Samuel takes his pick

FOXBOROUGH -- Asante Samuel wants Patriots coach Bill Belichick to know that wide receiver Troy Brown isn't the only one capable of playing both ways. With Brown's cameos in the defensive backfield becoming common, Samuel would like to try his hand -- or hands -- at wide receiver.

"Every DB thinks they can play receiver," said Samuel. "I'm one of those top DBs who thinks he could play receiver. If you're looking for a receiver, put me in because I think I could play."

It would be tough for the Chicago Bears to argue with the dreadlocked defensive back after he intercepted quarterback Rex Grossman three times yesterday as New England picked off the NFC's top team, 17-13, at Gillette Stadium. The three interceptions were a career high for Samuel, tied the Patriot game record, and matched the number of Grossman passes caught by Muhsin Muhammad , who was Chicago's second leading receiver.

It seemed everywhere Grossman looked, Samuel was there, including on Chicago's final offensive snap, when the fourth-year corner from Central Florida sealed a Patriots victory by intercepting Grossman at the New England 38 with less than two minutes remaining, one play after a Corey Dillon fumble at the Chicago 22 had given the Bears life.

"He had a Pro Bowl day, straight up and down," said Patriots safety Artrell Hawkins. "He could have had five picks."

Samuel, who returned to the field last week after sitting out the Patriots' 35-0 win over the Green Bay Packers with a knee injury, disagreed with his safety.

"Man, I could have had six," said Samuel. "I dropped a couple. I left a couple of balls on the field."

Instead, Samuel had to settle for becoming the first Patriot defensive back since Ty Law in the 2003 AFC Championship Game against Indianapolis to intercept three passes in a game and setting a season personal interception mark. He now has six.

Roland James was the last New England defensive back to accomplish the feat in a regular-season game. James pulled down a hat trick in a 31-0 win on the road over the Buffalo Bills Oct. 23, 1983.

"[Grossman] kept coming at me, trying me, and I made the plays," said Samuel, whose six picks are the most since Law and Tyrone Poole both had a half-dozen in the 2003 season.

Samuel led a Patriots defense that forced four Chicago turnovers and helping to negate five turnovers by the New England offense.

"Asante really picked our team up with those three picks," said Tom Brady. "It was great to see."

On Chicago's first series, on third and 5 from the Chicago 30, Samuel jumped a Bernard Berrian slant route and grabbed Grossman's pass.

Samuel's second interception erased a bizarre double fumble by Patriots Ben Watson and Reche Caldwell. With Chicago driving from its 7 to the New England 29 following the fumble folly, Samuel intercepted a ball intended for Desmond Clark inside the New England 10.

With a ballhawking the Patriot secondary that held Grossman to a 44 percent completion rate and 176 yards passing, pass interference turned out to be one of the best plays in Chicago's playbook.

Both of the Bears second-half scores were set up by pass interference calls -- a 45-yarder on Hawkins in the third quarter that led to a Cedric Benson 2-yard TD run and a 30-yarder on Ellis Hobbs in the fourth quarter that led to a Robbie Gould 32-yard field goal.

After Dillon's fumble, the normally soft-spoken Samuel exhorted someone to step up. "I had no idea it was going to me," said Samuel. "I'm going, 'Tedy, you be the hero. Richard, you be the hero.' It so happened to be me."

Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.