Monday Patriots Headlines: August 2nd

Fans were treated to a pleasant surprise on Sunday, with wide receiver Wes Welker coming off of the PUP list after passing his physical and receiving medical clearance to rejoin his teammates.

Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe looks at Welker's return to practice, where he took part in positional drills and some route-running work, but when it was time for 11-on-11 contact, he did not participate. Welker did meet with the media yesterday, and for anyone interested, here is the complete transcript of his press conference.

Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald took the time to go back through past reports and put together a complete timeline of Welker's rehabilitation. Rapoport goes all the way back to the day he was injured, and points out many of the steps Welker went through before returning yesterday.

Welker was a little rusty yesterday, and Karen Guregian of the Herald points out that it's going to take time for Welker to get back up to speed after he admitted yesterday he's still got a long way to go to get back to where he needs to be.

Rapoport also has a blog entry this morning on rookie cornerback Devin McCourty, who has battled Randy Moss in practice yet Moss has shown him that things are a bit more difficult in the NFL. Rapoport points out a play on the goal line where it looked like McCourty had Moss blanketed… only to have Moss throw his hands up at the last second to snatch the ball, surprising McCourty and making it look so easy.

Karen Guregian also looks at McCourty's progress, with the rookie admitting he's just trying to work hard and learn as much as he can.

Jeff Howe of NESN.com reports that the team may explore free agency or a trade to try and fill roster spots that are currently available thanks to David Patten's retirement, Derrick Burgess potentially retiring, and Logan Mankins holding out. Howe points out some things that were said yesterday by Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio - who held a press conference and met with the media - and also mentions the fact that with every team having an expanded roster, there's not many players to choose from.

Howe also points out that Gary Guyton left the field yesterday with a knee injury, and has plenty of notes from yesterday's practice.

Christopher Price reports that Guyton's injury isn't serious, and that he should be back on the field within a couple of days.

Mark Farinella of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle also looks at Caserio's comments, pointing out that he's taken on more of a role in the personnel department and has been less involved in working with players on the field.

That being said, the team did work out former Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye yeserday. That news more or less leads you to believe that Derrick Burgess may be leaning toward calling it a career, and may not be returning as many had hoped he would.

Tom King of the Nashua Telegraph has a story this morning on runningback Laurence Maroney, with the runningback saying he's got aspirations of becoming a 1,000 yard back this season.

Rich Garven of the Worcester Telegram has a funny read this morning on a story from yesterday's practice. On a play where quarterback Tom Brady overthrew Randy Moss, Moss ended up tossing the ball into the stands and giving a 12-year old a chance to complete a pass to him. It's a good read, so check it out.

WEEI.com also has a great slideshow of photos that you can see here in this entry on the website.

SUNDAY PRACTICE NOTES:

From the Hart: Practice 7 observations - Patriots.com
Sunday Morning Practice Session 8/1/10 - WEEI.com
Practice Offers Look at Coaching Dynamic - ESPNBoston.com
Patriots practice 7 observations - ESPNBoston.com
Quick hits from camp practice #7 - Boston.com
Training Camp Central: P.M. practice wrap - CSNNE.com
Sunday PM Notebook - Patriots.com
Training camp report from Sun PM session - WEEI.com