FOXBORO -- Tyrone Poole has likely played his final game with the Patriots. The team yesterday put the 33-year-old cornerback on injured reserve because of an ankle injury that has kept him out after the first game of the season.

Poole, who signed with the Pats prior to the 2003 season and had six picks for New England that year, has a year left on his contract. But he has played in only six games since the start of 2004. His salary is $1.5 million this year, and he received a signing bonus of $600,000. His presence has afforded the Patriots diminishing returns since that very good 2003 campaign.

The loss of Poole puts the Pats' roster at 52, clearing a spot that likely will be filled by returning linebacker Tedy Bruschi when he's activated from the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.

Even after their bye week, the Patriots remain thoroughly dinged up in the secondary. Poole and safeties Rodney Harrison and Guss Scott all are on injured reserve. Safeties James Sanders andEugene Wilson are questionable for Sunday night's game against the Bills, as is corner Randall Gay .

Poole hurt his knee last season and tried to play against the Seahawks but ended up reinjuring it and was placed on injured reserve in December. Poole, beaten for a touchdown by the Raiders' Randy Moss in the season opener this year, apparently hurt his ankle that week. He proclaimed himself improved in the two weeks prior to the Pats' bye week, but was seen on crutches in the team's locker room last week and was visibly limping as he jogged during practice on Wednesday.

In addition to the status change on Poole, defensive end Ty Warren (hip), Wilson (flu) and running back Amos Zereoue (thigh) all were added to the injury list, and all are listed as questionable for Sunday night.

Beisel under fire

Patriots linebacker Monty Beisel commented after New England's loss to Denver on 790-The Score that there was little the inside linebackers could do about 70-yard pass plays. This was viewed as a selling out of the secondary, and a Boston newspaper pointed that out.

Beisel has had an uneven start to his career with the Patriots, and he feels under siege for his play, and now the issue made over his comments.

"When you're doing a live interview that you do week in and week out on Mondays and they can take a quote and they make it look whatever (way) they want, (there's not much one can do)," said Beisel. "I've kind of been the whipping boy for the media all season in terms of if anything goes wrong, it's my fault. You know, I guess I'll stand up and keep taking it."

The 'best back'?

Last week, Bills running back Willis McGahee anointed himself the NFL's best running back. "I'm the best back. Case closed," he said.

The "best back" proceeded to rush for 50 yards on 16 carries in a loss to Oakland. So far this season, McGahee is fifth in the NFL in rushing with 654 yards on 154 carries (4.2 average).

Asked Wednesday whether he agreed that McGahee was the NFL's best back, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn't take the bait.

"He's a good back," said Belichick. "He runs hard. He has good power. He has good speed. He has a bunch of long runs this year already, a bunch of 50-yarders. So when he hits the secondary and gets through the line of scrimmage, he eats up a lot of ground.

"We play him and we play (second-year back Shaud ) Williams this week. They're both tough. I hope we can do a good job in trying to contain them. We have to deal with (the entire offense) this week, it's not just McGahee. But he is good, too. He breaks tackles and catches the ball out of the backfield and bounces plays out and runs up inside. He's a good all-around back."

Squib kicks

There was some chatter earlier this week about former Chiefs linebacker Mike Maslowski coming to New England for a look-see. The once-coveted Maslowski, who's been unable to play because of knee injuries that began in 2003, has not been to Foxboro, and there appears to be no imminent visit, either. . . . Bills head coach Mike Mularkey was asked about his switch from second-year quarterback J.P. Losman to veteran Kelly Holcomb earlier this month. "We are trying to win football games. All the decisions that are made within this team are strictly for that. They are not about one player's progress or lack of this or that. I'm not strictly talking about J.P. [Losman]. We are trying to win now. I talked to both quarterbacks. I told J.P. and the team that he is a big part of the future of this team. It wasn't more than a learning process that he is going through." . . . In this week's issue of Pro Football Weekly, defensive end Jarvis Green finished third in voting for the NFL's top pass-rush specialists, behind the Colts' Robert Mathis and James Harrison of the Steelers. The results came from a poll of coaches, personnel directors and scouts. . . . Absent from the early portion of practice yesterday were receiver Troy Brown , defensive lineman Richard Seymour , defensive end Ty Warren , safety Eugene Wilson , corner Randall Gay and safety James Sanders . . . . Belichick will not hold a press conference today because he is going to New York for the funeral of Giants owner Wellington Mara .