Very few players of note were around, and even fewer stopped to entertain reporters' questions. A few did one-on-one interviews, but only defensive end Rob Ninkovich took on the entire group. He didn't have much more to add, though, from his comments 12 hours ago after the game.

Perhaps the most newsworthy items was tight end Rob Gronkowski. The All-Pro appeared to have just completed a workout and was passing through to the training room. Gronk was not wearing any protective device or long sleeves, just a t-shirt, which made his surgically repaired left forearm visible to all. The only evidence of his broken bone was a long, pink scar on the underside of the forearm, where the procedure to fix the break took place.

Gronkowski returned to practice last Friday, his first on-field appearance since the injury he suffered last month against the Colts, but was inactive versus San Fran. As a result, he declined comment when asked to speak to the media.

Another noteworthy mention: linebacker Brandon Spikes did not start last night's game, but played most of it. Mike Rivera took Spikes' place in the starting lineup. Head coach Bill Belichick, during a media conference call late this morning, explained the personnel shift this way:

"Brandon was a little limited in practice this [past] week, so, we wanted to see how it went with him before we made the determination as to how much we would put him in there."

One final injury-related note: wide receiver Wes Welker has been dealing with an ankle injury for much of the season. However, against the 49ers, he also appeared to do some damage to either his right knee or thigh. Several times, he went to the sideline and was trying to jog and shake loose whatever was bothering him. Today, he briefly walked through the locker room wearing a black medical sleeve on his right leg. He didn't appear to be limping at all today, but Welker has been playing hurt almost all season, so, this latest ailment bears watching as the regular season draws to a close and the playoffs approach.