FOXBORO -- At today's press conference, Patriots coach Bill Belichick called Troy Brown one of his favorite players.

It's always good to see Troy and have Troy around," Belichick said. "He's been a great player for this organization and he's got great leadership and great character. He's done a lot here. It was really an honor for me to coach him. You can go back to '96 when I was first here -- he's one of the all-timers."

Brown is the Patriots all-time leading punt returner with 252 punts for 2,625 yards and three touchdowns, and he is the franchise all-time leader in receptions (557) and second all-time in receiving yards (6,366).