"Another day, another surprising roster move surrounding a member of the secondary.

The Patriots officially ended the rookie season for cornerback Ras-I Dowling, placing him on injured reserve last night. The No.?33 overall pick started the first two games, then battled what was called a hip ailment on the weekly injury report.

A source said Dowling suffered a torn tendon in his leg, recently revealed by an MRI, that was causing the hip pain. The 6-foot-1, 198-pounder will not need surgery, but his injury likely would have taken four weeks to heal, not including time necessary to get in shape."