BOSTON (CBS) - Randy Moss joined KFAN-AM in Minnesota Wednesday, and said his heart was still with the New England Patriots.

“If you asked me where my heart is, I think that just the success as a wide receiver and everything that the New England Patriots stand for,” Moss said. ”I’m a big fan of Bill Belichick’s, I really am. Not just on the field but off the field. The little grouchy man that you see on camera is not the man you see off camera.”

Listen: Randy Moss On KFAN-AM (Patriots talk starts around the 9:08 mark)

“If you ask me where my heart and where I’m happy is, I love Tom Brady and I love being coached by coach Bill Belichick,” he said.

Moss, traded by the Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings during the season, would be open to a return to the Patriots this offseason.

Listen: Felger & Mazz Talk Randy Moss’ Love For Patriots

“This is a business and people need to understand the nature of the business and not just the sport.”

“I just like loyalty and I like good people around me and I want to get that back in return. Whoever wants me, I guess that’s where I’m going to play at.”

01:00 AM EST on Monday, January 17, 2011

By ROBERT LEE

Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO — There will be no trip to the Super Bowl this year for the New England Patriots.

The New York Jets made sure of that by beating New England, 28-21, in the AFC divisional-round playoff game Sunday at Gillette Stadium, closing the curtain on a season in which the Patriots had the best regular-season record in the league, 14-2, and was the second-highest scoring team in club history.

The Patriots were shocked and disappointed by the outcome.

“You have such a great regular season to get yourself in a good position and we just didn’t really take advantage of it,” said Patriots receiver Wes Welker. “They are a great team and they did some great things out there. At the same time, we didn’t execute the way we should have and we paid the price.”

Said offensive lineman Matt Light: “We didn’t make the plays when we needed to, and it’s unfortunate. We have got a great team and great guys. We had good chemistry throughout the year. We had a little rhythm, but we stopped short. When we needed to convert, we didn’t do it. We didn’t help our defense. I think, overall, we didn’t execute the way we have in the past.”

The Patriots converted only 36 percent of their third downs for first downs (5-for-14), while the Jets converted 46 percent of their third downs for first downs (6-for-13). In addition, the Patriots went 0-for-2 on fourth-down conversions, and scored a touchdown only twice on four trips to the red zone. The Jets, meanwhile, scored touchdowns on four of five trips inside the 20.

“I think we certainly expected to play better today,” said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. “I think we’re a pretty good football team, but not when we play like today. … It’s disappointing the way we performed.”

“I just think we didn’t play well or coach well,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “We didn’t do anything well enough.”

The Patriots beat the Jets by 42 points at Gillette Stadium during the regular season, so they were confident that they were could beat them again.

“The game went up and down,” said Patriots safety James Sanders. “We had some successful plays, we had some not-so-successful plays. Just like in the other locker room they had the same thing. It was a battle. They were just the better team today.”

Said Patriots running back Fred Taylor: “We didn’t play our best, but unfortunately you don’t get any other chances in the tournament. At the end of it all, we came to play. We just didn’t play as well as they did. So you’ve got to suck it up, swallow your pride and give credit when credit’s due. They played well today.”

Neither Light nor Taylor knows whether they are going to be back with the Patriots next year. Light’s contract is up, while Taylor, who was inactive for the game, said that his body was telling him to quit but in his heart he wanted to return.

“I have had a great 10 years here,” said Light. “This has been a great organization, obviously a great place to come play as a rookie. Ten really solid years and I hope like hell to be here and continue to do what I have done. But we will have to wait and see if that works itself out.”

Taylor said of his decision to either retire or return: “I’ve just got to probably take some time to be realistic. I kind of know what my body’s telling me and what my family has been telling me. But I also know that this is what I’ve been programmed to do the majority of my life. So I’ll probably just take some time, get to training this offseason. The camaraderie being around the guys — it’s just really hard to separate from that. So I don’t want to be too fast on the trigger.

Light has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times and he’s won three Super Bowls with the Patriots.

Taylor, who was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2007, has run for 11,695 yards in his 13-year career. He said he would talk to his family this offseason before deciding on whether to retire or return to the team.

roblee@projo.com

Published: Tuesday, January 04, 2011, 8:34 PM     Updated: Tuesday, January 04, 2011, 8:40 PM

The New England Patriots made a move to shore up its depleted defensive line Tuesday by signing free agent Atiyyah Ellison to the 53-man roster.

Ellison (6-foot-3, 315 pounds) spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texas, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs after being drafted in the third round out of Missouri by the Carolina Panthers in 2005.

Ellison, who has been active for only nine games in his career, all coming in 2009 with the Jaguars, spent a week on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster this season before being waived Oct. 27.

The Patriots had an open roster spot after suspending defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick Monday.

The team also signed defensive lineman Marlon Favorite (6-foot-1, 317 pounds) to the practice squad.

Favorite spent 2009 on the practice squads of St. Louis, Kansas City, Seattle and New Orleans after originally joining Carolina out of Louisiana State.

He spent time with Buffalo during the offseason and went to camp with Indianapolis before being released prior to the start of the season.