PATRIOTS: News of the day- 5/5

[Gunzlingr]

That's one lesson former Illinois cornerback Eugene Wilson, the Patriots' second-round draft pick (36th overall), learned from his training as a boxer. He's carried that over into his football career, knowing that while there's no shame in getting beaten once in a while, if you make a habit of it, your NFL career won't last long.

One knockout occurred early in Wilson's collegiate career. Trying to make a splash on national TV in the final moments of the Micronpc.com Bowl Dec. 30, 1999, Wilson went for an interception but tripped and watched helplessly as the receiver caught the ball and went in for a touchdown.

It was one of those moments you don't learn about in the classroom. It was on-the-field experience, the type he also was getting at the Patriots' rookie minicamp, which concluded yesterday. Wilson and the other rookies will not return until May 16, when they begin their conditioning program.

MORE (http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/125/sports/CB_Wilson_can_take_a_punch+.shtml)

[Gunzlingr]

The NFL/by Kevin Mannix
Monday, May 5, 2003

FOXBORO - The 2003 Patriots rookie orientation camp is history. The three-day, five-practice session wound down yesterday, and while it's tough for any rookie to show much in limited exposure to a new level of competition, new terminology and new teammates, several of the newcomers responded well.

Coach Bill Belichick won't admit that. He knows there are severe limits to what a coach can learn about a football player who's basically undergoing an on-field primer in NFL 101.

It basically was flag football. No contact, no pads. Just a lot of rust since most of the participants had been away from football.

``In a camp like this, you don't make any rash decisions unless you have to,'' Belichick said. ``We're dealing with guys who haven't played football in four months and who are working together for the first time. This is more of a teaching camp than an evaluation camp.

``I've been to plenty of minicamps where guys look good and you say, `Wow, this guy really catches your eye' (but he doesn't catch on). Then you look at other guys in minicamps that don't look good, but as time goes along they work on their techniques and they start getting into the groove a little bit.''


MORE (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/nixy05052003.htm)

[Gunzlingr]

by Michael Felger
Monday, May 5, 2003

FOXBORO - It was 9 p.m. Saturday and Romeo Crennel still was in his Gillette Stadium office, breaking down practice film of the Patriots' rookie minicamp.

The Pats devoted much of last month's draft to giving their defensive coordinator the talent to return his unit to a championship level and Crennel already was busy plotting ways to put that talent to use.

``It doesn't look too bad,'' Crennel said. ``We'll see how it works out.''

Universally liked and respected by his players, Crennel has emerged as one of the top coordinators in the game. During the winter, that reputation earned him consideration from the San Francisco 49ers for their head coaching job. Crennel knows the only way to eventually get one of those jobs is hard work, one of the reasons why the light in his office still was on Saturday night.

A more important reason was his defense, which certainly has gotten younger and faster with the drafting of linemen Ty Warren and Dan Klecko, and cornerbacks Eugene Wilson and Asante Samuel

MORE (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pats05052003.htm)