*As everyone knows by now, Seymour was not present and there was no sight of Tedy B around.  I thought I would perhaps see him on the sidelines but he wasn't there.

*Assante Samuel took over Tedy's role of leading the charge during the warmup run.

*Flutie looks even smaller than I remember!  During QB drills he always paired with Brady while Rohan and Cassel worked together.

*Willie wasn't dressed and must have gone into the field house to workout with Bethel and others.

*Rookie Mankins has the distinction of taking the first penalty lap, followed by PK Sam and Neal.

*Monty Beisel and Chad Brown were guest starring in the "Tedy and Ted Show"

*First string O-line consisted of Gorin, Neal, Koppen, Mankins, Light.

*Givens had to do quite a few push-ups after missing some balls on the "Square Drill".  Four cones are set up in a square and the guys have to run around each side and catch a ball on each one. The trainer/coach typically fires a bullet at close range.

*Lots of the full squad work took place way up at the other end of the field so it was hard to see.

*Faulk and Branch returned most of the punts today.

*On a Brady pass, Chad Brown dove and missed a tipped ball from Vrabel.... (Insert bias here:  Tedy would have had it!) Duane Starks also missed an INT.

*Ricky Bryant made a nice grab from Cassel cause the crowd to erupt. Cassel's  one to watch!!

*There were tons of media folks there today, and Al joked, that everyone except probably CNN were there. I said hi to Bryan Morry of PFW and talked to Tom Curran and Dan Pires a bit this morning.

*Wide receivers signed this morning and Givens got the biggest crowd reaction of that group.  Fans were chanting for Flutie who also signed as well as Brady. Tom looked like a little kid out there with his rah-rah hairdo...just growing in.

*Myra Kraft sat on the grass right in front of Big Al, who was down by the ropes taking pictures.

*Dad 818 came by to say hi with his cute son wearing a 54 jersey...as did Stan (Pats726).

   I have  a wake to attend this afternoon so hopefully, the podcast and the pictures will be up later.  See you tonight!

07/29/05 PM

    Headed out to the evening sessions with Big Al by my side and unfortunately... SANS glasses!  I took my contacts out between sessions and forgot to put them back in before the next session so my attention to detail is a bit sketchy tonight!

    It's late and I'm sure that everyone else's posts are already up so I'll give you my personal  highlights of tonight's session. I hooked up with Peg and JoePhoto from Patriots Planet who joined me at the top of the hill.  Garbanza also came by for awhile to join us as well.  I ended up sitting in the middle of about 75 members of the Bangor Maine Rams football team...

    Guys were wearing shorts and shells.

    *Willie wasn't dressed again and Fauria and Harrison sat out tonight as well. I also didn't see Beisel and/or Brown.

     *Vrabel is clearly emerging as a leader and fan favorite.  He led the charge once again during the warm up run and the crowd is going nuts for him.  He's now sporting some nifty highlights to go along with that star status!

    *BB talked to someone on the sideline for awhile while the guys were stretching and received a HUGE ovation when he made his way over to the group.

    *Rohan is still throwing bullets but very eratic... over throwing guys. BB and the QB coach were reminding him to hit the guys in the numbers.

    *Al thinks he saw Fears out there tonight but now he's not sure.

    *Izzo looks like he packed on some muscle and he's sporting some pipes.

   *Speaking of Izzo, he was quite aggressive today and tackled Faulk to the ground during coverage but Faulk held on to the ball.

    *Today's crowd cheered every time Dillon touched the ball, even for routine things...lol!

    *At around 7:00 Graham left the field with one of the trainers.

    Hill and Kaczur both took laps tonight.

    *Tyrone Poole made a nice diving INT and actually flew into the crowd of players on the sidelines.

    *Linebackers signed and Vrabel received the biggest cheer!  Big Willie signed tons of autographs and was still at it when we left. Tully signed quite a bit too as well as Izzo.  Givens was on his way off the field after his extra practice when the Bangor Boys called him over and he doubled back to oblige them.  Of course, Brady signed his allotment and Flutie joined in as well.

Tomorrow is only a single session from 2:30-4:30 which will give me some time in the morning to get to the gym, figure out my feed problem (hopefully!) and straighten out this house!

Hopefully, I get the podcast feed problem fixed because there is more info on the cast... you can always download the mp3 and listen on the desktop in the mean time.

07/30/05

    Just got in from a hot and very crowded session. Today's was a single 2:30-4:30.  My little man, Jacob accompanied me to camp as Big Al was working.  We headed out a bit early to hook up with Peg, JoePhoto, and Sir Drinkalot who were tailgating prior to practice.  Grabbed our usual spot by the tent... barely.  Today's practice was the most crowded yet by far.  Later, Angie, Josh and friends showed up as well as a host of fellow Planeteers: Flagg, DChester, Ras A Gul, and the aforementioned crew. Also got a hello from Greg on the Cape from my board who came over to introduce himself.

Here are my tidbits from today:

*Guys were in full gear... Willie wasn't dressed again and neither was Graham,  but Fauria, Harrison, and Chad Brown were. No sight of Beisel...although I don't know what he looks like offhand so he may have been on the sidelines.

*The "Newbie to Watch"  of the day was undrafted rookie Bam Childress who made quite a few nice grabs (even from Davey!)

*While Ricky Bryant did well yesterday he struggled a bit today especially when working with Cassel.

*Givens redeemed himself today.

*Branch's footwork is phenomenal and he especially showcased it and why he's an MVP during an awesome grab right along the sidelines.  He looked like he was walking on a balance beam to stay inbounds.  He followed that up by a nice diving grab but managed to drop his feet to stay inbounds.

*Klecko spent some time at nose while the heir apparent to the MLB position seems to be Vrabel... (I mentioned yesterday that he appears to be stepping up into a more visual leadership role...He may wall have always been behind closed doors but it's becoming apparent to the public.  He shared duties with Chad Brown and Rosey Colvin.

*TBC was working with the first squad.

*Ellis Hobbs made an INT off of a Rohan Davey pass during 2 minute drills.

*Mankins took another lap... presumably for jumping but I can honestly say that I can't see much of what the line is doing as all of the full squad stuff has been close to the other endzone.  I'm lucky if I can catch the numbers on the backs of the  D before they drop into position.

*Nice to see some hurry-up stuff at the end of practice to keep things interesting.

*Backs  and TE's signed today and Dillon, Fauria, and Graham were still out there signing when I left. 

    Not much else to report... I'll be heading out solo tomorrow...  and as soon I get this posted, I'll be jumping in the hot tub before tackling the podcast and posting 2 days worth of pictures.

07/31/05 AM

    This morning practice was the least crowded yet... I had plenty of room to stretch out on my perch on the hill.  I thought it would be crowded but was wrong.  It was cool and overcast with a light breeze.  Bryan Morry said hello then said "I see you've broken out Bruschi jersey #37!"  He knows that I practically have every make, model, and color.  Guys were practicing in full pads today.

Here's what caught my eye:

*Willie and Graham weren't dressed and I didn't see Beisel's number on the field although he may have been on the sidelines as part of the "bubble boys... formally known as the bike brigade."  Ricky Bryant joined the list of guys that didn't practice today.  (Still out:  PK, Kelly, Bethel, Morton, Dwight)

*Guys stretched out on the opposite field today and after just taking one 40 yard run, huddled up for at least 5 minutes before stretching.

*Things were low-key at first with a lot of walk through type stuff but later proved to be the most vocal and physical practice of the year thus far.

*The first little bit of a brawl  occurred between David Terrell and Hank Poteat, much to the enjoyment of the hooting teammates. It seemed to set off a spark out there and things started heating up.

*Rodney led his sideline in hooting after Weaver made it through the line... calling out his D?

*Fauria made a nice one handed grab  from Brady right in the endzone in front of us. Brady rewarded him with high-fives.

*Jed Weaver seems to be Flutie's favorite target.

*Deion made some nice catches today again.

*Troy and Brady still have "it" together with Brown always showing up at the right place at the right time over the middle.

*Big Ben took a lap during the 2 minute drills.

*Vrabel and Brown did most of the work in the middle while Chatham led the second team.

*Ellis Hobbs had a nice INT off Flutie during the hurry up then celebrated with Dexter Reid.

*Poole intercepted Brady and he was pissed but I think he would have been sacked on the play anyway.

*Brady was nearly intercepted by Chad Brown, who tipped the ball to the sidelines.

*Flutie had a couple of keepers today.

*Terrell made an impression today.

*There were at least 6 sprints today at the end of practice with guys running with various units.

*Brady and Koppen ran together after practice with them taking a snap then running about 40 yards, turning and repeating.

*Defensive Line signed today... including Pepper and the usual extras Brady, Flutie, Givens.

After posting, I'll get the podcast done and up and hopefully can squeeze in a walk before getting the pictures posted and heading back out.

07/31/05 PM

    Just got in from the evening practice with Jacob.  The crowd was lighter than yesterday and the sun came out just as we were driving there.  I easily secured my usual spot.  Guys were on the field in various stages of dress.  Rookies and newbies were in full uniform ready for a full contact practice.  Everyone else wore shorts, jerseys and helmets. Hopefully, people didn't make a long drive for this practice if it was one of the few that they attend...

Here are the main points that I was able to gather:

*McGinest, Johnson and Dwight all had jerseys on and participated with the rest of the guys in shorts for the walkthrough. Whether or not it means that they will actually practice tomorrow remains to be seen.  They more than likely were prepping for the first game to be played in two weeks.

*The guys in full uniform participated in a full contact session.

*Cassel was the only QB out there and Lonie stood in for Koppen who was with the rest of his unit.

*Bam Childress continues to impress.

*Eugene Baker is wearing #1 and Jason Anderson is sporting #7.

*Ellis Hobbs is a making his presence known!!

*Guss Scott had the "noisest hit" of the day drawing  a loud AHHHH from the crowd but failed to actually tackle Kory Chapman.

*Michael Felger was in the tent with his wife and adorable baby daughter and yelled over, "Hey, is that Mrs. B?"

*I was introduced to Cafardo and Michael Parente who both are familiar with my site and reports...

*Special Teams and QBs signed after practice but we headed out early because it was chilly.... Big Mistake: Gridlock Traffic trying to get out of the lots so we just HAD to go down to the proshop while waiting for it to clear ;-)... where Rick that works there even knows my full name, a clear indication that I spend too much money there!

    Perhaps the coolest thing to happen today though was a Pats fan, Dan who visits my site coming up to me today to give me a copy of a magazine with Bruschi on the cover that he saved for me.  The significance of his visit has nothing really to do with that though... It's something more.  Dan had been in a serious car accident on the way home from a Bruschi signing in Warwick two summers ago and lost memory of everything that had happened that day and days surrounding the accident.  His fiance had seen some pictures on my site from that day and had written to ask if I had anything else to help spark his memory. Looking at my pictures helped him to start to recall that day.  Then... Caty,  who also comes to my site happened to win a free Bruschi jersey (for being # 54 in line) and posted the story of winning it on my board.  Dan  happened to see her at a game wearing the jersey  and suddenly everything (including his conversation with Tedy) came flooding back!  So... I guess the point of this is:  Even when I'm tired and seem to be burning the candle at both ends, the ability to touch others is sooo worth it.  This is why I do what I do. 

08/01/05PM

    Just got back from a beautiful sunny afternoon practice.  The crowd was decent but not mobbed.  Guys were in full pads and I grabbed my usual spot on the hill.  As soon as I arrived, Mike Reiss came out of the tent to say hello to me and to once again congratulate me on the reports and podcast.  He even went so far as to tell me that I was the pioneer of the training camp report format that the bloggers are following now.  I told him how impressed everyone is with him as well and thanked him for a great job.  He's a talented guy and a nice one at that!

*Dwight was dressed and practicing but Willie was back in shorts along with the rest of the regular "bubble boys".    Add Marquise Hill to the list of those not dressed too.

*Big POP and Surprise of the day:  During my favorite drill, a running back faces off against a linebacker and they go at it   1:1 to drive the other player  to the ground (or elude the opponent), Matt Chatham totally LEVELED Dillon!  The crowd went wild.  Against other opponents 58 was very elusive and avoiding being overtaken. 

*Izzo can really lay on the hit... as evidenced in the above drill.

*Fauria had one outstanding catch today during the hurry up  from Cassel under tight coverage then on the very next play totally blew it in the EZ with the ball bouncing off the numbers to end the drive.  He also missed quite a few balls today that he should have caught.  I'm sure that there's no room for him this year with performances like that.

*By the same token, Jed Weaver was  favorite target but he also had one outstanding TD catch i with TBC right on him but dropped MUCHO balls today... doghouse for him!

*Cassel looked like the #2 guy out there today... Flutie just didn't have it IMO and his timing seemed off.

*Today's practice offered the first field goals towards the crowd on the hill much to the delight of the fans.  One guy caught a ricocheted  ball in the face then on the next FG ended up catching it... repayment for the earlier blooper.

* Adam was 5:5.  Rookie Gould hit for 100% as well and has quite the boot...sending one over the media tent.

*Watson and Givens were consistent today and Jason Alexander also hauled in a couple of nice passes near the back of the EZ during drills.

*Bam's still looking good!

*DBs signed today.

    Check out the podcast for play by play and more commentary as well as fluff stuff.  It should be up later tonight along with the pictures that I've been promising but haven't delivered all week.  Tomorrow is the season ticket holders practice in the stadium at night with a regular practice in the morning.

08/02/05 AM

This morning's session took place under hazy, hot, and humid conditions... just the way I like it!!  I'm sure BB was happy too as he's recently remarked that it hasn't been hot enough for his liking.  Guys practiced in shorts, and shoulder pads today. (Tonight's practice  in the bowl should be full contact.)

Here are the tidbits for today:

    * My good buddy, the Zipster,  was in the house. :-)

    *Marquise Hill, Monty Beisel and Tim Dwight all practiced today.  Harrison, Troy Brown  Chad Brown  didn't practice... probably the veteran day off.  I also didn't see Ben Watson out there either.  The rest of the "Bubble Boys" remains the same so I won't bother listing them. 

    *Officials were on the field today and the media was out in full force.

    * During the stretch, a red-headed vendor selling frozen lemonade, wearing a 67 jersey,  proceeded to walk onto the field and delivered an Italian Ice to his twin, Dan Koppen... who proceeded to eat it!  The crowd loved it but I'm not sure how well it flew with Belichick.

    *Speaking of that frozen lemonade, kids were trying to con the vendors into accepting PFW five dollar bills (featuring BB) for some refreshment.  Another group of camp kids were looking at said BILL and remarked... "Hey, that's not the President of the United States." Another kid said:  "Maybe it should be!"  I told Fred Kirsch the story and he loved it!

    *  Long bomb of the day was Flutie connecting with Stokes  for a touchdown.  He made a few nice catches today.

    *The entire offensive unit took the first group lap of the season... of course folks applauded them as they went by.... a bit of salt in the wounds, boys?

    *  Bam continues to shine out there, catching most of what comes his way and hustling on every play.

    * Dwight was returning punts and Beisel shared time at MLB.

    * CASSEL looks like #2.... He definitely doesn't look like a rookie... quick decision making, poise in the pocket, mobility, and accuracy.... My order of things:  Brady, Cassel, Flutie, Davey.

    *Brady didn't have the greatest of days.... missed quite a few seemingly routine plays, on one series in particular, didn't have a completion but did redeem himself on the next series hitting Branch a few times.

    *  Always talking about the rookies but shouldn't fail to mention some constants..  Dillon is a powerhouse... SO glad he's on my team!  Faulk's  got great feet too and can cut with the best of them.

Well... can't think of anything else off the top of my head.  I've got tons to do before tonight's practice, including the podcast and FINALLY posting those pictures that I promised.  Of course all of those things that moms just have to do don't go away just because camp is here so I'll have my hands full with housework as well. 

08/02/05 PM

    Tonight's practice was closed to he public and was for Foxboro residents and season ticket holders only.  It took place in the stadium bowl with the guys in full pads.  It followed the same routine as all of the other practices but John Rook was on the PA explaining what each period was about.  It was good for people who aren't familiar with the routine to see what happens at camp.

    We hooked up with the Zipster and Crew, the Planeteer Crew and Sue with her family from Zip's list.   I also met 1TruPatriot and her family from my site.  Here are today's highlights:

    * Fauria wasn't dressed tonight and neither were  the usual "Bubble Boys" Graham, PK, Willie... etc.  Didn't see Watson out there either.

    *Some mystery man was wearing 99.  Either they picked up someone new or else somebody switched numbers.

    * Cassel looked good but not as impressive as this morning.

    * David Terrell had some nice catches tonight.

    *Gay intercepted a Brady pass that deflected off Wilson.

    *Faulk had a nice kick-0ff return.

    *Brady managed the clock well during a  two-minute drill... fake spiking and going to the EZ but came up incomplete.

    *  No really big hits or catches today except  we notice Tully have a big tackle during a 1:1 drill.

    *  Jed Weaver looked better tonight than he did yesterday coming up with a big reception and some routine balls.

    * No units are assigned to sign autographs at this practice but Brady, Cassel, Adam, Alexander, and Musinski were seen signing after practice.

    *Ran into fellow webmasters Westy (patsfanwesty.com) and Linh (absolutebrady.com) there and spoke a bit. 

 Will be heading out for tomorrow's afternoon session and hope to get both podcasts up before then.  (If you haven't checked them out you can either subscribe or download the mp3.  They contain play by play, small talk and my own commentary on all things Patriot.)  www.patriotworld.com/podcast.htm

08/03/05

I've got to be brief because we have dinner plans so here's the rapid fire camp report:

*  It was HOT... but it didn't bother Belichick as he was wearing his Grey Hoodie!

*  Seymour was there but didn't do much until close to the end of practice.

*  Crowd was very mellow today... 

*  Birthday Boy Brady had the day off and wore "Man Capris!"  (actually long cut off sweats....)

*  Rookies sang Happy Birthday to him as did a group of kids in front of me.

*  Add Warren, and Hill to the list that didn't practice today.

*  New Dude,  is wearing Andruzzi's 63.

*  Weaver looked better today than yesterday when he was off.

*  Davey  hit David Terrell over the middle under tight coverage from TBC then  later missed Deion  in the endzone by throwing way past him.

* Fauria is out of the doghouse today as he was more consistent than yesterday.

*  Both Offensive and Defensive units took group laps and Gorin took an individual (could also be seen working with the coach after practice.)

*  Pass looked very good to me today.

* Play of the Day:  Cassel went deep to Alexander in the corner of the EZ who was being covered tight by Poteat.  It deflected off Poteat and was intercepted by James Sanders.

* I'm so NOT impressed with Tim Dwight so far.. maybe it's just me but he  misses a LOT  of balls although he was a little better today.

* Catch of the Day:  Cassel to Jason Alexander who was running towards the corner of the endzone  doubled back and ran towards the goal post and came up with the catch for a TD.

*  Gould has a powerful boot hitting them over the flags on the top of the goal posts.

*  Linebackers signed today.

08/04/05

    Major boo-boo for Mrs. B. today... Unfortunately, the entire folder on my voice recorder  of the commentary of what was happening on the field today produced nothing but dead air and background conversations.  I inadvertently was talking when the pause button was on and recording when nothing was going on.  Since I use the DVR now, I don't write anything down so it's back to the old ways of the  old days at Bryant where I came home and posted strictly from memory!  So here's what I recall from today:

*  The practice time was changed and ended at 10:00.

*  Just the rookies were in full pads as the veterans did walk-through stuff in the left field.

*  It was very HOT and muggy!

*  Graham and Johnson wore their jerseys during the walk-through but Willie did not.

*  The "Four Friends Club", Harrison, Samuel, Wilson, and Gay were hanging  in their own little group  in the back yapping during the stretch and BB went over and reprimanded them!  They immediately got in line with everyone else.

* Cassel was the only QB working in full pads.

*  A mystery man wearing #17 was catching some nice balls out there today, most notably a bomb in the EZ under double coverage... Turns out that it was Jason Alexander who switched from #7 when Schifino was cut.  (He had a great day yesterday too.)

*  Guys worked on a pass rush drill with a dummy in the middle of the field.  A rusher and a defender ran out at the same time and ran towards the dummy to either make the sack or prevent it depending on their role.

*  Ventrone (#41) keeps catching my eye... (and it's not because I think he's cute!)  He's hustling out there and has a nose for the ball.

*  TEs, QBs and RBs signed today.  There were at least 50 people there wearing Patriot Pass Fan Club shirts.

* Saw brdmaverick's poster today filled with autographs...he's getting quite the collection and came up big today.

     BB gave US the weekend off!  No camp now until Monday, 8/8  at 2:30. I can use the time to get caught up on lots of things around here but I feel bad for those folks who's only chance to come down might have been this weekend. If I can think of anything else of note, I'll post it.  I'm still putting the podcast up although it will be a shorter one today.

08/08/05

Hey gang... gotta be super quick as I have a house full of people here celebrating my father-in-law's 80th birthday, and I snuck upstairs to "make coffee"  so here's the Cliff Notes version of today's camp.  Guys were in shorts and shells.

*  Big Willie practiced today!

* TBC did not and joined the bubble brigade.

* Eugene Baker switched to #19 in Bryant's absence.

* Samuel looked awesome today breaking up mucho passes.

* Troy missed a couple during drills and was clearly NOT happy with himself.

* Graham made an awesome jumping grab and on the way down, Harrison gave him a big shove.

* New guy, Matt Blandt  #46 looked HORRIBLE today... timing was way off and came up short on just about every route.

* Harrison followed Dillon up the sidelines after carrying the ball and stayed right with him (presumably to punch the ball free as in the past... just to "keep Dillon on his toes"... then the two of them were slapping each other on the backs.

*  Jason Alexander, #17 looked good again today as did the rest of the receiving crew.

* Ellis Hobbs is super quick and can cut and slip through the holes quite efficiently.  BB could be heard on the field today reminding him that "It will be loud in Cincinnati, especially after they score, so you know what to do; communicate."

* There was a lot of special teams stuff, situational stuff and work changing the various packages today.

* Willie blew right by Kaczur and would have sacked Brady for sure on one play... even letting out a big growl in the process.

* Gould had a rough day, missing 3 in a row WAY left.

* The whole squad ran  six 100 yard dashes then at least four more shorter ones at the end of the practice.  Vrabel runs with the fast receivers, DBs and QBs rather than in the 2nd heat with the rest of the LBs.

* DB's signed today.

I'm sure there's probably more but I really have to run and that's what I can think of off the top of my head!  See you in the AM!

08/09/05 AM

    Just got in from this morning's session.  Guys were in full pads and it was hazy and muggy this morning.  Here's the tidbits from this session:

*  TBC came out dressed but was being evaluated running and back pedaling by Woicik  and didn't end up participating.

* Rodney wasn't dressed,  probably due to a veteran day off .  No Warren, Watson, Gay, PK,  etc....( same old  bubble crew)  Dwight had on a jersey top and shorts but no pads so he's back in the brigade.

*  They worked on lots of running game stuff and situational football today.

*  Cassel, Flutie, and Davey saw most of the action today.

*Flutie looked decent and Cassel looked as good as he has been but Davey's not long for this team IMHO.

* Troy Brown had a tremendous day today... catching every ball thrown his way no matter who the QB or coverage was.

*  Brady was picked by Eric Alexander on a dump pass during drills but did hit Deion,  Troy, and Givens  specifically for some nice plays during full squad stuff.

*Branch had a sweet leaping catch over the head of Chad Brown coming up with a nice grab.

*  Long bomb of the day, Rohan Davey.... intended for Bam, but picked by Samuel.

* Speaking of 22, he and Wilson had quite a few deflections and seemed to always be in the right place at the right time today. 

* Givens came up with a great catch in the EZ  while being double-teamed by 22 and 26.

*  An  NFL Films Crew was there today so perhaps we'll be on NFL Total Access tonight.

* Didn't see the new guy #46, Brandt out there at all... could last night's debacle have been enough to show him the door already?

* O-Line signed today but Brady missed his first day of signing due to media obligations.

*  Bleedblue attended with his family and spent some time with me and I was also  approached by two separate guys (Kffl and the Planet) to say hi and thanks!

Hopefully I can get the podcast up before tonight's session and get started on my pictures since Big Al joined me today armed with his trusty camera.

08/09/05 PM

Tonight's session took place in very comfortable conditions.  There was a nice breeze blowing on the hill.  Guys were in shorts  and there were quite a few not dressed.

*  TBC, Light, Graham, Fauria, and the regular crew were not dressed.

*  Tonight's focus was on the short passing game with the newer guys getting most of the reps... Cassel and Davey were the featured QBs; Baker, Childress, and Anderson getting most of the pass opportunities , while Chapman, Cobbs, Weaver, and Eckel earned  most of the carries.

* During LB/RB drills Izzo swatted one out of the when facing off with Cory, getting a "wooooo" out of the crowd.  Dillon came back on the next one beating out Chatham,  getting a rise out of the crowd.

*  The entire defense took a lap at one point, and of course the crowd still doesn't "get it" and applauds them as they run by...duh!

*  Hobbs and Poole each got a pick and there were quite a few tipped balls including one by Willie.

** *  Cassel managed an awesome two minute drive, hitting Weaver twice, then Childress who was  going one way, adjusted  his body in the air, dove the other way  and came up with a nice catch.  After a Bam miss, Cassel hit Anderson twice with a most memorable   diving catch in the EZ for the final play of practice!  All of the offense were high-fiving and giving him his props.

*  I resisted the urge to wear my "teacher hat"  and  reprimand Felger for rocking back on his chair while typing on his laptop in the media tent, lest he fall and crack his head open...  LOL!!

*  Got to speak briefly with TBC who came over to see Brian "PVN" Lowe's brother who was wearing his jersey, and wished him a speedy recovery.  Also talked to B-Lowe a bit who admitted to reading my reports on KFFL. We joked that it was reciprocity since I watch PVN faithfully too ;-)

*Here's a funny tidbit to go with the TBC one...Al asked TBC to take a picture with me and naturally he said sure... so after the picture was snapped, we hear a voice yelling over from the VIP section, "Hey, I see she's got herself a new linebacker...already!"  It was Mike whom I talk to on most days... everyone around cracked up as they got it!  (Gosh... I miss seeing TB out there...!)

*  Wide Receivers signed today but Koppen, Adam, Brady & Flutie did as well.

Hopefully I can get the podcast up in record time and then start on all of those pictures that Al took yesterday and today.  See you tomorrow, folks!

08/10/05

Just got back in from this afternoon's practice... I guess that since Reiss is no longer posting from camp, I'm back to being the first to get the word on the street.... It was very hot out there today and although not muggy, the sun was very strong.  It was also quite windy up on the hill.

Here are the quick points for today.

* Spent the afternoon talking to Scott of Murphy's Patriots whom happened to be sitting right next to me.

*  Guys were in shorts and shells.   Lots of guys not dressed (at least a dozen) heading to the bubble. I couldn't tell who they all were but numbers noticeably  missing were Troy, Watson, TBC, Monds, PK, Bethel, Cobbs, Warren,  etc...

* They didn't do any of the usual drill periods today, rather did lots of walk-through stuff and situational stuff, substituting defense  packages, setting up for PATs....etc

* Brady did not throw a single pass today at all.. but did look at some paperwork with some guy (could only see his back so I'm not sure who he was.)

* Davey was HORRIBLE today, especially during the hurry-up sending two balls past the endzone with nobody in sight... Looked like panic to me...

* Flutie had two nice passes today; one hitting Fauria about 30 yards down the sideline.  Fall-Down-Fauria made a nice diving grab... (falling down forgiven in this case!)  The second one was a long bomb to Bam in the corner of the EZ under double coverage by 29 Guss Scott, and 30, Chad Scott (and you wonder why I keep messing up names this year...lol!)

* Weaver, Baker, Bam  and Anderson saw most of the action.. much like last night when the veterans stepped back.

* Entire defense took a lap.

*Gould has a strong boot but only went 50% today.

* Tom Ashworth caught a pass as an eligible receiver.

*  Tonight was what I like to call the "Matt Light Memorial"... (for those of you who recall from last year...)  At the end of practice, guys huddled up for quite awhile and then started hooting and hollering.  The huddle broke an Koppen was setting up to field a  Miller punt; presumably to earn a night off for the team.  He missed it and was REALLY pissed... throwing his helmet.  Guys were ragging on him and Klecko even jumped on him and started pounding on him.  Suddenly, here comes Wilfork who lines up to receive the punt and Saves the Day!!! Guys were going nuts and were whooping it up out there.

* Linebackers signed today.

* They finally opened up the West gates and allowed us to drive out that way avoiding lots of the log-jam of the past couple of nights.

Just read that the next practice is Sunday, 2:30-4:30 and I have a wedding that night so if I can make it for part of the practice I will.  If not, it will be the first missed one in a few years.

08/14/05

    Headed out to this afternoon's practice solo... the place was practically empty most likely due to the weather and also due to the fact that the Patriots' Experience Park and the Punt, Pass, & Kick are finished for the season.  It was extremely muggy there and overcast.  In fact, it started thundering and lightning about an hour into practice so the boys moved into the bubble and  I had to leave.  I'm sure that the media got to stay so check traditional sources for the rest of the scoops today.

*  I think the Football Gods were smiling on me today because I have a wedding tonight and almost didn't make practice but was able to attend at least the public portion.

* Guys were in shorts and shells.

* I didn't catch any sight at all of Vrabel... usually the Bubble Boys participate in the stretch and are on the sidelines at the beginning dressed in sweats but I didn't see him at all.

*  Troy and Watson were dressed today however!  Gay and some others were not.

*  Cassel and Rohan hadn't done any full squad work (at least up until the time that they went inside) deferring to the two that rested on game day, Brady and Flutie.

* Seems like Ashworth is getting the most reps  with the first unit O-Line  along with Light, Neal, Koppen, and Mankins.

* The infamous Water Boy/Bud Light dude was hawking his wares as usual today... delivering poems along with his product. It was so quiet there today, his voice carried over to the hill way over from the bleachers  "Bud Light, it's not embarrisin'; Taste that hits hard, like Rod-ney Harrison!" so much so that it caught 37's attention and he gave him a big thumbs up and flashed him a smile.  The crowd responded with a nice ovation.

 Double tomorrow and Bama's coming to town for the evening practice.  And that's....all....folks!

08/15/05 AM

Hey Gang,

Just got in from a very soggy camp session.  I thought for sure that we would be watching from the bowl and the guys would be in the bubble but I was wrong.  It rained for at least half of practice but they held it on the regular fields.  I didn't bother bringing my camera today because I thought for sure it would be inside and  I didn't want to ruin it if it was held outside but I wish I did as I would have gotten lots of nice shots after practice today.. oh well, no biggie!

Here are the tidbits for today:

*  Guys were in full gear but Rodney had a veteran day off and was in shorts on the sidelines today.

*  No sign of Vrabel again this morning.  I also don't remember seeing Troy but that doesn't necessarily mean that he wasn't there, just that I don't remember seeing him.  Dillon's off having his second baby.  Gay and PK were definitely not dressed.  I didn't see TBC dressed but he could have been part of the Bubble Brigade.

*  Would be Long Bomb of the Day.... Davey going deep to.... #30 Chad Scott in the endzone, intended for Branch.

* Flutie hit Branch deep in the opposite endzone for the actual Bomb of the Day.

* Fauria had a nice leaping catch over the middle, covered by Chatham, turning around and jumping up just at the right moment.

* Anderson looked like he had another good day out there and they also went to Bam and Baker a lot.

* Cobbs better get back soon to compete with Chapman as he's getting lots of carries and when they were both out there, Cobbs seemed stronger at the time.

* Play of the Day... Don Davis coming across the middle ala Tedy B and picking Flutie, taking it to the house then meeting up with Flutie who tried to lay on the hit in the endzone.  Flutie hit the deck (but got right back up.) Davis was pumped and the entire D was riled up... jumping up and banging chests...

* Cassel threw a couple of picks today with at least one to Guss Scott and another to Poole.

*  Defense was very vocal today, hooting and hollering all through practice starting with McGinest leading the charge during the run right through practice.  Rosey could be heard hooting out there all morning.  Defense was very strong today, IMO, breaking up plays and putting pressure on the QBs..

* Main guys inside today were Beisel (wearing red no contact jersey, btw) and Colvin with Davis and Chatham during the second string.

*This morning was the Annual Rookie Slip and Slide... rookies were hosed down, took a great deal of ribbing then took turns running and sliding in the muddy grass surrounded by his teammates.  Cassel seemed to get the most distance out there (although that's what it looked like through all of those legs in the other endzone.)

* Today was the autograph seeker's heaven... barely any people at camp today and lots of guys signing.  It was Defensive Line's turn (including Pepper)  but many other guys signed too (Fauria, Koppen, Graham, Brady, etc...) and quite of few fans got to take pictures with their favorite players... Wilfork was quite gracious today, telling the group around him to hang on a minute while he signed his glove and walked over to a little girl sitting on her Dad's shoulders to hand it to her.  He did return back to his group to continue signing and taking pictures.  Most guys stayed quite long after the horn sounded...

08/15/05 PM

Attended tonight's session under overcast skies with cool temps but there was no rain so it was good.  Guys were in shorts and shoulder pads.  Sat in my usual spot with visiting Bama and my girl, Angie.  Here are the scoops from the final practice on the back fields...

*  Got the advanced word  that tomorrow's practice has been changed to 1:30 and it's INSIDE Gillette instead of on the practice fields.

*  Third practice with no sight of Vrabel... Troy, Rodney, TBC were all back dressed tonight.  Didn't see 88 out there at all either.

*  Defense once again was very vocal and dominating out there.... Willie and Rodney's  voices were carrying all over the place today. WOOOOOOOO!

*Klecko and Koppen practiced for next year's "Wager" by fielding punts from Josh before practice.

*  Catch of the Day:  Diving,  tumblesaulting grab from Brady to Brown covered by Reid.

*Brown, Poteat and Faulk returned punts.

* Play of the Day:  Brady going deep to Anderson who jumped up and  was sandwiched between Assante and Harrison with Assante making the pick.

*  Troy was right on tonight coming up with just about every ball sent his way.

*  Brady has yet to complete a 2 minute drive getting picked by Chad Scott who made a nice adjustment ending tonight's drive.

*  I got word that someone spotted Tedy's family in the family tent but no sight of Tedy (as of yet, unconfirmed)

* Baker came up with a nice diving grab from Flutie.

* Big mixup out there as Brady rolled out of the pocket and banged right into Tully giving him a hipcheck and knocking him right to the ground.  (Seems that TBC was all over the QBs tonight.)

* Offense took a group lap, Steen took an individual.

* Special Teams guys were whipping the ball at each other during drills and Lonie nailed Adam and he fell to the ground.  He later nailed Josh who also hit the deck... quite comical actually.

* Davey was just as consistent as he's been all through camp...and if you've been following my reports you know what that means.

* New Dude wearing #99 was Ifo Pili.

* I took what I believe to be one last look at the rookies the way we know them, as I expect that tonight will be the annual "Rookie Makeover" night... can't forget the images of last year's crew coming out with some BAD mohawks and other creative doos!

* DBs signed tonight along with many others, just for fun.

Headed out for a bite with Bama and gearing up to attend my <gasp> last TC session of 2005 tomorrow!

08/16/05

Attended my <gasp> final day of Training Camp 2005 under sunny skies at Gillette Stadium.   Camp was pretty vanilla today with nothing really earth shattering to note except:

* As I assumed yesterday, the "makeovers" were revealed today.  Mankins sported a really rough doo... hair only on the top and way down in the back with the rest bald.... Kaczur had the entire top of his head bald with a ring all around the bottom ala 1400's monk.  Worse of all though was my little cutie, Ventrone who traded in his long curls for some tufts randomly placed around his head... Even the rookie ball boys got the treatment too.

* Light and Koppen had Brady GQ pictures taped to the back of their jerseys today... ribbing their boy, Brady.

* No sign of Vrabel again and the rest of the regular MIAs for this week Terrell, Weaver,   etc.

* As stated yesterday, the practice was moved into the stadium and I heard that the reason why was because they were having a dedication ceremony for the new Dana Farber Field House out back today.

* Brady and Flutie seem to have gotten most of the reps today.

* They didn't do many drills but worked mostly on situational stuff;  goal line, special teams, field goals  and 2 minute hurry up stuff.

* Davey performed like his usual self.

* Troy looked really sharp again today as did Watson, Branch and Graham.

* Rookies Childress and Anderson got lots of reps  today and even stayed after practice today working extra with Cassel and Davey.

* Brady finally completed some two minute drills resulting in touchdowns most notably hitting Kevin Faulk in the corner of the EZ.

* Mr. Kraft made an appearance on the field in his suit for a bit today.

* Catch of the Day:  Flutie going deep to Anderson at the post for a TD.

* Dante gave Neal a bit of private tutoring on the side monitoring his moves as he came out of the three point stance.

* O-Line signed today...Mankins dropped his gloves on the way out, realized, came back and picked them up then tossed them up to the crowd much to the delight of the little boy who caught them.

* In case anyone cares... BB was sporting the hooded sweatshirt in all his glory...

Hit the proshop on the way out, picking up a new Pats tankini  then headed to the Outlaw with Bama for a nice dinner before heading home.

On a personal note... see you all next season!  As for me, I'll be setting up my classroom for the rest of this week, going to the game Thursday, then heading up to NH for a week of relaxation , reading to my heart's content on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee.  Take care everyone and GOOOOOOOOO PATSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!

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