Tuesday New England Patriots Links 8/9

After taking a spin around the internet this morning, here are today's top stories.

Rich Garven of the Worcester Telegram looks at the Patriots defensive line, and the fact they've spent the last couple of weeks stockpiling pass rush specialists.

Shalise Manza Young also looks at the Pats D-Line, and writes that newly signed Andre Carter said yesterday he and head coach Bill Belichick are on the same wavelength.

"When we did talk . . . it was just simple - you put your hand in the dirt and go,'' Carter said of his early discussions with Belichick. "Now, granted, you've got to be smart and do your job but as far as that we were on the same [wavelength] as far as communication.''

Carter was also on last night's episode of "Hell's Kitchen", which Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald has a quick entry on. The episode was obviously taped a while ago, but he appeared to enjoy whatever it was he had for dinner that night.

Rapoport also has an article on newly signed Shaun Ellis, who arrived in Foxboro yesterday and is hoping this is his time to become a champion.

"Once I got here, they made me feel like a weapon," said Ellis, the decorated defensive end. "I understand what it takes to be a champion, and they've been doing it. And I've been wanting to feel that. Hopefully, the time has come."

Shalise Manza Young writes that Ellis has been placed on the PUP list. Ellis told the media yesterday he hasn't taken the conditioning test yet, and though the veteran is recovering from a hip injury, obviously the Patriots wouldn't have given him a contract if it was cause for concern.

Mike Reiss has a piece on Ellis, with former Patriots coach Eric Mangini and now ESPN analyst saying that the former Jet should fit in well in New England.

Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald looks at the defensive line and wonders who will emerge and make an impact this season.

She also has a great player-by-player breakdown in this article.

Mark Farinella of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle also has a piece on the Patriots new defensive lineman, which also includes a great photo of Ellis completely leveling Ravens QB Joe Flacco.

Farinella also has a notebook, which talks about Belichick looking forward to the competition at the D-line in the coming weeks.

"We're always trying to add as many good players as we can to the team," Patriots' coach Bill Belichick said Monday. "The best ones will play and the ones that don't play as well will play a little bit less. That's just competition. We're always looking for competition at every position and I think we have good competition on this team."

Christopher Price of WEEI.com writes that who has the most versatility may end up being the deciding factor when it comes down to the final roster spots.

Monique Walker of the Boston Globe has her "notebook" for this morning, with Ellis telling reporters that the team has made him feel like a "weapon".

"Guys change teams all the time,'' Ellis said. "I've just been fortunate enough to play 11 years with the Jets. I had a great time, a great experience. It's just one of those things when it's time to move on, you have to move on. I've found a new home here and guys have welcomed me in. I was kind of a little hesitant at first, a little weird feelings, but once I got in here they made me feel like a weapon."

Ian Rapoport writes that Bill Belichick reminisced about a meeting he had with newly signed former Redskin Andre Carter back before the 2001 draft.

Paul Flannery has a spotlight on linebacker Gary Guyton, who regardless of their scheme is looking forward to having a good season.

Rich Garven of the Worcester Telegram writes that the focus for this week is now shifting toward getting ready for their first preseason game Thursday night against Jacksonville.

Glen Farley also talks about the team's preparations, with Belichick looking forward to putting a game plan together.

Tom Curran has a good article on Andre Carter, and writes that the demands for him in New England's defensive scheme shouldn't be complicated.

Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald writes that this crazy camp should be right up Belichick's alley, and so far the coach seems to be enjoying himself as the team starts the process of building the 2011 roster.

"I don't think you can compare this year at this time to last year at this time," he said. "It's kind of like building a house. You have to get a foundation, you have to frame it, you have to put on a roof . . . and you can't frame it until you have a foundation. So however fast you want training camp to go, it's like building a house.
"And right now, instead of being 20 percent complete toward building our house, we're 10 percent done. But you still have to build. There's no way to jump to the roofing without completing the foundation."

Nick Underhill of MassLive.com takes a shot at predicting the 53-man roster in this entry.

Greg Bedard resets the roster again in this blog entry.

Chris Forseberg of ESPN has a big feature on New England's D-Line changes here.

Mike Rodak of ESPNBoston.com reports in this article that the Patriots worked out linebacker Niko Koutouvides on Monday.

And finally the Marblehead Patch has a story on former Marblehead High School football coach Doug Chernovetz, who died unexpectedly over the weekend. His death has left his family and friends completely stunned, as well as the students since he was also a seventh grade social studies teacher at the school. Chernovetz was honored for his work in 2008 when he was given Coach of the Week Honors by the New England Patriots.

That's it for this morning. We'll have more later on.