Last modified: Friday, October 27, 2006 12:52 AM EDT Seymour wants to play despite elbow injury BY MARK FARINELLA / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO — Richard Seymour is one of maybe four Patriot players (Tom Brady, Tedy Bruschi and Troy Brown being the others) who can speak openly about injuries and face only lip-service discipline from the secrecy-obsessed Bill Belichick. That doesn't mean that Seymour can pull a printout of his MRI out of his locker and show it to reporters, or give a detailed prognosis for how long, if at all, he is going to be out of action. But to the everlasting gratitude of a fact-starved reporting corps, the veteran defensive end shed some light Thursday on the left elbow injury that may keep him on the sidelines for Monday night's game at Minnesota (8:30 p.m.; Ch. 5, ESPN). "I'm preparing like I'm going to play in this football game," he said. "I think realistically we're going to have to see how much I progress and if I progress enough, I'll play on Monday night. "Obviously, I want to play," he added, "but, at the same time, you want to do what's best for the football team as well. I don't want to go out there and hurt myself and have to miss several games. I want to be smart with it. I think it's just too early to tell what's going to happen on Monday." Seymour wouldn't say if he suffered a hyperextension of the joint or worse, but he did conform that he has had only swelling and no surgical procedures performed on the elbow. He admitted that the injury took place when he was hit by teammate Rodney Harrison just before the two-minute warning of the first half of last Sunday's 28-6 victory over the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. "It was Rodney," he said. "As I went back and looked at the play, I'm definitely blessed and fortunate because it actually could have been worse than what it was. I couldn't even watch it again on film because it was pretty gruesome. "I was blessed enough to come out of the situation," he said. "So I just take it for what it is right now and continue to get better." Seymour said that this Monday morning, he had extremely restricted movement in the injured joint. "It was sore, it was stiff," he said. "I didn't have much movement. I got an MRI on it it's just the strength in it from impact. We'll just see where it is and take it day by day. Whatever it gives me, that's where it is. I wish I could take a magical pill and be there. I'm waiting to see what happens. As the week moves on, it's definitely not as stiff was it was." In practice, Seymour has worn a brace on his arm that resembles a knee brace in its ability to restrict movement. "Obviously, anything you wear, it kind of restricts you," he said. "But, at the same time, it protects you. So I just have to listen to the trainers. It isn't something that I've had before, so I'm kind of feeling my way through it as well." Seymour has yet to test the apparatus as he might use it in game conditions, which are difficult to duplicate under the reduced speed of practice. "I don't know how much it would take away," he said. "I haven't really gone full speed to test it. We'll just have to kind of see as the week moves on." Belichick, of course, steadfastly refuses to be specific about his plans for Seymour against the Vikings. The coach refers only to the league-mandated injury report issued each day at 4 p.m., in which Seymour has been listed as questionable (50-50 chance to play). "He's day-to day," Belichick said. "Everybody's day-to-day. I'm day-to-day." Seymour was a little more specific, but not much. "It's too early to tell what the situation may be," he said, "but like I said, I'm preparing like I'm going to play in this football game. If everything works out, it's a no-brainer, I'll be out there playing on Monday night. "Obviously, if it doesn't turn the corner, we'll have to make the necessary adjustments," he said. MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com