Star power is added to the union’s cause in the person of Brady

For the first time in his career, Brady is an NFL Players Association alternate representative.

The Patriots’ player representative is left tackle Matt Light, but Brady and Adalius Thomas, who was a player rep with the Ravens, were voted as alternate representatives by teammates. Player representatives are responsible for answering questions from teammates, serving the interests of the other players, and communicating to their teammates the rules and their rights under the collective bargaining agreement.

With the CBA between the players and owners due to expire at the end of next season and a potential lockout in 2011 looming over the league, the active union involvement of Brady, one of the NFL’s marquee players, adds clout to the union.

“Very rarely do you see quarterbacks be that,’’ said Thomas. “So I think that says a lot about what his teammates think, and how important it is to him, some of the issues that may be going on with the union. I think it definitely adds power to it because of his status in the league and the respect he has from owners to coaches as well as players.’’

Acting as a proxy for his fellow players is not something Brady takes lightly.

“You’re a part of the meetings. You have a voice for whatever issues that may come up,’’ said Brady. “There are certainly a lot of them. The players obviously don’t want to see a lockout. We want to keep working, but if the owners lock us out, we’ve got to be informed. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that, but it’s not really in the players’ control.’’

Why did Brady choose to take on the duties this season?

“I don’t know. It just felt like the right time,’’ he said. “I think our executive director [DeMaurice Smith] provides some very strong leadership. I think you need strong leaders in the players; I’ve been around a while, and I’ve seen a lot. I’m excited for it.’’

Brady is not the only big-name quarterback involved in union matters. New Orleans’s Drew Brees is a member of the NFLPA executive committee, along with former Patriot linebacker Mike Vrabel. That’s why the modest Brady downplayed the significance of how his participation boosts the NFLPA.

“We’re only as strong as each other, whether it’s me or Drew Brees or Vrabel, or [Larry] Izzo,’’ said Brady. “We’re all in this together.’’

Still, it’s rare for a player with Brady’s lofty status and marketability to expose himself to a potentially contentious situation. It would have been easy for Brady, who will carry a $14.6 million cap charge this season and has a contract that expires after next season, to remain silent and watch safely from the sidelines as the rank and file slugged it out with owners.

Brady also has a very close relationship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is part of the league’s Management Council executive committee, which deals with labor issues.

Brady doesn’t feel that being on opposite sides of the negotiating table will affect his relationship with Kraft.

“I don’t worry about that, no,’’ Brady said. “This is the business of NFL football. I love Mr. Kraft. He’s been a father figure to me. I think it’s a role that I have. It’s a role that he has. We’re going to hopefully work as hard as we can, so we find the right solutions.’’

Brady has led a lot of successful drives during his career, and now he is part of the drive toward a new CBA.

“It’s an important time for the players. It’s an important time for the league,’’ said Brady. “I’ve been involved now for 10 years in the NFL, and I’m excited to add whatever input I can, and see if I can help in any way.’’

The Giants defeated the Dolphins, 13-10, in 2007 and last year the Saints beat the Chargers, 37-32.

Patriots tight end Michael Matthews was part of the Giants team that played in London. He said the Giants had meetings at their hotel and used the practice facility of English Premier League soccer team Chelsea.

“I guess it’s the same with the Patriots, where we’re going to try to make it normal where you have a similar schedule,’’ said Matthews. “That’s helpful.’’

Matthews said the flight across the Atlantic Ocean is not a big issue as long as players sleep on the plane to account for the time difference. The Patriots plan to leave Thursday night and arrive in London early Friday morning. The team has not divulged where it will practice.

“The flight is probably like flying to California, so it wasn’t that bad,’’ said Matthews. “That is not out of the norm, a six-hour flight. The flight over to Denver was just as bad. It was a long flight, longer than normal. Guys won’t be thrown off by the travel at all.’’

Matthews said some players could be thrown off by the crowd noise, which he described as the biggest difference between the United Kingdom contest and a normal NFL game. He said fans bring bells and whistles.

“It’s going to be like a soccer atmosphere more than an American football type of atmosphere where you’re not allowed to have whistles and all that kind of stuff,’’ said Matthews. “There are going to be whistles. It will probably throw some of these guys off in here.

“There is going to be tons of noise, different noise than you’re used to hearing. You just kind of have to focus in on what’s going on in the game. The environment is definitely different.’’

Jones took some time at the NFL’s fall meeting in Boston last week to chat about the controversial 160-foot-long videoboard that hangs over the field in the new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium, and other topics:

What do you think is going to happen with the scoreboard - are you confident it will remain where it is, 90 feet above the field? “Very confident. We haven’t had a punt get close since [preseason]. It’s not documented, but we’re pretty sure that the guy [Titans practice squad punter A.J. Trapasso] was aiming for it. He wanted to be the first one to get it, but I think when people are really punting in the normal course of a football game and doing all the things that they do under the normal pressures, the scoreboard is not a factor. We’ve had college games and pro games and it hasn’t been close to being hit since that first game.’’

Miles Austin had a huge game last week vs. the Chiefs with a Cowboys-record 250 receiving yards and two TDs, but Roy Williams is off to a slow start. Do you still feel you have the receivers to be effective offensively? “Absolutely, we feel very confident. Roy was hurt that game as well. Roy is a big part of our offense. Can’t complain too much right now because we’re No. 1 in the league in offense. We’ve got to do a better job of getting the ball in the end zone when we’re in the red zone, so we’ve got to get that part fixed. It’s a work in progress, but I feel very good with Miles emerging and Roy coming back off his injury and the [Patrick] Craytons and the [Sam] Hurds, [Kevin] Ogletrees, that we should be fine there. Then you take our tight ends and our running backs and we have a lot of people to get the ball to.’’

Releasing Terrell Owens was supposed to free up quarterback Tony Romo. Do you feel it has done that? “No question. With the way our guys are operating right now, Tony goes through his progressions and he is not putting a number of who the guy is. He just goes to what the defense gives us, and if that is Miles, then so be it; if it’s Roy, it’s Roy.’’

The Buccaneers also traded disappointing defensive end Gaines Adams to the Bears in exchange for a 2010 second-round pick Friday. The common theme in both deals is that the players were sent to teams that ran similar schemes so they could be assimilated quickly.

“At this point in time, we’ve had over half the practices for the entire year because of the number we have in training camp and in preseason,’’ said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “[To] bring in a player now and teach him your system is tough because even if he learns it on paper or in a playbook and is actually going out there and doing it, [there are] limited opportunities, so you trade for a guy and by the time you get him ready to go, the season is over.’’

The trade market could be one way for the Patriots to upgrade the third wide receiver spot. How about a call to Seattle to check on former Patriot Deion Branch, who has fallen down the depth chart? The 30-year-old Branch, who was traded to Seattle in 2006, certainly knows the Patriots system and would not have a problem with a return to his former team.

Branch is in the fourth year of the six-year, $36 million deal and carries a base salary of $4.94 million. With six weeks of the season gone by, the pro-rated cost for the Patriots would be about $3.2 million. That’s pricey for a third wideout who has been injury-prone.

“I’m all for protecting the quarterback, but I think it’s something that maybe has been overemphasized a little bit because there are some [calls] that are very questionable,’’ said Favre. “I understand why they are doing it. I’m a quarterback, too. But it’s tough when it may determine the outcome of a game.’’

Roughing-the-passer calls are up this year. There were 3.53 per game in 2008 and through the first four weeks of the season, which were the most up-to-date stats the league provided, there had been 5.25 per game.

“We’ve made it clear that the safety of all players is emphasized,’’ said NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson. “We are always striving with officials for consistency. We’re not perfect. Is our goal to continue to get better and better? Yes. But we’re never satisfied.’’

To replace Vinatieri, the Colts signed longtime NFL kicker Matt Stover, who is now in his 20th season. The 40-year-old Stover, whose 83.7 percent field goal accuracy rate is second in NFL history, spent 18 seasons with the Ravens/original Browns franchise. He was Baltimore’s kicker last season and hit a game-winning 43-yard field goal in the AFC playoffs against Tennessee, but the Ravens released him in March, electing to go with Needham native Steve Hauschka.

Material from personal interviews, other beat writers, and the Associated Press was used in this report.