Job a work in progress for Belichick

FOXBOROUGH -- Sometimes, particularly after a loss, it's hard to imagine Bill Belichick deriving enjoyment from anything, let alone football, but the Patriots coach said yesterday that he finds going through the weekly routine of preparing his team to be invigorating.

"It's a rush. It's a huge rush, the whole preparation thing," said Belichick. "You just can't wait until Sunday to say, 'Now let's start competing.' It just doesn't work that way in football. There's competition for us to do more [on Friday] than they're doing, for us to be better prepared for the game based on what we do in meetings and practice than what they're doing in the same time they have allotted to them. That's the kind of competition there is every week from a preparation standpoint. There's a lot of games that are won and lost during the week as much as they are on Sunday."

Few have prepared their teams better than Belichick, whose 76-26 mark (including playoffs) is the best in the league since 2001. Wide receiver Reche Caldwell, who played four seasons in San Diego prior to joining the Patriots this year, said the attention to detail paid by Belichick and his staff provides the players with piece of mind when they take the field.

"I know that here we're going to be probably the most prepared team on the field every week no matter who we play," said Caldwell. "That's one thing. If we lose it's not going to be because we're not prepared."

Belichick said he enjoys every part of the preparation process, from breaking down film to drawing up the game plan with his staff to giving it to the players and implementing it in practices.

"It's not like I come in here in the morning and say, 'I can't wait for this day to be over with,' " he said. "I'm excited to get going. I'm looking forward to whatever we're doing, whether it's third down, red area, first down, punt returns, or wrapping it all up and trying to get ready for the game.

"I think it's like a lot of people, if they love their job you don't really think about the time or the work you're putting in. You think about the enjoyment you get from doing it and the satisfaction that you get from doing it."

Rookie outside linebacker Pierre Woods said he's ready if called upon tomorrow against the Detroit Lions. Woods, an undrafted free agent out of Michigan who has been active for three games, has only seen action on special teams so far, recording three tackles. With Junior Seau's season-ending injury thinning the linebacking corps, that could change.

"If we're called upon, we have to go out there and take care of business," said Woods. "You never want to go out there and say you weren't prepared and make a fool out of yourself and [waste] the time that the coaches are putting in."

Woods said that even though he hasn't been playing on defense, he's been taking mental reps and soaking up knowledge from veterans Rosevelt Colvin and Mike Vrabel. "I pick all their brains, all of them, inside [linebacker], outside [linebacker]. You've got to pick their brains. The more you sponge up the more you know," said Woods. "I'm learning from some of the best."

There were no changes to the Patriots' injury report. Rookie wide receiver Chad Jackson, who was added to the list Thursday, is still questionable with a groin injury. "He tightened up a little bit [Thursday]," said Belichick. Rookie right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan (neck, questionable) and safety Rodney Harrison, who is out as he recovers from a broken shoulder blade, were the only players not present for the media portion of practice, which was just stretching. Safety Eugene Wilson, who has missed five straight games with a hamstring injury, was present, after being absent Thursday. The Patriots practiced inside Gillette Stadium yesterday. The team also practiced at Gillette Wednesday . . . The Patriots' passing attack enters tomorrow's game ranked 11th in the NFL, averaging 222 yards per game. The ranking is the team's highest this season. After going 22 for 33 against the Bears last Sunday, Tom Brady's completion percentage is above 60 percent -- 60.2 (221 for 367). "I think it's really starting to come together with me and the other receivers," said Caldwell. "We're really starting to get a grasp of how they want us to do things and how things are supposed to be done around here, and I think that's showing up on Sundays."

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