PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK

Matt Cassel is returning to the scene of the crime. One of the few times anyone actually noticed Cassel during his first three NFL seasons came in Miami last October when he bungled what should have been a simple mop-up job. Handed a 42-14 fourth-quarter lead - Tom Brady took a well-earned seat after throwing for five touchdowns - Cassel promptly had his second pass picked off and returned 36 yards for a TD by Jason Taylor. Coach Bill Belichick was so pleased with that cameo that he yanked Cassel from the game and re-inserted Brady, who directed one final TD drive before giving way again - this time to third-stringer Matt Gutierrez. The moral of the story: No garbage allowed, even in garbage time. "You never want to go into a game with that situation when you are winning by a bunch and throw an interception, but that happens as a Football player," Cassel said Thursday, reflecting back on that moment. "You have to recognize it, and I told you guys last year, 'It wasn't the first time I threw an interception and it won't be the last.' "As a player, your confidence is shook a little bit, but you have to tell yourself, 'Look, there is the next day.' Luckily for me I was able to come back out the next week against Washington and a have a good week, score a touchdown and put together a scoring drive. That's Football, and that is sports. You are going to go through adversities on and off the field. You just have to continue to push through." Almost 13 months later, Cassel returns to Dolphin Stadium on Sunday with little chance of getting pulled, unless the Patriots are up big again. He was not sharp in the teams' first meeting this season - a 38-13 Dolphins win in Week 3. In only his second pro start, Cassel produced his second-lowest passer rating of the season (68.1). He threw an interception on a screen pass, lost a fumble, absorbed four sacks and netted only 131 yards on 19 completions. "I feel like I have grown up a little bit" since then, Cassel said. "What is this, my ninth or 10th start now? So I have seen a little bit more and know my role a little bit better. I feel like I am a little bit more confident in what I am doing." Medical tent LB Tedy Bruschi (knee) and DE Richard Seymour (toe) had limited participation in Thursday's practice. NT Vince Wilfork skipped the session, but the team noted that his absence was not injury related. LB Adalius Thomas (broken right forearm), LB Eric Alexander (hamstring) and RB LaMont Jordan (calf) did not practice ... Three players participated fully, although they were listed on the injury report - C Dan Koppen (elbow), CB Mike Richardson (concussion) and DB Ray Ventrone (concussion). Rookie CB Jonathan Wilhite, who skipped Wednesday's practice with an illness, practiced with no limitations and was taken off the injury report.