Patriots news for the week of 6/1

[Gunzlingr]

Post Patriots news here.

[Gunzlingr]

FOXBORO, Mass. -- It's June, that time of year when a young man's fancy turns to ... football?

Of course, if you're a young man making football your livelihood, you don't have much choice.

The veterans and rookies will be on the field together for the first time when the Patriots hold their minicamp Thursday through Saturday at Gillette Stadium. It may not be as exciting as watching "The Bachelorette," but for Bill Belichick and his staff, seeing the newcomers on the field with the veterans should begin to give the coaching staff its first hint of how, or if, the new guys fit in.

As Belichick reiterated at the rookie minicamp a month ago, it is difficult to get much of a sense of who will and won't be a quality player in the NFL until the pads go on and the real hitting begins in mid-July at training camp. Football is, after all, not just a contact sport. It's a collision sport. At minicamp, the players will wear helmets and shorts - no pads.

more (http://www.ctnow.com/sports/hc-patriots0601.artjun02,0,1779883.story?coll=hc%2Dheadlines%2Dsports)

[Gunzlingr]

Tom Brady set the standard for moving up a quarterback depth chart in the 2001 offseason. Rohan Davey hopes to live up to that standard this summer.

Davey is splitting snaps with veteran Damon Huard with the Patriots' second team at passing camp this week. The reps are the result of the hard work Davey has put in since the Pats drafted him out of LSU in the fourth round of the 2002 draft, and if Davey takes advantage of the extra look he will head into the 2003 season as Brady's top backup.

``There's always opportunity at this level,'' Davey said yesterday. ``But by coach (Bill Belichick) pointing me in this direction and giving me the snaps . . . it's a jump they expect me to make and I expect to make myself.''

more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pats06032003.htm)

[Gunzlingr]

FOXBORO - More than three months after he dazzled scouts by running the fastest 40-yard dash of any receiver at the NFL combine and six weeks after he was drafted in the second round, Bethel Johnson remains pretty much a mystery to the Patriots coaches and players.

They see the 5-foot-11, 201-pound wide receiver in meetings, in the locker room and working with the strength and conditioning staff. They just haven't had the chance to see Johnson display on the practice field the skills that impressed the personnel people enough to make him the 45th player chosen in the draft.

``I'm at full speed but I haven't been doing a lot of one-on-one work at practice,'' Johnson said yesterday as the Patriots prepared for a full squad minicamp that begins tomorrow. Like most rookies, Johnson is in the learning stages of his professional career. He thinks before he acts and that adds weight to his legs. Once he gets more acclimated to the pro game, he'll act rather than react and that's when the team hopes to see the kind of athlete Johnson is

more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pats06042003.htm)

[Gunzlingr]

FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots' mandatory minicamp should give coach Bill Belichick a good look at his entire team but in particular Ty Law and Tyrone Poole, both of whom use personal trainers instead of participating in the team's conditioning program.

Law has traditionally spent his offseasons with legendary track coach Bob Kersee. Poole, according to agent Hadley Engelhard, has been working out in Denver with other NFL players.

Law, who forfeits a $100,000 workout bonus in his contract to continue with Kersee's program, is a veteran. But the Patriots were hoping that Poole, who signed a four-year, $8.04 million deal that included a $1.8 million signing bonus as a free agent, would have stayed in town to learn the defense.

According to Engelhard, the Patriots were made aware of Poole's preference when he signed the contract. Given the amount of the signing bonus, the Patriots were counting on Poole to be a starter or at least to compete for a starting job with Otis Smith. Since signing Poole, the Patriots drafted Illinois's Eugene Wilson in the second round, and Asante Samuel of Central Florida in the fourth round.

more (http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/156/sports/First_chance_to_check_out_Poole+.shtml)

[Gunzlingr]

For the football-starved, the Patriots' annual three-day minicamp that begins today in Foxboro stands as a morsel of nourishment in a long, lonely offseason.

Just don't expect a full meal. Practices (which aren't open to the public) are non-contact and will be conducted in shorts and helmets, so there isn't much to be learned other than how well the quarterbacks are throwing and how well the skill-position players are running. There should also be some hints in terms of the lineup.

Some things to look for:

Who is on the nose? Perhaps the biggest unanswered question right now is who will be the starting nose tackle. For now, the Pats may be looking to convert 2002 fourth-round pick Jarvis Green, who played end as a rookie. Don't be surprised to see Green (21 tackles, 2.5 sacks) working with the first unit this weekend

more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pats06052003.htm)

[Gunzlingr]

FOXBOROUGH -- It has all the essentials of a dream come true: Local high school and college football legend returns to New England after four frustrating years as a backup in Kansas City to help hometown team's ailing running game.

''I'm very excited about being back home, being close by,'' Mike Cloud said yesterday. ''It's an easy commute for me. I'm very excited.''

Why, then, did Cloud have the look of someone leaving the dentist's office as he expressed his ''joy''? Because the dream hasn't come true just yet.

Cloud, the former Portsmouth (R.I.) High star and Boston College's all-time leading rusher (3,597 yards), is merely auditioning for a role in the Patriots' offense at the team's minicamp. Cloud received a call from his agent, Jonathan Feinsod, Wednesday as he was mowing his lawn in East Greenwich, R.I., that the Patriots were offering a tryout. Cloud was on hand yesterday, and was assigned No. 28 and a temporary locker at Gillette Stadium.

Should Cloud, who became an unrestricted free agent following last season, make the team, he would be required to sit out the first four games of the regular season because of a league suspension for violating its steroid policy. According to Feinsod, an over-the-counter protein supplement Cloud purchased last year did not list among its ingredients the banned steroid Nandrolone. Cloud tested positive for the substance late last season.

more (http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/157/sports/Cloud_is_trying_to_stay_grounded+.shtml)

[Gunzlingr]

FOXBORO - So what's the big deal about Steve Neal starting on the Patriots offensive line during this week's minicamp? He is, after all, 6-foot-4 and weighs 295 pounds. He might be the best athlete among the offensive linemen in camp, showing the speed of a fast tight end as he sprints from one part of the practice field to another between drills.

In college, he was All-Conference in the Pac-10 for three straight years and was an All-America as a senior at Cal-Bakersfield.

Why shouldn't he be in the starting lineup while Joe Andruzzi recuperates from knee surgery?

Because he earned those collegiate honors as a wrestler, not a football player. In fact, he never played football in college.

more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/nixy06062003.htm)

[Gunzlingr]

FOXBORO - It's only the first week of June and Lawyer Milloy is already sporting the infamous Lawyer Milloy Attitude.

That, by the way, is a good thing if you are the Patriots.

After finding himself the subject of trade rumors and pay-cut talk this offseason, Milloy spoke yesterday of a renewed sense of urgency. Brash and confident as ever, Milloy made it clear the rumors have only made him stronger.

Hurt feelings? Don't even go there.

``I play football, man,'' Milloy said at the Pats' minicamp. ``You want me to cry? The only reason I'm the player that I am is because I can focus. I can shut you guys out and use it to motivate me. That's what is special and what burns inside of me. That's uncoachable. . . . (The rumors) were a reality (check). It kind of opened my eyes, but what it did was (get me) in the best shape of my life.''

more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pats06062003.htm)

[The_Philster]

FOXBORO - If the Patriots brought in running back Mike Cloud to push Antowain Smith, they realize that push won't officially begin until October.

That's because Cloud, a Boston College alum and East Greenwich, R.I., native, must serve a four-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance last year while with Kansas City.

Cloud, who is participating in the Pats' minicamp on a tryout basis, refused to discuss the suspension....

more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pside06062003.htm)

[The_Philster]

FOXBORO - When it comes to the Patriots' offense, much of the offseason has been spent looking at every factor except perhaps the most important one.

We've marveled at the speed of rookie receiver Bethel Johnson. We've talked about the progress of second-year targets Deion Branch and Daniel Graham. We've monitored closely the health of Tom Brady's shoulder and the flab on Antowain Smith's midsection. We've looked at the run-pass balance, throwing the ball downfield and getting more physical up front.

Anyone remember Troy Brown?...

more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pats06072003.htm)

[The_Philster]

FOXBORO - Ty Law didn't like the reporter's question. Not one little bit. He doesn't like to talk about his contract. Period. At any time.

So yesterday, when the question was broached about the possibility of the Patriots creating salary cap room by demanding that Law restructure his contract like Willie McGinest, Ted Johnson and Tom Brady have this offseason, the Pats' Pro Bowl cornerback adopted a modified ``the best defense is a good offense'' approach.

He answered the question with a question of his own....
more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/nixy06072003.htm)

[The_Philster]

FOXBORO - Anyone who watched the recently completed minicamp could have assumed the 2003 Patriots offense will be similar to the 2002 version. The Pats will throw the ball, then throw it some more.

The Pats were 12th in passing offense last season, but 28th in rushing. During the offseason they added the fastest wide receiver available in the draft (second-round pick Bethel Johnson) and signed Dedric Ward, a productive veteran who's familiar with the Patriots' system..
more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/nixy06082003.htm)

[The_Philster]

Watching rookie receiver Bethel Johnson during the Patriots' recently completed minicamp produced an obvious, eye-popping conclusion: Johnson can run.

But can he catch?

That's the question everyone will be asking in the coming months as the second-round pick out of Texas A&M seemed to struggle with his hands all weekend. In both team and individual drills, Johnson let several catchable balls hit the ground....

more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pnotes06082003.htm)