O'Connell was at the ready

No. 2 quarterback did 'warmup' act

Kevin O'Connell (above) loosened up Sunday after Matt Cassel took a hit. (robert e. klein/The Boston Globe)

FOXBOROUGH - Just in case, rookie quarterback Kevin O'Connell is ready to go, and just in case almost became reality Sunday in the Patriots' 19-10 win over the New York Jets.

With 2:12 left in the first half, Matt Cassel came up a little gimpy on his right knee after being hit by linebacker Bryan Thomas on an incomplete pass to Wes Welker. On the next play, he was limping as he prepared to get under center, and O'Connell was warming up on the sideline.

The Patriots have already lost Tom Brady for the season with torn ligaments in his left knee, so the last thing they need is to lose another quarterback to a knee injury.

"Just a little bump and bruise, the guy caught me awkwardly in my stance. I'm fine," said Cassel, during a contractually obligated appearance on WEEI yesterday morning. "It's been perfectly fine. I came out in the second half and didn't really have any problems. The last thing you want to do is go out there and get injured. Thankfully, nothing happened."

But if something had happened, O'Connell, who took the practice snaps as the No. 2 quarterback last week, was standing by.

"I knew Matt would be ready to go, and I was confident that he would do well," said O'Connell. "I just wanted to watch him and learn and be ready as the No. 2."

If the Patriots decide to get creative without Brady, O'Connell could see the field in the coming weeks whether Cassel is injured or not. They reached the red zone five times against the Jets but scored just one touchdown. O'Connell showed some ability to run the football during the preseason and could be a weapon inside the 20 with his mobility.

"I just want to help the offense any way I can," said O'Connell. "Like I said before, I'm just going to do anything that they ask me to do, whether it's supporting Cassel or if I have to run the team. I'm just really focusing on being ready to go, basically."

Fullback re-signed

In what may be a sign that the Patriots plan to go with more of the two-back attack they used against the Jets, the team re-signed fullback Kyle Eckel yesterday and released tight end Stephen Spach. They also made a practice squad move, cutting loose punter Tom Malone and re-signing safety Mark Dillard.

Eckel, 26, who was cut Aug. 26, played in 12 games last season and had 33 rushes for 90 yards and two touchdowns, plus one reception for six yards. He also made 12 special teams tackles.

His signing is also insurance should running back Laurence Maroney's shoulder injury be more serious than first thought. Maroney left Sunday's game in the first half, but returned in the fourth quarter and carried the ball on the Patriots' final possession.

Dillard, an undrafted rookie out of Louisiana Tech, was signed to the practice squad after the last round of cuts. He was released last Wednesday, when the team brought back quarterback Matt Gutierrez.

No longer hobbled

Before the season, there was a lot of talk about how the Patriots secondary would fare without Asante Samuel. So far, so good.

Ellis Hobbs, who took a ton of heat last season even though he was playing hurt unbeknownst to his critics, has stepped up his game this season. He had an interception against the Chiefs in the opener and came up with two passes defended against the Jets.

"Man, I feel healthy. I feel good," said Hobbs, who had offseason surgeries for a torn labrum in his left shoulder and a sports hernia. "I'm excited to be here.

"A lot of distractions in my life are out of the way, and every time I go out there, man, I'm just excited to make a play, so I can do some type of celebration or whatever, not in a cocky way, but just using that energy to flow through the team. That's the type of player I am, and that's the type of player that I want to continue to be."

Double jeopardy

Patriots coach Bill Belichick acknowledged that the Jets spent a lot of time doubling wide receiver Randy Moss. "They rolled over the top of Randy almost the whole game, other than a few plays, and one of those plays was when Matt threw down there to Randy," said Belichick. "When they gave us the opportunity to do that, we tried to get the ball down the field and we had a good chance on that one. When they don't, I don't think you want to be lobbing the ball down there to Kerry Rhodes when he is roaming back in the deep part of the field. We have seen that before and those plays don't usually end up the way you want them to." . . . With tight end Benjamin Watson nursing a knee injury, David Thomas was an iron man Sunday, playing all 59 snaps. "It always feels good to get out on the field, and I was excited to play as much as I did," said Thomas. "Hopefully, there is a lot of stuff to learn from and keep improving and getting better every day." . . . Linebacker Adalius Thomas on whether he should have been credited for two sacks when he wrestled Jets quarterback Brett Favre to the ground in the fourth quarter with New York running back Leon Washington hanging all over him: "No, only one guy had the ball, so I only get credit for one sack."

Mike Reiss of the Globe staff contributed to this report.