Kicking off a round of decisions

Patriot newcomers Jerod Mayo (51) and Gary Guyton (center) were joined by second-year player Brandon Meriweather for a tackle of the Ravens' Adam Bergen. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

FOXBOROUGH - Before the opening kickoff of Thursday's exhibition opener against the Ravens, the Patriots were faced with a decision they'd never encountered in Bill Belichick's nine seasons as coach.

When referee Jerome Boger's coin toss turned up tails, the Patriots had the choice of whether to receive the ball at the start of the game or the start of the second half.

Kevin Faulk, Tedy Bruschi, and Larry Izzo - at midfield for the toss - did not hesitate. Taking advantage of a new NFL rule, they chose the second half.

In the past, deferring was not an option, but fans can expect to see a lot of it this season from the Patriots.

Belichick noted yesterday that he's spoken with various college coaches about the rule change, because they've played under the rule. Those coaches told him that most teams in college defer.

"My guess is that it will approach that in the NFL as well, in time," Belichick said on a conference call with reporters. "Whether it does right off the bat or not, I don't know, but it will take some type of extreme conditions or a very unusual situation to not do that if you win the toss.

"That's our approach going into it," he continued. "We'll defer just about every time, unless there is some overriding circumstance that would cause us to do it differently. So, we'll start doing that now."

One benefit to deferring is that a team can formulate a specific offensive plan for the opening drive of the second half - based on what was seen in the first 30 minutes of play - during halftime. The team can then immediately enact that plan, instead of having another situation dictate its approach.

In recent years, statistics also reveal that teams receiving at the start of the second half have a slight edge in wins.

Challenge to come
The AFC East seems to have become more competitive with the Jets' acquisition of quarterback Brett Favre. It sounds as if Belichick agrees.

"He's a great player, one of the best players in the last couple of decades. He has just about every record you could have at the position he plays. It speaks for itself," Belichick said.

"It's always a big challenge playing the Jets, even more so now. They have a lot of talent and I'm sure we'll have our hands full every time we face them. But right now, that's not at the forefront of our concerns. We have a lot of other things before it would come to that, and that's what we'll focus on. But he's a great player; there is no question about that."

Triple threat
Third-year outside linebacker Pierre Woods played much of Thursday's game, and was one of the team's more disruptive players. He hit the trifecta in the fourth quarter by sacking Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, forcing a fumble, and recovering it.

"I just rushed up the field hard, and the ball was right there so I stripped it, and luckily I recovered it," said the 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound Woods.

Woods, who started opposite Adalius Thomas, indicated that he spent almost the entire offseason here so he could work out at Gillette Stadium.

"Hopefully, it will all pay off," he said.

Experience counts
Belichick felt one of the positives to come out of the game was the extended playing time for the rookie linebackers - first-round draft choice Jerod Mayo, third-round choice Shawn Crable, and free agents Gary Guyton and Vince Redd. Belichick noted the contributions of each, and specifically pointed out Guyton's "effort" play in the second quarter to track down punt returner Yamon Figurs at the Patriots' 2-yard line. Noting that there was room for improvement, Belichick also said, "I'm encouraged and glad they had the opportunity to play as much as they did. I think it was a good experience for all those young linebackers." . . . One area to watch will be right guard, as first-stringer Billy Yates had a difficult night. Missed blocks by Yates contributed to at least two running plays that went for negative yardage, and he also had a holding penalty on a pass. If the Patriots elect another option, they could try eight-year veteran Russ Hochstein in that spot - just as they did in the Super Bowl against the Giants when starter Stephen Neal left with an injury - or perhaps call upon veteran John Welbourn, who was signed as a free agent Monday but did not play Thursday . . . Crable, who flashed promise with an interception, four tackles, and a half-sack, confirmed he was the 12th player on the field for a second-quarter Ravens' extra-point attempt that resulted in a penalty . . . Belichick on Stephen Gostkowski, who was 3 for 3 on field goals (36, 44, 40 yards) and had two kickoffs: "I thought he had a good night. There wasn't much more that he could do." . . . Players are off today and tomorrow.