Projo Pats Blog

Bruce Springsteen trumps Tom Brady.
Because of the Bruce concert at Gillette Saturday night, the Patriots' practice at 2:30 is closed to the public. The only weekend viewing is allowed Sunday at 2:30.

Patriots fans hoping to see the Patriots practice Friday had best change their plans. The players will be off Friday. The Pats will practice once both Saturday and Sunday from 2:30 to 4:40. The team will practice twice Monday but only the morning workout (8:45-10:30) is open to the public.
The Pats open the pre-season next Thursday at home against Baltimore.

The Patriots have concluded their morning workout, Bill Belichick has spoken and the Gillette Stadium workers are setting up for a visit from Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band. A busy day in Foxboro.
The practice was highlighted by some rookie hazing where a small pool of water was created and the rookies were let loose on a Slip-N-Slide like area. Just for good measure, Tedy Bruschi stood by with a hose to wet down whoever was escaping.
In a pass protection drill, RB LaMont Jordan ran over veteran Larry Izzo but had a tougher time with rookie Gary Guyton.
Rookie Jerod Mayo obviously doesn't know that Chris Hansen is the only punter in camp. On a punt return, Mayo flattened Hansen, drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd.
Also, Tom Brady and center Russ Hochstein bumbled a snap and were sent on a lap around the field for their miscue.
The Pats ended the morning workout with a heavy dose of goal line and red zone plays. Brady missed two open receivers and turned away in disgust after both passes.

The patriots will be back on the field this afternoon at 4 p.m.

BY KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO – Bill Belichick may not be talking much but his players certainly felt the heat from last week’s spying scandal.

When media, fans and especially other players around the NFL started calling into question the legitimacy of the Patriots’ three Super Bowl wins in light of Belichick’s penchant for taping opponent’s sideline signals, a line was crossed. The players says they have too much pride in their accomplishments through the Belichick Era to let others take shots at them.

No one seemed more upset than the prideful linebacker Tedy Bruschi. The 12-year veteran was clearly upset with the developments of the previous week and called last night’s 38-14 win ''one of the biggest of my career,’’ because his reputation and that of previous Patriots players was on the line.

''To come out and win this game after hearing some of the things that were said about our team, hey, this victory was for all Patriots teams past and present,’’ he said.

Asked just what bothered him from comments made by other players, Bruschi sniffed, ''Hey, I’ve got something to say to all the players in the league who wanted to comment on this. If you’re on past teams and you’ve got doubts and all these hypotheticals, I’ve got a hypothetical for you. Let’s get all the players that played with us and get them back. Then get all the players you had and bring them back on your team. And let’s play again. We would win again, period.’’

The Patriots pride themselves on focusing only on the next game on their schedule and those thoughts were crystallized this week. Once the NFL slapped Belichick with a $500,000 fine and the Pats another $250,000 (plus a first round pick), the doubters began to surface.

But after posting identical 38-14 wins over the Jets and Chargers to start the season, the players feel they’ve made a statement that any extra 'help’ from scouting films has little effect on their play.

''This was different. This wasn’t people calling us out or some other type of gamesmanship. This was different,’’ said Bruschi. ''It was a different atmosphere in this locker room because of the way things were going on this week. Did we use that going out there? We didn’t really. We just buckled down in the locker room and focused and just said `we need to win this game. We need to win the game, period.’’

Quarterback Tom Brady clearly heard the rumblings about the legitimacy of his team’s wins as well. Like Bruschi, he thinks the team's record should stand for itself.

''We’ve won quite a few big games around here,’’ said Brady. ''If you were to listen to everything that everybody says and respond, there’s just too many battles to fight. There’s only one battle that I care about and that’s playing football and performing well. We control that. You just can’t go out and respond to what everybody says about you. There’s not enough hours in the day. Especially after you’ve been winning for the last six or seven years.’’

Tom Brady spoke in the Patriot's locker room a few minutes ago and addressed everything from the big hits he took in Friday's night's game against Tennessee, practicing without Randy Moss and the pending birth of his first child.

Brady wouldn't let on when his former girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan, is due but she is resting in California and the date is clearly soon. Asked if he knew when the baby is due, Brady answered shyly, ''I wish I did. That’s God’s decision. I think everybody’s anxious, put it that way.''

Pressed on if the baby is due before the regular season begins, he said, ''I haven't really spoken about that. That’s stuff that’s very private to me. You all know it won’t be hard to figure out when it happens.''

Brady said he'd like to be with Moynahan when the baby is born and perhaps take a few days away from the team but he admitted that the team's schedule will play a part in his planning. ''We’ll see when it happens. It’s up to Bill (Belichick). Bill has a lot to say so we’ll deal with it when it happens.''

Standing a few feet away from Brady was veteran QB Vinny Testaverde, a 21-year NFL pro who is helping ease Brady's throwing strain both in camp and during the season. Brady is thrilled that Vinny is back once again.

''He adds depth and he adds quality and experience and leadership and attitude and all those things you look for in a New England Patriot. He’s a perfect fit,'' he said.

As for the Pats, Brady said the next two weeks will go a long way toward finding the improvement the team clearly needs heading into the opener against the Jets.

''I’m always excited about our potential but the potential and the reality is something that’s very different. I’ve heard over the last six months the expectations for this team that we can just go out there and throw the ball wherever we want and run it and gain 450 yards a game. But it takes a lot. It takes guys coming together and finding a role and playing with toughness and effort. We haven’t played any games yet. We have two very valuable weeks coming up in order to get ready for our opener. The potential of the team, that’s one thing. But it’s really going out and accomplishing things in Week One that’s important.''

More on Brady, Testaverde and the Pats in Tuesday's Journal.

-- KEVIN McNAMARA

Before leading today's only practice (2:30 - 4:30) Bill Belichick hit on a few points in his media session.
He said that in a competitive race at wide receiver, holdovers Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell should benefit from playing in Foxboro last season. Both are under the gun after the Pats brought in Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Kelley Washington in the off-season.
``It's definitely an advantage that they played in the system and played with Tom (Brady),'' Belichick said. ``We had 100 or so practices and 23 games. Sure, I think that's definitely an advantage.''

Asked about the off-season personnel activity, Belichick said there was no special impetus for the big free agent signings and trades but conceded, ``There's always a sense of urgency. That's what this league is.''
``We do the same thing every off-season. We evaluate our team and as opportunities come up, we make decisions that we think can help our football team.''

For the second time in a week, the coach waxed poetically about the passing of Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh. He considers Walsh a true innovator and a coach whose work ``has infiltrated the whole league,'' through the work of legions of assistants who've gone on to become outstanding head coaches in the NFL and college.
Walsh has written two books, the second of which Belichick regards as ``the Bible for running a football organization. He's got it all there, from A to Z. It's like an encyclopedia.''

Look for more Blog updates after today's practice.

KEVIN McNAMARA

Bill Belichick just finished his daily media briefing.

He announced that safety Mel Mitchell has been activated off the PUP list. Mitchell was lost for the 2006 season in training camp due to a arm injury.
Besides that, the coach commented that the `dog days of camp' are setting in. Finding players who stand out under that stress will help the coaching staff properly evaluate the roster.
``It's a good time to evaluate your football team,'' Belichick said. ``It's now about consistency. We'll see how they come out and produce every day in a difficult environment.''

More soon..

KEVIN McNAMARA

During the 15 minutes the media is allowed to view practice, star defensive end Richard Seymour was not spotted. No reason to be alarmed. He may have been late or given a day off for an unknown reason but nothing will be confirmed until tomorrow. Tight end Garrett Mills was also not seen.
On the positive front, both WR Doug Gabriel and Chad Jackson were out and running routes with the offense.

With Deion Branch gone to Seattle, the Patriots' number one need clearly is better play at wide receiver. Building depth in that position is the first way to get things moving and after lining up with only three WR's last week (Troy Brown, Reche Caldwell, Bam Childress) the Pats need help. Childress was waived on Tuesday, showing how valuable the team thinks he is.
The candidates to help out at WR include Jonathan Smith, Doug Gabriel and rookie Chad Jackson. Asked about Gabriel, coach Bill Belichick said the big (6-2, 210) four-year veteran is working up to speed after being acquired via a trade with Oakland on Sept. 2.
``He's a smart guy,'' the coach said. ``He spent a lot of time with our coaching staff (last week). In terms of learning it and understanding it, we do a lot of things different than other teams but he's getting it. He understands how to get open.''

Tom Brady was asked about the WR position as well.
“The more guys we can have out there healthy, the better it’s going to be. So the more guys that are out there who are able to contribute, especially (Gabriel and Chad Jackson) guys who can really do some things for this offense, that's good. When I look at last week’s game, we didn’t perform as well in the passing game as we would have liked, and there were a lot of factors that went into it. Certainly, it starts with me. I have to play better. I have to make better reads and better decisions and throw the ball more accurately. I think it will show up a lot better if I do those things better than I did last week.”
Finally, Brady was asked about building a relationship with a key receiver like he did with Branch.
``That takes a lot of time. It doesn’t happen overnight,'' he said. ``Even with a guy like Ben [Watson], we’re continuing to develop that. Kevin Faulk. Troy Brown, it's going on my seventh year. There’s a lot that goes into that. It’s not as easy as a guy showing up and learning his plays and saying ‘all right, this is how we’re going to do it.’ You have to go out and read his body language, see how he runs certain routes and the timing coming in and out of breaks. That’s what we go out and practice for every day. The more we can practice together, the more these situations come up in practice, hopefully the better we’ll do in the game.”

KEVIN McNAMARA

Tom Brady just finished his weekly press briefing and the topic of the day was clearly the trade of Deion Branch. Brady and Branch grew very close over the last few years, both on and off the field. He clearly was pulling for the team to sign Branch and said throughout training camp that he felt the two sides would come to an agreement.
Here are some of Brady's words on the subject

Asked if he was `happy' that the stalemate has been resolved, he said, “I don’t think happy is the word, but at the same time, that’s what I’m dealing with and I’m ready to move on. Certainly those thoughts of mine are in the past. I appreciate everything that Deion and I have done together and what Deion has done for this team, but part of what I’m here to do is to lead this team and to do the best job I can do. That’s dealing with the guys that are here who are working hard to help us improve. I think as we saw, last week wasn’t our best effort. I take a lot of responsibility there and I realize that I have to do a better job, as quarterback, as a leader, as a captain, to get us to play better football.”
Brady said his play in last week's win over Buffalo was effected by Branch's situation.
``I think everybody would have wanted Deion here, certainly myself knowing what kind of person and player he is,'' he said. ``But as coach kind of said to us, 'it didn't work out.' I think I speak for myself and I'm a very emotional person and over the last four or five months, it's been draining. In a sense, I think I learned a valuable lesson last week. When something is really out of your control, you can't let it drain you. At least I feel like now I can move on and I know he's moved on. I wish him luck. This team now has to really look forward, and with the guys we have do the best we can."

``He meant a lot to me as a person and as a player he meant a lot to this organization,'' he said. ``Last week, I spent a lot of energy thinking about it. You look at the end of the week, it really wasted a lot of my time and a lot of my energy. It was a big mental drain and I think it affected the way I played. I just didn’t feel like I brought as much to the table as I normally could. That’s why I’m excited about this week – hey, I learned a good lesson, I’m going to go out there and try to do the best I can do.”

Asked where he thoughts things broke down in the talks, Brady answered, ``I have no idea. I wasn’t privy to a lot of the things that went on. I knew some of the things. Like I said, there is give and take from both sides. I do know that in any negotiation some people have to give, some people have to take. Who is pointing fingers, I don’t know. Like I said, I wasn’t that involved. I’ve been in those situations that Deion is in, I know where the club stands, but who’s fault it is, I don't know. It’s done. We have to move on and go out there and try to beat the Jets.”

KEVIN McNAMARA

The Patriots have reportedly filed a grievance against WR Deion Branch seeking payment of the $500,000 in fines he accrued while holding out of training camp this summer but also repayment of 20 percent of his original $1 million signing bonus. Branch signed a six-year, $39 million deal with Seattle that includes $13 million in signing bonus.
The Pats have also filed tampering charges against the Jets on the Branch case. The Pats contend that they gave Branch permission to discuss terms of a contract with any new team, and not what a team would offer the Pats in return. Branch and the Jets apparently violated that in their discussions before he was traded away to Seattle for a first round draft choice.
``That issue is a league issue and that's where it'll be addressed,'' said Mangini. ``At all times, I expect every team to do what's in their best interest and give them the best chance to succeed. We're going to do that here and every team is going to do that around the league.''
Mangini rejected the theory that the Patriots' claims of tampering against the Jets in the Branch case are part of a intradivisional rivalry.
``I view it as just business. Each team is going to operate in their best interests and we're going to do that here,'' he said. ``I think it's important that that's the approach we take. That's just the way it works.''

KEVIN McNAMARA

Eric Mangini spoke to the New England press today and offered a bit more than Bill Belichick did on their history and relationship. Here are a few of the first-year Jet coach's words.

``I'm excited about the game because it's a division game and it's against a good opponent. I really don't view it as going up against Bill. I view it more as Jets-Patriots and this is the next game that we're scheduled to play.''

``I took away a ton of things from both of those guys (Belichick, Bill Parcells). It was a great learning experience to work under both of them and see how they approach things. I also had the benefit of working under Ted Marchibroda, who was different stylistically than those guys. And I've also had the advantage of working under Kirk Ferentz, Charlie Weiss, Romeo Crennel and so many good assistant coaches and what I've tried to do is draw from each of those experiences and put together the best plan for the Jets.''

``I see no change (in his relationship with the Patriots' front office). That's the nature of the league. People move on and get promoted and change jobs. That's part of the business and the friendships that I have will always be the friendships. When it comes time to play, you'll do what you can to beat those friends. When it comes time to enjoy the friendship part of it, that's what I'll do.''

``It isn't about Eric. It's not about Bill. It's about the Jets and the Patriots. That's all its about. I think Bill is a great friend and will be for a long time. That's completely the way that I view things.''

Bill Belichick was asked several times about his feelings for first-year Jets coach Eric Mangini today but let's just say that the Pats' coach wasn't in a touchy-feely mood.
Mangini was the Pats' defensive coordinator from 2000-2004 and worked with Belichick in Cleveland as well.
``I don't sit around the league and cheer for everyone else. I cheer for the Patriots,'' he said. ``It's not like Charlie (Weiss, at Notre Dame) or Kirk (Ferentz, at Iowa) or some other guys. In this league, I'm worried about the New England Patriots. On Sundays, I cheer for the Patriots. Just like a lot of other people around here.''
Asked if Mangini was ready for the jump to head coach, Belichick wasn;t exactly doling out the praise.

KEVIN McNAMARA
``I don't know what owners are looking for. I try not to get into that,'' he said. ``That's not my decison to make. What the outside world sees, that's up to them. It's not anything I have any control over.''

We're here for you Patriots fans on a busy Wednesday at Gillette Stadium. We'll have snippets from press conferences with Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Jets coach Eric Mangini over the next few hours.

KEVIN McNAMARA

It's official: Stephen Gostkowski will replace Adam Vinatieri as the Patriots kicker.
The Patriots released veteran Martin Gramatica this afternoon. The move was made with an eye on freeing Gramatica up to chase another kicker's job in the final few weeks of the NFL pre-season.
Here is the official release.

Martin Gramatica, 30, was signed by the Patriots as a veteran free agent on April 6, 2006. The 5-foot-8-inch, 170-pound kicker is in his seventh NFL season after spending his first six years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1999-2004) and Indianapolis Colts (2004). He was selected to the Pro Bowl following the 2000 season. Gramatica has converted 137-of-179 career field goals (76.5 percent) and 181-of-183 career extra points (98.9 percent). In seven career playoff games, he has converted 11-of-12 field goals (91.7 percent) and all 15 extra point attempts. The Kansas State product was originally drafted by Tampa Bay in the third round (80th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft. He holds Tampa Bay’s all-time career records for scoring (591 points), field goals made (137) and field goals attempted (179).
Gramatica participated in one game for the Patriots this preseason, converting both of his field goal attempts and his only extra point try against Atlanta on Aug. 11, 2006

KEVIN McNAMARA

Tom Curran, the Journal's Patriots Beat writer, will have a feature on veteran defensive lineman Ty Warren on Tuesday's paper. He'll also flesh out Matt Cassel's performance last Friday night in Atlanta.
Bill Belichick rarely chooses to speak with much enthusiasm on his players but will do so with certain veterans. He clearly admires Warren, who's set to begin his fourth season with the Pats.
``Ty's one of the guys who's steadily improved with us,'' Belichick said. ``He works and gets better. He's better this year than he was last year. You tell him he needs to do better and then he goes out and he does it.''
More on Warren from Mister Curran tomorrow.....

There are few professional athletes bigger - and wider- than football offensive linemen. The biggest of the big on this Patriot team is rookie Ryan O'Callaghan who stands 6-foot-7 and tips the scales at 330 pounds. The 23-year old rookie from the University of California was a fifth round draft pick last spring. He's getting a chance to show his game this summer due in part to an injury to Nick Kaczur.
Bill Belichick said several of his linemen came to pro football physically ready to play and he now includes O'Callaghan in that grouping.
``We have a few guys here like Mankins and Kaczur and Stephen Neal who when they came into the league had the strength to be competitive,'' he said. ``We've had some other guys, like Tom Ashworth, for example, who needed some time to get up to the strength level needed.''
After listening to one too many questions about O'Callaghan, in that classic Belichick style the coach slowed the talk on the big rookie by saying, ``it's a little early for his enshrinement here.''

Today's Bill Belichick press briefing went off without much fanfare.
He opened with a comment about celebrity practice visititor Jon Bon Jovi, a friend of the coach's since his days with the New York Giants. Asked what his favorite Bon Jovi song was, Belichick answered, ``you're putting me on the spot there. I'd have to say Living On A Prayer.''
``We talk football. He likes football, I like music so we have a couple things in common,'' the coach said.
Once the questions became serious, the coach reverted to his usual self. Asked later if there was any news on the Deion Branch contract situation, Belichick answered, ``Any questions about the players in camp? That's what we're here to talk about. We have quite a few of them.''

Here are a few notes and quotes from the post-practice bump with several players..

TEBUCKY JONES began his career in 1998 as a 1st round draftee by New England out of Syracuse. He went on to play 5 seasons with the Pats and played a key role on the 2001 Super Bowl team. Jones was traded by the Pats after the 2002 season to New Orleans for three draft picks, one of which was turned around and sent to the Bengals in exchange for Corey Dillon.
Jones moved from the Sainst to Miami where he played in 6 games for the Dolphins last season. The Pats signed him as a free agent last April and he has a chance to catch on with the team, even though several other safeties are in the roster mix.
Asked if he missed the Patriots, Jones said ``when they were in the playoffs, you get that `damn' feeling. No doubt.''
Jones played for both Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick during his New England tenure. Asked about the difference between the two, he said ``Pete Carroll was easy. I loved those practices.''

MATT CASSEL played the majority of the game in Atlanta and certainly will see plenty of time again this Saturday when the Patriots host Arizona. Cassel was 13-for-26 with a TD and no interceptions against the Falcons but was shaky with several mis-fires and overthrows.
``It was the first pre-season game and you want to get the kinks out,'' he said. ``It's all about playing better right now. It's really been a year since I've played (a lot). There were 3 or 4 throws I could've made.''

It's hard not to watch the Patriots and wonder who Tom Brady will throw the ball to. While his running backs (Dillon, Maroney, Kevin Faulk) and tight ends (Ben Watson, Daniel Graham, David Thomas) are all good targets, the wide receiver corps is certainly slim. After ageless Troy Brown, there are only question marks. The starters against Atlanta included free agent signee Reche Caldwell and Kelvin Kight.
Kight has tried to catch on with several teams in the last year but found no takers. He's a wide out from the University of Florida who played with second round pick Chad Jackson for two years. Jackson has been a no-show (PUP) since th estart of camp.
``He's a competitor. I know this is getting to him,'' said Kight. ``Being hurt right now is killing him.''

KEVIN McNAMARA

With training camp well into the dog days, the players try many things to keep things light and interesting. The many rookies on the team wore a well-shaven look today after the veterans decided to slap some generous hair cuts on the youngsters.
David Thomas, the impressive tight end from Texas, was reduced to the cue ball look last Friday. ``They got me right before the road trip (to Atlanta). It's not bad,'' he said.
The rookie with the most notable hair is clearly running back Laurence Maroney. He wears the flowing, dread-lock look that is so long he needs to keep it tied up under his helmet. Perhaps because of his 1st round pedigree, Maroney was spared by the veteran's scissors. Almost.
``They got his eyebrows,'' Thomas said. ``It's kind of freaky. He's been growing his hair so long that they gave him a break.''

This is your last week to get a glimpse of a Patriots practice. Fans can see the Pats work out Tuesday from 4:30-6:30; Wednesday from 9-10:30 and 2:30-4:30 and Thursday from 8:45-10:45.
Today's weather was absolutely perfect for sitting back, getting some sun and charting the progress of your favorite Patriots. There actually is nothing more boring than a football practice but if you like pigskin, there are three days left and counting

KEVIN McNAMARA

The Patriots just completed a brisk, if not sloppy, hour and a half practice. It is the team's only public workout of the day. They'll hold a closed practice later in the day.
Running back Kevin Faulk wore a red jersey, indicating no one was allowed to hit him. Faulk said he's just a bit sore after Saturday night's game against Atlanta.

Some of the key players not present included receiver Chad Jackson; safety Rodney Harrison, DT Richard Seymour, running back Patrick Pass; center Dan Koppen; OT Nick Kaczur; outside linebacker Chad Brown.

The highlight of the practice actually came with the arrival of rocker Jon Bon Jovi at around 10 o'clock. Bon Jovi is a big football fan and a longtime friend of Bill Belichick. The head coach instantly left a drill to welcome Bon Jovi and stayed with him for about 5 minutes while the practice continued. Owner Bob Kraft also came by to chat Bon Jovi up.
Kraft and Bon Jovi had one thing in common. They were the only men on the field in long pants. Kraft wore white slacks while JBJ sweated in blue jeans.

KEVIN McNAMARA

After a well-deserved day off, the Patriots are set to return to the training camp grind this morning outside Gillette Stadium. The team will practice for two hours this morning and then work through two practices tomorrow. We'll have a few practice snippets, some interviews and the always revealing (Ha!) info from Bill Belichick's press briefing.
I am in the main stadium press box looking at two workers standing on a movable platform that's a good 75 feet in the air. The (brave) men are adjusting giant TV sets that hang outside the press box windows. One just spotted me eying his precarious position and even he laughed, shook his head and shot me a `What Am I Doing' look.
Hope he's safe.
Later.

Kevin McNamara