Contingency plan

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Let's think about The Unthinkable.

A Patriot play ends. Ten men walk back to the huddle. The 11th lies on the ground, hurt. I mean, hurt, as in call-for-the-stretcher hurt. The 11th man is No. 12, Tom Brady.

"I'm always ready," proclaims Rohan Davey.

Rohan Davey is indeed the backup quarterback. In three years of apprenticeship he has appeared in seven games. He is 8 for 19 for 88 yards, no touchdowns, and -- the good news -- no interceptions. If Rohan Davey were called upon to replace Tom Brady this would be the Super Bowl's version of "42d Street," except that it would be all too real.

Rohan Davey, age 26, is 6 feet 2 inches and 245 pounds. He is a very sturdy lad, and he has a very powerful weapon attached to his right shoulder. Everyone who has seen him play agrees with that.

"He's a big guy," asserts quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels. "He's got a lot of arm strength, and he can run pretty well. He can be a threat when he gets out of the pocket. He can make plays with both his legs and his arm."

"He's got a lot of ability," corroborates veteran Jim Miller, the third-string quarterback. "He throws the ball hard. He's like a JUGS machine."

But if arm strength were all it took, Jeff George would be an acclaimed quarterback with a ring or two instead of being known as the all-time colossal tease. There is a little more to quarterbacking than merely being able to throw the football, which is why the spring and summer of 2004 were so important in the developmental process of Rohan Davey, who was a fourth-round pick (117th overall) out of LSU in the 2002 draft.

Davey went to NFL Europe. Playing for the Berlin Thunder, he was voted the league's offensive MVP. He led the league in both touchdown passes (19) and quarterback rating (105.9). But that's not what mattered most to him.

"The biggest thing I got from being in NFL Europe was playing time," he declares. "I needed a reassurance that I could play this game. It's been a long time since I've been able to take control of a huddle, to see the defenses, to see the rotations and to work on some things you can't get in practice. I've had a great two-year prep, learning from great players and great coaches, but playing in NFL Europe was a great test for me."

Davey took advantage of the entire NFL Europe experience. Whereas some Americans barricade themselves in their hotel rooms on a daily basis, Davey seized the opportunity to experience different cultures and see sights he'd never seen, including a World War II concentration camp. He was fascinated by the local news, which he labels as "vivid and vicious."

"They'll show stuff you wouldn't see over here," he explains. "Here, they'll report a suicide bomber incident. There, you'll see the results. You'll see the blood."

Thank you very much, Rohan. Now we'd better get back to football. McDaniels feels Davey has made the most of his situation thus far. "He's a very special individual," maintains the coach. "He doesn't get upset. He doesn't get bored with his job. He competes against the first defense every day. He makes them better, and they make him better."

Davey is an interesting young man. Born in Clarendon, Jamaica, he emigrated to America at age 8, settling in Miami with his family. It was a very difficult social adjustment. He was teased for his Caribbean accent, and in a community where few people of his acquaintance had much money, he sensed that his family had less than most. "I'd be wearing the same jeans on Friday that I started out wearing on Monday, and they caught on pretty fast," he notes. Mostly raised by his grandfather, he admits to having trouble with authority figures as an adolescent.

He was saved, pure and simple, by some latent athletic ability, not to mention an active mind. Stardom at Miami Lakes High School eventually led to a standout career at LSU, but not before a new coach named Nick Saban saw something in him Gerry DiNardo had not, which is why Davey says, "Nick Saban gave me an opportunity, a chance for a fresh start, and I thank him for that."

After becoming the first LSU quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season, he was chosen by the Patriots. Only when he reported to minicamp did he truly discover how much he didn't know.

He is a vastly superior player now. "I always had physical ability," he says, "but I had started playing football late and I didn't really have the proper respect for the game. Now, after working with Tom Brady and the staff, I know how to play the game before I ever play the game. I have learned how Tom prepares for games days and weeks in advance. It has been a privilege to work with Tom Brady, to see how meticulous his preparation is and then to have him so open to suggestion from me, and everyone else."

It's been a great learning experience, sure, but he must be getting a bit antsy to play. And the Patriots hardly represent a good situation, given that Brady will only be 28 when the 2005 season starts. How much longer can he exist like this?

"Yes," he acknowledges, "the meter's running. But the bottom line is that everyone here has a job to do, and that includes me. My job is to prepare myself to play and do everything I can in practice to help the team prepare for a game. Whenever the time comes for me to play, I will have to seize the moment."

"He would be prepared to play in this game," McDaniels insists.

"I'm ready if the opportunity came up," says Davey. "But it's not something I'm dreaming about. This game for me will be the same as every other game this year. I will be prepared to play if something happens."

If something happens.

Those are three seriously chilling words for any Patriots fan to contemplate. But this is NFL football, and something could happen to Tom Brady on any play. Rohan Davey is a broken collarbone or torn ACL away from stepping into the huddle at Super Bowl XXXIX. He says he's ready. What choice does anyone have except to believe him?

Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is ryan@globe.com.