Full Squad Mini Camp June 6-8th

Mrs. B.'s Annual Training Camp Reports

2003 Archive

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07/23/03

And just HOW did I manage to report today, when the Pats cancelled public access to practice, you ask?? When the sun began to shine all day, Al and I decided to head up to the Proshop to make an exchange in the hopes of them "cancelling" the cancel. They didn't allow folks around the field but they did open up Gillette Stadium, put the video and audio on the big screens and Fred Kirsh (PFW) gave commentary. It's not what I would like to do all the time but it was better than not being there at all. Hooked up with my girl BledsoeAngie and her friend Annie there who had driven in from the Cape for practice...

Here's the scoop on my initial report:
First and foremost, I'm beginning with my annual blanket disclaimer: Any reference to "MY MAN" throughout the reports does not refer to O-T-I-S, rather you-know-who! (It also applies to terms such as THE Man, and Our Boy, when referring to Zip and I),

Now on to business.... NEWS Of the day: Antowain Smith (again), Damien Woody, Patrick Pass (again), Ty Law, Willie McGinest, Fred McCreary, Cloud, Womack, O-T-I-S, and Andruzzi did not practice. (Otis and Andruzzi are definitely injured.... the others..... Flunked??) I have a hard time believing Ty Law flunked but he was on the sidelines dressed in shorts like the rest of them.)

Here's the nutshell version so I can get this out there:
Practice was in full pads today and the set up was exactly like in past years. Offense primarily stayed on one field and defense occupied the other until they worked out together. I was at the mercy of the camera people as they chose what to show on the screen: With the absence of A. Smith, Faulk took most of the reps, followed by JR. Both looked sharp. Deion Branch was right on the money today, and Fred Baxter made some nice grabs as well. Graham made his presence known.

Adam was automatic as usual, and they pulled off some trick plays with a fake resulting in Walter connecting with Daniel Graham for a TD. Jarvis Green drew some praise from BB while playing Nose Tackle . Klecko had his turn as well... On the 7:7 drills, Colvin blew by someone (outside on 3-4) showing his speed. MY MAN put HUGE hit on some poor guy coming across the middle. (It was such a blur going across the screen I missed who it was but you could clearly hear the CRUNCH!!!) Even Kirsh made a remark that it was too early for that...

Mrs. B. (Hoping that Mother Nature cooperates tomorrow, so we can head out early!!) (Also just gave away prime Sox tix to go to training camp.)

07/24/03 AM

Hey Guys,

The ever faithful Mrs. B and her boys got up at 6:00am and headed up to Gillette bright and early. Lots were supposed to open at 7:00 but when we got there at 7:15 they were closed. We headed down to the proshop parking lot where we knew we could gain access. Big Al broke out the tailgate gear and we feasted on bacon and eggs in the pouring rain. Once again, they opened Gillette for the diehards and we watched the practice on the big screens. The guys practiced on the artificial turf field (which has no bleachers at all) because it's safer in these conditions. And man it was pouring!! The sun came out for a little while at 10:15...wooohooo!

Word is out already, but Antowain Smith was suited up today, as was Cloud, Pass, and Woody. I didn't see Ty Law in uniform nor O-T-I-S or Womack, but once again, I'm at the mercy of the camera operator. Caught a glimpse of Andruzzi and Kenyatta Jones doing sprints along the sidelines. Here's my take on the practice.... Kevin Faulk was getting most of the reps out there, followed by JR then Smith and Cloud from what I could see. Faulk is showing signs of what he brought at the end of last season. Jarvis Green was out with the first team at nose tackle most of the day. Graham made an awesome catch over the middle in tight coverage. My MAN Tedy B made a sweet INT off of JR Redmond coming from Huard. Davy's looking strong but not as erratic as last season.

The highlight of the day, drawing the most noise on and off the field was the altercation between Seymour and Light. They needed to be broken up as a brawl was ensuing. (Darren's daughter Madelyn remarked that "They shouldn't fight, they need a time out, daddy!" LOL..... It was too cute! Givens and Fred Baxter have been looking good. Dedrick Ward made a nice grab as well. Deion Branch is consistent and I think he'll do well this year. (I'm trying to report on the newer guys since it's "news".... You know that Troy is Troy and Brady is looking steady....) Bethel Johnson is really, really, fast.... I haven't seen him drop nay so that's good news! IMO the rookie who's been really shining and has been on the big screen the most has been Asante Samuel.

I'm NOT too happy to report that the starting 7 in the 3-4 right now is Hamilton, Green, and Seymour up front with Vrabel, Pfifer, TJ and Colvin as backers..... My Man has been seeing some time, but you know me.... I like to see him in on EVERY down!! Haven't seen Warren at nose yet, as Klecko has been going in with the second unit. (Of course, the camera guys don't show everything, so he could have been in but I haven't seen it.)

After practice, they had a tent set up for autographs where 5 players (Milloy, Pfifer, Branch, and 2 rookies Chas Gezzner and ?) were set up to sign. The players were sitting at a table and the line was a mile long... They had people filing through, but it was taking forever so they went to plan B and Briggs set up a "corral" with those metal fence things and had fans stand around the sides of it with the players in the middle signing as they walked around. It resembled more of the signing situation at Bryant when you would stand at the ropes and either get lucky or not... I'm sure they are going to have to rethink the whole signing issue. (I know that "autograph alley" is a Revs thing but we're talking Pats here!!) I can't imagine how they'll do it when there are thousands of fans there.... (I wish they would just go back to the way it was at Bryant, right along the field.) We'll find out tomorrow, I guess. But, if it means leaving practice early to walk over to the area to stand in line, I won't be part of that crowd! I prefer to watch.

Jacob got Milloy on a nice proshop pic and I had Deion sign a picture that I took with him at a card show in March. I took a picture with Pfifer because I had nothing to have signed but like I said, this may be it for me... I'm not into the pushing and shoving for an autograph.

Heading out early to tailgate for tonight's practice... hopefully the sun comes back out to stay and we can finally check out the real digs.

Mrs. B (plunked down some big bucks at the proshop for Pats bar stools for my Pats Shrine!)

07/24/03 PM

Here's the scoop from the night practice.... not very football technical but more TC logistical. We finally got into the regular practice fields today. We went right for 4:00 to park to tailgate but they didn't open the gates until 4:15 which was a bit annoying with cars on Rt. 1. We parked in the season ticket holders/club seat lot with about 5 other cars...lol. I don't expect that it will be that empty ever again; I think people just didn't know.

Anyway, The Patriots' Experience park is right near that lot and the practice fields are next to that behind the stadium. We ended up sitting in the front row of the bleachers which is right on ground level with the field.. (there's a cement walkway and ropes set up separating it from the grass.) Overflow crowd ended up on the "grassy knoll" near the VIP bleacher section in the endzone. You can't walk all around the field like I'm accustomed to, but at least the bleachers are close.

Here's the football stuff for today: Vrabel didn't practice tonight; he was on the sidelines in sweats (not sure why.) Willie and Ty worked HARD with trainers throughout the entire practice. At one point they were practically "crab walking" up a grassy hill near the family tents. Andruzzi and Kenyatta were on the bikes and such... KJ left the field with big ice packs taped to his knees...

Practice was in shorts and mini shoulder pads. Offense was on the field closest to us for most of the time. During drills, the WR were making lots of catches but Charlie kept asking them to show him their hands.... Givens made some good grabs but he wasn't pleased with the form. CW was quite animated today and comical when a rookie, Dan Stricker caught one that Charlie liked.... "Geez, I've seen lots of balls caught and only one to put a smile on my face..."

When LBs were covering RBs, my boy got the crowd riled up. Faulk was catching a pass and Tedy flew through the air breaking it up.. The crowd began to clap and he hammed it up, calling for more... the crowd went wild! On the next play, TJ did something and imitated Tedy to try to get a rise out of them too.. (He wasn't as successful but it was cute..lol) At that time, CBs were doing the same drill covering the WRs. Troy and Patten were catching like the veterans they are.... Bethel is faster than hell and didn't drop a ball.. (Actually, there weren't too many drops tonight.)

The two Teds occupied the middle tonight with the first unit. Haven't noticed much of Warren... I'll make it a point to look for him next time. Jarvis and Klecko shared the nose spot again with Jarvis starting. As for the OLine, the starting 5 were, Compton, Light, Woody, Klemm, and FA Russ Hochstein. The highlight of practice was when the full squad was on the field and Huard connected with Troy up the middle with a long bomb. In the "collision of the night",  Faulk was caught between Lawyer and Harrison... OUCH! He was hit hard and went right down. Bet he's taking advantage of those ice baths at Gillette tonight!!

I'm happy to report that after practice some guys came to the ropes and signed autographs ala Bryant College style... Tedy spotted me and waved and looked away and lost me in the crowd I think. He went to sign some but Al thinks he just went to the wrong section and that was that. Brady and Huard signed along the Grassy Knoll and the girls were going wild. As we were headed out, Troy was coming towards our section and people starting running that way... My cue to get the heck out of there!!

As one of the most pessimistic folks about camp moving to Gillette, I must say that my fears were unwarranted and it's going to be fine. I saw Jonathan Kraft and gave him props and told him that I was most impressed with the fact that they opened the stadium for us when it was raining.. They really didn't have to do that but it was a nice gesture. He was thanking me for coming and made a comment about me being a big Bruschi fan (my attire gives me away)... He has NO IDEA!! LOL

Tomorrow, I expect HUGE crowds because it's a single afternoon practice, the weather looks promising, it's a Friday, and the Patriot's Experience will be open. You know I'll be there no matter what so until next time.....

Mrs. B. (they have full concessions, and vendors selling " soda, water, beer" in the stands)

07/25/03

The SUN!!! Now this is REAL TC weather..... Anticipating a huge crowd, we headed out early for camp again... the website said lots would open at 1:00 for the 2:30 practice but when we got there it was clear that they had been open for awhile. The Patriot's Experience park was mobbed with kids already. We parked in the "empty" season ticket/club seat lot again and sparked the grill in true Patsfan fashion. (Sausages, Sam Adams and Bruschi Brew were on the menu today..) If you are a season ticket holder, be sure to bring the ID card with you to gain access to that lot and the reserved section of the bleachers. (Although, that section isn't the greatest IMO.... It's near the endzone and too far away from the action for me.)

Camp was mobbed today (as I expected) and the bleachers and "grassy knoll" filled quickly. I'm having a bit of a hard time dealing with being stuck in one place as I'm used to being able to walk all the way around to watch whatever unit I want. My LBs always seem to working in the far corner of the other field during drills so I don't get any close up pictures or any inside scoops. Plus, there are a lot of kids going up and down and people talking, etc... I used to hang along the sidelines away from the crowd and NEVER went into the bleachers at Bryant.

I did have the pleasure of meeting a couple of fellow "fan-attics" today... Wolfie (Zip's list) picked me out of the crowd, as did John (patssox23 from patsfans.com) and Peg from Patriotsplanet. The Bruschi jersey is the dead give away!! It was great to hook up with people who share my passion...

Enough of that stuff... on to the practice. We were the furthest away from the action than we've ever been so I didn't get much today... This afternoon was full pads. WMG, O-T-I-S, Ty Law, Womack, and McCrary still weren't dressed and worked with trainers (Andruzzi and some others as well, but we know their story). Pfifer and Christain Fauria weren't dressed either this afternoon, but I think I read somewhere that veterans may be sitting out for a practice on a rotating basis.... Not sure if that was the case but I think so. Fauria spent lots of time with Bavaro talking today.

My memory is fuzzy, so I'll just give the Tidbits....... The play of the day was a long completion from Brady to Branch with Milloy covering. Bethel Johnson, Asante Samuel and Eugene Wilson did some kickoff returns today along with the usual crew of Branch, Pass, Faulk, etc. David Givens was on FIRE again and even made a diving catch in the endzone drawing a rise from the crowd and his teammates, as well! Deion Branch was also hot stuff again (and is one of the most polite people I think I have ever met, btw.) Fred Baxter has been consistently showing his stuff. Heavy Hitter Harrison put another lick on Troy Brown causing him to drop the ball. That's not the first hard hit that he's laid on Troy. As an aside... someone told me they heard Seymour on WEEI talking about his scuffle with Light the other day, saying that it was just football...ironically, they are roommates and had just gone out for breakfast that morning.

At one point in camp the entire group huddled up for meeting... it wasn't good news as practice ran over by 45 minutes. (Tedy later told me that they kept messing up so they had to repeat two periods. While they were rerunning those plays another group ran sprints in the other field.) They did some two minute drills at the end and they looked good, so I guess their chewing out worked. Antwan Harris made an nice INT in tight coverage.

Because camp ended late and they announced that Brady (along with others) would be signing near the proshop, the crowd thinned pretty fast. One of the guards noticing my Bruschi attire, gave me the heads up that Linebackers would be signing along the ropes at the grassy area as well. The folks that stayed around hit the jackpot... but we had nothing to sign except for a picture that I took with Tedy. My Man came over and spent a minute talking with us and signed my picture. Al was able to take some nice "Bryant College Caliber" photos of the guys at that time!!

Jarvis Green was sitting on the grass with his family, and introduced me to them . (We know him from our favorite wing joint but haven't seen him in a couple of months. ) We wished him well, and Al had two pictures left on his roll of film so he took a couple family pics for him so we could get the roll developed tonight.

I'm heading out with my little guy tomorrow, as Al is working tonight and will be home sleeping..... AM practice is 9-11 and they predict nice weather again! If anyone thinks they see me... don't be shy!!

Mrs. B. (who is now in the possession of such an AWESOME close up of her man that she's going to covet it and not even post it to the website....  I will give a copy to the REAL Mrs. Bruschi, however!)

07/26/03

Today's practice was hot and sunny. Sitting on the metal bleachers in the blazing sun, I felt like a sausage frying in a pan. (Fair skinned folks take note.... there is ZERO shade at TC.) I've been blessed with olive skin but actually broke out the sunscreen today myself (need to keep that 29 year old skin in good shape...LOL!!) Each time we show up, they've tweaked the logistical problems more and more. For instance, they've started filling the bleachers one section at a time to insure that there aren't many wasted spots, they've allowed the fans to collect autographs on the "grassy knoll" one unit at a time in addition to sending some big name folks down to the Fleet area near the proshop to lure most of the crowd away. (Yesterday was Brady and Harrison plus others) and I heard that Adam was down there this morning. I stayed behind at the field where the OLine signed today ala Bryant College and there wasn't any pushing and shoving.

Dena from Zip's list recognized me today and called me over. We spent most of the practice sitting around the 30 allowing me better sights than yesterday, although I was antsy sitting there and I did more yapping today than at other sessions. The guys practiced in full pads and had quite a bit of contact going today. Ty Law partially participated today... He had on a jersey but sweats and no regular pads. He did the drills but didn't do the contact stuff on the field. O-T-I-S, Willie and others were still working with trainers in the far field. Pleasant wasn't dressed again but it could be due to BB's AARP Rest Program....

I'm short of time and memory, so I'll just post some highlights. The start of practice brought kickoff returns to our section of the field. B. Johnson, Wilson, Redmond and Faulk took the reps. They worked on the running game in front of us for awhile. Smith and Faulk got through a few times and the crowd went wild... Of course, there's mixed feelings there.... Great for the Pats Offense but BAD for the D! It's no secret where my loyalties lie, so I tend to groan when that happens while the crowd around me cheers... Can't wait until REAL football!!

When the full squad was on the field later, Eugene Wilson intercepted a pass intended for Graham and took it to the house, raising the crowds' enthusiasm, however during punt returns he let one slip right between his hands drawing some noise of another fashion. He and Asante Samuel are enjoying lots of reps thanks to the status of the "walking wounded" vets. I'd much rather see everybody on the field, thank you very much!

Rohan Davey connected with Deion Branch for a long TD pass. I reported last year that Deion was the REAL DEAL and told him that this week, to which he responded... (insert southern accent here...) "Gee, Maam, I certainly appreciate that... and Maam, I'll be living up to that, I certainly will!" Patten has been right on the money all through camp ... he caught a long ball from Brady (I think... or was it Huard; gosh, I really SHOULD take notes, especially without Big Al to help me remember...)

Givens saw a lot of action today again but had a bit of the dropsies.... I can't remember much else for today... of course I got a bit distracted watching the REAL Mrs. Bruschi playing with her two cute mini #54's on the hill in the family section. (You know how we mothers are when we see babies... can't help but oooh and ahhhh....!)

After practice Jacob had Compton sign a nice picture that Al took yesterday and he asked if he could have it for his fiance. Jacob produced a double for him to take and he was quite appreciative. He also had Woody sign his page of the new calendar. Since there was a lot of family in the family area, they didn't allow any fans to go over on that side today, so I just waited for Jacob to finish... I could see Tedy playing on the grass with his wife and two sons and of course that brought a smile to my face. "Airhorn Guy" (the equipment manager, John) was walking by so I had him deliver the AWESOME closeup of Tedy that Al took yesterday for Heidi to take home. (I won't be posting that gem on my website because it's THAT beautiful and I'm being selfish..... However, I think Heidi deserves a copy, don't you?? LOL!!)

Mrs. B (who caught the announcement that they are changing the hours tomorrow to 10:30-12:00 instead of 9-11.)

Mrs. B's Annual Training Camp Report 7/27

Hey Folks
(Warning... little football action to report but chock full of other camp related stuff)

Today was a day of chaos but before I get to that... I can't believe that I didn't mention THE biggest "inside Mrs. B exclusive" yesterday!! I must be slipping... you know that inside stuff that's of interest to only the hard core folks like us... Well, yesterday after the practice when the OLine was signing, we were standing behind the ropes at the endzone in the autograph area. Woody was signing right in front of us and I hear an unmistakable voice say "Hi there, Woody. How are ya?" Woody responded in his typical smooth as silk voice with "Good, and how you, doin?" I turned to look and then Jacob and I looked at each other with eyes bulging. Who was standing WITH the autograph seekers behind the ropes?!!? None other than Bama's Boy, Ex-Patriot Heavy, Sgt. Hulka, aka FRANK!! Imagine... being reduced to being amongst the throngs of folks that he detested and resented from camps past.... It had to be hard for him to be there... He asked Woody how the family was doing and he responded but it was just polite small talk, nothing more.. How far he has fallen... Wonder if he still wears his big, fat ring?! (Incidentally, it must be killing him to see how "personable" security is with the fans in this new regime... still doing their jobs to protect the players but "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore..." talk about night and day.)

Now on to today's practice. The weather was beautiful, so I was really shocked when we got there and they told everybody that we had to go into the stadium to watch practice on the Jumbotrons because the boys were practicing on that fake turf field. While we were in line, Dena (Zip's list) spotted us and joined us. Big Al spotted Steve walking through the lot in his Tennessee-SIGNED Milloy Jersey and called him over. (Too bad he came all the way from FL and caught that particular practice.) Anyway, we went into the stadium and there wasn't much going on. As usual, the camera guy focused on the QB's. From what I could see, Antowain was getting most of the carries and looked strong running up the middle. Then of course came the ever exciting stretching period.

Awhile later they announced that they were opening up the area around the turf field for fans to watch if they chose to. There was limited seating (on the grass) but people could stand around the fields. It resembled the Bryant situation very much so those that were accustomed to standing along the sidelines found it a welcome change. They stated that Troy Brown, Rohan Davey, Kingsbury and others would be signing in the stadium itself on the warning track and that the DBs would sign around the practice field. We decided to head over to the field. Couldn't see much because by the time we got there, we had to stay on the hill. (So, reports here yesterday that they would NOT be signing were false I guess.)

Here's a couple of observations: Guys were in shorts, helmets and mini shoulder pads. Ty Law practiced today.. still no, WMG, Womack, O-T-I-S etc. although he did workout and was signing autographs later. The CB rookie tandem of Asante and Eugene were at the helm again today. Brady didn't throw as much again today... (I think he's resting a bit... if anyone caught BB's press conference the other day, he mentioned 2 ways of giving guys rest... a) have them sit out a practice ala Pfifer and Fauria the other day, or b) taking fewer reps to stay fresh.) Anyway, the more I watch Huard, the more I think he just hasn't been in the right place at the right time in his career. He probably would be a starter if he wasn't a Patriot. He's got a good arm, is accurate, and seems to make good decisions.

I can't remember much else at the moment and I don't have Big Al's brain to pick since he and Steve yapped on the top of the hill the whole time...LOL. Meanwhile I need to apologize to the poor fan who caught me in a sour mood... He and Dena were talking about season tickets (a sore spot with me) and he proudly announced that he got two extra lower bowl tix added to his account... Now, those that know me, know how we've been attempting to get an upgrade and out of the nosebleeds for quite some time only to be told by Pats ticket folks that "Due to the near 100% renewal rate, no upgrades are available at this time...) when in fact, their policy of granting ticket holders extra seats BEFORE moving existing ticket holders DOWN is what is causing the unavailability!! Of course I've written to them about the fact that I feel the policy is unfair but nothing has happened. So.... if YOU happen to be the poor guy who caught my ire, "I'M SORRY!!" I'll hop off my soapbox now and truck it back up to the stratosphere of the upper reaches of 314 and shut my mouth!

After practice, DB's came by and signed along the field and people got quite a few autographs for sure. I didn't have much with me other than a few pics that we took the other day, and a picture of Tedy and Me with Bruschi Brew 8 for him to sign but he didn't come over to my section. I kinda stood back and let the  kids with footballs and such to collect a bunch of signatures get their turn. I did have a pic of Heavy Hitter Harrison and he signed it for me.... Of course he was putting the flirt on and asked how I was doing so I had to reciprocate (naturally...LOL) and said, "Here's our heavy hitter now..." He seemed to like the fact that I knew what he was about, but graciously said "And there's a real heavy hitter right there," pointing to Lawyer. Of course I agreed but made a comment that "having 2 is better than 1" He smiled and said he was really glad to be here.

Although it was the DBs turn to sign a lot of guys hung around signing as well... Brady signed quite a few but I got the heck out of there because every section he went to people followed, running in stampede fashion. I'm not into that at all and cleared OUT! He's been signing a lot this year, as has Lawyer and Troy even when it's not their turn. Tedy always stops to sign some too... but he favors 54 jerseys and usually picks out the kids wearing his number if it's not his day to sign. Of course, Bobby Hamilton is a mainstay and signs like crazy as does Ted Johnson,.. (they used to get Frank really MAD at Bryant because they would sign forever....) The rookies and long shots usually sign a lot... figuring they better take advantage of their place in the sun, I guess...

Sorry about all the rambling today... Judging by the fact that there was ample room for fans to stand around the turf field, I imagine that they'll let us in there the next time it rains... Heck... we're Football Fans.... weather is part of the game!! It was nice to meet Dave from New England Fan's website and his son Chris from Bleed Blue. Sorry we didn't have time to talk longer... The internet certainly is a wonderful thing. We have quite the Pats Fan community going here!
I'm meeting the Zipster tomorrow AM at practice then will also be back for the Season Ticket holder practice at night.

Mrs. B (Might have to make 1 combined post tomorrow as I'll likely be out all day with Zip.)

Mrs. B's Annual Training Camp Report 7/28 AM

Due to a shortage of time, here's the Cliff Notes' version of my TC report. Camp was the least crowded today of all the days that we've been allowed on the regular practice area. I met up with my good buddy Zip and his Chick Magnet, Ostend and we sat on the 30 in the front row so I had a good vantage point. Wolfie joined us later (coming from work). Guys were in full pads and it was a full contact practice.
Here are the tidbits....
Ty Law participated fully, although he wore sweats and a practice type jersey rather than a regular uniform. Givens stood out again today. Deion missed a long Brady bomb ... he was wide open but dropped it. (Not something that I've seen much of from him throughout camp.) Chatham and Hamilton each had a deflection. Baxter had a nice play today...(he's been very consistent). Antowain's looking strong and made some good catches. Klecko played DT in the 4-3 and Seymour was on the inside. Ty Law almost got a pick and the crowd was glad to see him back in action. Wilson and Harris both got beat on deep balls today... twice.

At one point there were too few defensive men on the field (Don Davis blew it I think) , Tedy called time out, but it was too late... Belichick was ripped, blew the whistle and yelled "Take a Lap!" That was the first one I've seen this year so far. (Wait till guys start fumbling the snap, or going offsides... the big boys will be hoofing around the field for sure.) Officials were on the field again today but didn't stop the play.

The worse part of the day for me was when My Man went down injured. Tedy ended up on the ground, took awhile to get up then hobbled over to the sidelines favoring his knee. He shook it out a bit but did participate for the remainder of the practice. Hopefully, it's nothing at all.. but you know me... overprotective, mother-hen that I am...... He did finish practice then even spent extra time on the field working with his unit long after practice ended, so hopefully he's 100%.

After practice, Adam, Lonie, Ken Walter, and Pope signed but of course Brady went over to the ropes drawing all the screaming girls as well..... Jacob went over with his football, and got some signatures while Zip, Wolfie and I waited for the crowd to disburse. We had a nice lunch and will be heading back out tonight for the stadium practice.

Mrs. B.... ( who, for the first time wasn't approached by ANY fellow fans recognizing Mrs. B..... LOL!!)

Mrs. B's Annual Training Camp Report 7/28 PM

Hey Gang...
Mrs. B's getting tired!! I've been living at camp and I'm looking forward to Coach Belichick giving us all a surprise day off soon! (Between camp reports, editing pictures and updating my website, I've been a bit short on the sleep rations.) But not to fear... I'll keep em coming! Anyway....back to the topic at hand:

Went to the Season Ticket Holder practice at Gillette tonight with Big Al, Jacob and Zip. Robin, Lew, Miguel and Nancy from our tailgate spotted us sitting in Zip's PRIME front row seats and joined us. It wasn't too crowded.... it was general seating and folks sat in the lower bowl and the club seats. I stink at guesstimating so I have no clue about the numbers... John Rook was the MC and they began the evening with thanks to S.T. holders and Fox. residents, then they showed the NFL Films 2002 Patriots DVD. I actually had to jot down some things today because there was just too much for this fuzzy brain to comprehend...

Best news of the night for me... Tedy was on the field and participated fully in practice (sporting a knee brace like the OLine guys usually wear but he's fine!)
I'm not going to give the play by play, especially since there were lots of people there who will give their imput but I'll give you some of my observations... While the guys were doing positional work, Adam was practicing Kickoffs... It's clear to me that he was being truthful when he stated that he focused on them during the offseason. He stood on one sideline and kicked them to Walter on the other sideline and most of them went over the line onto the warning track.... that's 50+ yards each time. (Of course he hit 99% of his field goal attempts too.... Adamatic! I had to cringe when kids (and drunks) actually booed when he missed ONE.... gimme a break!)

Catch of the day came during 1:1 drills when Bethel Johnson made a diving grab under tight coverage from Antwan Harris....BJ also made a nice return on a kickoff bringing it to the 40 but shut down as they were sharing the field... QB's worked with Hufnagel right in front of us and Charlie was teasing John about his catching ability as he walked by to say hello to a kid in a wheelchair at the back of the endzone.... (Troy Brown was the first to go over at the beginning of practice and a couple of other players stopped over during warm ups as well... You know me... I LOVE to see that stuff!!)

Andruzzi was actually doing some running (with O.T.I.S) today which is a good sign. They did numerous 50 yd dashes in the "sick bay" at the South EZ. The bike brigade was in full swing as well...(WMG, Womack, BTC, etc...) Ty was dressed in sweats and light pads and took part in drills but not full contact work tonight.

Both Walter and Pope had some decent punts tonight.... I saw a big guy wearing 69 whom I believe to be our new OLiner, Brendan Stai.... I'm guessing this is the case because, the roster says 69 is Brad Harris DL and this 69 was wearing white. (If it is him, it's a good sign because he stayed out there after practice running sprints and working up a sweat!)

Deion Branch made a SWEET TD catch right in front of us.... Harrison missed the tackle, almost catching 83 by the ankles but came up empty. As Harrison was getting up, Deion patted him on the helmet and smiled like crazy... Harrison knew he got burned by the sophomore and gave him his props smiling back as if to say... "Good job, kid!"

Leonard Myers broke up a Huard pass intended for Bethel, and just missed an INT with the ball bouncing off the numbers. Likewise, Harrison blew an INT in the other EZ on a Brady pass. He fell down and appeared injured but was ok I guess, since he finished the practice. (He didn't impress me tonight...) Troy took another hit but not from 37 tonight, rather from Antwan Harris. Fauria made some nice completions taking one to the house. Antowain scored also, and he looked very good tonight, IMO.

The end of the practice brought 2 minute situations and in the first one, Brady had 2 completions to Graham, followed by a beautiful, tip-of-the-fingers-one-handed-grab by Faulk. A false start penalty pushed the action back 5 yards and with 2 seconds on the clock, Brady hit Troy in the EZ for a TD... He was VERY animated and vocal...helmet slapping and shoulder smacking.. It was great to see that excitement.... brings me back in time.... During the second drill with different players, Bethel got a TD to end practice.

After practice, there was no signing and the players went directly to the locker room. A couple of guys signed a few on the way down the stairs but not many. Givens (and #69) remained on the field working out... We packed up and headed out of the stadium; I kept saying that I felt like I forgot something, and lo and behold, my picture with Tedy and Bruschi Brew 8 was not with me.... I sprinted UP the ramps, (in flip flops no less) and made it back to the section to find that it had fallen behind the seat. WHEW!! What a relief... I sprinted back down the ramps and got that cardio workout that I've been blowing off for the past few days.

Tomorrow's practice is 2:30-4:30 so hopefully I can get to the gym in the morning before I hook up with Zip... It's late and I REALLY need sleep so, until tomorrow... GO PATS!!

Mrs. B (zzzzzzzzzzz!)

Mrs. B's Annual Training Camp Reports 7/29

Here's the real condensed version of today's practice since it's midnight and I just got home from a Sushi fest with the Zipster... Another full pads practice, Branch, Pfifer, Baxter, Compton, and Fauria seemed to be resting out of practice today. Law was back in the sweats, WMG, O-T-I-S, and Patten worked with trainers in the all weather turf field. Other regular walking wounded hit the bike brigade in the back of the far EZ... Steve hooked up with us and I saw John from WHJJ with his new baby... cutest Pats cheerleader in the joint!

Punt team worked on trick plays with Izzo taking the snap and shuffle passing to Givens... Later the kicking/punting/snapping boys worked on their fumble recovery skills giving the Red Sox a run for their money in the sliding department. Receivers worked a drill where 4 cones were lined up on the field making a square box. They ran around them and the ball boys fired bullets at them at close range.

I missed the team's rendition of Happy Birthday, while I ran to get an updated roster. Some around us said it was to Lawyer but his BD isn't until November so I have no clue who was the recipient of the tribute. Tons of female Brady fans on the grassy knoll screaming their heads off at every play. During 1:1 drills RB/LB and CB/WR standout plays were a great catches by Cedrick Ward and Brown. Graham made a nice grab with tight coverage from Chatham and TJ got burned bad at one point and threw his helmet down in disgust.

The ACTION of the day occurred on back to back plays involving Harrison. It appeared that he smacked Hochstein and they started to scuffle... Seymour stepped in to break it up. On the next play Harrison hit Faulk HARD... Faulk was pissed then beaned him off the head with the football. Ashworth didn't like Faulk's treatment and went after Harrison. Punches were being thrown and suddenly the entire squad was involved. I saw Tedy flying up over the top to pull guys apart... who say's my man is "undersized"? He looked like Spiderman up there...LOL!

TIDBITS: Defense took another lap today... Antowain has been looking strong and consistent (lots of people are inquiring...) Klecko is being tried in all different positions. Faulk is becoming a crowd favorite, Givens looks great most every day, Stai practiced today, Centers not in the house yet....

That's about it for now... double session tomorrow so I better hit the hay!

Mrs. B (thanks to the nice woman who introduced herself today and thanked me for my posts!)

Mrs. B's Annual Training Camp Reports 7/30 AM

Short and sweet today guys... Not much of note to report today. Another full pads practice. Pleasant, Seymour, Branch, Redmond, Cloud not on the field along with the usual crew that hasn't been practicing. BIG NEWS.... Centers was practicing, (wearing #43). Klecko donned a red jersey but participated. (Yesterday, he appeared to be suffering from heat exhaustion or dehydration because after one of the plays, he was leaving the field and was walking towards the wrong direction. Guys were calling to him and when he went over, the trainers were dousing him with water. ) Perhaps today was just a precaution.

Haven't seen too many laps this year but Jasen Esposito took one today for a false start. Patrick Pass didn't have a good practice today...trying to pick up a squib kick, he ended up kicking it away from himself trying to grab it and just was very "off" all day. Nead is making a good effort to try to get noticed. He came up with a big catch drawing double coverage from Poole and Akins. Dedrick Ward was wide open and took it to the house and either Cherry or Myers blew it. (Big Al feels that Cherry screwed up.) Later, Charlie barked at Ward when he missed a pass... "You ran a beautiful route, and you're laying on the ground.... come on!" Tuitele got a pick today. Not much else of note that I can think of now.

After practice, I headed over to the ropes in an attempt to hook up with Jarvis Green to give him the pictures that we took of his family the other day. There were only a couple of people around me and suddenly Tom Brady was right there. He held out his hand to take something to sign but I had nothing. Of course, the swarm surrounded us in a second and I backed up! Seymour came by and I told him, "For the first time, I don't have a picture for you to send home..." He said, "Oh yeah. .. but I have one for you!" He handed me an autographed picture of himself and his website Big-Sey93.com. That was very cool of him! (Every year I've given him some nice doubles that Al has taken and he's been very appreciative. Of course, it was purely coincidental that he had that picture on him and we had that conversation today. ) The rest of the DL signed today, but I wasn't there for autographs. (Jacob could have come up big if he wasn't on the other side...) Mission accomplished... I gave Jarvis the pictures and he stopped to take a picture with me. Charlie Weis was in the tent with his family and I took a picture of him especially for NEM which I'm going to have personalized next time... "To NEM... my biggest fan, Love Charlie!!)

Givens always stays on the field working long after every one else is gone and today Klecko worked 1:1 with the coaches after practice as well. And just in case anyone ever wonders why Dante is in such phenomenal shape... He runs sprints EVERY day after practice. Later, he was on the stairmaster when we drove by on the way home. (He's always in the hotel gym first thing in the morning with us on away games too.)

Mrs. B (heading back out tonight to do it all again!)

7/30/03 PM

Ok,. folks...not much scoop for tonight's practice. Guys were in shorts and shoulder pads... Biggest thrills for me; Lihn from Absolute Brady was there and I got to spend time with my fellow Bruschi Backers, Kate and Rehannen, all the way here from Denver.

Big question of the day??? Where is Cloud? I didn't see him this morning, nor tonight and didn't even see him as part of the bike brigade. Hope there's nothing to this story..... The same guys were out of commission working with the trainers. (Patten, Branch, WMG, Otis, etc.... and Law was a partial participant.) Deion was working with trainers, planting his feet, turning 90 degrees and catching bombs.

Lots of drills tonight.... Backs were practicing holding on to the the ball while a another player tried to strip it. QB's and WR worked on timing patterns. Givens was on FIRE again tonight. Offense worked on Hail Mary's and time outs. Dedrick Ward made some big plays on 11:11 work.. Antowain got lots of carries tonight. Chatham blocked a punt. Defense ran another lap tonight then BB talked to them for about 5 minutes afterwards.

After practice we went to the ropes to try to hook up with Tedy for Kate an Tom Curran recognized us from the TN trip... I was quite surprised. Tedy came over, as did Adam and Ty Law.. Jacob was a happy camper but is still looking out for that Johnson autograph! Tedy told me to come by with Zip tomorrow since it is his final day at camp.

Take care... it's very late!

Mrs. B

July 31, 2003

Today was the most crowded day at camp to date. It was also apparent that they were short handed in the security department. On most days, they have been right on top of people sitting in the front row (reserved for those with disabilities) , standing at the ropes in the bleacher section and creeping up to the grass. Today, all of those things occurred until Pats security people came by and asked folks to move. It was Zip's last camp day and the Denver girls accompanied me as well. I also met up with the cool folks from PatriotsPlanet.com. Sorry that I missed Ian from patsfans.com when I went over to sit on the grassy knoll. (Shoulda called me on the cell!)

Anyway, here are the highlights for today. What struck me right away was the sense of urgency in the guys right from the start. There was lots of grunting and whooping going on even during the positional drills. Patten was dressed in full pads but spent most of the day running in the far field. McCrary was also dressed but I didn't see him do anything. Andruzzi was even dressed in partial uniform today. Law's get up is the confusing one to me. He wears sweats and an old practice jersey but actually participates. (?) Go figure! Bethel, JR and Seymour didn't practice as well as the usual walking wounded crew.

During drills the WR ran the obstacles then at the end dove and rolled while maintaining possession of the ball. RBs were hitting the sleds and later the WR were diving into practice dummies right in front of us. Brady was back to throwing a lot today. When WR were running routes Troy was Troy! He made several completions, riling up the crowd. One awesome catch of note was a left handed one hand grab. Later however, he was picked by a leaping Asante Samuel on a slightly underthrown Brady pass. (Asante is having a stellar rookie camp, IMO!)

It was not a good day for the DBs today as most of the passes were complete during that period. Antowain, Faulk and Centers saw lots of action today as their corps are dwindling. Rookie WR Dan Stricker certainly cannot be accused of not putting forth effort. He's probably a contender for a practice squad spot but he's trying to make his presence known.  Fauria's looking HOT in camp... and I'm not just talking about his looks!!

During the full squad work, I moved up to the top of the knoll where the sight lines are actually very good. They worked on hurry up situations and later Adam was splitting the uprights. The kids were going nuts as the balls were kicked into the crowd on the hill. Everyone was jumping to try to catch them. (They started booing when the ball boys either caught them or retrieved them and threw them back....lol) I should have jotted some things down at this point, because I'm confusing what I (think I saw) today with other days so I'm going to leave it at that!

After practice, the crowds were so huge that the ropes along the endzones actually fell. I guess it was the LB's turn to sign today because they all did, but many other players signed as well. I hung around on the hill (literally laid around...hehe) shooting the breeze with the patsplanet folk and got to share in Peg's joy as she took a picture with HER Ted!! I can still remember the first time Tedy came over at Bryant, took a picture with me and signed my jersey.... I was awestruck... Got a kick out of watching David "you know" Patten playing catch with his little guy... quite the athlete for sure! Andruzzi's and Fauria's kids were running around out there too. WMG stayed about 45 minutes later and literally signed for everyone on the hill. I said hi to him and asked him how the folks were... and if Dad was still working out. He remembered that I always met up with WMG Sr. in the gym on the road trips.

Kate and Rehannnen were hoping to catch Tedy again today, and also take a picture with Joe Andruzzi, but neither worked out. Jacob was in heaven though, because he got lots of autographs on his football but mostly because Bobby Hamilton gave him a glove, then took it back to autograph it before handing it back to him. It's already framed and has been added to the Pats Shrine! Here's a tidbit... Colvin's been signing #59.... creature of habit, or confident that he'll we sporting his favorite number as a Pat?

Mrs. B. (who REALLY should be doing laundry right now!)

8/01/03

A bit soggy Mrs. B reporting on this morning's session. I picked up Kate and Rehannen at the train station, then we headed up for the 9-11 practice. Outfitted with Pats' Ponchos, we were prepared to stand outside around the turf field in the rain but they didn't let us go down there (like they eventually did on Sunday when they were on that field.) We ended up watching on the Jumbotron from the stadium bowl. Hooked up with my Southern Gent, Bama and settled in to watch the boys on the big screen. (Side Note: Those heavy duty ponchos are a great buy for $10 bucks!! http://proshop.patriots.com/index.c...l&PID=3985&CP=1)

Anyway... not really much of note to report today. Here are my highlights of the day. Bethel Johnson and David Patten were both participating fully in today's practice. Law was still in his pseudo uniform. Looked for Redmond and Branch but didn't see their numbers flash across the screen. (Regular walking wounded still out of action.) Christian Fauria once again looked outstanding while Baxter is also looking solid. (I can see them keeping all 3 TE's if at all possible.) Givens is outplaying Ward, IMO...!! ( I would like to see 80,83,86,81 and 87 if we only go with 5WR) Big Sey is back practicing today.

I spent some time yapping with Bama, checking out the concert stage set up, and was at mercy of the camera person so I'm not up to par today... But I definitely paid close attention to the play of the day.... none other than My Man, Tedy B's block of a Huard pass which was tipped to Asante Samuel for a TD! My buddy, Jarvis Green took a lap for encroachment today... (haven't seen too many of those this year, thankfully.) Aric Morris and Chris Akin both got picks while doing drills. Brady fumbled a snap and I noticed Rohan out there a lot today. Huard was in when they worked against the clock at the end, taking the snap then spiking the ball..... The guys all did sprints at the end of practice, which ended about 15 minutes early.

Even though we were in the bowl, 5 players came up to sign in the concourse area behind those portable fence things. Rosey was one of them and a couple of other guys but (unbelievable but true... ) I'm not sure who they were! They had to be new guys because, just ask the "Cruise Brothers", Mrs. B is known as the "Walking Media Guide"!

Mrs. B (who is listening to The Boss right now, getting stoked for tomorrow night's show at my home away from home....Gillette!)

August 3, 2003

With last night's concert and today's practice under my belt, I've kept my Gillette streak alive. (The Boss rocked, btw.. and I was stylin in my original 84-85 Born in the USA concert tee shirt!) Anyway... because of the wet grass I was afraid that the boys would be practicing on the Turf field and we would get stuck in the stadium bowl, but I was relieved to see the long line down by the practice fields rather than at the stadium entrance. I went right to the grassy area rather than sitting in the bleachers and aside from the wet butt, I made a good choice. Darren and Madelyn joined us as did my girl, Bledsoeangie. The "Denver Duo" hitched a ride from a friend and met us as well.

Practice was in full pads and the first thing I noticed was that Larry Centers changed his number. He's got incredibly developed calves and I noticed that #43 didn't. I scoped out the legs and found those babies wearing #31 today, taking over Ben Kelly's recently vacated number. Moreau is now wearing #43. Law's still in his partial uniform and was joined by Leonard Myers and WMG with part regulation/part sweats. (They are participating in some of practice rather than spending the entire time with trainers.) I wondered if Seymour was going to have "equipment issues" out there today since he was sporting a huge afro rather than his typical braids. I wasn't sure if his helmet would fit his head as well, but alas, it did!

Practice began with KO returns with Kevin and Bethel in the backfield. Kevin caught one back there and Charlie asked him if that was the way he wanted to catch that ball... Kevin answered him and he said... "Just checking." Kicking team practiced fumble recoveries. During the WR routes, Troy had quite the fan club in the bleachers. Every time he touched the ball, they erupted. He did make an awesome one handed (left) grab again today that he managed to make look easy. McCrary was practicing but JR spent the day running. Walking wounded were "skipping" in the far field...(I always get a kick out of that, and also that move that looks like they're impersonating male dogs walking along and stopping at every hydrant!..lol) Ty Law was running "on the leash" and the bike brigade was in full swing. Deion didn't practice again today...

During 7:7 drills, Brady and his boys were on fire, connecting on every pass in the series. Fauria made a huge catch but later in the day had to take a lap... In fact the entire offense took one for the first time today in practice. The boys in blue (defense) have been doing the running this year. Faulk looked real good again today as did Asante Samuels and Eugene Wilson (AGAIN!) who both came up with picks. Lawyer got 2 picks today as well. Lots of scout team work (as we'll be seeing at TC from now on.)

During a break, the team came down towards the endzone and people were yelling "Happy Birthday, Tom!" People were singing to him and Faulk Matt Light were raising their hands to get the crowd into it... (I thought today's practice would have been over flowing with screaming girls, but I'm happy to report that it wasn't!) I do hope that my buddy, Linh got to see the birthday boy today, though!

After practice, we were hoping to get a minute with Tedy, but has soon as he came near us at the ropes, the swarm came. People plowed right in front of us and were stepping all over my feet. I just stepped back and let them in... Tedy saw us and asked if we needed anything so I finally got that Bruschi Brew picture signed and don't have to cart it back and forth anymore. Tomorrow is Kate and Rehannen's last day so they wanted to take a picture with the 3 of us and Tedy but today was crazy. Who knows what tomorrow will bring... I hate fighting the crowds and generally hang in the background so I don't get trampled! And... looking at the forecast for the week, we may be watching a lot of Jumbotron football.

Mrs. B....( who has *GASP* only two days of camp left... grrrrrr!)

August 4 AM

I'm afraid there's not much to report today since the only guys on the field were rookies and back up players. All of the veterans/starters were not on the field.... Secret stuff going on?? They did a lot of scout team work and I think Chatham was the most senior man. Saw JR, O-T-I-S, WMG and the usual crew working out. I think Ty was back in sweats doing bunny hops with Otis! (It looked like him but they were far away.) Davey was the starting QB with Kingsbury as his backup. KO returns featured Bethel and Patrick Pass, with ball boys doing the honors.

The biggest event was the rain! What is it that they say about NE? If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute? That certainly rang true today. We went through periods of torrential rain, mist, sun, wind, etc. I'm glad they practiced on the regular field and allowed us to be there, but I'm not sure if they regretted it later and wished they practiced on the Rain Turf. They actually ended practice quite early, and we were on the road by 10:30. Tonight's scheduled for 5:30 and I'm hoping that the rain clears and the sun comes out for the rest of the day. I only have tonight and tomorrow left and would prefer to be in the regular field, not watching on the Jumbotron.

Mrs. B. ( who already got more than her money's worth in the Poncho department.)

August 4 PM

Tonight's practice was on the Turf field, but luckily they allowed us to stand around the field to watch. It reminded me of being at Bryant with the guys so close to the sidelines! Big Al got some great action pictures, I'm sure. (btw... haven't scanned any of his work yet, I've only been able to post my digital stuff thus far.) It was a full pad practice focusing a lot on scout team action. It was nice to Big Willie and Andruzzi dressed for action tonight! The rest of the walking wounded were still out of commission. Got a kick out of Pepper's "secret handshake" going with his boys. I saw him and O-T-I-S doing the routine tonight and he and Law doing it this morning. (Pepper is great to watch on the field... he always makes me smile the way he soooo gets into it!)

Big Al finally got to hear Romeo's famous beckoning call to his boys... "Hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry...." when it was time for the defense to do their drills. (At Gillette are set up WAY in the far left corner away from the fans, unlike at Bryant where we would hang right at the sidelines where they were working.) I always got a "Good morning, Karen" from My Man on his first trek over the obstacles... but those days are gone. RB's were working right in front of us tonight, running through rows of guys with Lil Block pads. DB's practiced running backwards for the INT. All 4 QBs lined up as their receivers (TE, WR, RB) all ran different routes. Lots of completions... and Givens always stands out to me. Lots of blocking and tackling going on for the Linemen....

Brendan Stai took a lap for a false start during drills. Antowain's clearly getting the nod as he had most of the carries tonight. During goal line work, Fauria had a beautiful TD grab in our EZ. During scout work, Klecko made a catch and although Lonie was playing catch, he must have used the eyes behind his head because he yelled out an exaggerated Klehhhhhh-cko!! (I think he's either taking a liking to the rookie or at least likes his name!!) Tedy B leapt into to the air to block a pass and let out a big yell... (It's like the mother thing, I guess.... I can pick out his voice in a crowd like a mother can identify her own babies cries...LOL)

Bobby Hamilton has taken Ty Warren under his wing as he was mentoring him out there when he was confused on a play. Buck Rasmussen took a lap for jumping... Even veteran AP took one tonight too! Now that was a rare sight! Milloy picked off a Kingsbury pass...Lots of nice punts coming from both boys tonight...Mike Compton went down hurt but walked off under his own power. I didn't see him out there after it happened though.

There were a lot of family members there tonight, and during the lulls and the times when they worked down near the other EZ, I got a kick out of watching the little kids running around. It also reminded me why I was so thin when my kids were toddlers.... Moms don't sit, EVER!!! Tedy's two little guys have motors like the old man... they just don't quit!! After practice, Tedy threw his stuff down and yelled to Klecko to take it in while he ran over to his boys, who were jumping up and down in anticipation!!

There weren't many people there and quite a few guys signed after practice. Al had some great shots of Warren and Myers which he had signed. (Warren is now the recipient of the double.... in carrying forth the tradition of providing the big rookies with their first shots to send home to mama!) He had a good one of TJ and asked him to personalize it for Jacob because he's been trying to get him to sign a football every day and hasn't been in the right place at the right time. (We didn't have the ball with us tonight and he was at football practice himself.) Bama will love to hear that Mrs. TJ loved the picture.... and of course Big Al offered her the double.... He said she was looking Fiiiiiiiiiine!

Mrs. B.... (Have a safe flight home Kate and Rehannen... and see you soon, Angie!)

August 5

Well... here we are...my Final 2003 report! *sniff, sniff* I can't believe how fast time has flown. I'll be leaving for 2 weeks of family vacation on Saturday and there are no more open practices this week. I need to be brief as I'm pressed for time. This afternoon's practice was shorts and full shoulder pads. I scoped out my usual spot on the hill (but was smart enough to bring a poncho to sit on to avoid the wet butt!) Al hung at the ropes with camera poised.... Bobby Hamilton was very vocal out there during warm ups.... WMG and Andruzzi were still back in action (as they were last night.) As usual, they started off with KO returns using Ward, Brown, B. Johnson, and Poole.

Deion is still out of commission and did lots of sprints today. JR must have logged 5 miles as he ran around the field most of the day. Law, WMG and O-T-I-S worked with trainers on footwork stuff. (55 & 24 split their time between training and practicing.) During warmups, QB's worked on 3 step drops... I could see Harrison and AP doing hurdles in the far field. My boy, TedyB led the charge during the sprints....

During the ever-exciting stretching period, I decided to do the nature call, and actually got my biggest laugh of the day.... A vendor was carting about 100 bottles of soda and water on a hand truck and it overturned and bottles were rolling all over the lot. Suddenly, I thought Tom Brady was there..... the swarm of kids that pounced on them in no time resembled what happens as he travels along the ropes signing... Wherever he moves, the swarm follows him, plowing over everyone in pursuit of an autograph... (The camp counselors were barking at the kids... "put that back!" and they were yelling "free soda!!")

I made a point to look at the starting O Line during positional work and it consisted of Klemm, Stai, Woody, Compton, Light. I noticed Compton stepping in for a shotgun... (guess some things never change...) Davey was overthrowing his receivers quite a few times during drills. Receivers practiced dragging their feet when catching at the back of the EZ. LB's worked tipping loose balls to a teammate who would pick it up and run.

Leonard Myers impressed me today getting a lot of action during scout team... He also picked off a Huard pass intended for Bethel. Assante got a pick this afternoon as well. Patten made quite a few grabs today and of course Troy was solid as ever. Johnson made a beautiful flying, sidewards catch of a Davey pass. I noticed Lyle and Green at nose again today. Stricker looked impressive and (I even had to check the roster for the name.... #47 had a very solid day, coming up with some big catches during scout work.)

Pepper was VERY vocal and animated today... with lots of ARGHHHHHH's for his boys when they blew it and cheers when they were on the money. Vrabel missed a pick and Pepper went crazy and Mike yelled out... "Who put glass in my shoes??"

Givens made a huge catch in the EZ and plowed into the goal post and Lawyer Milloy who was sitting on his favorite resting spot... the water cooler. (He's been interacting with fans a lot this year from the sidelines while waiting for his turn to take the field.... comes with being a veteran I guess.)

Practice went over by 1/2 hour and I hoped to get a chance to say goodbye and good luck to Tedy.... He did come over, so we took our "Annual TC pic", I wished him well, he signed my jersey, then we bolted out of there to get Jacob to football practice by 6:00.

Mrs. B (who LOVES Training Camp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
 

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