Running stop and go routes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Their dreams converged on Nov. 7 in St. Louis. Earthwind Moreland and Randall Gay, two young players just hoping to hook on, suddenly were playing significant minutes in the secondary of the defending champion New England Patriots. This was not a brilliant hunch by coach Bill Belichick.

It was a necessary shuffling of personnel because of injuries to Ty Law and Tyrone Poole.

Moreland and Gay in place of Law and Poole? How were the Patriots going to win any game with them in the lineup?

"I heard it," Gay said before helping the Patriots to a 24-21 victory over the Eagles last night. "When Earthwind and I went out there, everybody was saying, `Oh, they've got no chance now. They're going to lose.'

"I took it personally. Really personally."

He was sure he'd be drafted last spring out of Louisiana State. His family invited friends to the house, but as the rounds dragged on, and his name wasn't called, Gay retreated to his room.

"When the last name was called, I was by myself," he said. "I was devastated."

The phone began ringing shortly after that. There were invitations to come to camp as a free agent from a number of teams, but Gay wasn't optimistic.

"They tell you to come, but you know the chances are slim," he said. "Especially for a guy that hadn't gone to a combine or hadn't been to a bowl game."

He told the Bills he would join them in camp, but then his agent took note of the Patriots' secondary, and the number of older players on the roster. Maybe Gay could hook onto the practice squad. Maybe a year or two down the road, he'd actually get to play.

Moreland, a third-year player out of Georgia Southern, was implementing the same strategy. If he could wrangle his way onto the practice squad, then anything could happen.

And then it did. He saw action against the Rams, then had his first career start the next week against Buffalo.

"I kept working at it, hoping it would pay off," Moreland said. "The Patriots have a history of giving people a chance. All I wanted was a chance."

Gay's chance came sooner than Moreland's. He earned his first career start at free safety against the Jets Oct. 24. Then, on Halloween, the afternoon Law broke his foot, the Patriots lost and Gay's career changed forever.

"Ty Law came out of the game limping," Gay said. "He came up to me and said, `I'm hurt. Be ready.' He went back in for a while, but then he came out again and said, `I can't go.' "

Within seconds, veteran Rodney Harrison sidled up alongside Gay and started issuing orders.

"He said to me, `You're a starter now,' " Gay recalled. "He said, `You better be ready.' "

Before the day was over, Plaxico Burress had singed Gay on a 47-yard touchdown pass, and the sky was falling. The Patriots secondary was suddenly the Achilles' heel of this Herculean franchise.

"[The pass to Burress] was the only play I gave up all day," Gay said, "but everyone said the same thing. `He's not ready. He can't play.' We lost the game because, `that Randall Gay can't get it done.' "

After Poole tested his surgically repaired knee and it was determined he was done for the year, Moreland joined Gay on the firing line. Opponents immediately threw in his direction. His star began falling against Kansas City Nov. 22, when he was burned by Trent Green twice on touchdown passes -- including a 65-yard bomb to Eddie Kennison down the right sideline. On Dec. 12 against Cincinnati Jon Kitna picked on him, too, throwing a 27-yard strike to Kelly Washington.

Not long after that, Belichick and his staff had seen enough. Moreland's minutes diminished to a trickle.

Gay, meanwhile, began to demonstrate a keen understanding of Belichick's system, which was similar to the one his college coach, Nick Saban (who was Belichick's defensive coordinator in Cleveland) used at LSU. He made plays. He earned the trust of his teammates. He kept his starting job.

The paths of the two players have not crossed much in recent weeks. Moreland landed on the inactive list once the playoffs started. The only time he wore his Patriots jersey at Super Bowl XXXIX was on Media Day.

"I still go out every day and prepare as if I'm playing," said Moreland in the days leading up to the game. "At the last couple of Super Bowls, something has happened where people who weren't expected to play got into the game at the last minute.

"I'm keeping a positive attitude. I've got guys like Rodney telling me, `Don't let a day go by without getting better.' "

Last night, as the Patriots stormed the field at Alltel Stadium in search of their third championship in four years, Moreland was not among the sea of white jerseys. He was in street clothes, a spectator whose dream was on hold.

"You have to learn to deal with this," Moreland said. "I'm sure there's a reason why I'm not playing. I don't know what it is, because they haven't told me, but at least I'm still here. At least I'm with the team. There's other guys who didn't make it."

The guy who did, Randall Gay, is a starter with a promising future.

"Things change in a hurry around here," said Gay, who had a game-high 11 tackles and forced a fumble last night. "You've got to stay ready. I look back on this year, and I went from being a negative 5 on draft day to over 100 right now.

"I'm a starter in the Super Bowl. I wouldn't have even dared to dream this."

Now Gay and Moreland have Super Bowl rings coming their way.