FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL: 1. Polk's progress: One day in the Patriots' locker room last week, rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk sat at his stall and welcomed a reporter for a chat.
When it was finished, another reporter was waiting for a word. Then came another after that. And when that conversation finished, another reporter walked over and said, "I'd like to be next in the car wash if you have time.
" Polk obliged them all. Then when he was finished, he granted two more interviews to television reporters across the hall. All that attention highlights one of the top storylines for the Patriots (2-7) entering Sunday's road game against the Chicago Bears (4-4) at Soldier Field ( 1 p.
m. ET, Fox ). Can they get Polk, their second-round draft pick from the University of Washington, back on track? With eight games remaining in the regular season, and the Patriots closer to contention for the No.
1 overall draft pick than a playoff berth, they want to find out what they have in some of their rookies for the future. Editor's Picks 13 more games in NFL Week 10, 13 must-read matchup previews: We have predictions, picks and keys to victory 2d NFL Nation Projecting every NFL team's biggest offseason need: Let's look ahead to 2025 with positions to upgrade 2d Aaron Schatz, +2 More Week 10 NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus the biggest remaining game for every team 5d NFL Nation Perhaps no one more so than Polk, the 37th ove.