Junior Seau was lured back to the NFL by Bill Belichick after a brief retirement. But the 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker didn't make it to December. The Patriots on Monday placed Seau on injured reserve, ending his season.

Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, who came out of retirement for one last run at a Super Bowl, left Sunday's game against the Bears with an injury to his right arm and was not expected to return.

Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots, was a little sensitive this week when asked whether he expected Vinny Testaverde to come in and compete with second-year man Matt Cassel for the backup quarterback job. "I'm not saying that," he said. "I didn't say it and don't even start that. He's an emergency quarterback. He's the third quarterback. He'll be inactive for every game as the third quarterback unless something happens to the other two guys. I don't know how I could possibly be any clearer than that. I don't think there's any need to ask that question six more times to get the same answer either. He's the third quarterback."

The Patriots have made three roster moves today, signing quarterback Vinny Testaverde and offensive lineman Gene Mruczkowski, and placing rookie tight end Garrett Mills on injured reserve. Testaverde, who turned 43 on Nov. 13, adds a third quarterback to the roster. The Patriots also have Tom Brady and Matt Cassel.

Richard Seymour, defensive lineman for the Patriots, had his playing time limited in Sunday's game, and hinted that it wasn't his choice. "I just go when my number is called. I don't say when I go in and come out," Seymour said. "We have coaches who tell us some of those rotations. We leave it up to them. Obviously, you don't always agree with everything that goes on, but you respect it. But you definitely don't have to agree with everything."

Corey Dillon has a message for anyone who thinks he?s unhappy with his role in the Patriots offense. ?That?s a lie,? he said flatly. There have been rumblings Dillon wants the ball more, particularly after sources said he groused on the flight home from Minnesota about only getting three carries and ruefully wondered if he should retire.

The Patriots yesterday officially declared safety Rodney Harrison out for Sunday's game against the Jets. As for how many more games he'll miss, coach Bill Belichick wasn't looking to the future. "We've had injuries and we've seen plenty of cases in this league where players have similar injuries and they're out different lengths of time," Belichick said. "There's no way to predict it. I know we have a lot of experts out there that think everything can be very clearly stated, but the fact of the matter is that's just not the case. You see many examples of it throughout the league and throughout sports."

Rodney Harrison broke his right shoulder blade against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday night and will be sidelined indefinitely. A league source confirmed the break on Tuesday night, but there?s no word on its severity or how long he?ll be out. The injury is not believed to require surgery. Harrison suffered a hairline fracture in his left shoulder in 1999 that sidelined him for 10 of San Diego?s final 11 games.

Peyton Manning got help from an unlikely source, his defense, and the Colts remained the NFL's only unbeaten team. The Patriots also were victimized for the first time by Adam Vinatieri as Indianapolis won 27-20 Sunday night. With his once adoring fans booing, he kicked two field goals in his first game against New England since leaving as a free agent.

Adam Vinatieri will steal some of the spotlight from Pro Bowl quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady when the Indianapolis Colts meet the New England Patriots on Sunday.