FOXBORO - As explosive a football player as Adalius Thomas had been, there was always that final hurdle of fitting in with the big boys in Baltimore.

Thomas ran runners down all over the field, sacked quarterbacks, blanketed receivers, but at the end of the night, he couldn't live up to the standards Ray Lewis and Chris McAllister and a core of Raven vets had set.

Thomas didn't truly "go to war" with Baltimore in that championship season of 2000. Four active games and one tackle. That was the contribution from the rookie out of Southern Miss.

Perhaps that's the reason that Thomas' brotherhood with those charismatic Ravens - seemingly so strong a bond only months ago - disintegrated in less than a half-season away from them.

Packing today for his second Super Bowl trip as a first-year member of the New England Patriots, Thomas, now 31 and the Pats' starting outside linebacker, owns a much deeper sense of urgency. Seven days from now, when New England shoots for the perfect season at University of Phoenix Stadium in Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants, Thomas will play one of the most pivotal roles on the field.

The "inactive" in Super Bowl XXV, against, coincidentally those same Giants, is a distant memory.

One pain that's not so remote is Thomas' recent squabble with his ex-mates, through their voicebox, Lewis.

Thomas, according to many in Baltimore, was taking cheap shots at Lewis and Co. in a November Sports Illustrated interview when he said:

"People there wanted the limelight; people sought out the limelight, starting with the head coach. It was a star-studded system."

Lewis, never one to back down, retorted.

"When you take a shot at men that you claim to love to go to war with, I call those cowards," Lewis said. "If you have something to say privately, you don't have to go to a newspaper. If you have something to say to a man, speak it."

The two have reportedly mended fences, but it's clear that Thomas has a new band of brothers, one he wouldn't trade for anything.

"It's backerhood," said Thomas, of his newfound fraternity which includes fellow starters Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Junior Seau, the injured Rosevelt Colvin and a handful of part-timers/special teamers.

"We sweat with each other, do whatever we need to do to make each other better, communicate, whatever it may be. We care about what each other thinks, how we feel about each other, because those are the people that have been on the bandwagon since Day 1.

Thomas had to have been shocked that first day. The egos in Baltimore had run rampant with just one Super Bowl ring. Guys like Bruschi and Vrabel already had three.

The difference was character in the room. If Thomas sacrificed as they did, he'd be one of them immediately.

"I think the expectations that everybody had of him coming in here were so great because he was such a sought-after free agent," said Vrabel. "He came in and became one of the guys, put everything else aside and learned what we do here and how we do it, learning every position."

Thomas, as expected, has changed roles multiple times in Bill Belichick's amoebic 3-4 defense, where no two sets are ever alike.

The one major move though, came at Week 11 when a foot injury shelved Colvin for the year.

At 6-2, 270 pounds, Thomas was asked to move from inside, run-stuffing linebacker to the nimble, outside spot.

Instead of attacking and chasing downhill, he would be run at, by guards and fullbacks and tight ends. There were also those little chores of attacking the quarterback and covering said tight ends in the passing game.

In typical Thomas fashion, he downplayed the adjustment this week when asked of a "changing dynamic" defensively.

"The dynamics?" he queried right back. "I went outside. It's not like we do anything differently since the transition took place. So, I don't think the dynamic has changed."

Thomas consistently racked up the tackles, finishing with 60 solos, second on the team only to Bruschi.

Sunday, he'll again face a mighty chore. At the edge, both he and Vrabel play pivotal roles in Belichick's run defense.

Off the snap, against a run his way, Thomas must take on the block, control it and neutralize it, holding his spot so there is no hole. Then, when the runner commits, he must shed the blocker and be quick enough and bounce left or right to make the tackle.

It's a task he performed brilliantly against the Chargers last week. Now, things perk up a bit.

Both outside backers will be tested by the Giants' Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, who've simply owned the corner in playoff wins at Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay.

Thomas is ready.

"To get an opportunity to get to the playoffs and play for a championship and go on the stage that we're on now," said Thomas. "That definitely was a big part of why I signed here."

Super Bowl XLII is only seven days away. The ring is up for grabs. And this time, Thomas is in position to earn it.

Equality, Ala., reunion in Arizona

Adalius Thomas and New York Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck are childhood friends from Equality, Ala., as well as adversaries in Super Bowl XLII.

"(We) went to the same high school, our parents went to school together," said Thomas. "(It's a) small town. Most of the neighbors are either your aunt or your uncle or your grandparents. His sister is in the class with my sister now. He went to the church down the street from where I went to school. They're calling it the Coosa County Bowl instead of the Super Bowl where we are from. One family will be happy and one family will be kind of sad."

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Defense barely misses a beat

Losing an impact player like Rosevelt Colvin should hurt a defense, but the Patriots, who saw the outside linebacker go down in Week 11, has hardly missed a beat.

Here's what the defense has allowed before the Colvin injury, with Adalius Thomas inside, and after, with Thomas moving to the edge and Junior Seau sliding inside fulltime:

Yards allowed per rush%Yards allowed per play%Points allowed per game

First 11 games%3.6%5.0%16.8

Last 7 games%4.7%5.1%17.3