HOUSTON - The last thing Eric Rowe was thinking when the Eagles traded him just days before the season was that this year's Super Bowl would be played in his hometown and that he might actually be playing in the 51st version. The cornerback's thought process was in the here and now:
Wow, I got traded, that stinks.
But I'm going to the Patriots.
And if Bill Belichick sees something in me, I must not be that bad.
Rowe is here, though, and not just as reserve. He has played an important role in New England's defensive resurgence, in spite of the Eagles' decision to give up on him after just one season.