A few minutes with ...

FOXBOROUGH – Mike Wright has worked his way from rookie free-agent to being part of a five-man rotation on the Patriots’ defensive line. Now in his fourth season, he spent a few minutes this week at Gillette Stadium detailing his background in the game:

When did you start playing football?
“About fifth grade. I just did it because everyone else was doing it. I actually quit, because I didn’t like to hit. Then I came back in the seventh grade.”

What position did you play?
“I think they first put me at guard.”

Where did you grow up?
“Cincinnati, Ohio. Football is big around there, especially in high school. Once guys older than me were moving on to high school – bigger schools like Moeller and St. [Xavier] – I became a bit more interested in football.”

Your high school, Purcell Marian, was where Roger Staubach attended high school. What position did you play there?
“Tight end and defensive end. At tight end, I caught a couple passes, but the first time I got into a game, it was a scrimmage and I broke my arm. The tight end days were over at that point, and I just stuck to d-end.”

You attended the University of Cincinnati. Why there?
“I ended up there because I was coming back from the first school I went to, a Division II school, Ashland University, which is around Wooster, Ohio. I was planning on transferring to Miami [Ohio], but it just so happened that I decided to stay at home in Cincinnati. They let me walk on, but I had to sit out a year due to NCAA rules. It worked out, because I got my grades up and it allowed me to come back.”

So is it fair to say you weren’t a highly touted recruit?
“No, my only offer for college was Ashland.”

Off the field, what do you enjoy doing?
“I like to get out with my wife and discover new things. We don’t have much spare time around here now, but in the offseason I like to travel a little bit, even if it’s something like going down to Newport [Rhode Island] and finding something new there. I’m just sort of a simple guy.”