For four NFL seasons, Rosevelt Colvin was a Chicago Bear. This winter, he acted like a real one.

"Been in hibernation," the Pats linebacker revealed this past weekend. Number 59 reemerged to take part in the New England Youth Sports Festival at Gillette Stadium.

"I got a lot of rest, man…this is probably only the second time that I've cut my hair in the last two months, so, you're looking at a clean-shaven Rosevelt Colvin. My wife has not been able to see this person in a while."

Colvin wasn't exactly himself when we last saw him, either. It was the middle of the third quarter of the AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis, and the Indy native was leaving the field with cramps.

"I was very disappointed about how the game ended in Indianapolis," Colvin recalled. "Obviously, with my connection there, going home, not being able to win. The way I ended the game, having to go out…not being able to come back. It was very disappointing."

Even more lamentable to Colvin was the fact that his team surrendered a seemingly insurmountable lead that would have sent the Patriots to their fourth Super Bowl this decade.

"It was a great opportunity for us and we just didn't take advantage of it."

But, as Pats head coach Bill Belichick is fond of saying, last season was last season. It's springtime in New England, and a sleeping giant is once again wide-awake. What matters now to Colvin is the upcoming season, preparations for which have already begun.

"We started the offseason program this past week and have an opportunity to build a foundation for what we're going to do come mini-camp, come training camp…it's a good time, it's refreshing to see the guys again, see everybody that's been on vacation, and get back in the swing of things."

With the Patriots taking the lead in free agency so far in 2007, getting back in the swing for Colvin includes getting to know several new teammates.

"Definitely excited about the acquisitions that they've made," he observed. "Once (the new players) get an opportunity to perform on the field…hopefully those guys will fit in well.

"It's like getting new furniture in the whole house," Colvin continued. "You get a new couch, get a new bed, get some new sheets…dress it up a little bit, and you're excited to see how it's going to feel."

Must've been a nice, long nap.