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          New England Patriots

          Safety Barrett to injured reserve

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterNov 9, 2011, 10:58 AM ET
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Patriots have placed safety Josh Barrett on season-ending injured reserve today. Barrett injured his calf in Sunday's loss to the Giants.

          "Unfortunately, we had to place Josh on injured reserve, which is a tough break for him," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "The kid's worked hard and I wished that would have turned out differently for him this year. It is what it is."

          The injury further depletes a secondary that has struggled for long stretches this season, the Patriots ranking last in the NFL against the pass.

          A four-year veteran, Barrett played in five games this season, missing three with hamstring/thumb injuries. He started four games and seemed to be the player the coaches liked best next to Patrick Chung.

          According to ESPNBoston.com charting, Barrett was on the field for 222 of a possible 356 snaps (including penalties) in the five games he played. He was credited with 14 tackles and was also a key contributor on special teams.

          This leaves the Patriots with Chung, James Ihedigbo and Sergio Brown at safety.