Right shoulder and right ring finger injuries were listed as the reasons Brady did not practice Wednesday. "Rib" was added to his assortment of ailments on yesterday's report.

He took a hard shot in that area while throwing a 58-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss in the first quarter of last week's game in Miami.

He went to the locker room immediately after the hit, but returned and didn't miss any snaps. Brady was already playing with a bruised and swollen finger.

Brady hurt his shoulder when he was drilled by Redskins nose tackle Albert Haynesworth in the third preseason game, but said recently his arm was fine.

Brady was 19-29 for 352 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions against the Dolphins.

Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme (right finger) also did not practice yesterday.

Patriots running back Fred Taylor and defensive lineman Ty Warren, who did not practice Wednesday because of ankle injuries, were limited participants yesterday. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork was a limited participant yesterday, but his status was not injury-related.

Welcome home for Pats

The Patriots have to be oh-so-happy about being back at Gillette Stadium this week. They are 6-0 at home this season and have won 21 straight in the building with Brady at quarterback.

The Panthers will be making their first regular-season visit to Gillette. First-timers are a combined 4-26 here.

New England ran its record to 0-5 on opponents' home fields last week in Miami.

One of the common themes in the Patriots' losses this season has been their deficiency in the second half. New England was outscored, 80-17, in those five games. The Pats led at halftime before falling to the Jets (in Week 2), Broncos, Colts and Dolphins (last week).

Brady completed 65 percent of his passes for 859 yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the first half of the losses. He was 46-87 (52.9 percent) for 536 yards, 2 TDs and four interceptions in the second half.

"It's definitely a focus of what we're doing," Brady said. "Those second-half leads are important, and you need to be able to make those critical plays that we haven't been making."

The Patriots , as we all know, have lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2006. The last time they dropped three straight? You have to go back to 2002

Smith still dangerous

From 2005-08, Carolina's Steve Smith was one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL. During those four seasons, Smith totaled almost 6,000 receiving yards and 33 TDs.

But the Panthers are a run-first team in 2009 and Smith's statistics have suffered. He's caught 49 passes for 682 yards and four TDs.

"I hate the cliche, `You learn something every year,'" Smith said, "but it's true. Honestly, there are moments where I got back and I think, `Oh, I did this and that,' so that's kind of how I treat it. It's not too hard for me to say we are a running team first. We have good running backs. But at the end of the day, run first or whatever you want to do, when we really need a big play downfield, in a hurry, they have to go to 89 (Smith's jersey number). So I don't worry about it too much."

Pats cornerback Darius Butler, who had his problems with Miami's receivers last week, said Smith reminds him of the Redskins' Santana Moss, whom the Pats saw in the preseason.

"Like Moss, (Smith) is explosive, fast and he has great hands," Butler said.

Welker honored

Wide receiver Wes Welker, who is coming off a 10-catch, 167-yard performance against the Dolphins, has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the third straight year. Welker has led the team in receptions in five games this year and tied for the team lead twice.

Yesterday, Welker was recognized for his skills by being selected to the inaugural USA Football/NFLPA All-Fundamentals Team. As part of the honor, Welker was also recognized for the work he does for underprivileged children in his hometown of Oklahoma City through his 83 Foundation.