FOXBORO — Looking a little weary, Matt Cassel yesterday held his first question-and-answer session since the death of his father last week.

The funeral for Greg Cassel was held in California on Tuesday; Matt Cassel took Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s private plane from Oakland, where New England played the Raiders on Sunday, to the Los Angeles area for the services.

He was back with the team to begin practicing for the Cardinals on Wednesday.

After the win over the Raiders, in which he threw a career-best four touchdowns, Cassel held on to the game ball after the final snap, looking up into the rain and pointing at the sky. He also made a brief statement, thanking his teammates, coaches, family and friends for their support during a difficult week.

Yesterday, he said he never thought of not playing against Oakland.

“I always felt like I was going to play,” Cassel said. “I took some time away last week and then came back and was able to get enough preparation in to go out there and play. I think that’s what my father would have wanted.”

Though Cassel’s parents divorced when he was in high school, Greg Cassel still remained part of his children’s lives, particularly when it came to athletics. While Matt plays in the NFL, his brothers Justin and Jack are professional pitchers.

As his teammates indicated during last week’s practices at San Jose State, being in the locker room helped Cassel.

“It was a good distraction last week, there’s no doubt. Being around my teammates and having a secondary support factor with a ‘family away from home’ definitely helped,” he said.

The longtime backup, thrust from the sidelines to the spotlight in Week One, was asked how he’s holding up mentally and physically after 13 games as a starting quarterback.

“You just move along from one week to the next. You try to take care of your body; I think you get stronger mentally because you’ve been doing it for a while,” Cassel said. “In the beginning, when you first become a starter, it’s pretty stressful, especially in the situation that I came in under. Then as you move forward, you start to get a little bit more control, you start to get comfortable in your position, and you start to enjoy the game again and have fun playing it.”

Through a four-month period of highs and lows, Cassel said, he’s learned to keep moving forward, tune out the negativity, and surround himself with positive people.

Cards WR Boldin questionable for Sunday

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt indicated yesterday that Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin may not play in New England due to a shoulder injury. Boldin, who leads the NFC with 89 receptions, missed practice for the second straight day.

“Obviously in this type of situation, with a [playoff] game two weeks away, you want to make sure you have as many of your guys available for that game [as possible]. That has to take priority,” Whisenhunt said. “If this was a game that for us meant [we had to win] to get into the playoffs, it would be a completely different scenario.”

Starting defensive end Travis LaBoy (ankle) and running back J.J. Arrington (knee), a threat as a receiver out of the backfield, also missed practice yesterday.

For New England, LT Matt Light (shoulder), S James Sanders (abdomen) and LB Tedy Bruschi (knee) once again missed practice, which was held on the lower practice field behind Gillette Stadium.

While most players wore sweats over their shells to protect against the bitter cold, Mike Vrabel, Sam Aiken and defensive line coach Pepper Johnson braved the elements with shorts on.

For the second straight week, the Patriots limited RB Kevin Faulk and WR Randy Moss’ practice time on Wednesday, but removed the players from the injured list yesterday. Eight players remained in the “limited participation” category, including NT Vince Wilfork (shoulder), DE Ty Warren (groin) and T Mark LeVoir (ankle), who will likely start at left tackle if Light doesn’t play on Sunday.

Extra points

Media were greeted with a welcome sight in the locker room yesterday: Laurence Maroney. The running back has been scarce since landing on injured reserve with a shoulder injury in October, but his laugh filled the room as he joked with teammates. … Earlier this week, Sports Business Journal named its annual list of the 50 most influential people in sports, and the Pats’ Kraft checked in at number 12, one spot lower than last year. ESPN/ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer topped the list. … With a wintry mix forecast for Sunday, the Patriots are encouraging fans to carpool or ride the MBTA train to the game to cut down on traffic. The T will increase capacity on the trains, which depart from Providence and Boston’s South Station and arrive at the platform at Gillette Stadium. The Providence train leaves from the downtown station at 11 a.m., with stops in South Attleboro, Attleboro and Mansfield before pulling into the platform at Gillette at noon.

smanza@projo.com