Belichick Undecided

NEW ORLEANS —  Mum’s the word with Bill Belichick.

The New England Patriot coach declined to name a starting quarterback for the Super Bowl and dodged the question when asked if he had made a decision. He plans to wait until after Wednesday’s practice to announce whether the job belongs to Tom Brady--who suffered a sprained ankle in Sunday’s victory at Pittsburgh--or Drew Bledsoe.

“I’m just not in a position to do it right now,” Belichick said at a news conference. “I know that I want to try to help you out on that.”

Whether Belichick is itching to help the media is debatable. But Patriot linebacker Tedy Bruschi understands the hesitancy to name a starter, especially considering how well Bledsoe played in relief.

“That’s a tough decision that I’m glad I don’t have to make,” Bruschi said. “I think a lot is riding on how [Brady] is feeling. I talked to Tom on the bus yesterday; he said he’s feeling good--the ankle’s a little swollen. But he’s getting treatment on it, [he] keeps getting it raised on the plane and in the buses, doing the best he can to get back.

“I told him, ‘Tom, whatever guy is in there, Drew or you, we feel confident that we can win the game.’”

Ram Coach Mike Martz said he is expecting Bledsoe to start, based on reports Brady suffered a high-ankle sprain, which is especially tough to overcome. “My experience is it takes four to six weeks [to recover],” Martz said.

Bledsoe, who had not played in 126 days and lost his job after suffering a chest injury against the New York Jets, completed 10 of 21 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers. He was so overcome, TV cameras caught him wiping away tears near the end of the game.

And he wasn’t the only one.

“All I know is I had tears in my eyes,” guard Mike Compton said. “I squatted down as time ran out and I cried. It’s just unbelievable.”

Neither quarterback was made available to the media Monday.

Brady was the starter Nov. 18 when the Patriots lost to the Rams, 24-17, throwing for 185 yards with two interceptions.

The way Ram defensive players see it, Brady is better at buying time with his feet and releasing the ball quickly; Bledsoe stays in the pocket longer and will take a big hit if he has to.

“Brady is more of an improvisational quarterback,” safety Kim Herring said. “He’ll move around and try to find a throw downfield, whereas Bledsoe will either take a sack or just throw it away.”

Patriot receiver Troy Brown said Brady can throw harder but sometimes has problems taking heat off his passes.

“Tom sometimes gets a little too jacked up and throws a short ball too hard,” he said. “We’ve been doing a good job of making plays on it. But he’s been getting better as the season went on. You know Tom was a baseball player, so he gets the ball back there, and you can’t see it until it comes out of his hand.

“Drew’s got that [Dan] Marino-type release where you can see the ball the whole time.”

Through all the tumult, Brady and Bledsoe have remained friends, even though a recovered Bledsoe was visibly upset in October, the day he learned Belichick was sticking with Brady for the rest of the season. Brady wound up making the Pro Bowl.

Although Brady and Bledsoe are friends, they have vastly different temperaments on the field. Bledsoe is the calm, tested veteran who already has Super Bowl experience. And his counterpart?

“Brady is young, and he has a lot of years left in the NFL,” Compton said. “It’s like he’s still in college. This is the Rose Bowl for him.”