FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots made six cuts yesterday to get down to the 75-man roster limit. Perhaps the most surprising player let go was veteran cornerback Hank Poteat.

"Hank is a great kid," head coach Bill Belichick said. "He's a good player to coach. He worked hard, made some big plays for us, and played in some big games. I have no issues at all with Hank. He worked hard in the offseason program. We just felt like there was some players ahead of him today, and that's why we did that, but I have total respect for Hank."

Poteat was first acquired by New England as a free agent in early 2005, playing in 10 regular-season and five playoff games. He re-signed earlier this year after setting a single-season career high in 2005 with 24 tackles.

Rookie linebacker Freddie Roach, rookie center Brian Barthelmes, first-year guard Nick Steitz and first-year wide receivers Rich Musinski and Keron Henry were the other players cut.

On Saturday, rosters must be reduced to the regular-season limit of 53. On Sept. 3, clubs may establish an eight-man practice squad.

Cassell gets priority

Belichick said that backup quarterback Matt Cassell, who is 34-for-54 (63 percent) for 484 yards and three touchdowns (110.4 quarterback rating) in the preseason, is getting the bulk of the playing time in preseason games because he is more of a priority than third-stringer Corey Bramlet.

Bramlet has yet to throw a pass, but that doesn't mean he is going to be cut, Belichick said.

"I think he's made a lot of progress," Belichick said of Cassell. ". . . We've been able to give him a lot of snaps this year in preseason. We gave him a lot last year and gave him more this year, and I think that has helped his development. He's worked hard and improved quite a bit . . . How that affects the next guy, you got to prioritize -- 1-2-3. Two is a higher priority than three. That's just the way it is."

Most teams carry three quarterbacks, but the Patriots might try to sneak Bramlet, a rookie, through waivers and put him on the practice squad.

Strength in numbers

Corey Dillon still may be the featured back, but Belichick said that all of his backs, including Kevin Faulk, Laurence Maroney and Heath Evans, will be expected to contribute.

"I think all of our backs have shown some skill and the ability to make plays," Belichick said. "How all of that works out, we'll have to see. It could change from week to week. I think with any team, you better have more than one back. . . . It's a tough position to play. Those guys take a lot of hits. There is a lot riding on their shoulders, depending on how many times they carry it, so it's better to have more than one [running back]."

Patrick Pass is on the physically unable to perform list. The Patriots were caught short at running back last season, when injuries limited Dillon, Faulk and Pass. They don't want that to happen again, which is why rookie free agent Patrick Cobbs also might make the team. Cobbs leads the Pats in rushing with 143 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries in three preseason games.

Another, more plausible option would be to put Cobbs on the practice squad after he clears waivers.

Good start for Seau

Junior Seau, who saw his first action for the Patriots on Saturday, is hoping to improve on his two-solo-tackles performance in tomorrow night's game against the New York Giants.

"Last week was definitely a step in the right direction," Seau said. "The best thing about it is I know the game of football. You can never master it. It's like golf. You go out there and you have a good game and you have to try to do the best you can the next week."

Seau, who played inside linebacker, did a good job of attacking the line of scrimmage, taking on blockers and bringing a lot of enthusiasm to the defense. The addition of Seau allows the Patriots the flexibility to put him and Teddy Bruschi in the middle and move Mike Vrabel back to outside linebacker, with Tully Banta-Cain taking on the role as a situational pass rusher.

"Mike falls into that exceptionally versatile category," Belichick said. "He's a very smart player. He really understands football. He's instinctive. He's got a lot of physical characteristics that make him versatile. He runs well. He's got good size. . . . There are a lot of things that he can do well, so that gives him some flexibility. He can play outside and inside."

Former starting linebacker Monty Beisel has fallen on the depth chart.

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