TAMPA, Fla. (AP) The NFL can be a cruel business for players on the fringes of a roster, and nobody knows it better than Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tiquan Underwood.

Underwood spent most of the 2011 season and postseason - including Super Bowl week - with the New England Patriots, but coach Bill Belichick released him the night before the big game.

Underwood was replaced on the roster by defensive tackle Alex Silvestro, who didn't play in the Patriots' 21-17 loss to the New York Giants.

As if to make it a little worse, the Patriots re-signed him two days after the Super Bowl then released him again three months later.

The 25-year-old signed with the Bucs in May, and so far he is making the most of it.