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Will-ing to chat

In a section of Sunday's Boston Globe football notes, 12-time Pro Bowl guard Will Shields reflects on the four toughest defensive linemen he faced over his career (1993-2006). No Patriot made the cut, although Shields -- who faced the Patriots seven times over his career -- did recall a tough battle with nose tackle Keith Traylor in 2004.

Shields is now trying his hand as an analyst for Sirius NFL radio. His thoughts on the Patriots?

"When I look at the way the Patriots played last year, I saw a team that was counted out and was supposed to scrap the season based on the guys that were no longer on the team, and the guys they brought in," he said. "Yet you watched them down the stretch, and they played great football.

"What I think the Patriots do very well is not asking people to do things out of the ordinary. They ask guys to play their position and play it well, and don't try to complicate it with a lot of crazy things. On defense, for example, just hold your gap. Everyone has their roles and it all comes together as one."

As an interior lineman, Shields would most often battle with the nose tackle in the Patriots' 3-4 defense. So he never faced end Richard Seymour, but heard plenty about what that challenge was like.

"Talking to [left tackle] Willie Roaf, he'd say he was an unbelievable beast of a player," Shields said. "He's one of those guys you don't want to play every week because he makes you work from beginning to end. I've also been watching Ty Warren and he's growing into himself. That's another thing you see with the Patriots, the guys get better as the weeks go on, and you watch how new guys are plugged into the defense and it still keeps working. That's a reflection on not only the players' ability, but also the coaching staff."