FOXBORO - Don't try to convince Ellis Hobbs that he's the weak point of the New England Patriots defense.

In preparation of Saturday night's playoff clash with Jacksonville here at Gillette Stadium, Hobbs stood by his locker nearly the entire 45-minute session with the Patriots football media.

Often criticized for his pass coverage - or lack thereof - Hobbs went on the offensive.

"People don't understand what goes on out on the field," said Hobbs. "The worst is when you're near the play, and it's not your responsibility. You just want to run away."

Hobbs has been in the vicinity - rightly or wrongly accepting blame - of an awful lot of big pass plays against the Patriots the last two seasons.

That is partly because teams are avoiding the option on the other side, Asante Samuel.

And it's also because Hobbs has been regularly victimized.

Yesterday, the third-year man out of Iowa State, chose to have a short memory, with his mind locked on one fact - he's a starter on the NFL's fourth-rated defense for a 16-0 team.

Talk quickly turned to the fact that it wasn't just neophyte fans and media members rapping Hobbs. Former Cincinnati Bengals three-time Pro Bowl receiver Cris Collinsworth delivered some disparaging words Hobbs' way on the NFL Network.

Hobbs again chose the Roger Clemens route, leaping to the offensive.

"The guys who played this game and go over to that other (media) side, they're almost selling out," said Hobbs. "They're feeding it to the crowd. They do it for the entertainment. That's what sells. It's not the game."

Hobbs himself admitted that he often fell for the words of such talking heads, that is until the day he turned pro.

"I bought it as a fan," said Hobbs. "Then, I got to this level. This game is a lot different. It's not so simple."

A new level of respect

Rodney Harrison won't ever be cited for his statistical analysis.

The veteran safety would rather stare into somebody's eye or judge by performance rather than sorting through a pile of numbers.

Take quarterback David Garrard of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Saturday's playoff opponent.

Right now, in Harrison's eyes, Garrard's stock is soaring, and it's not about the 9-for-21, two-interception effort the first-year starter put up in last weekend's win over the Steelers.

"David Garrard has always had the ability to scramble," said Harrison. "But it was his head, his coolness. There was a calmness about him that I was really surprised about."

Garrard, of course, led the Jags on a final 8-play, 44-yard drive to the decisive field goal - delivering the play of the game with a fourth-and-2, 32-yard draw-run to the Steelers 11.

"With the game he was having, most young players couldn't bounce back," added Harrison. "He didn't look shaky or startled. He took the game into his own hands and won the game for them."

Speaking of Harrison, when the subject of Jacksonville's receivers was broached, he summed them up succinctly.

"Big, big, big, big, big," said Harrison. "People definitely underestimate them."

They haven't put up big numbers - Ernest Wilford leads with just 45 catches, 83rd highest in the league - but they are physically imposing. Wilford is 6-4, 218, Reggie Williams is 6-4, 212, Matt Jones is 6-6, 232 and tight end Marcedes Lewis is 6-6, 270.

Odds and ends

Tom Brady pushed his usual weekly media appearance from Wednesday to yesterday, obviously to clear his slate as much as possible in preparation for the Jaguars.

"We've got our biggest challenge ahead," said Brady, who barely acknowledged his recent near-unanimous selection as the Associated Press' NFL Most Valuable Player.

With the TD record behind him, it's clear Brady is back to being Brady, in the business of winning football games. ...

If you watch anything out of the Jacksonville camp, keep an eye on defensive tackle John Henderson and his ailing hamstring. Remember, this is a team that lost All-Pro run-stuffer Marcus Stroud to injury. If Henderson can't go, it will severely hamper the Jags' front seven. ...

The Patriots' Ellis Hobbs did offer one simple solution to the defense's recent tackling woes, especially against larger running backs.

"I don't think it's been much of a problem when everybody's giving a great effort and getting to the ball," said Hobbs. "Obviously, we're not asking you to get out there and (make) amazing tackles solo every time, but if you have 11 men flying to the ball then it doesn't allow much to happen with the running, as far as him breaking tackles and breaking it for big gains."