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FOXBORO - There are two ways to get NFL rookies the experience they need in order to assume more responsibility.

You can either work them in slowly as part of the specialty coverage packages, or you can throw them to the wolves because everyone ahead of them on the depth chart is hurt.

Welcome to Terrence Wheatley's world.

"You just have to be ready to go," the Patriots' rookie cornerback said Wednesday at Gillette Stadium. "You understand that you've got a job to do, and if you're not a starter, you still have to be ready to go. You can't be relaxed in your preparation. You still have to prepare as if you're a starter, and that's what I've been trying to do."

Wheatley and fellow rookie Jonathan Wilhite have been seeing increasing amounts of work in recent games because the experienced players ahead of them (Ellis Hobbs, Deltha O'Neal, Lewis Sanders) have been nicked up. "I've just got to stay focused," said Wheatley, the second-round draft choice from Colorado. "In my situation, you've got to come in every day, prepare, work hard and you can't get down on yourself. You've got to look at some of the mistakes that you do as a rookie, learn from that and move on."

Learning has been a key for Wheatley since the San Diego game, when he was burned on a 59-yard pass from Philip Rivers to Vincent Jackson on second-and-6 from the Chargers' 6, just a few plays after the Chargers stifled the Patriots at the 2-yard line on the opening possession of the second half.

The best cornerbacks in the game have short memories. They can't afford to dwell upon the last play, especially the ones where they fail, because they know they will be tested again and again. So they chalk up each play to experience and move on.

Last week against St. Louis, Wheatley fared much better in his time on the field. So the lessons were apparently learned and the necessary confidence was undiminished.

"In this business, you've got to analyze every little thing that you do wrong" he said. "So I analyzed it, moved on and right after that, now I knew what I did wrong and that was it.

"You feel better because it happened, you learn from it it just boils down to technique," he said. "You can't have bad technique. Guys are too good, guys are too smart, and it you play with good technique, half the time that will bail you out."

Wheatley said he believes he has a solid foundation in his transition from the colleges to the pros from having had to face the combination of Tom Brady throwing to Randy Moss in this year's training camp.

"Like with Tom and Randy, you can't really show them the same thing every time," he said. "They'll eat me alive. So you've got to be able to change it up. In college, you really didn't have to do that. You'd just line up and your physical ability would take over. But at this level, going against a team like the Colts, you can't go that."

As Wheatley said, Sunday's opponent at Lucas Oil Stadium (8:15 p.m.; Ch. 7, 10) presents a stiff challenge to the Patriots' banged-up secondary. Even though Peyton Manning and his supporting cast are struggling, the Patriots can't afford to let them smell blood in the water.

"Every week is a challenge for us," Wheatley said. "Everybody in this league is good. (The Colts) are a smart team, they're a fast team, and you can't go out there and run the same stuff over and over and over again. The guys on this level are fast and big, they're smart and they know what they're doing. Coming in as a rookie, you've got to be able to show them different things." Wheatley already believes that the more game snaps he sees, the more he feels himself adapting to his new level of competition.

"You kind of get into a groove," he said. "You feel more comfortable. You get more plays out there and you get used to the speed, you kind of relax, the game slows down a bit and you understand what you can and can't do as you get more shots at it.

"You've just got to have confidence, relax and play," he said. "At the end of the day, this game is the same game we've been playing since we were kids. You can't make it terribly complex. It boils down to just making plays, reading your keys, playing with good technique and then just relaxing and having fun."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.