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James Ihedigbo

INDIANAPOLIS - Artrell Hawkins was in the twilight of his career in 2007. After nine seasons in the NFL, including the previous two as a safety with the New England Patriots, Hawkins was going to take a run at season No. 10 with the New York Jets.

Behind Hawkins on the depth chart was an undrafted player named James Ihedigbo.

"I could never understand how I was in front of him," said Hawkins, who retired before that season began and now hosts a nationally syndicated show on Fox Sports Radio. "I had come to the Jets because of (Eric) Mangini and the relationship we had in New England but physically (Ihedigbo) was more gifted. He was younger and maybe didn't have the experience but I always found it odd that I was on the depth chart in front of him because I had terrible knees. He's just smart, tough, competitive and he's coachable."

The Amherst native and alumnus of Amherst Regional and University of Massachusetts has taken all of those characteristics Hawkins saw as a rookie and developed into a starter for the Patriots, who face New York's other team, the Giants, Sunday evening at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis in Super Bowl 46.

A season that began with Ihedigbo looking for employment after the Jets chose not to re-sign him following the NFL's offseason lockout of players is finishing up on the league's grandest of stages.

"Each team is different, and I'm glad for the opportunity that Coach (Bill) Belichick has given me," said Ihedigbo Tuesday during the circus that is known as Super Bowl media day. "He told me when I got here that, 'You'd be given an opportunity, and what you do with that opportunity will determine more opportunities for you.' So, I've just really tried to seize it and do everything that I can to help us be successful, and as that role has increased, I've just run with it."

Ihedigbo made the first start of his career in Week 5, against the Jets, and made six tackles in a 30-21 New England win at Gillette Stadium. He's been in the starting lineup ever since.

"He's a veteran who knows the ropes," safety Patrick Chung said. "He kept it going and he's making plays. He got his chance and he was prepared."

That isn't a shock to Hawkins. He equated Ihedigbo's journey to that of his own younger brother, Andrew, who just finished his rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals after playing two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, and a certain All-Pro Patriots quarterback who began his career in anonymity.

"I'll say this until I'm blue in the face: I don't give a damn what anybody in the NFL says, they were wrong," said Hawkins. "They were wrong about Dig, they were wrong about Andrew and they will be wrong about others. They were wrong about (Tom) Brady. Can you get the player in the right situation? Andrew has been the player he's been for the last three or four years. Dig has been the same way.

"Just because you don't get an NFL franchise's GM or owner to look at you doesn't make them right. These people make more mistakes than any other people anywhere else. That's just what it is."

Ihedigbo spent the 2007 season on injured reserve and started 2008 on the Jets' practice squad. He was signed to the 53-man roster in midseason and played the final eight games, mostly on special teams. He helped the Jets reach consecutive AFC championship games but his days with the Patriots' rivals are, he said, a distant memory.

"That's furthest thing from my mind right now," he said. "We're focused on our success and what we had to do to get to this point. We're taking it in and at the same time preparing to have that ultimate experience of being Super Bowl champs."