Brace keeps getting better.

Byline: Rich Garven

FOXBORO - The Patriots had four second-round selections in April's draft, and the early verdict is they put them to good use.

Safety Pat Chung went first, the 34th overall pick. He was followed by defensive lineman Ron Brace (40th), cornerback Darius Butler (41st) and tackle Sebastian Vollmer (58th).

Chung has been a steady contributor on special teams from Week 1. In the last couple of games, he has overtaken veteran James Sanders as the third safety behind starters Brandon Meriweather and Brandon McGowan.

Chung had four tackles and an interception against Tennessee and six tackles and a quarterback hit against Tampa Bay.

Butler has appeared in six games and made his first start versus Tennessee. He has recorded an interception in two straight games.

Vollmer, considered the biggest project of the foursome coming out of college, has played in all seven games. He has seen extensive action in the last three, starting two in place of injured left tackle Matt Light, and has held up well.

Then there's Brace.

The Burncoat High/Boston College product dressed for the first three games, but only got in for a handful of plays while making one tackle. He has been inactive for four straight games heading into Sunday's contest against the Miami Dolphins.

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees and director of player personnel Nick Caserio praised Brace's work ethic in recent weeks, suggesting his lack of activity has been scheme-related. Yesterday, it was coach Bill Belichick's turn to weigh in on the subject of the 6-foot-3, 330-pound Brace.

"Ron works hard," Belichick said. "I think Ron has certainly improved a lot since the end of the preseason. He's a big kid. He's got good athletic ability. He's got good playing strength. Again, like every young player, he needs technique work, reactions (and to) continue to work hard, which he has, and he's gotten better at playing the different blocking combinations and different responsibilities that we have in our defense and that we face."

And those responsibilities are rapidly increasing as the season progresses.

"It's a tough situation for any rookie because at this point in the season, he has to do a lot more things than he would have had to do in September," Belichick said. "We're doing more and our opponents are doing more, so on a weekly basis, there're more things that we get ready and there're more things that our opponents do that we have to get ready for.

"When you start multiplying those together, they add up. For younger players, that is one of the many challenges that they face."

With starting defensive end Jarvis Green expected to miss Sunday's game as he recovers from knee surgery, it seems a good bet Brace will be in uniform. Whether he plays, and to what extent, remains to be seen.

Brace has politely declined to speak with reporters the last two days - about NFL football, that is. He did take a moment to get a quick update on who's coaching Burncoat football these days (Jim Pisegna) and how his former Patriots are making out (3-5).

NAME: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS