FOXBORO -- In reality, it was one regular-season loss in a season that lasts 16 games.

But to be in the Patriots' locker room yesterday, you'd have thought they had lost something much more than that.

It was so empty -- and so quiet -- in that room on The Day After that reserve linebacker Eric Alexander whistled the type of whistle you'd hear when there was about to be a showdown in an old Western and you see tumbleweeds roll across the screen.

Richard Seymour, who has become one of the de facto team spokesmen, refused to comment further after offering his analysis early yesterday morning, after the game with Denver had ended.

Rosevelt Colvin initially rebuffed a request for comment, as well, but gave in after some prodding and pointed a finger at himself for not providing the big defensive play that could have turned the game for New England.

Colvin felt he should have strip-sacked Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer on Denver's first drive of the second quarter. That series ended with a 23-yard field goal by Jason Elam, opening the scoring.

On second-and-goal from the New England 11, Plummer faked a handoff and rolled to his right. Colvin hit him just as he let the pass go, and it landed near the goal line, incomplete.

To Colvin's way of thinking, had he been half a step quicker or slashed at Plummer's throwing arm, he would have stripped Plummer of the ball -- the same type of play that both Buffalo, on the first play of the season-opener, and the Jets, on an 11-up blitz, made on Tom Brady in consecutive weeks.

"I didn't make the play I should have," the outside linebacker said. "When I go back and look at the film, if I get him on the hand, I have a strip-sack. That's the game-changing play everyone was looking for."

Had Colvin knocked the ball loose, it could have been scooped up by one of his teammates and taken 85 yards or so the other way for a touchdown, which would have given New England the lead. Of course, it also could have been recovered by a Denver player.

Given the culture in the Pats' locker room, with the emphasis on team and doing all that one can to further the cause of the team, it's not surprising that Colvin feels he could have done more.

But it is surprising that he seems like it was expected of him. A play like that can't be choreographed; often, takeaways are just a fortunate result of aggressive defense.

Colvin didn't see it that way.

"Just like you expect the field-goal unit to block their man, just like you expect Josh (Miller) to punt the ball down the field, just like you expect Tom to make a throw, we expect to make that play if the opportunity is there," he said.

Those plays, so far, have not been made, whether the opportunities have been presented or not. The Pats' defense has just one takeaway through three games -- Tedy Bruschi's game-ending interception of Chad Pennington against the Jets in week two. On the other side of the ball, Brady has thrown two interceptions and New England has lost two fumbles.

New England coach Bill Belichick understood Colvin's sense of regret.

"I think it's just natural, when you play a game like that," he said. "After the game I'm sure every player and every coach that was involved in that game thought about one or two or three things that they could have done differently or maybe a little better and feel like that could have helped us more in the game. I'm sure every single person felt that way to some degree, and I think that's natural.

"I've coached in a lot of football games, and I don't think I've ever not felt like that, especially after a game like the one we just played. When you play in a tough game like that and the results are what they are, I'm sure every player has a couple plays that they wish they had back or wish they had done something different on. I can't imagine anybody feeling any other way."

smanza@projo.com / (401) 277-7340