FOXBORO, Mass. -- Troy Brown's first play at Foxboro Stadium turned into a touchdown for the opponent.

	Troy Brown is third in the AFC with 90 receptions for 1095 yards.

"I got blasted, man, and fumbled the ball on the opening kickoff," he said.

The Detroit Lions returned his 1993 bobble for six points, not an impressive start for a player who joined the New England Patriots as a small receiver drafted in the eighth round from school that was Division I-AA at the time.

That was a long time ago.

On Saturday, Brown should be a major factor in the Patriots biggest game of the season. He's third in the AFC in punt returns and receptions and fourth in receiving yards.

The Patriots (9-5) face the Dolphins (9-4) in the last regular-season game at Foxboro Stadium, which will be replaced by new CMGi Field next year. The Patriots need a win to bounce Miami from the AFC East lead.

The Dolphins have the NFL's top pass defense, but coach Dave Wannstedt is concerned.

"They move him around and find different ways to get him open. He's an excellent route runner. He is so quick," Wannstedt said. "He's very, very difficult to cover one-on-one even when you know he's the primary receiver."

Brown has at least five catches in 12 of the Patriots 14 games and 90 for the season. He needs just seven in his last two games to break Ben Coates' club record of 96. But that's not important to the receiver from Marshall who didn't start his first NFL game until his fifth season and is surprised by what's ensued.

"It wasn't what I expected," he said. "I just kept working hard. I just wanted to be on the field playing and give my team a chance to win. That's all I ever asked for, just give me a chance to go out there and make some plays for you and have a chance to get some wins."

He even did well in the Patriots' worst game of the season, a 30-10 loss in Miami on Oct. 7 in which they had just 12 receptions for 86 yards. Brown had five for 47.

That was Tom Brady's second game at quarterback in place of the injured Drew Bledsoe. Brady kept the job when Bledsoe got healthy and has come to rely on the sure-handed Brown.

"He's dependable and he's consistent," Brady said. "He takes the toughest matchup every week. He's had a ton of catches this year. He's had a ton of yards after the catch. He's a punt returner. He does it all for us."

And he does it in a quiet way. Soft-spoken and smiling in the locker room, he leads by example.

During one game, coach Bill Belichick said, Brown prefaced some rare remarks to the team by saying, "I don't usually do this, but..."

	“	They move him around and find different ways to get him open. He's an excellent route runner. He is so quick. He's very, very difficult to cover one-on-one even when you know he's the primary receiver. ”
		— Dave Wannstedt, Dolphins head coach

It took a while for the Patriots to find out what Brown could do.

He was cut during training camp before his second season then rejoined them before the eighth game. He re-signed as a restricted free agent after the 1995 season and as an unrestricted free agent after the 1996 season when the Patriots went to the Super Bowl.

"Troy is somebody who's been here for a long time and came up the hard way," tight end Jermaine Wiggins said. "He's proven what he can do."

Finally, on Feb. 28, 2000, Brown signed a five-year contract with New England after visiting the Kansas City Chiefs and scheduling a visit with the Cleveland Browns.

"This is what I wanted all along," Brown said at the time.

He responded with his best season, 83 catches in 16 games. Until now.

Besides his 90 catches, he returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown in a 27-16 win over Cleveland on Dec. 9.

"The thing that we really knew about Troy in the last few years was his punt returning ability," Wannstedt said. "You could see the quickness there. You could see the ability and I think he just had an opportunity this year."

So on Saturday when Brady drops back to pass, he'll know that Brown will be in the right place, won't drop the ball and will gain yards after the catch.

Brown knows that, too.

"If you're going to go out there not feeling confident that you're going to get the ball," he said, "then you might as well not even line up."