"Running back Fred Taylor signed with the Patriots last offseason counting on making the same impact he had with the Jaguars for 11 seasons. Instead, he endured a season mostly watching from the sideline.

"I feel like I let some people down, including myself,'' Taylor said yesterday at the Super Bowl media center. "But I've got another chance, another opportunity to prove myself.''

Taylor, who turned 34 Jan. 27, assumes he will return to the Patriots to finish his two-year contract. Any running back with 12 years of experience and 11,540 yards on his tires is seemingly a candidate for retirement."