With the San Francisco 49ers next on the schedule for the Patriots, it offers an opportunity for Adalius Thomas to reflect on an important choice he made in his career. When Thomas was a free agent in March 2007, two teams jumped to the forefront as suitors - the Patriots and 49ers. One of the draws to possibly playing for the 49ers was Coach Mike Nolan, who had been Thomas's defensive coordinator in Baltimore. Thomas never traveled to San Francisco on a free agent visit, but he seriously entertained the possibility of signing there. "I knew the defense and knew what I would get, and there was also Mike Singletary [as assistant head coach/defense]," Thomas said yesterday. "So, I had an idea of how I would be used and what the system is all about. That was one of the things for me, knowing familiar faces, because you often see players following coaches around the league because they know the system. That could have been the case there." In the end, though, Thomas chose New England despite the 49ers' willingness to offer more money.