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Watson sighting

MIAMI -- Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson arrived at Super Bowl XLI today. Dressed in a suit and tie, he was interviewed by teammate Ty Warren for a segment that will run on the Jim Rome television show Friday, and then answered a few questions.

“It was good to get out of Boston. When I was taking off, I saw the whole Charles River frozen,” Watson said. “I was like ‘Man, I have to get down to some palm trees.’ Obviously, I wish we were playing here, and I debated about coming. I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet people and network a little bit.”

It’s been almost two weeks since the Patriots’ season came to an end in the AFC Championship, and Watson believes this is now an important time to rest.

“We have to be back at the end of March,” he said, noting that’s when the Patriots' offseason program begins. “The thing now is to let your body heal up, relax, take some vacations. This is the first time I don’t have to get surgery. My first year I had an ACL and last year I had to get another scope for the knee. I’m excited about that.”

Watson, who was second on the team with 49 catches for 643 yards, just concluded his third season in the NFL.

“I think I’ve grown and progressed as far as running my routes, and getting better on the football field, and even off the field, I feel as if I’ve been able to handle the pressure and ups and downs better, and not letting one bad play, or two bad plays lead to games of bad plays,” he said. “I think I definitely matured on that side of it, the mental aspect of it.”

Watson said he was especially tested during a late-season stretch in which he fumbled in consecutive games.

“I’ve never had a problem like that before, so then you start thinking about it, and it happens again,” he said. “It was a weird thing. I think working through that also helped me grow. It’s important to keep a level head and keep working.”