Ted Washington joins New England’s growing list of injured players.

FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) – Ted Washington played dominoes in the Patriots’ locker room Monday with his broken left leg in a knee-high cast and his crutches on the floor beside him.

He won’t be involved in more strenuous games for a while.

The 365-pound nose tackle joined other New England defensive starters on the sidelines when he was hurt on the sixth play of Sunday’s 23-16 win over the New York Jets.

“It’s crazy, man,” center Damien Woody said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

At least Washington may play again this season. Linebacker Rosevelt Colvin and offensive guard Mike Compton won’t after they were placed on injured reserve Monday.

The Patriots lost linebacker Ted Johnson for at least half the season with a broken left foot in their first game, then lost Colvin with a broken left hip in the second.

So when Mike Vrabel left Sunday’s game with a right arm injury, the only starting linebacker from the season opener who was still playing was Tedy Bruschi.

“I’m numb to it because I have to be,” Bruschi said. “I can’t let it affect my mentality. I can’t let it affect my play.”

Two other injured starters, Compton with a foot injury, and fullback Fred McCrary with a knee injury, didn’t suit up against the Jets. Then wide receiver David Patten left the game for good with a right leg injury in the first quarter.

Combined with the injuries on defense, that meant the Patriots finished the game without seven of the 22 players who started their opener.

The only injury update coach Bill Belichick gave Monday was that Washington would be out “for a while.”

Two other starters played after being hurt – quarterback Tom Brady, who left the field clutching his right elbow after being hit by linebacker Sam Cowart, and cornerback Ty Law, who stayed on the ground several minutes after hurting his ankle.

“You just see so many guys drop like flies around here,” said Woody, who moved from center to guard in place of Compton. “It’s just really frustrating because these guys that are dropping are key guys.”

On Monday, the Patriots re-signed running back Patrick Pass, who was cut this summer after they drafted him in 2000, and offensive lineman Wilbert Brown, claimed off waivers from Washington.

The Patriots won their last two games with former starters Roman Phifer and Willie McGinest filling in at linebacker and fullback Larry Centers playing more than usual.

The biggest loss is Washington.

His size fit in well with the Patriots’ 3-4 defense when was acquired from Chicago for an undisclosed draft choice Aug. 19, three days before New England’s third exhibition game.

“A middle linebacker’s best friend is a big man in the middle and he was our big man in the middle,” Bruschi said.

Rick Lyle, who spent most of his previous nine NFL seasons as a defensive end, was Washington’s primary replacement against the Jets and figures to see plenty of action next Sunday against the Washington Redskins.

But at 6-feet-5 and 285 pounds, his style is more dependent on mobility than Washington’s.

“I’m experienced in playing up and down the line. I’m a decent technician,” said Lyle, who has 70 starts in his 107 NFL games. “Ted’s a phenomenal player and it’s going to be tough to fill his shoes.”

When Washington’s dominoes game ended, he picked up his crutches and went to a team meeting after declining to talk to reporters.

“It’s a tough situation but it’s part of life,” defensive end Richard Seymour said. “It’s a difference when you don’t see big Ted in the middle and you look to the outside and Colvin’s not there and look behind you, Ted Johnson’s not there.”

The healthy players, many of them rookies, must go on.

“We’re going to try to keep this thing moving because the league stops for nobody,” Woody said. “So we’ve just got to go get ready with what we’ve got.”

AP-ES-09-22-03 1754EDT