FOXBORO - Sometimes, it does bother these modern-day gladiators that they don't get enough love from their peers.

Asante Samuel, for one, was genuinely upset this week that he did not make it to the AFC Pro Bowl team, despite what many would call a top-level season.

"Being a competitor, of course I'm disappointed," the Patriots' cornerback said Wednesday at Gillette Stadium. "But life goes on."

Samuel has eight interceptions this season, tying him with Denver's Champ Bailey for the NFL lead. He probably could have had another five or six that he has gotten his hands on, and couldn't hang on.

"You just have to go out there and play and let what happens speak for itself," Samuel said. "You guys know that you don't go out there on the field and try to work on (making the Pro Bowl), you go out there and you try to win." However, like scores of other spurned athletes - including a few on his own team, defensive tackle Ty Warren and special-teamer Larry Izzo foremost among them - Samuel quickly put his personal disappointment on the back burner and instead shifted the focus to the unfinished business of the season.

The Patriots have two games remaining, and can clinch the AFC East championship and at least the No. 4 seed in the playoffs by defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday at Alltel Stadium (1 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12), the site of their last Super Bowl triumph.

"We'll worry about going to the Pro Bowl after we win our games," Samuel said. "Right now, everybody's thinking about Jacksonville."

Injury report

Safety Rodney Harrison received an upgrade to "questionable" on this week's injury report, which means his healing fractured clavicle now affords him a 50-50 chance to play against the Jaguars.

Others in the "questionable" category were linebacker Eric Alexander (shoulder), safety Rashad Baker (thigh), running backs Kevin Faulk (knee) and Laurence Maroney (back), tackle Ryan O'Callaghan (neck), tight end Benjamin Watson (knee), nose tackle Vince Wilfork (ankle) and defensive tackle Mike Wright (shoulder).

Quarterback Tom Brady (shoulder), cornerback Ellis Hobbs (wrist) and defensive end Richard Seymour (elbow) are all "probable."

New faces

Ffirst-year defensive back James Patrick and rookie punter Tom Malone were signed to the Patriots' practice squad Wednesday, but as of early in the evening, they had yet to make a move to fill the void left by punter Ken Walter, who was placed on injured reserve with turf toe.

Malone, 22, was originally signed by San Francisco as a rookie free agent out of Southern Cal and was released on June 29. The 6-foot, 205-pounder recorded a 44.0-yard career punting average and placed 95 of his 185 career punts inside the 20-yard line. Malone was a two-time semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top punter, and set a school record in 2003 by averaging 49.0 yards per kick. Patrick, out of Stillman College, spent all of last season on Tampa Bay's practice squad and has been on the Patriots' practice squad before.