He's out of lineup, but never out of touch

Five weeks is a long time ago, but fortunately in the world of text messaging, you are always close. That is why Tom Brady remains such a big part of the Patriots. For instance, here's 25 minutes of a recent day:

Hey, guys, I know you are all out here on the West Coast, so welcome to my neighborhood. Great job last week. Had my surgery and I'm hobbling around, but I'm fine. I had a good doctor and I'm following his advice. Best of luck, Tom.

Tom, Coach brought us to San Jose, so we're enjoying the warmer weather and easier travel. If we were home, people would still be wanting to know why we couldn't stop Miami's "Wildcat" offense. Either that or they'd be asking why we didn't win the Super Bowl like the Red Sox won the World Series. Man, they're tough to please. They even boo Kevin Youkilis all the time. Take care, Matt.

Tom, miss you, but forget the doctor's advice. Just do what Gisele tells you. Hurry back, Randy.

Coach, I've got some ideas for the offense, so give me a holler if you want to hear them. If you want to discuss my surgery, we can do that, too. Tom.

Dear Tom, what surgery? BB.

Coach, my knee. Remember? Tom.

TB, hey, with Merriman out of the lineup, would it look tacky if I did the "Lights Out" dance? Hobbs.

Dear Tom, I have to talk to our medical staff before I comment on an injury. BB.

Ellis, focus on the game. Forget about "Dancing With The Stars." Tom.

Tom, we'll miss you. Tough break. But, hey, we have issues, too. You know, I've got turf toe. LT.

LT, yeah, so does Reggie Dupard. Tom.

Tom, I checked with our medical staff. They confirmed you got hurt. BB.

Tom, who's Reggie Dupard? LT.

Hey, No. 12, thanks for the recommendation on that San Francisco restaurant. They knew nothing about you picking up the tab, though. Ha-ha. Light.

Light, sorry, but I'm on a fixed income, being out of work and all. TB.

Tom, by the way, thanks for offering your ideas, but our coordinators cannot talk. BB.

Matt, they're not booing Youkilis. They're saying, "Youk . . . Youk . . . Youk." TB.

Tom, can you recommend a restaurant in San Diego? Light.

Light, I'd suggest you call Junior Seau. TB.

Tom, funny, but I suggested we do the same thing halfway through the Miami game. Light.

Coach, you mean I can't talk to Josh? He's my coordinator. Tom.

Tom, oh, like the Patriots fans must have chanted, "Drew . . . Drew . . . Drew," for Bledsoe? Matt.

Matt, actually, they were booing him. TB.

Tom, you're out with a shoulder injury, so Josh is Matt's coordinator. It is what it is. BB.

Tom, I just Googled Reggie Dupard. There you Patriots go again, disrespecting us. LT.

Coach, it's the knee. TB.

Tom, I'll check again with our medical folks. In the meantime, how is the shoulder doing? BB.

The picks

New England at San Diego (-5) - So, when you think of great television journalism, do you conjure up thoughts of Edward R. Murrow? Walter Cronkite? Or Andrea Kremer gushing over Tom Brady in that postgame interview last year? Pick: Chargers.

Detroit at Minnesota (-13) - Is that Brad Childress calling the shots on the Vikings' sideline? To me, it appears to be Mr. Peabody from Bullwinkle cartoon fame. Pick: Vikings.

Baltimore at Indianapolis (-4) - Michael Phelps was honored before last week's game in Baltimore and he got to wear a Ravens jersey. It was No. 8, of course, in honor of the gold medals he won in China. Ravens and Titans weren't very impressed, however, as 67 players told the swimmer that they own more gold than that. Pick: Colts.

Chicago (-3) at Atlanta - Bears quarterback Kyle Orton last week ran his record to 3-0 against the Lions. Sounds better than it is, because even Herve Villechaize, Tattoo on "Fantasy Island," would be 3-0 if he got to play against the Lions. Pick: Falcons.

Carolina at Tampa Bay (-1 1/2) - Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden on whether to play Brian Griese or Jeff Garcia: "Obviously, health is going to be an issue. Jeff did some good things. His health has been an issue and his return to health is something we're excited about." Good gracious, if he's so hung up on health, get Jack LaLanne to play quarterback. Pick: Panthers.

Jacksonville at Denver (-3 1/2) - It occurs to me that the best sense of humor in television sports belongs to the person who dresses Craig Sager of TBS. Pick: Broncos.

Miami at Houston (-3) - So, you had the Texans getting 3 points last week, looked at the 27-10 lead with less than five minutes to play, and started thinking of that trip to Aruba. A short time later, with the Colts having rallied to win, 31-27, you were counting your losses and wondering whether to call James Sokolove to sue Sage Rosenfels for football malpractice. Pick: Texans.

Cincinnati at NY Jets (-5 1/2) - The assignments are out for the annual UEFA, and AC Milan has drawn what is called a "safe game." I think that means they get the Bengals after the Jets are done with them. Pick: Bengals.

Green Bay at Seattle (-2) - The Packers have signed Danny Lansanah. It rained all night the day he left, the weather it was dry. Oh, Lansanah, don't you cry for me. Pick: Seahawks.

Oakland at New Orleans (-7) - Starting to resemble the 'Aints from previous years, New Orleans is 2-3, yet center Jonathan Goodwin is in denial. "We're a couple of plays away from being 5-0," he said. Yeah, and our 401(k)s are three or four zeros away from being respectable, and the Angels are two games away from eliminating the Red Sox. Pick: Saints.

Philadelphia (-5) at San Francisco - After falling to 2-3, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb called for a team meeting. Unfortunately, there was a lack of communication as he never made clear which team. Thus, the Philadelphia Freedoms of World TeamTennis showed up to meet McNabb. He worked on his crosscourt backhand. Pick: 49ers.

St. Louis at Washington (-13 1/2) - Erasmus James has been somewhat of a disappointment for the Redskins, but it gets me to thinking that every 250 to 260 years or so, a man named Erasmus comes along. There was the Dutch humanist born in 1466, of course, Desiderius Erasmus, and Charles Darwin's grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was born in 1731. Hope this information helps you with this game. Pick: Redskins.

Dallas (-5) at Arizona - Terence Newman, the Cowboys' standout cornerback, will miss the game with a sports hernia, which is not to be confused with the ballet hernia that caused several members of "Don Quixote" to be sidelined. Pick: Cardinals.

NY Giants (-7 1/2) at Cleveland - Plaxico Burress's suspension is over, though he doesn't seem too shaken by what happened. "My family is going to be here forever. Football is the best temporary job I'm ever going to have in my life," he told reporters. He's apparently never met the guy who works wardrobe for those Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoots. Pick : Browns.

Last week: 5-7-2.

Season: 33-37-3.