Defense banged up
Bruschi reportedly returns for tests
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. - A league source said that Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who left Sunday's 24-21 win over the Seattle Seahawks with a knee injury, was sent back to Massachusetts to undergo tests on his left knee.
That would mean that Bruschi was not with the team yesterday in the San Jose area, where it will practice this week in preparation for Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders.
Bruschi left the game after Patriots cornerback Mike Richardson collided helmet-first with Bruschi's knee on the fourth play of the second quarter.
The source said the knee is the same one that has had Bruschi on the injury report the last couple of weeks and limited him in practice. Bruschi was seen walking out of the Patriots locker room at Qwest Field Sunday under his own power.
The Patriots lost two defensive starters on Seattle's first two possessions, as nose tackle Vince Wilfork was forced out with a shoulder injury on the first drive. A source close to Wilfork did not characterize his injury as serious and said the big nose tackle should be OK.
The Patriots also lost safety James Sanders in the first half with a rib injury. He did not return. Sanders said he wasn't injured against Seattle and actually felt something the previous week, but it started to bother him Sunday.
Injuries have been a way of life on defense for the Patriots.
They started the Seattle game without Ty Warren, who missed his second straight game with a groin injury, and outside linebacker Pierre Woods, who is nursing a broken jaw. Safety Rodney Harrison (right quadriceps), linebacker Adalius Thomas (broken right forearm), and rookie cornerback Terrence Wheatley (broken left wrist) had their seasons ended by injuries.
Even the starters who are playing - such as cornerback Ellis Hobbs, who has been nursing a shoulder injury - are banged up.
Vrabel takes charge
The Patriots got yeoman work Sunday from Mike Vrabel. The veteran outside linebacker played 56 of a possible 57 snaps, including plays negated by penalties, leaving the field for only one play when he was injured in the second quarter.Vrabel finished with seven tackles, tied for the team high, and ran the defensive huddle, shepherding a defense that was playing with young backups such as defensive linemen Le Kevin Smith and Mike Wright, fill-in veterans at linebacker in Junior Seau and Rosevelt Colvin, and rookie linebackers Gary Guyton and Jerod Mayo.
Vrabel was the glue holding the patchwork defense together.
"He was definitely a big part of it," said coach Bill Belichick. "Mike, Richard [Seymour], Brandon Meriweather, those guys are involved in a lot of the communication, and some of the adjustments that we had to make by the nature of their position. They were really solid that way, but Mike especially as the signal caller.
"He is a guy who is involved in a lot of the adjustments we make and coverages. He is very good, probably as good as anyone could possibly be in that situation. He does a number of things and as well as he does doing it, he's certainly outstanding."
Seau heard from
Seau, who was signed by the Patriots Friday, ended up being on the field quite a bit because of Bruschi's injury.So, how did the 39-year-old feel after going from the beach to playing 28 snaps of NFL football?
"You definitely use different muscles surfing and packing coolers for volleyball games," said Seau, who finished with one tackle. "There are some fast-twitch muscles that are kind of sore but other than that I feel good."
Seau's presence didn't just give the Patriots depth at linebacker, it gave them back their pregame speaker. Hobbs spoke of how Seau fired the team up.
"That will never change," Seau said. "I definitely love to share the experience in the years in which I've had and having been down that road before and sharing it with the young guys.
"It was definitely something that the players were looking forward to. Hopefully, I didn't disappoint them."
Can't stop it
One of the keys to Meriweather's game-sealing sack of Seneca Wallace on an all-out blitz was the fact that the Seahawks were out of timeouts.Wallace said the Patriots had lined up in the look twice before and that Seattle had countered both times with timeouts. Without any timeouts, Seattle, which had second and 11 at the New England 44, was in a bind against the blitz and the Patriots, knowing that, picked a perfect time to dial it up and come up with their only sack of the game.
"It's tough, because we don't have an answer for it," said Wallace. "We go up there and try to make something up and try to protect. They just made a good play down there in the stretch."
China shop closed
According to Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal, the Patriots have closed their office in China and the NFL has suspended indefinitely plans to play a preseason game there. The Patriots were scheduled to play an exhibition against the Seahawks in Beijing in August 2007, but the game, billed the China Bowl, was canceled, in part so the league could focus on regular-season international games like the one the Patriots will take part in next season in London. The Patriots were the only NFL team with an on-site presence in China . . . Belichick said the Seahawks blitzed two-thirds of the time against the Patriots. He lauded the work of running backs Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk in pass protection . . . With the win over Seattle, the Patriots improved to 21-2 in December since 2003 . . . After his 12-catch day, Wes Welker leads the NFL in receptions with 96.
