01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, August 17, 2005

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO -- Kory Chapman opened the eyes of fans last week with 13 carries for 62 yards in the Patriots' preseason opener at Cincinnati.

More importantly, he caught the eye of his head coach.

Asked yesterday if the 6-foot-1, 202-pound back earned himself more playing time against New Orleans tomorrow, head coach Bill Belichick said, "That's probably a fair assessment. The more a player gets opportunities and the more he does with them, the more likely he is to get more opportunities in the future. I think Kory did show up well in the game in a number of areas. There were some positive things to work with."

Chapman is a 25-year-old Mississippian who went to college at Jacksonville State. He's already had a pretty good year considering he ran for 718 yards and five touchdowns (5.7 average) for Cologne in NFL Europe this spring.

Sometimes, solid NFL Europe seasons don't carry over to training camp. Chapman is building on his.

"Having the chance to play in Europe, I think, was beneficial for his playing ability and to go from one level to the next level," said Belichick. "Since the end of the NFL Europe season, he's been getting with (running backs coach Ivan Fears ) and learning plays and building on last year's learning. I think he's come in here with a lot better understanding of some of the things he's needed to work on from last year. He's made a diligent effort to improve and that's shown up on the field."

Doing the right thing

The Patriots' practice facility will officially be known as the Dana-Farber Field House. Philanthropist Jack Blais of Framingham, Mass., purchased the naming rights and passed them on to the world renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Blais' uncle was diagnosed with cancer 12 years ago, but after going through treatment at Dana-Farber, he was cured. The naming was announced by Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Preparation is everything

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady hasn't been in a genuine competition for his job in a few years. Maybe that's because he competed so hard whenever he was in competition for a spot.

Asked yesterday what it was like at the University of Michigan when he was trying to lock down a spot, he said, "I couldn't sleep. I'd be up at 2:30 in the morning checking the weather to see how windy it was going to be because I knew I was going to be throwing. You learn valuable lessons about competition. I approached every practice like it really was a game because I wasn't playing.

When I got a chance to play, some of those nerves were gone. I believe that if you can be very good throughout the week, chances are you'll be good on the weekend."

Time will tell

How much will Brady play tomorrow night?

"Whatever the coaches decide," said Belichick. "I expect Tom to play. How much? We'll probably have to make that determination tonight or tomorrow at some point. Some of it is a function of the people that are in there with him but also how much he needs. We'll take all those things into consideration."