FOXBORO - Tom Brady has started 95 straight games at quarterback for the New England Patriots since he replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe late in the second game of the 2001 NFL season.

That only added to the poignancy of what Brady saw on his television set Monday night, when Dallas Cowboys' coach Bill Parcells yanked Bledsoe in favor of backup Tony Romo at halftime of the Cowboys' 36-22 loss to the New York Giants.

"I did see it," Brady admitted Wednesday during a break in preparation for Monday night's game at Minneapolis against the Minnesota Vikings (8:30 p.m.; ESPN, Ch. 5). "I like Drew a lot. He's a wonderful guy, a wonderful person and a friend, and we e-mail each other all the time. So, when I saw that … I hate seeing that."

Parcells made the benching of Bledsoe permanent Wednesday, announcing at his midweek press conference that Romo would start Sunday's game against Carolina.

Brady said he could understand what Bledsoe must have been going through, because as a competitor, the emotions are the same no matter the circumstances. "Obviously, you know how it feels," he said. "You're the only one that wants to be out there and you don't think anybody else could do the job that you do.

"When you're watching someone else do it, I'm sure it's not easy," Brady added. "I don't even like it in preseason games. Part of it is being a teammate and helping out, but part of it is that you're a competitor too, and you want to be out there playing."

Brady, who occasionally battled for the starting job at Michigan with Drew Henson, said he had never been benched at mid-game, and especially not on national television as Bledsoe had.

"I've been on the outside looking in before, and that was never easy," he said. "So you've just got to fight and try to do what I can control, and fight as hard as I can to get back out there. So I'm sure that's what he's going to do."

Practice squad

Rookie center Brian Barthelmes was added to the Patriots' practice squad Wednesday, bringing the unit up to its limit of eight players. Offensive lineman Billy Yates had been activated off it last Saturday.

Barthelmes, 23, was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 8, and released during training camp. The 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive lineman attended the University of Virginia.

Injury report

Defensive end Richard Seymour surprised the pundits Wednesday by showing up for the portion of practice open to the media wearing a brace on his injured left elbow and preparing to practice.

Seymour, however, was one of 10 players listed as questionable (50-50 chance to play) Monday night. The others were linebacker Don Davis (lower leg), running back Kevin Faulk (ankle), tight end Daniel Graham (ankle), cornerback Ellis Hobbs (wrist), offensive linemen Russ Hochstein (knee), Stephen Neal (shoulder) and Nick Kaczur (shoulder), defensive tackle Ty Warren (shoulder) and safety Eugene Wilson (hamstring). Cornerbacks Willie Andrews (thigh) and Antwain Spann (shoulder) were probable, as was Brady, with his accustomed right shoulder listing. All but Brady were listed as having missed a portion of Wednesday's practice.