"Torry Holt knew there was something special going on. The veteran wide receiver could tell just from being around, and being a part of the Patriots during offseason workouts and training camp.

He knew this team was headed to the postseason, and possibly to Dallas and another try for a fourth Super Bowl title.

That's why it killed him to have to surrender to a balky knee before the regular season ever got under way. Holt, now working as an analyst with the NFL Network, knew from being on a championship team with the 1999 St. Louis Rams that this one had the exact same feel. It was very familiar to him.

"I was very disappointed. I so wanted to be in New England," Holt said during a recent interview with the Herald. "I mean, look at what they're doing? I envisioned that football team doing what they've done. I saw that in camp. I saw it on the sidelines. I felt if I could have stayed healthy, I would have had a part in the success they're having.

"The level of confidence they had in one another, the communication, the attention to detail. All those things it takes to build a winner, to build a champion — they embodied that. And I thought I embodied that so it was going to be a good fit for me. So when I had trouble with my leg, I was disappointed because I felt I still had good football left in me to play if only my knee would have held up."

The Patriots wound up putting Holt on injured reserve on Aug. 15, then released him a few days later with an injury settlement, allowing him the opportunity to play with another team when his knee got better. Holt's knee is fine now, but he never joined another team. Instead, he's exploring new career opportunities should he opt to retire."