Hobbs fixed on the future

Off injured list, he's No. 1 corner

Despite suffering injuries to his groin and shoulder last season, Ellis Hobbs has never used them as excuses. (travis dove/for the Globe)

FOXBOROUGH - The careers of cornerback Ellis Hobbs and wide receiver Wes Welker are intertwined. They were both considered too small to succeed in the NFL, and they both spend every day and every play determined to prove naysayers wrong.

It was Hobbs's struggles defending Welker in 2006 that, in part, led the Patriots to bring him to New England last year, when he tied for the NFL lead with a franchise-record 112 receptions. It was Welker's ability to get open on Hobbs that made it fashionable to question the possibility of Hobbs being a top-flight corner.

So, it was only fitting that Hobbs and Welker returned to practice inside the Dana-Farber Field House together yesterday, having been removed from the physically unable to perform list. In another twist of football fate, the two were both bouncing back from groin injuries.

"It felt good. I kind of felt like a kid on Christmas Day," said Welker. "I was up all early and we didn't have practice until later. It felt good to get out here and kind of mix it up a bit."

Yesterday, Welker appeared to be closer to full speed than Hobbs, who had surgery in March for a hernia that followed February surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

However, Hobbs's health ultimately may be just as important to the Patriots' plans.

With a cornerback corps populated by unproven young players and veteran free agent signees, Hobbs, 25, is the lone returning starter at a vulnerable position. With Asante Samuel getting rich in Philadelphia and Randall Gay now in New Orleans, Hobbs is the Patriots' No. 1 corner by default.

Not surprisingly, he doesn't see it that way.

"That's what I consider myself anyways," said Hobbs, who, in his three seasons, has had his interception totals decline from three to two to one last season.

"I think everybody that comes out here, especially at corner, wants to be the No. 1 guy. That's how I felt when I came in as a rookie. I wanted to prove and show that I'm the No. 1 guy, and that's how I feel now. I want to go out there and prove and show [it]. But there is a process and things take time. This isn't a sprint by no means, it's a marathon."

The oft-criticized corner was hampered by his shoulder and groin when the Giants' Plaxico Burress got past him for the winning touchdown of Super Bowl XLII. He had played with the labrum tear since beating the Colts in the ninth game of the season, and injured the groin in the regular-season finale against the Giants.

While he became the favorite whipping boy of talk-show hosts and frustrated fans - and that was before Burress's NFL Films moment - Hobbs never said a peep about playing at less than 100 percent. He played in all 16 regular-season games and also served as the team's kick returner. The only game he missed was the AFC Divisional playoff against the Jaguars. When he returned, he came up with interceptions in the AFC title game and the Super Bowl.

"I had to put so much focus into getting myself to whatever percent - if there is such a thing as percent - to be healthy enough to play each game that I didn't have time to think about who was criticizing me and this and that," said Hobbs.

However, Hobbs admitted he was in a great deal of pain at times last season. He said there were sleepless nights before games because he couldn't find a position to get comfortable in. He kept playing because he knew there were teammates going through the same thing.

"We got guys out here that you still don't know about that had stuff going on, mine just ended up getting into the public," said Hobbs. "There is no sense in arguing or discussing it."

Hobbs did the same thing in 2006, when he missed only one game with a broken scaphoid in his left wrist. It's part of the game.

"You just try to do whatever you can to get out there," said Hobbs. "I feel like I'm never in a position to say, 'You know what, team, go ahead. I'm done.' . . . I get paid to play. I don't get paid to sit out."

But Hobbs understands that 5-foot-9-inch, 195-pound corners don't have long careers if they constantly play with injuries. So, he came up with a solution.

"I just made a promise to myself, as soon as we got those surgeries taken care of, I wouldn't move a muscle until I was full-go," said Hobbs. "When I got healthy enough to start participating and start working out and things it's just been to the wall, trying to get back."

Hobbs admitted he is nowhere near where he needs to be as far as preparation, conditioning, and football readiness and is not yet practicing at full speed.

Welker said it was good having Hobbs to train with while on the PUP list, and that the two always talk, trying to make each other better.

"We worked so hard to get back to training with the rest of everybody," said Hobbs. "Beforehand, we were just working to get to that level. Now we can go on with the rest of the team."

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