Will Seymour see more time?

Coach respects player's position

Earlier this week, defensive lineman Richard Seymour said he didn't agree with the Patriots' decision to replace him on third down early in Sunday's loss to the Steelers.

In the first quarter, Seymour was pulled when the Patriots employed a dime package (six defensive backs) that included just two linemen (Jarvis Green, Vince Wilfork). He later was inserted into the dime package as part of a three-man rotation with Green and Wilfork.

Monday on his regularly scheduled appearance on WEEI radio, Seymour said he wanted to be on the field more on what is often considered the most critical down.

Yesterday, coach Bill Belichick was asked if he could envision Seymour becoming more of a full-time player on third down, and he responded by saying that all decisions are made weekly with the best interests of the team in mind, with multiple factors taken into consideration.

While Belichick might have preferred that Seymour keep his feelings in-house, he also understands where the five-time Pro Bowler is coming from.

"That is why you prepare and compete for this game, to play it and play well," said Belichick. "I respect that from all the players. At the same time, I try to take everything in consideration and try to put the team out there that we feel like has the best chance, from a total team standpoint. I know the players all understand that. They may not agree with every single thing, but they understand that.

"Football is a team sport. In order to participate on a team, each one of us has to give up a little bit of something individually that we would prefer to do it if it was strictly about us, but it is not. It is what is best for everybody. There is always a little bit of give and take with a team on what you do and how you do it in order to do the best to help the team win. We all have to do that. I think the players on this team do a great job of it."

By unofficial count, Seymour played 78 percent of the snaps Sunday. He started at right defensive end in the 3-4 alignment and stayed on the field when the team went to a nickel defense (five defensive backs).

The Patriots often rotate their linemen to keep them fresh, and it's possible that's what the Patriots were doing with Seymour, who leads the team with 7 1/2 sacks.

Unofficially, Seymour has played more than any other lineman on the roster this season, at a 75 percent clip. Wilfork is next at 68 percent.

Colvin pays a visit

There was a familiar face at Gillette Stadium, as the Patriots met with veteran free agent linebacker Rosevelt Colvin.

The visit with Colvin, who played here from 2003-07, comes in the wake of outside backer Pierre Woods leaving Sunday's game in the third quarter with a mouth injury.

The Patriots were already thin at the position, as Adalius Thomas remains sidelined with a forearm injury. Mike Vrabel and Woods have been starting, with rookies Gary Guyton and Vince Redd the backups.

The 31-year-old Colvin has been out of football since being cut by the Houston Texans at the end of training camp.

Best to rest in West

As in October, when they had back-to-back road games at San Francisco and San Diego, the Patriots will remain on the West Coast next week. They plan to leave Friday for Seattle, where they play the Seahawks Sunday, then will head to California for the week leading up to the Dec. 14 game at Oakland.

"It will be pretty similar," Belichick said. "I think everybody felt that it went well the week out there, that we had a productive week, players got a lot more rest and were better physically and fresher than if we criss-crossed the country two more times.

"You miss sleeping in your own bed, but from a team standpoint it gave us a little more time together both on and off the field. I think that was good for team bonding."

Belichick said the decision to stay on the West Coast again was made toward the end of the first trip, the day before a 30-10 loss to the Chargers. "We evaluated that before we played the game, so we wouldn't feel skewed by the results," he said. "We all felt pretty good about it . . . It was very positive feedback from the captains and other players."

Upstairs, downstairs

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees has called the last two games from the press box, moving from his regular spot on the sideline. He said the team will decide on a week-to-week basis if that will continue.

"You can actually see the game better and see the problems that develop easier from up there than you can on the sideline," he said.

Pees explained that corrections are made a bit quicker. On the flip side, he no longer can freely communicate with the players, which has fallen more to Belichick.

Through the first 10 games, Belichick often would speak with the defensive linemen and linebackers while Pees focused on the secondary or linebackers.

"The only difference is now he speaks to the whole group," Pees said. "Now we've got a pretty good grasp on if there is a problem, how we can fix it, and certainly Bill can relay it to the whole defense down there."

Webster goes on IR

Cornerback Jason Webster, who served as the sixth defensive back at the start of Sunday's loss to the Steelers, was placed on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury. Rookie Jonathan Wilhite moved into Webster's role Sunday after Webster hurt his ankle . . . This Sunday's game marks the Patriots' first trip to Seattle since Oct. 24, 1993 . . . The Patriots haven't lost back-to-back games since the 2006 season (Colts, Jets) . . . New England is 29-5 against NFC teams since 2001.