Their story has other side

Jarvis Green has fond recollections of his youthful days in Donaldsonville, La., when he would play football with his cousins in the summer. When the Patriots visit the Bengals tomorrow night, Green will be reminded of that connection to the past, as he'll face his cousin, Cincinnati wide receiver Skyler Green, for the first time as a professional.

"Our family sees it as a blessing that we're both playing in the NFL," said Jarvis Green. "Hopefully he'll get a chance to play in the game, and I'll have a chance to get a hit on him."

While Jarvis Green has started at right defensive end for the Patriots in the first three games, the Bengals have used Skyler Green (3 catches, 33 yards) moderately in the regular offense. He is their primary punt returner (4 returns, 22 yards).

"It will be pretty neat to see him on the other side of the ball, to see that his hard work and perseverance has paid off," said Green, whose three sacks rank second on the team.

Both Greens attended Louisiana State, with Jarvis playing for the Tigers from 1998-2001 and Skyler, who won a BCS national title in 2003, from 2002-05. Both entered the NFL as fourth-round draft choices - Jarvis going 126th overall to the Patriots in 2002 and Skyler 125th overall to the Cowboys last year.

Skyler, who at 5 feet 9 inches, 190 pounds, is a smaller, quicker pass-catcher, was on the Dallas practice squad for most of last season and played in only two games with the Cowboys last year before being claimed off waivers by the Bengals.

Finding the openings

Benjamin Watson is off to a strong start, with three touchdowns in three games, but the tight end, who was the Patriots' No. 2 receiver last season with 49 receptions for 643 yards, disputed the notion that he's doing a better job catching the ball than before.

"Last year I had career highs in catches and was leading the team until I had the injury late in the year," said Watson, who injured his left knee against the Dolphins and missed the final three regular-season games. "I don't know if I'm catching better. I just think that as an offense everybody is making everybody better. I will say that.

"I will say that I've definitely benefited from being able to watch guys like Wes [Welker], Donté [Stallworth], Randy [ Moss], and Kelley [Washington], guys we brought in, and see those guys catch the ball. They do it so well."

While the presence of Moss and Welker has helped open things up for the tight end, coach Bill Belichick pointed out that Watson has improved his ability to make adjustments and find space to get open.

A good example was Watson's 8-yard touchdown catch against the Bills last Sunday. Watson said his being open was the result of settling in a soft spot in Buffalo's zone defense.

No surprise

Last week, Tom Brady talked about running back Sammy Morris being one of the surprises of the season, but linebacker Mike Vrabel said no one should be surprised at the free agent's immediate production. New England defenders have seen Morris's talent first-hand. Morris has played his entire eight-year career in the AFC East, starting with the Bills (2000-03) and spending the last three seasons in Miami before joining the Patriots. He ran for a career-high 123 yards on 25 carries in the Dolphins' 21-0 victory over the Patriots last December. "I think Sammy was a proven player in this league," said Vrabel. "Year in and year out, he's done a nice job. Bill has watched the guy for years. He's played well at running back when he had the opportunity and been a good special teams player. This probably wasn't the first year Bill tried to put him on his team."