The guessing game continues.

Media speculation abounds about what roads Asante Samuel and the Patriots will take in their contract negotiations. NFL.com and The Boston Globe take a crack at it today.

Meanwhile, Samuel finally does some talking of his own. In an interesting interview with ESPN.com's Page 2, the franchise-tagged cover-guy covers a panoply of topics, from haircuts to self-inflicted tattoos to who he's voting for in the 2008 presidential election. And, yes, he does address his status with the Patriots.

One of the more direct questions he answers is "Who's better: you or [All-Pro cornerback] Champ Bailey?"

"You know me, I think I'm better hands down," he laughed. "Me being a competitor, I'll never say any man is better than me. I think I'm the best out there. My play speaks for itself. I don't go around bragging about it. I let you guys talk about it. And you guys say I'm up there."

Another Patriot who's starting to be considered "up there" at his position is defensive lineman Ty Warren. And it's starting to pay dividends for him. Warren has just been named the new spokesman for exercise equipment manufacturer Cybex.

"When playing for a champion, you need to train like a champion. Nothing short of winning is expected every week," Warren says in a statement on the company's Web site. "Training with Cybex equipment has produced greater results with my conditioning program so that I can perform like a champion."