"Jerry Rice knew he held a few records, he just wasn't sure of the specifics. And the greatest receiver in NFL history only recently learned that Patriots [team stats] slot machine Wes Welker was on pace to reach one of his vaunted marks.

"What is my record?" Rice asked yesterday, laughing. "How many yards did I have? I played the game for the love of it."

If that sounds familiar, it's because a certain diminutive Patriots receiver believes in similar principles. After Welker set out on a four-game spree that vaulted him atop the NFL's receiving leaderboard and put him on a pace to eclipsed Rice's single-season total (1,848 yards, by the way), he appeared to have no idea about his totals."