Springfield native Ron Brace

hopes to have the Patriots

as his family and Foxboro as home

by The Republican Sports Desk

Sunday May 03, 2009, 6:01 PM

By JUSTIN RICE

FOXBORO - Born and bred in Massachusetts, Ron Brace has played football in several area codes across the state; first in 508, then in 617 and now once again in 508.

If there was ever doubt, however, about which one of those three-digit combos the former Worcester Burncoat High School and Boston College defensive lineman calls home, that's because one of the newest New England Patriots never played football in the area code closest to his heart and tattooed on his back.

"That was just a hometown deal, that's all it really was," Brace said of the large tattoo on his back featuring the digits 4-1-3 inside a silhouette of Massachusetts that he got about two months before being picked 40th overall in last weekends NFL draft.

The Springfield native didn't start playing football until after moving to Worcester during junior high to live with his father. But Brace's hometown hero status was solidified after the Patriots traded second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to Oakland before selecting the 6-foot-3, 330-pounder.

Nevertheless, playing for the team he grew up cheering for has its perks and its pitfalls.

"I gotta get off Facebook and change my number," Brace said after his first practice during New England's rookie minicamp Friday morning on the Gillette Stadium practice field. "I got people calling me who I didn't even know had my number."

A tribute page on Facebook, the social networking Web site, was created after Brace was drafted, and already has 291 members and two pages worth of well-wishers, including one former classmate who at 11:33 p.m. on April 28 wrote, "I'll be watching for u on TV . . . I can't wait to watch u sack Peyton (Manning) . . . oh btw, can I borrow 5 bucks?"

Patriots coach Bill Belichick said the added pressure that comes along with playing so close to home, doesn't compare to the pressure players place on themselves.

"I don't know if it really matters where they come from, if they come from Alaska, Boston or Texas," Belichick said. "They have their own expectations, but I think it is a positive that he's been around here. He has some familiarity with the area. It makes the relocation a lot easier. All the normal things that any of us would have to do in relocation, hopefully that is an easier adjustment for him.

"Defensively, he's been in a good system. (BC) had a lot of success there. They had good competition last year with (B.J.) Raji, the other tackle. I saw good competition in the ACC. It's going to be a big transition to the NFL, that goes without saying. But in relative terms, he's had about as good preparation for it as anybody else has had at Division I football. I think being closer, being around here, that it helps with the relocation process," Belichick said.

But while the Eagles ran several pro style defenses under former BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who has spent the majority of his career coaching in the pro ranks, none of those schemes are nearly as complex as the single 3-4 system New England uses.

The BC defensive tackle, who will most likely backup Vince Wilfork at nose tackle, will also have to learn how to line up over the center and attack two gaps in the offensive line at once rather than just focusing on one like he did at BC.

On Friday, Brace answered nearly all of the media's questions by talking about how important it was to keep his nose in the playbook and butt in the video room, pushing as much football knowledge between his ears as he can in the shortest amount of time possible.

"College football and the NFL are two different things," Brace said. "In college, you can stick out by being the most talented, but when it comes to here everybody is the most talented, and the difference-maker in the person who puts in the most work."

Raji, a first-round draft pick, is also making the transition to the 3-4 defense with the Green Bay Packers. Raji was taken ninth overall despite a report on Sports Illustrated.com that he tested positive for an illegal substance, a story that was later retracted.

Brace distanced himself from his former roommate, saying he hasn't talked to him on the phone at all recently. But Brace did say he does feel bad that Raji has had to endure so much before he ever even put on an NFL uniform.

"He's been my friend for the last five, six years, so there's no way I couldn't have feelings for him," Brace said. "I mean that's my friend. But at the same time right now we're all at our jobs, and you can't call each other during work."

Brace hasn't just limited contact with his former teammates, he's also given up the homemade donuts he used to make for his BC friends last summer before training camp started. Brace learned the recipe from Jackie Hernandez, who rents a room at Brace's childhood home on Clifton Street in Springfield, where Brace lived with his grandparents before moving to Worcester.

"I'm not even looking at oil," Brace said. "I'm just looking at my playbook."