Coach Bill Belichick preaches that every year is a new one, and that what happened last week, last month or last year is irrelevant. His players listen.

"You have to keep playing. We have the way we played in the past, the way we played last year. But it's a new year," defensive lineman Jarvis Green said. "We all know that. We have a lot of veterans in here that have been through all the success, but we have to keep playing. That's football."

--WR Kelley Washington, a standout special teamer in his first season in New England a year ago, would love to expand his role on offense this fall. Of course, since he didn't catch a single pass for the Patriots offense in 2007, such growth wouldn't take much.

"The more you can do, I would just love to expand my role and help the offense in any way I can. It all starts with the coaches believing in you and being on the same page with Tom (Brady). I just have to continue to improve and let the coaches make that decision."

--While it's clearly not a tell-tale sign of anything, the Gillette Stadium locker stalls of three former Patriots remained unoccupied last week. While linebacker Junior Seau, wide receiver Troy Brown and cornerback Ty Law all remain out of football while contemplating their futures, their former homes in the New England dressing room remain empty.

--Belichick has often said that making cuts is the worst part of the job as a coach. He got a taste for that distaste early in his career when he served as the "Turk" in his first jobs with the then Baltimore Colts.

"I think everyone knew at that time that I wasn't the one making the decision. I wasn't really the one telling them but when they saw me it was bad news. They knew that," Belichick said. "They knew if I was in the area that didn't bode well for them. If I wasn't in the area then the coast was clear."

BY THE NUMBERS: 0 -- Number of games Tom Brady has missed since taking over as starter in 2001. Also, combined number of career regular-season starts by other QBs on the New England depth chart heading into 2008.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I just want to be great." -- Rookie LB Jerod Mayo on why he's so studiously dedicated to the game.