Sunday Patriots Headlines - August 1st
Big news this morning, as Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker is scheduled to come off of the active PUP list this morning and participate in drills with the team. No word yet if Welker will be wearing the red “non contact” jersey or not, but Director of Player Personnel director Nick Caserio told the media this morning that the veteran receiver has passed his physical and is ready to go.
”Wes [Welker] will return to practice this morning,” said Caserio. “He’s ready to go now. He’s deemed physically ready to go based on the tests and what our trainers have decided.”
Mike Reiss has an article on the fact that head coach Bill Belichick has had the team focusing on red zone offense, which is an area where they struggled last season.
Jeff Howe of NESN.com looks at some of the alignments from yesterday's practice, noting that the Patriots used multiple Looks, while shuffling rotations for the defensive line and the linebackers.
The Patriots traded down to grab Devin McCourty with the 27th overall selection instead of 22nd where they could have taken him. The Boston Herald looks at how much money this move saved them financially.
Yesterday the team spent the morning in shorts and t-shirts for a walkthrough, giving players a bit of a break after two days of double session. Howe reports that this move helped both the younger and older players, with Belichick taking a necessary step to keep his players healthy.
The Boston Globe has an article on wide receiver David Patten, who announced his retirement yesterday. The article includes comments from Patten, along with former teammate Deion Branch - who for some reason needed to talk about himself in third person.
Mark Farinella of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle reports that while with the talent the team has at the receiver position the Patriots may not miss him on the field, but other players in the article definitely makes you believe that he'll be missed in the locker room.
Glen Farley also has a piece where Patten also talks about the work ethic of some of the younger guys, and he says they "can get the job done".
Christopher Price of WEEI.com takes a look back at all of the great moments that Patten had during his tenure with the Patriots. Price also has the complete transcript of Patten's press conference yesterday.
Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe has an article on Kevin Faulk, who despite his long tenure in the league is still just as big of a threat as he's always been.
Albert Breer of the Boston Globe looks at Tom Brady's interview on Serius Radio yesterday, where he talked about the business aspect of the league, and offered up some really fascinating comments that you may want to take a look at if you missed the interview.
Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald reports that after hearing about Sam Bradford's contract with the Rams, Tom Brady is cool with Sam Bradford's massive deal.
Derrick Burgess is still not in Foxboro while the team waits for him to decide whether or not he's going to retire, with Belichick saying yesterday to "Give it time" as they wait on his decision.
Ron Borges of the Boston Herald has a great article this morning on Torry Holt, who is a player that fans hope will be the veteran presence that they could use to compliment Moss, Welker, and Edelman. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated feels that the team is so deep at receiver, that Holt may actually be battling for a roster spot and could be one of the odd men out.
Patriots.com's Erik Scalavino looks at the light-hearted mood from yesterday's morning practice, and points out some funny quotes from left tackle Matt Light.
Albert Breer also has an entry that contains a funny photo of a couple of the rookies after they were given a "haircut" by their teammates.
YESTERDAY'S PRACTICE NOTES:
Afternoon Session:
Report from Saturday afternoon session - WEEI.com
Quick Hits from Practice #6 - Boston Globe
PFW Blog: Practice 6 observations - Patriots.com
Patriots practice 6 observations - ESPNBoston.com
OLB Jermaine Cunningham in focus - ESPNBoston.com
Day 3, Session 2 edition Practice Notes - Boston Herald
Morning Session:
This workout was a "walkthrough" - very little was reported in detail.
