It doesn't weigh on Light

SMITHFIELD, R.I -- Clean-shaven, hair cut, and noticeably slimmer, Matt Light is looking more like a tight end than an offensive tackle. Light, who was at Bryant College last week along with former Patriots quarterback Damon Huard to run their annual football camp, has been working out for about a week and a half after undergoing an appendectomy at Massachusetts General Hospital last month, but his involvement in the early part of training camp, which begins later this month, could be limited.

Light, 26, who plays a highly paid position (left tackle), will be a free agent after this season, eligible to enter the open market with at least two Super Bowl rings on his fingers.

The question is, will the Patriots go full throttle to sign him or will they slam on the brakes, as they did with Damien Woody? Woody and Light share the same agents -- Jim Steiner and Ben Dogra -- who specialize in getting offensive linemen big deals. Light, however, is not getting caught up in the future, feeling he needs to concentrate on his present -- mainly getting healthy.

"I've never been like that," said Light, who says he doesn't obsess over his contract. "The opportunity to play football started with me at 9 years old. It was a love of being around the guys, and I was good at it. It's the same now. I love what I do. I would never put that pressure on myself or play mind games and what-ifs. The season coming up is what I'm thinking about.

"The competition in the AFC East speaks for itself. There's not a defensive end I face that I say this is going to be a great matchup for me. Most of the time I have to fight and scrap. I've improved from when I first got to New England, but they haven't let up. Guys like Aaron Schobel in Buffalo and Jason Taylor in Miami and John Abraham in New York. Those guys are great football players. I have all I can do to keep up with my competition."

Although Light is not revealing how much weight he has lost after the surgery, right now his last name fits. Light, who normally plays at about 300 pounds, feels it's better to need to gain than need to lose.

"It took a little longer than I thought it was going to take, and I didn't get back on my feet as soon as I thought I might, but basically the way I look at it, I'm glad I got it out before something bad happened," he said. "With an injury, you really have to rehab to get that broken part fixed, but in my case I'm just waiting for a scar to heal. For me it's just getting my wind back and getting back into the weight room.

"This is basically one of those things -- when I feel good and healthy, I'll be out there. Why go out there too early and why dillydally around? I don't think you should ever put a timetable on any injury. If I tell you I'll be ready to go on a certain date and I'm not, I look stupid. I don't want to go out there if I'm not feeling 100 percent because camp is one of the most competitive times."

Light doesn't envision making his specific contract wishes public. Part of that is based on his agents feeling the competition for Light's services will be considerable.

"In the end, I think it comes down to timing," Light said. "Playing here has been a blessing. You don't get many chances to win two rings in the first four years of your rookie contract. That's very rare.

"Some guys want to be the highest-paid player at their position. Some say, `I want to get a respectable amount but I don't care to break the bank.' And then you have some guys who do whatever it takes to stay on this team. There are different philosophies. What it comes down to is the player communicates what's right for him to his agent. Some people think the agents are the only driving force. That does happen, but a lot of times the player says, `Hey, listen, this is the number I'd like to get or shoot for. Let's get at least that or a little bit more or let's come near that.' "

Light has yet to make a Pro Bowl but is recognized as a solid player because of his quickness as a run blocker and his ability to pass protect. All of which points to Light being a very wealthy young man at this time next year.

Second career

Former Patriot Ben Coates will serve as a tight ends coach for the Dallas Cowboys in training camp under the NFL's minority coaching internship program. Coates, who coached that position for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe this season, hopes it will lead to a full-time position in the NFL. "[Cowboys offensive coordinator] Maurice Carthon called me and asked me if I'd be interested, and I jumped at it," said Coates. "It's a chance to reunite with a couple of coaches I know very well. It'll be great experience." Coates was the offensive coordinator for alma mater Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C., for the past three years, but resigned so he could devote time to NFL Europe and his pursuit of an NFL coaching career. Coates, who lived near Charlotte, N.C., was torn between the Panthers and Patriots in last season's Super Bowl, but in the end he wanted friend Troy Brown to get a second ring. "Troy's a good man," said Coates. "We've kept in touch. I still consider him one of my best friends. He's done a lot with his career." Coates, who got a championship ring with the Baltimore Ravens, has been out of football as a player for four years. In a year, he'll be eligible for the Hall of Fame. "I'd love for it to happen," he said. "If it does, what an honor that would be. If it doesn't, well, I know it's a tough thing to get into." . . . Anthony Pleasant, the classy former Patriots defensive end, said he hasn't officially retired and might consider returning to the Patriots or joining the Panthers, his hometown team. Pleasant, who has played 14 seasons, is making plans for life after football, completing his degree requirements at Tennessee State University, and planning to enter the seminary. "I've prepared myself for this to be the end. I prepared myself last season for it, really," Pleasant said. Pleasant has discussed coaching with the team, but says, "Coaching takes you away from home more than being a player. Really, I couldn't have asked for a better career. If that was the ending, then it was great. I'm just hoping they continue up there some of the things I started with some of the younger defensive linemen." . . . The odds seemed stacked against Patriots receiver David Patten in training camp last season, but he emerged as a starter in Week 1. Now Patten, who missed most of the season after knee and shoulder surgery, appears to have the odds stacked against him again, with a number of young receivers on the Patriots' roster. The team picked up the $250,000 roster bonus on Patten's contract in March, but that may have been more as insurance in case a receiver is injured in camp. Patten, who turned down a chance for a contract extension this offseason, would find employment if the Patriots severed ties. "You factor in experience, his ability to make the big play, and his work ethic, and there isn't a team in the NFL who wouldn't at least explore it," said an AFC general manager last week. "The Patriots are stacked, and if a guy like Patten is out there he won't be unemployed very long." . . . Chiefs linebacker Mike Maslowski had never been to Fenway Park when he tagged along with teammate Todd Collins, a Walpole native, and agent Brad Blank recently. Maslowski, who signed an offer sheet with the Patriots two years ago, looked around the park in awe. "What an amazing place," he said. "That wall is so close. If I played baseball, I'd love to play here." On the same night, Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis sat in the Red Sox dugout. "Is it always this loose?" he said. "Seems like a great atmosphere to play in."

Ring of fairness?

The NFL Players Association filed a grievance recently against the Patriots on behalf of wide receiver Jamin Elliott, now of the Chicago Bears, who spent most of last season on New England's practice squad and eight days on the active roster, but was not given a Super Bowl ring. The NFLPA's interpretation of a side letter in the collective bargaining agreement, which was negotiated with the league in 1993, is that Elliott is eligible for a ring. Other Patriot practice squad players received rings. NFL management sources say the Patriots are looking into the validity of the side letter as it pertains to the CBA and whether who gets a ring should be at the discretion of the team. Unclear is why the Patriots are excluding Elliott and not other practice squad players. Said Elliott's agent, Tony Agnone, "It's very disappointing for the kid. Hopefully, they're not being vindictive over the fact he signed with another team." . . . Huard said he wasn't disappointed to leave the Patriots, but was appreciative of his time in New England. "Overall, it was a great experience," he said. "I would have loved to have played, but it was a great team with great coaches, great teammates, and there were so many positives that by no means am I bitter. It was too good of an experience not to come away with positive feelings, but it's time to move on." Huard, who signed a two-year contract with the Chiefs, sees Kansas City as an offensive paradise. He said the Chiefs bring 180 pass plays into a game, in stark contrast to the 80 or so passing plays the Patriots have prepared for any given Sunday. "If you're a quarterback, it's a great offense," he said. "You're throwing the ball down the field, which is different than we did in New England. They score 30 points a game and they were 13-3." Huard was a personal favorite of Weis, who thanked him many times for the role he played in keeping the peace at a time when Drew Bledsoe had been supplanted by Tom Brady as the starter. "That year was certainly strange," said Huard. "It started with Tom beating me out in camp and Drew getting hurt. I had signed here to be the backup and then Tom beats me out, but at the end of the year when we won the whole thing, especially when Drew got to contribute and be a part of it in the AFC Championship, at the end of the day it was something to be proud of. We all came together and fought through whatever trouble there was. We all put that aside at the end when we won the Super Bowl." Huard said of Bledsoe and Brady, "They are both good friends of mine and it was a tough situation for both of them, especially for a guy like Drew who had been the starter for 10 years. He loses his job to injury, and a young kid comes along and takes his job. Drew handled it as well as anyone could have. And then, with Tom's success, Tom was so humble and he still is. With Charlie, and myself as the backup quarterback, that's our job to be supportive in a situation that's so unique as that one." . . . Patriots center Dan Koppen said he doesn't feel bigger than last season, but at first glance it appears Koppen has a thicker upper body. "I'm the same weight as I was last season," he said. "Maybe as you get older your body adjusts and you mature a little bit more physically." After a successful rookie campaign, Koppen must now make the crucial next step from freshman to sophomore. "There's so much to learn in this game," he said. "You work to get better. You never can be too good at run blocking or pass blocking or with your mental game." . . . Congratulations to the Pro Football Writers of America award winners: Ravens vice president/general manager Ozzie Newsome, who took home the Jack Horrigan Award for his tremendous cooperation with the media; Panthers linebackers coach Sam Mills, who earned the George Halas Award for the courage he displayed battling cancer last season while still performing his duties; Dallas Morning News writer Rick Gosselin, who won the Dick McCann Award for long and distinguished service; and the Houston Texans organization, which garnered the Pete Rozelle Award for its outstanding media relations staff.