Bruschi

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Tedy Bruschi’s already-troublesome left knee took a turn for the worse against the Seahawks on Sunday when he was hit by teammate Mike Richardson as Richardson was trying to make a tackle.

But it is not known whether Bruschi will be placed on season-ending injured reserve.

New England will have to make a decision when it comes to the veteran linebacker and co-captain, weighing his potential recovery time against the time left in the season, and whether the team can afford to leave his roster spot open, particularly with an already-thin linebacking corps.

Bruschi flew to Boston after the game in Seattle and underwent an MRI on Monday. He will not fly back to the West Coast to rejoin his teammates for this week’s game against the Raiders in Oakland.

Coach Bill Belichick said yesterday he had no update on Bruschi’s status.

Insider information

New England and Oakland don’t meet often, so the Patriots’ coaching staff doesn’t have the same dossier on the Raiders that it has on other clubs they meet with greater frequency.

In this case, Belichick and his staff can turn to Randy Moss and LaMont Jordan for some insider information on Oakland’s personnel. Moss was with the Raiders for two years before coming to New England last season, and Jordan spent three years there before being released in training camp this season.

“Definitely [Moss] and LaMont know a lot of players on the Raiders, and that can help us with our preparations,” Belichick said yesterday. “We have quite a bit on most other teams. Maybe if you had a player from one of those teams you might ask a specific question. [But] a new team, one that you haven’t played in a while, one that you’re not familiar with, a player can add some insight.”

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Moss and Jordan can provide some help, but what happens on the field will determine the outcome of the game.

“In the end, it has to come down to our execution against whatever they choose to do against us, our preparation against what we’ve seen them do, and the matchups that we’re presented with on Sunday,” McDaniels said.

Seau’s dual roles

Junior Seau didn’t just step back into his role on the field for the Patriots on Sunday. He also resumed his role as pregame speaker. The 19-year veteran relishes the chance to talk to his teammates before games and fire them up.

Belichick welcomes the talks, too.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “One thing about Junior — he’s very enthusiastic and vocal and positive, and I think every one of us appreciates that, and he also has the perspective now of a guy that’s been out of football all year, and he can talk about how good it is to be back and knows that you can’t always assume that an opportunity will last forever.

“He’s so genuine that it makes it even a little more special.”

Some similarities

Before heading to Oakland to become the Raiders’ defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan was the Patriots’ linebackers coach for four seasons, part of the staff when New England won Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII.

Ryan has been with Oakland for five seasons, and McDaniels was asked if there are similarities between Ryan’s system with the Raiders and the one New England runs.

“It’s his own twist, and really Rob does a great job there. He’s been there for a few years, and you can see there are things he does there that maybe we have some experience with here,” McDaniels said. “Rob’s an aggressive coach, his players love to play for him, and they’re always ready to go, and that’s a credit to him because you can see how hard they play.”

McDaniels’ admiration of Ryan’s efforts aside, Oakland’s defense ranks near the bottom of the league in most major categories.

smanza@projo.com