FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison was back on the field with his usual flair, and coach Bill Belichick was certainly glad to see him.

“I think his energy and enthusiasm is good,” Belichick said in a conference call with reporters on Saturday, the day after the Patriots lost their preseason opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13-10.

“That’s the way it is. He’s good for our team, and he’s not only an outstanding player but an inspirational one.”

Harrison, entering his 14th season, missed last year’s playoffs after going down with a right knee injury in the final regular-season game. The prior year he played only three games before knee surgery ended his season.

Harrison played just the first three defensive series on Friday, making one tackle and combining for another.

But with the Patriots’ defense faltering late in January’s 38-34 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship, and with cornerback Asante Samuel holding out of camp, Harrison’s leadership and skills in the secondary are critical.

“Rodney’s a good player,” Belichick said. “He’s a versatile player and it’s good to have him out there. It’s good to have all the healthy players out there. You hope to have as many of them as you can. In this game it’s probably unrealistic. It’s realistic to hope and think but it’s not too long that you have every single guy.”

Harrison, the NFL’s all-time leader in sacks for a defensive back, treats every practice and game with the same energy, the coach said.

“He’s so intense about football. He’s into everything,” Belichick said “You still really have to knock him out of some of the drills. … He’s on some of the scout teams, all the special teams and all that. Sometimes you have to slow it down a little bit.”

In Friday’s loss, Belichick felt the Buccaneers’ offense provided the Patriots’ defense a solid test.

“They do a good job. They’re a very good fundamental offensive football team and a good running team,” he said. “It was a great learning experience for our football team, especially on the defensive side of the ball.”

The Patriots’ front seven, bolstered by the offseason addition of linebacker Adalius Thomas, used a number of different combinations in allowing Tampa Bay to rush for 169 yards. Richard Seymour, one of the team’s top defensive lineman, still has not practiced, and defensive end Ty Warren saw limited action.

Tom Brady started and was in for 13 plays, while Randy Moss, obtained in a draft day trade with Oakland, sat out as expected with a sore hamstring that’s slowed him during training camp.