Left tackle Light is at end of tunnel

Limited in preseason, he seems set to play

FOXBOROUGH - Left tackle Matt Light wasn't sad to see the preseason end, and he probably had some company in his offensive linemates.

Light was limited throughout the preseason by an undisclosed injury and was out of practice from July 27 until Aug. 25. His preseason play consisted of two series against the New York Giants last Thursday.

Light, who looks to be ready to play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, may have lost a lot of playing time but not his sense of humor.

"I spent most of my time with the trainers, and they're great people," he said. "I really got to know them, and we had a good time.

"I was able to get back out there for the last preseason game and knocked a little bit of rust off. I feel all right where I'm at right now, so we'll see how it goes."

Injuries to Light and centers/guards Russ Hochstein and Billy Yates forced shuffling on the offensive line and contributed to its lack of consistency and continuity in the preseason. The line allowed 12 sacks and the Patriots averaged just 3.4 yards per rush.

However, with Hochstein, who was hurt in the first preseason game, returning to practice Monday, and Yates (pinched nerve in his neck/shoulder) coming back for the final preseason game against the Giants, the Patriots should start the season with familiar faces up front, even with right guard Stephen Neal relegated to the physically unable to perform list.

"I think we've had a lot of guys in and out, a few guys banged up and bruised, but we have a good group," said Light. "We have a good core group of guys, and we have some good backups. I feel pretty confident where we're at. Obviously, we have to build on a lot of things from last year, but so far, so good."

Light did not seem very concerned that the likely starters had not had a lot of preseason snaps together.

"I think it comes back fairly quickly," said Light. "We have a lot of smart guys, guys who know what to do out there. I think, as far as working with each other, we've all been around each other for a long time now."

Chief focus

Bill Belichick wouldn't rule out newly signed cornerback Deltha O'Neal suiting up and playing Sunday.

Belichick said O'Neal, who joined the team Monday, will receive some extra tutoring from secondary coach Dom Capers. One thing working in O'Neal's favor is that he just has to master the game plan for Kansas City, not the entire defense.

"The difference between a player coming onto the team now vs. earlier in training camp is that it is all game-plan-specific for Kansas City," said Belichick. "The only things we are really focusing on are the Kansas City things, whereas three weeks ago, it was the whole playbook.

"The downside is, without getting the whole system, sometimes things don't fit together quite as cleanly, or you don't understand them quite as cleanly because you don't understand the whole big picture until you get time to work your way through it.

Backup plan

Belichick said Monday that the Patriots knew Kevin Faulk's one-game suspension was coming.

Faulk was suspended without pay, beginning Saturday, for violating the league's substance abuse policy in the offseason, when he was found with marijuana at a concert. He is eligible to return Monday.

In the absence of Faulk, who is the situational passing and two-minute back, Belichick said the team will turn to a combination of players to fill those roles. The likely candidates are running backs Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan and possibly fullback Heath Evans, who is a good pass protector. Laurence Maroney also could see some of Faulk's snaps.

"There is no replacing a Kevin Faulk, but he's not here, so the focus is who are the guys that are here," said Evans. "That's not to sound harsh because obviously we'd love for 33 to be here, but at the end of the day, we've got four backs to get the job done. Through coaching and the scheme that these coaches will put in place, we'll find a way to get it done."

You don't say

Belichick sidestepped a question about whether he's had any discussions with former Patriots cornerback Ty Law, who is still without a team. The 34-year-old Law, who played the last two seasons for the Chiefs and is tied for the Patriots' all-time lead in interceptions (36) with Raymond Clayborn, could help a corner-starved team like the Patriots, but he's not going to sign unless the price is right. "Right now, the only players I feel comfortable talking about are the ones that are on this team," said Belichick. "There are a lot of players that are not on this team, and it is too long of a list to get into. The ones that are here, those are the ones that are getting ready for Kansas City. If we bring someone else in, we can talk about it then, and if we don't, then we are going with what we have and that is what we are going with right now." . . . With an extra day of preparation built into the schedule because the Patriots were able to practice Sunday, Belichick gave players yesterday off, as he normally would during the season . . . The Patriots had second-year punter Reggie Hodges at Gillette Stadium yesterday. Hodges has appeared in eight career games - five with the Rams in 2005 and three with the Eagles that same season . . . Former Patriots cornerback Fernando Bryant visited with the Rams yesterday.

Mike Reiss of the Globe staff contributed to this report.