DENVER -- What does it say about second-round draft choice Ron Brace of Boston College that, for the second week in a row, he's inactive while sixth-round pick Myron Pryor of Kentucky will be playing for the Pats this afternoon in Denver?

If you're inclined to give the 330-pound Brace the benefit of the doubt, he may be more of a run-stuffer at this stage of his career, while Pryor, who's 310, is considered a better pass rusher. Still, it's not good when a second-round pick isn't in uniform.

As for veteran wide receiver Joey Galloway, his free-agent signing appears to have been a mistake on the part of the Patriots -- one that's particularly irksome given that the Pats cut Greg Lewis, who made a spectacular catch at the back of the end zone of a rifle shot of a pass fired by Brett Favre to complete the Vikings' win at the wire over San Francisco two weeks ago in Minnesota.

-- JIM DONALDSON