TRANSACTION: Pats Release WR Taylor, Sign McReady

Ian Logue

Oct 16, 2002 at 4:00am ET

FOXBORO, MA -- The Patriots released wide receiver T.C. Taylor and signed receiver Scott McReady to the practice squad.

Head coach Bill Belichick said on Wednesday that the thinking behind bringing McReady back is because he spent last season with the football team and has experience with the system.

"I just thought we should make that change now," said Belichick on Wednesday. "He was with us last year, he's got a little bit of experience in the system, a little bit more than T.C. does."

"T.C. did some things in training camp, we've taken a look at him for a few weeks, I don't think we're necessarily moving on from him, but we're just swapping him out right now. Usually [having guys on the practice squad] gives you an opportunity to take a look at some different players without having to activate them on the 53-man roster."

"We just try to monitor guys that have been on the practice squad who we feel at some point, may have a chance to be on our team. If we could have a 10-man practice squad we would, so you try to keep as many of them as possible. I think Scott has a little bit more experience in the system than T.C. does."

McReady didn't appear in the regular season last year, but that's not to say that he couldn't be brought up onto the active roster in the event he's needed.

"Any player that's on the practice squad should be ready to be activated every week," said Belichick. "We tell that to all the practice squad players, and it's going happen during the year at some point. A practice squad player, on Friday or Saturday, is going to be activated up to the roster, and sometimes you know that on Monday or Tuesday, sometimes you don't and something happens later in the week, a guys turns his ankle in practice, or he come down with the flu."

"Whatever it is, and a practice squad player then gets the opportunity to step up and play."

"The key for him is to be ready at that point whenever that happens, and again sometimes that's on very short notice. But everybody out there on the practice squad is, part of their job is to give the other guys a look, but I think part of their job is always to be ready so that if something happens on short notice, they're ready to go."