Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com reports that Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs will undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia and a groin injury suffered earlier in the season.

Hobbs played with the injuries, but aggravated the groin problem in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLII.

Since December 1, Hobbs appeared on the injury report only once.  The Pats did the same thing a couple of years ago, when it was learned after the season that quarterback Tom Brady played for much of the year with a sports hernia that never showed up on the injury report.  There was no punishment of the Pats for the Brady situation, and the league likely will take no action as to Hobbs’ injury.

However, the fact that Brady appears every week on the injury report with a right shoulder injury that has never limited his performance makes it curious at best when other actual injuries are concealed by the team.  Indeed, few believe that Brady’s ankle wasn’t bothering him during the Super Bowl, but Brady’s ankle was never mentioned on the injury report, indicating that it was fine.

As to Hobbs, the fact that he was injured makes even more questionable the decision to put him in single coverage on Plaxico Burress on the play that resulted in the final score of Super Bowl XLII.