BY ROBERT LEE
Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO -- There was a lot of interest surrounding who would start opposite Ellis Hobbs at the left cornerback position during the preseason.

Lewis Sanders earned the starting job in Week One, but two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Deltha O'Neal, after making a game-saving pass deflection in Week One against Kansas City, and getting a better grasp on the playbook, started there in Week Two.

O'Neal is listed as the starter this afternoon.

Belichick said that both Sanders and O'Neal have played well at the position, and Patriots safety Rodney Harrison gave his good friend O'Neal high-praises earlier this week.

"He's a Pro Bowler, a starter, and a first-round draft choice so pressure is nothing new to Deltha," Harrison said of O'Neal. "I think he's done a tremendous job. He plays on my side. He really listens and does a great job of communicating.

"[Our playbook] is stuff he's seen before it's just the terminology is a little different. We're friends and we have a good relationship so it allows us to work that much easier together. He's just a consummate pro."

Both O'Neal and Sanders said that it doesn't matter to them who starts. They just want to help the Patriots win.