``I had a long day and one thing I remember is sitting on the bench and hearing some guy yell, `Springs, you (stink)! Go back to school,' '' Springs said. ``I went into the locker room and said, `That'll never happen again as long as I'm in the league.' That's what my attitude was.''

Springs delivered the same message to Pats teammate and battered rookie cornerback Darius Butler, the second-round pick out of UConn. It was Butler who was targeted by the Dolphins in the Pats' 22-21 loss Sunday, helping Davone Bess rack up 117 receiving yards.

``It's not a talent thing,'' said Springs, who wouldn't comment on being inactive the past month. ``(Butler) was fine. Just some things to work on. We all have a lot of things to work on.''

Butler said after the game, ``They took their shots at me. I've got to get better.''

Asked to offer an analysis of Butler's performance, coach Bill Belichick said, ``Some things need to be improved, like all the rest of us. Every (defensive back) has had a pass completed on them or a touchdown pass. That's part of being mentally tough and resilient, playing through plays that don't go your way at every position.''

Returns fall off

Against the Dolphins, kick returners Matthew Slater, Wes Welker and Butler averaged just 19.8 yards, compared to Ted Ginn Jr.'s 26.8 for Miami. It has been that way for the Pats the last three weeks.

``Some of it was blocking and execution and timing things, but we just didn't do a good job,'' Belichick said. ``Really, it's an area that we need to improve in all the way across the board. I thought we were close earlier in the year, and then the last three weeks it hasn't been as good as we would like for it to be.''

Brady avoids query

During his weekly radio interview with WEEI, Tom Brady sidestepped a question about how important a play-caller is. Under first-year play-caller and QBs coach Bill O'Brien, the unit has been inconsistent.

``It comes down to the players on the field and the plays they make,'' Brady said. ``When you call a run play, no matter what run play is called, you've got to find a way to make it work. It comes down to us doing a good job on the field. Our coaches don't put us in a position to not succeed.'' . . .

When Ronnie Brown went down with a season-ending foot injury, Miami coach Tony Sparano said the team will keep running its newfangled Wildcat formation with Ricky Williams. Yet Sunday, the team did not use the formation once. It was the first time since last season that Miami didn't use the Wildcat.

Taking on Moss

Clearly, Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis learned from his first experience with Randy Moss, an early-season meeting in which he got stiff-armed into the turf on a 71-yard score. Sunday, Moss fired the first blow with a 58-yard touchdown. Yet Davis responded by holding him to just one more catch for 8 yards.

``I figured they were going to try and go up top, and when the ball was up in the air I still knew I had to go up and attack it,'' Davis said. ``I'm not just going to go out there and let Moss do whatever he wants.''

PROBLEM OF THE GAME RESULTS

The secondary has taken a lot of heat for the recent plight of the Patriots defense, and rightfully so. But Herald readers believe the lack of push up front has more to do with opposing quarterbacks being able to pick the Pats apart, as was the case with Chad Henne and the Dolphins in the Patriots' 22-21 loss Sunday in Miami. The defensive line received 38 percent of the vote for Patriots Problem of the Game.

No pass rush: 38 percent

Tom Brady: 26 percent

Porous secondary: 22 percent

Second-half offense: 14 percent

total votes: 2,912