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Incumbent Smith in running
Watching Antowain Smith run the football Saturday night didn't conjure images of Jim Brown or even Curtis Martin, but it did appear Smith gained an edge in his battle with Kevin Faulk to be New England's starting tailback.
Ah, not so fast.
Bill Belichick isn't ready to declare the competition over. Asked yesterday during his media conference call if he knew who might be starting in Philadelphia Friday, the Patriots coach said, "I have not made a decision on that. I haven't really even talked about it. Whatever it is, we will continue to get both players an opportunity to show what they can do in the early part of the game. Who is going to start and how that is going to go, I don't know."
Conspicuously out of the mix Saturday in the Patriots' 20-13 win over Washington was J.R. Redmond, who had practiced during the week but did not dress....
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Patriots making steps in right direction
Despite a still quite evident problem stopping opponents when they are intent on running the ball, the New England Patriots did many things well or nearly so Saturday night in their 20-13 victory over the Washington Redskins. Two games into the exhibition season, that should be more than good enough to reassure their fans that the wise guys in Las Vegas who opened them at 7 1/2 wins on the over-under line before bumping them up a game may not be as wise as they think they are. Although time of possession did not reveal it, the Patriots' offense was dominant in the first quarter and only a shade off on a half dozen plays that would have kept drives alive later in the evening, a problem that is to be expected in the early days of summer. Although their third-down conversion rate was a disappointing 33 percent (5 of 15), the first unit barely missed on several open plays, one when Troy Brown dropped a pass in the open and another when Tom Brady threw behind Brown as he broke free on another third-down pattern....
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Veteran Smith doesn't cut it with Pats
New England makes the difficult decision to release 37-year-old cornerback Otis Smith, who has been slow recovering from off-season shoulder surgery.
FOXBORO -- Through 13 NFL seasons, Otis Smith rarely had a quiet day at the office.
Even at a notoriously bi-polar position like cornerback, Smith's Sundays seemed to hit the extremes more often than most -- wildly good or wildly bad.
Yesterday, the Patriots bid farewell to Smith, cutting the 37-year-old veteran.
It was a hard move for the Patriots to make.
"We're talking about lives," said coach Bill Belichick, who often praised Smith's work ethic and commitment. "It affects human lives and families. It affects a lot of people. It affects us, it affects them. But it's part of the job. We go to camp with 80 players knowing we're going to cut to 53. Everybody knows that. Twenty-seven players can't make it."...
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Patriots sign veteran O-lineman Lacina
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Veteran offensive lineman Corbin Lacina has signed with the New England Patriots, the team said Tuesday.
Lacina, 32, has played 10 years in the NFL and started every game for the Minnesota Vikings last season.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 314-pound guard, who has started 79 of 121 career games, went to Augustana College in South Dakota and was originally drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round (167th overall) of the 1993 draft....
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This returner is a burner
Johnson may be a breakout star
FOXBOROUGH -- Ever seen a football player exhibit more speed than second-round pick Bethel Johnson did down the left sideline on his 98-yard kickoff return in Saturday night's 20-13 win over the Redskins?
Johnson seemed to be exerting himself, pushing every muscle to its maximum. But he disagreed.
"Once I got away, I knew I was going," he said, meaning that once he broke loose, he knew he had everyone beaten and didn't have to show his "A" speed.
"Yeah, I'm saving some for y'all," he said with a laugh....
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Pats make big trade for Washington
The Patriots last night made a move designed to fill the significant hole in the middle of the defensive line by trading a fourth-round pick in the 2004 draft to the Bears for Ted Washington, a four-time Pro Bowler with 12 years of experience who has played with San Francisco, Denver, Buffalo, and Chicago...moreComment
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Guardedly optimistic: Lacina should stay awhile
Corbin Lacina was out of football when the Patriots called him last week.
``You're not going to retire are you? I've had a lot of people mention it. They say I have the bad-luck locker, or the bad-luck number.''
One can't blame the Pats for being skittish. This has been the third consecutive training camp in which the team has seen a veteran guard retire unexpectedly. The latest guy to walk into the NFL sunset was Brendan Stai, whom the club signed as a free agent on July 28, only to have the guard retire on Aug. 10....
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Patriots think big, add Washington
FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots have abandoned, to some degree, their desire for a quicker, smaller nose tackle. That was certainly the message after they acquired 375-pound nose tackle Ted Washington from the Chicago Bears last night for a fourth-round pick in next year's draft.
Washington, 35, no longer seemed to fit with the Bears, who decided to go with a combination of veteran Keith Traylor and Bryan Robinson in the middle. With Washington in the final year of his contract and no plans to extend him, Chicago decided to seek a trade.
According to Bears general manager Jerry Angelo, there had been a good deal of interest in the 13-year veteran the past few days. A source familiar with the trade talks indicated that the Redskins had been in contact since releasing Dan Wilkinson two weeks ago. The Packers were hoping Washington would be released, but the Bears weren't about to let that happen, and certainly weren't going to trade him within their division....
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In the trenches
Four-time Pro Bowler Washington arrives at Patriots camp
FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) -- Ted Washington knows that nose tackle isn't the most glamorous position. Once he lines up there, though, he's not likely to be pushed out.
That's why the New England Patriots traded a fourth-round draft choice in 2004 to the Chicago Bears for the 365-pounder who made four of the last six Pro Bowls.
"Somebody has to do it. When I went to Buffalo, that's where it started," Washington said Wednesday, the day after the trade. "It's what I'm used to."...
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Belichick rocks in practice
FOXBOROUGH -- The opening act yesterday afternoon just outside Gillette Stadium was Jon Bon Jovi. That was followed by a few sets by Bruce Springsteen, with a finale by Eddie Van Halen.
All of this before a select audience of fewer than 200 people, most of whom went about their business, seemingly oblivious to the sounds that enveloped them.
Welcome to NFL Football 101, taught by professor Bill Belichick as he put the Patriots through their drills in preparation for tomorrow night's third exhibition game against the Philadelphia Eagles at the new Lincoln Financial Field. Both teams are 2-0....
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Brady sees room for improvement
PHILADELPHIA -- Tom Brady welcomes one more exhibition game, even after having his best effort of the summer against the toughest defense he's faced so far.
"I'm glad our opener is in a couple weeks, I'll say that," said Brady after going 14 of 24 for 148 yards and three touchdowns in last night's 24-12 victory over the Eagles. "I think there's a lot of room for improvement and a lot of room for us to make up for some of the mistakes that we've had. Personally, I'm the type of player that likes to play as many reps as I can in the preseason because I gain more confidence the more I play.
"I think as a football team you're always wanting to improve. You realize that even though you win the game tonight, it's going to be a different story in three weeks when we come back [to Philadelphia Sept. 14]. When the first-stringers are in there for real for four quarters and they're game-planning and showing all their stuff, it will be a different story."...
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Colossal Washington gigantic pickup for Pats
The number stands out as much as the big butt brought in to improve it.
The New England Patriots gave up 4.7 yards per rush last season, which was worse than all but two teams and usually can be tantamount to a team death sentence in the NFL. That's why the trade for 365-pound Ted Washington this week from Chicago is so vital to the Patriots' Super Bowl hopes this year.
"If you give up that number (4.7 per rush), you won't win in this league no matter how good you are on offense," said Pats linebacker Ted Johnson. ...moreComment
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