SI has six regional covers, with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on one of them. LaDainian Tomlinson (Chargers), Tony Romo (Cowboys), Donovan McNabb (Eagles), Maurice Jones-Drew (Jaguars) and Adrian Peterson (Vikings) are on the other regional covers.

Peter King and Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman both pick the Patriots to win the Super Bowl -- King picks New England over Dallas, while Zimmerman takes New England over Philadelphia.

King also ranks the top 50 players in the NFL, with Brady (1), Randy Moss (4) and Wes Welker (40) all in the mix.

Here is a snapshot of the regional cover:

In the package, which certainly had to be insured, was the 16-0 perfect season/AFC championship ring presented to players and coaches earlier this month.

Dimitroff, the Patriots' former director of college scouting, paused for a moment after seeing the ring.

"A class move from a class organization," he said.

Included in his areas to focus on: the overall health of the Patriots (who do they protect and who will they play?), the first-stringers (do they play at all?), and the backup quarterback situation (who will they get one final look at?).

Click the link below to watch the video.

The Patriots held their annual Kickoff Gala on Tuesday night at Gillette Stadium and special teams captain Larry Izzo was recognized as the Ron Burton Community Service Award winner.

Izzo, 33, has focused much of his charitable outreach on supporting the United States military. He has held three karaoke events, called "Larryoke", to raise money for military charities such as Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund, Home for Our Troops, the Fallen Patriot Fund, Fisher House Boston, Operation Ensuring Christmas and the Pat Tillman Foundation. His three Larryoke events, featuring Larry and his teammates belting out karaoke tunes, have raised a total of $600,000.

Izzo is the sixth Patriots player to be selected as the Ron Burton Award winner, joining past honorees Joe Andruzzi (2003), Troy Brown (2004), Matt Light (2005), Jarvis Green (2006) and Ty Warren (2007).

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was not present at the Gala because he was on the West Coast. Brady taped a message that was played to the crowd, and said that he had to tend to a personal matter.

To watch the video, click the link below.

With the Patriots placing starting right guard Stephen Neal on the reserve/physically unable to perform list because of his shoulder, this means the team will be without Neal for at least the first six weeks of the season.

So the question then becomes: Who fills the void?

Fifth-year player Billy Yates has seen the most first-team repetitions at that spot, while eighth-year man Russ Hochstein is another option. Hochstein has been sidelined after appearing to suffer a foot injury in the exhibition opener, so if he's not ready for action, the Patriots also could call on third-year player Dan Connolly or more experienced options like Mike Flynn (11th year) or John Welbourn (10th year).

As for the team's other moves, O'Callaghan projected as the team's top backup at right tackle, behind Nick Kaczur. Wesley Britt likely will now assume that spot. Veteran Oliver Ross, who remains on the active/physically unable to perform list, is another possibility.

The release of veteran cornerback Jason Webster is a bit of a surprise -- he was one of the team's early free agent signings -- but it likely clears the way for rookie Jonathan Wilhite (fourth round) to earn a roster spot and potentially contribute in sub packages.

Running back Kyle Eckel faced longer odds based on the crowd in front of him -- a group that includes Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, LaMont Jordan, and Heath Evans.

Offensive lineman Ryan Wendell was a long shot to make the club.