ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Matt Cassel may be spending at least one more year in New England.

According to a story written by nbcsports.com reporter Tom E. Curran on Sunday, Tom Brady's rehabilitation on his left knee is "well behind schedule," and scar tissue and "looseness" in his left knee, where his ACL and MCL were torn on a hit from Kansas City's Bernard Pollard on Sept. 7, could put Brady's readiness for the 2009 season in jeopardy.

Citing an unnamed league source, Curran reiterated a report earlier this month that the infection that had set into the knee had finally cleared out, and that Brady was off the course of antibiotics he had been taking.

However, Curran reported, both the ACL and the MCL remain loose, and scar tissue that built up is still present and may need to be surgically removed. Because of the scar tissue, the quarterback who won the NFL MVP award last year does not have close to full mobility in the knee, Curran reported.

Because of that, the process of regaining strength in his quadriceps, a crucial component of recovering from a knee injury, has not yet begun in earnest.

Patriots team president Jonathan Kraft, appearing on the WBCN pregame show Sunday, did not explicitly deny the report, saying he "didn't know who [Curran] was talking to," but added that Curran would have to stand by his report. Kraft also said he's seen Brady rehabbing in Foxboro and "he looks fine to me."

Having the scar tissue removed is minor, but having surgery to tighten up the looseness in the ligaments would cost Brady the '09 season, Curran wrote, because it wouldn't be done so soon after his anterior cruciate replacement.

If Brady does not have the second surgery, the source told Curran, he would have to wear a brace on the knee, and the area would be susceptible to another major injury.

This is where Cassel comes in.

If in the next month or so it becomes clear that Brady may not be ready for the start of the season -- or even not able to play at all next season -- the Patriots could decide to place the franchise tag on free-agent-to-be Cassel. That would mean a one-year, fully guaranteed contract equal to the average of the top five quarterbacks in the league; that figure would be around $12 million.

Brady's base salary for next year is $5 million, and he's due a $3-million roster bonus; in addition, $6.6 million of his signing bonus counts against the '09 salary cap, expected to be around $123 million.

If Cassel was franchised and retained, New England would be spending more than $26 million on the two quarterbacks.

On NBC's Football Night in America, Peter King reported that sources close to Brady are saying that is rehab is actually progressing ahead of schedule, and that New England is floating the story to increase Cassel's value.

It is possible that the Pats could franchise Cassel and then trade him to the highest bidder; in 2003, New England franchised and then traded safety Tebucky Jones to New Orleans, receiving third-, fourth-, and seventh-round draft picks (over two years) from the Saints.

James Sanders back on the field

Safety James Sanders returned to his spot in the starting backfield Sunday after missing two-plus games with an abdominal issue.

Sanders' injury was initially reported to be his ribs, but after leaving the Seattle game in the first half, he said he had suffered the abdominal injury the week before, against the Steelers, and exacerbated it against the Seahawks. He returned to practice on a limited basis this week but was cleared for play in Buffalo.

"It felt good," Sanders said of his return. "Any time you're sitting on the sidelines or in the stands for a number of weeks at the end of the season instead of out there playing, it can be frustrating. But it felt good to be out there helping the team out."

Sanders was credited with eight tackles Sunday.

Patriots set record for fewest penalties

With two accepted penalties against them Sunday - a false-start call against Nick Kaczur and an illegal contact call on Jerod Mayo - New England totaled just 57 this season, setting a new NFL record.

Seattle set the new standard just last year, with 59 accepted penalties.

smanza@projo.com