick's most overused phrase is, "It is what it is. " There was a virtual DJ megamix of that heard yesterday throughout the Patriots' locker room when the team's 4-4 record was mentioned. The Patriots may not embrace the tag of defending Super Bowl champions, but their surprise at having the same number of losses as wins doesn't keep them from accepting the mediocrity of a .500 record at the season's midway point. "It's not like it was given to us and it was something that we didn't earn," linebacker Rosevelt Colvin said.

FOXBOROUGH - Safety Rodney Harrison didn't know much about linebacker Mike Vrabel before signing with the Patriots five seasons ago, but he's come to appreciate playing alongside him. "He's the consummate pro, probably the smartest football player I've ever been around," Harrison said. "People underestimate him. I just don't think he gets the credit he deserves. " While credit might sometimes escape Vrabel, opposing quarterbacks have not. At a time when some might believe he'd be slowing down, Vrabel, now in his 11th season, is enjoying a career year.

FOXBOROUGH - When Patriots running back Kevin Faulk heard that his team has lost just two fumbles this season, he turned to the side of his locker and lightly tapped the wooden structure. Turnovers can deflate a promising drive and boost an opposing team; their impact cannot be taken lightly. “We work on it a whole lot, and our No. 1 goal every week is to protect the ball and don’t give the defense the ball,’’ Faulk said. Then he added, “Luck comes with everything you do.’’ The Patriots are tied for third in the league in turnover...

With his much-discussed admonition of Chad Ochocinco to "drop the awe factor" and "stop tweeting and get in your playbook," ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi rocketed to the top of the charts as the most prominent ex-Patriot in the electronic media. But he's far from the only one. In fact, if you dedicated any significant amount of time to getting reacquainted with the NFL during its opening week, it was virtually impossible not to notice not only how many former Patriots have made the transition to media careers, but how many have done it extraordinarily well.

It's been shouted far and wide, on sports talk radio to Internet message boards: where is the Patriots' pass rush? It has been a hot topic for a couple of years, as New England slipped from fourth in the NFL in yards allowed in 2007 to 10th in 2008 to 11th in 2009. But last year was the nadir. Not only were the Patriots 25th in total defense, they were 30th in passing yards allowed and opposing quarterbacks completed 63.5 percent of their passes. And they were dead last in one of the more important statistics: third-down defense, with opponents converting better than...

FOXBOROUGH - When Patriots running back Kevin Faulk heard that his team has lost just two fumbles this season, he turned to the side of his locker and lightly tapped the wooden structure. Turnovers can deflate a promising drive and boost an opposing team; their impact cannot be taken lightly. “We work on it a whole lot, and our No. 1 goal every week is to protect the ball and don’t give the defense the ball,’’ Faulk said. Then he added, “Luck comes with everything you do.’’ The Patriots are tied for third in the league in...

AMHERST, N.Y. - Usually by now the Patriots already know they're playoff bound and they're playing for nothing more than postseason positioning or the polishing of their final record. This time the final regular-season game represents a hard-earned opportunity to make the playoffs. The dramatic conclusion to a soap opera-like regular season will come today in Buffalo, where the Patriots (10-5) need a win over the Bills to put themselves in position for a playoff berth. Even with an 11-5 finish, the Patriots will have to scoreboard-watch once 4:15 p.m. rolls around, and...

SEATTLE - Everything was easy last year. Blowout after blowout. The unstoppable march toward history and perfection. It was obvious the Patriots were great. The only real questions involved whether they were good sports. On the way to the Super Bowl they lost their way and became a little harder to admire and emulate. Not anymore. The 2008 Patriots have struggled for everything they've gotten, and in many ways it's been more fun to watch than last season. You never know what's going to happen.

FOXBOROUGH - Sometimes the pieces fall into place. Other times they fall apart. When it comes to the Patriots' linebacker corps, it's the latter. In the last three days, the club re-signed veterans Rosevelt Colvin (Wednesday) and Junior Seau (yesterday), moves that an optimist might say are designed to help the team make a final playoff push, injecting some energy and veteran know-how at a critical time. But really, this is about survival. Survival, because as the Patriots' coaching staff looked at the depth chart this week, it found not just a hole at...

FOXBOROUGH -- With their resident expert in turfgrass science lurking in the far corner of the Patriots' locker room, it remains to be seen how long it takes the team's field specialists to ask Rosevelt Colvin for advice on keeping the field in good condition. He's both ready and willing. Though he's not quite sure he could do a better job, not with soccer, concerts, and New England weather conspiring to turn the Gillette Stadium turf into a barren, grassless pit through much of the early season.

FOXBOROUGH - After listening to a week of quips and aspersions following their coach's candid camera escapades, the Patriots played like a team bent on exacting revenge - on the San Diego Chargers, the media, the NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell, and anyone who ever had used the word "Patriots" and "videotape" in the same sentence. The result was a 38-14 demolition of San Diego last night at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots and Bill Belichick proved they don't need cameras to put on a good show.

FOXBOROUGH - Rosevelt Colvin received the phone call Monday from the Patriots. They offered him a return to the NFL, an opportunity he was not seeking. He waited to give his answer. Colvin was happy living in Houston. He did his daughter's hair every morning before he took her to school. He tended to his business interests in UPS Stores. He became a more doting husband than he had been during his nine seasons in the NFL. "Was I retired? No," Colvin said. "But stepping away from the game was something I was open to. " Colvin, 31, contemplated his decision.

It was Bill Belichick's third season as coach of the Cleveland Browns, in 1993, and Clay Matthews remembers one distinguishing trait among his fellow starting linebackers. If the NFL were a golf course, they were all on the back nine. Matthews was in his 16th and final season with the Browns. Counting his time in the United States Football League, Mike Johnson also had double-digit years of pro experience. And then there was the free agent signee Pepper Johnson, who was in his eighth season.