Hart 8/3/07 notes

[pats1]

http://www.patriots.com/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=26637&pcid=44&special_section=tc2007

8/3/07
Friday morning notes
By Andy Hart, Patriots Football Weekly

Bill Belichick eased up a bit Friday morning as his Patriots held a walk through in shorts and helmets at Gillette Stadium.

...

Play of the practice: Since it was a walk through the nod here goes to Rodney Harrison who was on target a couple of times in a game he and Junior Seau created prior to practice. The game seemed to be a combination of bocce and horseshoes. The two players stood by the cones that marked the front and back corners of the end zone with the cones serving as targets for the white ball they were lobbing back and forth.

Who’s hot: The fans – Fans have been coming out in record numbers throughout training camp and deserve credit for the efforts. They’ve battled rain and endless heat to cheer on their team at every turn. The cheers for guys doing punishment laps might be a little misguided, but they show the endless passion fans have for their favorite team and its players.

Who’s not: David Thomas – While all the other PUP guys have been on the field during the team’s two walk through practices at camp, Thomas has yet to make an appearance.

The second-year player was expected to help fill the void left by Daniel Graham’s departure in free agency. Missing this many practices early and camp won’t help in his development.

Practice notes
Tight end Matt Kranchick also returned to action after missing Thursday night’s practice. Mills, Kranchick and Benjamin Watson gave the tight end spot three active bodies for the first time since the first day of camp. … Those not on the field for the morning included Asante Samuel, Rashad Baker, Adalius Thomas and Kyle Brady. … Friday marked Tom Brady’s 30th birthday. On a couple different occasions fans in the bleachers sang lackluster versions of “Happy Birthday” for their star quarterback … Laurence Maroney, Junior Seau and Eric Alexander remain in red non-contact jerseys. … Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels held a press conference with the local media following practice. … The players will have a day off on Saturday and won’t return to the practice field until Sunday evening at 5:00 pm. That session is open to the public, but as always be sure to check the practice schedule here on Patriots.com for the latest training camp schedule and any last minute changes.

 

[pats1]

Just as a side note, Hart was a little bit off with the Kranchick note.

Kranchick was present for last night's practice, but left 15 minutes early with a trainer according to Perillo's notes yesterday.

 

[RobertWeathers]

http://www.patriots.com/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=26637&pcid=44&special_section=tc2007

How the hell do you combine bocce and horseshoes??? Closest to the stake with the paladin? Throw the horseshoe around a bocce ball?

Sounds interesting!

 

[psychoPat]

Thanks, P1, for these rapid links.

I hadn't noticed Garrett Mills return. Glad he's there!

 

[DarrylS]

Sounds like #81 was there also...

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Indeed Randy Moss was back out there today...day to day actually was the case here..Phew!!

 

[TheSeymonsta]

Indeed Randy Moss was back out there today...day to day actually was the case here..Phew!!

And all that hubbub for nothing...

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

The fact that TE Thomas isn't even walking around on the sidelines with Troy Brown, and perrenial injury mongers Stallworth and Chad Jackson isn't exactly encouraging. Then again, it's a foot, not a leg injury and the likely remedy is to keep his considerable weight off it as much as possible. Wonder if Reiss has made any mention of the guy being in the gym pedaling a bike?

 

[Wotan_the_Wanderer]

I personally found this tidbit interesting. I'll refrain from reading too much into this, but there's enough there for more optimism concerning the state of the Pats' LB corp beyond this year and in this instance, Oscar Lua.

With Thomas out of action, rookie Oscar Lua saw plenty of “reps” with the first defensive unit beside Tedy Bruschi.

“It shows that if something happens they are confident with me in there,” Lua said after the workout. “But at this point it’s all just filling in for guys. I’m just trying to learn and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. Today was an opportunity to go out there and run some of the first team reps. I did my job, took care of it and everything is going well.”

 

[DarrylS]

Indeed Randy Moss was back out there today...day to day actually was the case here..Phew!!

And I was looking forward to the blame the training staff knee jerk thread...happens all the time...

 

[spacecrime]

And I was looking forward to the blame the training staff knee jerk thread...happens all the time...

You missed it. Someone already blamed the staff, saying there was no excuse for a WR to ever get a hammy.