Patriots news for the week of 8/4

[BillsFever]

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[The_Philster]

Andruzzi suits up; McGinest in, too
FOXBOROUGH -- Nothing is official, but Kevin Faulk has been taking most of the handoffs with the first unit the past couple of days, with Antowain Smith spelling him.

Whether that means Smith has lost his starting job remains to be seen, but it appears Faulk's hard work in the offseason program has at least earned him the right to challenge for the top job.

Smith practiced with the first unit on short-yardage drills last night, while Joe Andruzzi was in full gear and getting his first action of camp after coming back from knee surgery, and Willie McGinest also took part in practice and team drills for the first time....

more (http://sports.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2003/08/05/faulk_carries_bulk_of_the_load____so_far)

[The_Philster]

FOXBOROUGH -- Sounds odd, but Patriots coach Bill Belichick might not dread the chance to watch his team stuck on its own 1-yard line. For one game, at least.

New England plays its first exhibition game tomorrow against the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium, and Belichick hopes some of the unusual situations he's practiced the past two weeks come up.

For many veterans, the first exhibition game is merely a walk-through. Tight end Christian Fauria described it as little more than a practice....

more (http://sports.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2003/08/06/belichick_eager_for_game_action)

[The_Philster]

FOXBORO, Mass. -- New England's newcomers made a good first impression as the Patriots posted a 26-6 exhibition victory over the New York Giants on Thursday night.

Rosevelt Colvin and Tyrone Poole produced first-quarter turnovers that led to 10 points, and Fred McCrary caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter that gave New England a 20-6 lead.

Nose tackle Dan Klecko, drafted in the fourth round out of Temple, had 2 1/2 of the Patriots' seven sacks. His father, former New York Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko, attended his pro debut....

more (http://sports.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2003/08/07/pats_rout_giants_26_6_in_exhibition_game)

[The_Philster]

FOXBORO - Tyrone Poole is listed at 5-foot-8 but is probably even smaller. He is so dwarfed by some of his teammates that it looks like a Pop Warner refugee must have swiped a uniform and slipped into the Patriots' defensive huddle.

Many NFL insiders rolled their eyes when the Patriots shelled out $1.8 million to sign Poole last March. Just two years earlier, the cornerback had walked out of the Broncos' training camp and stayed away for an entire season. And two weeks ago, when Poole began to wonder aloud whether he belonged in Foxboro with the Patriots or in Atlanta with his young family, the skeptics nodded knowingly....

more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pool08082003.htm)

[The_Philster]

FOXBORO - OK, so he wasn't going against Rich Seubert, Luke Petitgout or any other starting offensive lineman for the New York Giants - or any other NFL team. Instead he was up against the likes of Sean O'Connor and Jeff Hatch, backups who are fighting for roster spots.

That proviso aside, Patriots rookie defensive hybrid Dan Klecko still had a memorable debut last night.

Entering the game late in the second quarter with the rest of the Patriots' defensive irregulars, Klecko was the dominant player on the field during a 26-6 romp past the Giants in their preseason opener at Gillette Stadium....

more (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/nixy08082003.htm)

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Stai To Retire - from www.KFFL.com
Sun, 10 Aug 2003 12:06:40 -0700

The New England Patriots have announced OG Brenden Stai has informed the Patriots of his intention to retire from football. Stai, 31, joined the Patriots as a veteran free agent on July 28 during the first week of the 2003 training camp. Stai, an eight-year veteran, had started 96 of 105 games during his career with four different teams - Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Detroit and Washington.

[BillsFever]

Patriots | Running Game Struggling - from www.KFFL.com
Sun, 10 Aug 2003 11:20:30 -0700

Kevin Mannix, of the Boston Herald, reports the New England Patriots running game struggled until the fourth quarter and neither Patriots RBs Kevin Faulk or Antowain Smith established himself as the lead back. Faulk picked up 13 of his 18 yards on one draw, while Smith registered gains of 7 and 6 yards on outside runs but struggled to get back to the line of scrimmage on runs up the middle.