01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, December 28, 2004

By TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO -- With a game against the woeful 49ers on Sunday and a first-round bye in the playoffs, the Patriots have a prime opportunity to rest some key players for the postseason. Head coach Bill Belichick indicated yesterday he may take that course.

"We have a lot of guys who are banged up," Belichick said yesterday morning, just hours after his team had completed a hard commute by bus back to Foxboro after its 23-7 win over the Jets. "We've had a long stretch of tough games playing week after week. I think some of our players are getting worn down.

"I think they showed a lot of toughness and courage and resiliency [in New York] to push through and play as competitively as they did, but I know there's a lot of guys out there who are a whole lot less than 100 percent."

The latest one is defensive end Richard Seymour , who hurt his lower left leg when the Jets' Kevin Mawae landed on the side of it. Belichick said he isn't yet sure what Seymour's diagnosis is.

"Hopefully we can have the team as close to full strength as we can be in two weeks," said Belichick. "We know what the situation is. We'll deal with it accordingly. How it will be dealt with, I don't know."

Driving beats flying

The Patriots got back to Foxboro at around 4 a.m. yesterday, busing back to the area because snow in Boston and Providence made it too dicey to fly.

The team's four buses went to Newark (N.J.) International Airport, about 15 minutes south of the Meadowlands, before opting to drive back.

"We got everything on the plane and [T.F. Green Airport in Warwick] was still open but [Logan Airport in] Boston was closed," Belichick said. "We can't really land anywhere else because of the size of the plane and the determination was made that [Green Airport] wasn't the answer because by the time we left and got up there, it was going to be worse. If you get up and can't get down, then where do you go? And if the pilots don't want to fly, nobody else wants to.

"So we got back on the bus, drove by Giants Stadium again, where we were an hour and a half earlier [and took Route 95 North]."

The trip took seven hours. Belichick stayed at Gillette Stadium from 4 a.m. on, breaking down Sunday's film, grabbing a nap, then getting into his Monday schedule with the media. Players were given the day off.

Cutting to the chase

In a seeming break from personal convention, Belichick told the Patriots last Wednesday that they would secure a first-round bye in the playoffs with a win in New York.

"Sometimes players read a lot of things or hear things [about playoff scenarios]," said Belichick. "I was just trying to lay it out and put all the cards on the table, [saying] 'Here's what it is. You don't have to read about any scenarios if the stars are in alignment or Venus rises in the east. If we beat the Jets, we have a first-round bye in the playoffs. That's all you need to know. That's what's at stake in this game.'

"It was probably one sentence, 10 words. [I] put it on the table: 'Here's what it is, that's it. Now everyone knows [the situation], everyone's aware of it, we're not debating it. Let's go.' "

No word on Law

Asked yesterday how close cornerback Ty Law came to playing, Belichick said: "Not close enough. I wouldn't read too much into [Law's making the trip to New York]. If [injured players] can play, we'll put them out there. If [Law] couldn't play in this game, [it] doesn't mean he'll be ready next game or tomorrow. We've worked guys out who are still a month away from playing."