FOXBORO - Mike Dragosavich is already a celebrity of sorts, in a new-millennium sort of way.

But he'd trade all the notoriety his dance moves have brought him on YouTube for a shot to be a quiet and deeply committed punter for the New England Patriots.

"Basically," he said Saturday at the Dana-Farber Field House, "I just have to have the mentality to work as hard as I possibly can and devote my life to this, and just see what happens every day … just be like a sponge, and take everything I can in, do whatever the coaches tell me and just be as good as I possibly can."

"Sponge" appeared to be the buzzword of the week for the Patriots' rookies, who came to Foxboro for the first time and were told to open their minds to their new team's way of thinking. Most of them repeated the word as if it was gospel, knowing that the proper work ethic and level of commitment would go a long way toward determining how long their pro football careers will last.

Dragosavich's career hasn't even technically started yet; as an undrafted and unsigned rookie free agent, he was invited to camp on strictly a tryout basis. But after having drawn an official acknowledgement of his presence from Patriots' coach Bill Belichick in Saturday's post-practice press conference, Dragosavich was later signed by the Patriots, terms of the deal not disclosed by the team. Almost all of his punting was done within the confines of the Dana-Farber, whose reinforced fabric roof panels often prevented his kicks from reaching a natural zenith. But he also took a few turns kicking outside in the rain and cold.

"I think it's good to get punters in when it's less than ideal conditions, because that's a good part of our game up here, whether it's rain, show, cold, wind or whatever," Belichick said. "Even though you don't get the full punt up there, you can see when they're hitting the ball and when they're not. And even if you don't see the ball, just watching the guy kick … watching the way the punter drops the ball and the way it contacts his foot. You can get a pretty good idea of what you need to work on.

"Mike's pretty athletic, he's a tall guy and he can generate some leg speed there," Belichick added. "I've worked with a couple of long punters like that, like (former Giants' and Jets' punter Dave) Jennings, a small-school guy from St. Lawrence, 6-4 or 6-5, played receiver in college, and turned out to be a great punter."

With special teams' coach Brad Seely offering pointers, Dragosavich came perilously close at times to hitting the lights suspended from the field house's ceiling. It would have been a messy cleanup had one been hit and not survived the contact, but the upside was that Dragosavich clearly has the potential to post some pretty good hang-time numbers when he finally goes outside on a regular basis.

"I was just trying to have good form and to listen to what the coach was teaching me," he said. "I just wanted to perform my assignment. And when you do perform what you're supposed to do, you should get good hang time. That's what your goal is, and that's kind of what I was going for."

Listed as 6-foot-6 and 212 pounds, Dragosavich has a bit of a scarecrow look to him at first glance. But that hides the heart of a true performer - and that side of him can be easily found on the YouTube amateur video site.

One of the snippets of video making the rounds on YouTube shows Dragosavich walking onto the floor of the basketball court at halftime of a game at his alma mater, North Dakota State University, disguised as a janitor and pushing a broom across the floor as if he's part of the maintenance crew.

Suddenly, music comes up over the public-address system and the "janitor" breaks into dance for a four-song set - including, fitting for his style, Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

The crowd went absolutely wild for Dragosavich's gyrations.

"That was something that I did in college, trying to put some smiles on people's faces and cheer some people up," the punter said Saturday, almost apologetically. "It was something fun that happened … I just try to live my life trying to have a good time and being positive about doing everything." It's unclear how his dance routine might play in the Patriots' locker room, because Dragosavich still wasn't officially part of the team until later Saturday night, and the veterans won't convene for on-field practices until the June minicamp. As far as he knows, the video hasn't become must-viewing in Foxboro as yet.

"I'm not sure … I think somebody's been rustling about it," he said. "But I'm not really focusing on that. I'm focusing on this now. That's something that was really good fun in the past. I haven't heard anyone talk about it, but I'm sure it will come up."

Chances are, he'll get a good ribbing about his dance moves from his new teammates should he return later in the month. As long as he shows the proper discipline on the field and in the weight room, there will be no negative fallout.

From all indications, Dragosavich is willing to make the full commitment to punting if he gets the chance.

"It's a great opportunity for me to get here and work hard every day, and just get a chance to get better," he said.

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com