FOXBORO, Mass. -- Even as he was sitting on the Denver turf, felled with a broken leg, Patriots linebacker Bryan Cox was looking around for the culprit who put him there.

	Cox

As he was walking off the field, Cox found Broncos lineman Dan Neil.

"I was too far away to hear, but knowing Bryan, I know what he would say," New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi said Monday, a day after Cox was injured in the Patriots' 31-20 loss to Denver. "Any player would be angry."

In the third quarter of Sunday's game, Cox came across the field in motion, and Neil followed soon after. As Cox went after the ballcarrier, Neil dove, apparently landing on Cox's left foot and pulling his body down with his right leg at an awkward angle.

While trainers attended to him, Cox was looking around the field for Neil. As he walked off the field, Cox was screaming.

On Sunday, Cox vowed to take out his revenge on Neil if they ever played again, saying, "If I ever play football again and I play against that guy, he's going to have a blown-out knee. ... He had the audacity to ask me if I am OK. I am not OK."

On Monday, Cox arrived in the Patriots locker room on crutches, with his right leg in a cast and his temper no less inflamed.

"I had a couple of experiences with that guy before," Cox said. "I'm going to get him. I don't care how long it takes. I'm going to get him."

No penalty was called on the play.

"It was a clip. There's no doubt about it," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who said he wanted the league to review the tape for a possible fine against Neil. "I have a lot of respect for Mike Shanahan. He's one of the best coaches in the game. I can't imagine that's what he was looking for."

Shanahan defended Neil after watching the play dozens of times Monday.

"I'm not even sure if he hits him," Shanahan said. "He jumps over Dan, and he breaks his leg on the playing field. It wasn't the cut. It was him jumping over Dan Neil to avoid the cut block. So I think when he takes a look at that film, I'm not even sure if there's contact."

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that the league is reviewing Neil's block on Cox a week after fining Neil's teammate Matt Lepsis $15,000 for a low block that broke the left ankle of San Diego defensive lineman Maa Tanuvasa.

The NFL will not fine Cox for his comments regarding Neil, Mortensen reported, but league officials will send Cox a letter about the comments.

Shanahan said he would be surprised if Neil is fined. Cox wasn't optimistic that Neil would be penalized because, he said, the NFL doesn't care about protecting him.

"The league's always talking about protecting people in a defenseless position," Cox said. "If that wasn't defenseless, I don't know what is."

Cox said doctors told him the injury was not going to end his season, a special concern for the 33-year-old veteran of 11 NFL seasons. Belichick said he won't know how long Cox will be out until he sees what happens over the next two weeks; putting Cox on injured reserve would end his season.

Last year, Cox broke the same leg in the second-to-last game of the year, had surgery and missed the final game of the season.

The fiery Cox has been a vocal leader on the Patriots and three other teams. Although his leadership will be missed -- he is a defensive captain -- Belichick noted that he will still be around the team at practice and in meetings.

"I can't imagine Cox being invisible," Belichick cracked. "We'll see him and we'll hear from him."

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.