Brady's presence a present for teammates

FOXBOROUGH - Tom Brady's presence at Gillette Stadium has been uplifting to some of his Patriots teammates.

"He's in great spirits," quarterback Matt Cassel said. "He's just healing and getting better."

Yesterday wasn't the first day Brady was at the stadium to work out, although the presence of a black Red Sox cap and a knee brace at his locker tipped off reporters to his whereabouts.

"It's good to see him around, hanging out, smiling," defensive end Jarvis Green told the Associated Press. "It looks like he's in a good mood. I just spoke to him a few times, joked with him, but it looks like he's OK."

At this point, it is premature to say that Brady is rigorously rehabbing his left knee, as that must wait until doctors are certain his infection has cleared. But Brady can work out to maintain other aspects of his conditioning.

"It's just good to hear his voice," rookie running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis said.

Neal not 100 percent

Guard Stephen Neal, who did not play the final four series of Sunday's 20-10 victory over the Bills, was added to the team's injury report yesterday because of his knee. Neal was replaced by eight-year veteran Russ Hochstein Sunday, and Hochstein drew an important defensive holding call on Marcus Stroud to extend the team's 19-play scoring drive in the fourth quarter.

Hochstein hasn't seen much action this season, as Billy Yates started the first seven games at right guard before Neal's return. Hochstein is familiar with the drill.

"Whenever you have a long spell without playing, it's hard because when you go in there the speed of the game is a lot faster and there are decisions being made throughout the game and adjustments that you have to stay up on, but since it's something I've had to do over the years, I'm used to it," he said.

Neal was limited in yesterday's practice, a light walkthrough. Elsewhere on the injury front, running back LaMont Jordan (calf) was held out, along with cornerback Lewis Sanders (hamstring), linebacker Adalius Thomas (forearm), and cornerback Terrence Wheatley (wrist).

Give and take

Turnovers should play a significant part in the outcome of tomorrow night's game. The Jets are 3-0 when they have a positive turnover differential, 2-3 when they have a negative differential, and 1-0 when it's even. The Jets are plus-8 over their last two games, both victories. Quarterback Brett Favre often determines which direction the Jets go, as he has 16 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. "He's made his career off of it, where he's went out there and made the big plays, and he's given them up, too," cornerback Ellis Hobbs said. "We just have to make sure on Sunday that he's giving up more big plays than he's making."

On a tight schedule

Tuesday is normally a day off for players, but with a game tomorrow, a quicker-than-normal turnaround is required. "I am a little beat up," defensive end Ty Warren said. "We just have to prepare for it the best way possible - hot tub, cold tub, stretching, all that good stuff. We know what it is and I am sure it's the same thing on their end. The good thing over there is that they got to rest in the second half [after building a 40-3 halftime lead against the Rams]. They are probably a little better off than us."

Ground forces

The Jets are averaging an impressive 4.6 yards per rush (third in the NFL), and while the Patriots are surrendering 4.1 yards per carry, that stat is a bit misleading; they remain one of the more difficult teams to run against. That battle of force vs. force is one of the subplots of tomorrow's game. "It's more of the Jets we're used to seeing - they're physical and they want to play that style of offense," nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. "We have to do a good job this week of stopping the run."

Plucky Pierre

Outside linebacker Pierre Woods, who projects to replace Thomas in the team's base 3-4 alignment, played a season-high 31 snaps Sunday against the Bills. Coach Bill Belichick said Woods has "done a good job" defensively and on special teams. Woods's 10 special teams tackles (8 solo) lead the team . . . The Patriots have been flagged for the fewest penalties (31) and fewest accepted penalties (26) in the NFL . . . The Patriots have won 38 consecutive regular-season games when leading at halftime, a post-merger NFL record (1970-present) . . . Wilfork, who had been nagged by a toe injury in recent weeks, was removed from the injury report. "It's not a problem, no big thing," he said . . . Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins said yesterday that he studied film of Wilfork in the offseason to learn more about playing the nose in the 3-4, as the role was new to him . . . Tomorrow's game, which is broadcast on the NFL Network, will be available in Boston on Channel 5.