Patriot defensive lineman Richard Seymour will indeed be on the field today in uniform for the Patriots, as he was not on the inactive list after being added to the 53-man roster yesterday

The Patriot pre-game inactives include notables such as safety Eugene Wilson (ankle), running back Sammy Morris (chest), and tight end Ben Watson (ankle). Others are safety Mel Mitchell (groin), linebacker Eric Alexander (knee), guard Billy Yates, OT Wesley Britt, and rookie defensive lineman Kareem Brown.

For the Redskins, former Patriot receiver Reche Caldwell led the list of inactives, along with cornerback Fred Smooth, running back Rock Cartwright, DT Ryan Boschetti, OL Stephon Heyer, and guards Rick Demulling and Randy Thomas.

Interestingly enough, the Redskins named Mark Brunell as their emergency third QB, but the Patriots did not name an emergency third, as Matt Gutierrez is one of the active 45. That may mean he will also play special teams, or that backup Matt Cassel is in hot water, which has been widely speculated.

Some milestones awaiting certain Patriots today: Tom Brady needs one TD pass to match his single season career high (28, done in both  2002 and 2004). If he reaches a new career high of 29, he'd be second in franchise history behind Vito "Babe" Parilli, who threw for 31 TDs in 1964. Brady, unless a disastrous injury occurs, will almost certainly set the franchise mark in the coming weeks. Or perhaps today.

If Randy Moss catches one TD pass today, he'll be one behind Stanley Morgan's franchise mark of 12 set in 1986. And it's only Week 8. Amazing.

-- TOM KING

The Patriots will be facing perhaps the best defense they've faced this season -- yes, one as good as the Cowboys,and even better against the downfield pass. But they're home, and it's Tom Brady vs. Jason Campbell. No contest. But don't expect a high scoring affair, or certainly one as easy as last week's game in Miami.

PREDICTION: New England 27, Washington 13.

Meanwhile, of note, Sammy Morris at week's end was listed as doubtful, while both Ben Watson and safety Eugnene Wilson, nursing sore ankles, are the most notable players listed as questionable for tomorrow.

It was another busy Wednesday in Foxborough as the Patriots began their preparations for the Washington Redskins. Let's start with the biggest news of the day:

SEYMOUR RETURNS

Yes, it was not a mirage at practice, that really was Richard Seymour out there today, his first sighting on a practice field since last season, as he had been sufferering from complications from off-season knee surgery. With Seymour practicing, the Patriots have 21 days to either activate him from the Physically Unable to Perform list or put him on season-ending injured reserve. That timetable is down to 14 for last week's PUP players who returned to practice, defensive back Eddie and wideout Chad Jackson.

Veteran safety Rodney Harrison was glad to see Seymour back, and knew what the defensive lineman was going through. "I've been there," he said. "I'm not just a teammate of his, I'm a friend first and foremost. I've been there for him, just as well as he's been there for me and just as well as Ty Warren and Tom Brady and all those other guys have been there for him. He's positive. He's worked extremely hard, he's been focused. There's some tough days and good days, but more good days than tough days."

 

INJURY UPDATE

The headliners for the "did not practice" category for the Patriots today were, as was the case last week, tight end Ben Watson (ankle) and running back Sammy Morris (chest). Also not practicing were linebacker Eric Alexander (knee) safety-special teamer Mel Mitchell (groin) and safety Eugene Wilson (ankle), who might be considered a headliner as well. Tom Brady (right shoulder) had limited participation.

For the Redskins, offensive guard Randy Thomas (triceps) is out. Running back Rock Cartwright (quad) and offensive lineman Stephon Heyer (hamstring -- how does that happen to an OL?) did not practice. Limited in practice were safety Pierson Prioleau (coach's decision), cornerback Carlos Rogers (knee) and cornerback Fred Smoot (hamstring). Offensive lineman CAsey Rabach (groin) and linebacker Marcus Washington (hamstring) practiced fully despite their injuries.

ANGRY ADALIUS

Adalius Thomas, usually not around on Wednesdays during the locker room media availability, was there today so he could respond to the sudden war of words with former Baltimore Ravens teammate Ray Lewis. "The only problem I have is the 'coward' comment...I think that goes to something personal. I don't like it....I will address that with him personally myself. But to attack my integrity, as far as that goes, and say that you had to make up a scheme for me, I didn't know they had made up outside linebacker for me...

"I'm just here to play football and worry about the Redskins. Ray Lewis means nothing to me, as far as his comments or anything else that he said. I love him like a brother, but other than that, as far as me being a coward, I felt that was a personal shot. That's the only problem I have with it. I'll call Ray personally myself...It's a lot of things he said right now, but none of them can be solved going back and forth."

 

 

The Patriots today are missing some thump from their lineup without tight end Ben Watson and former Dolphin running back Sammy Morris, but they should have enough depth to overcome that problem against the Miami Dolphins, who, despite the presence of Jason Taylor, still aren't the formidable defense of 'Fish teams past. The Patriots will still need to use their running game against a Miami defense that can't stop the run, even if it means reaching down to Heath Evans and Kyle Eckel if Laurence Maroney isn't able to go, or not at full strength. That will take pressure off Tom Brady when Taylor comes calling. Tom Brady, New England. Cleo Lemon, Miami. Should say it all right there.

PATRIOTS 30, MIAMI 13

The Patriots on Saturday announced that five players were downgraded to OUT for today's game at Miami, including tight end Ben Watson, who injured his ankle in last week's win at Dallas. Watson's absence means an increased role for Kyle Brady and also Marcellus Rivers, who has been signed, released, and re-signed over and over again since late in the preseason.

Also out with injuries are running back Sammy Morris, linebacker Eric Alexander, defensive lineman Mike Wright and special teamer Mel Mitchell. It's likely that none of these players made the trip. Morris is no surprise, as his chest/collarbone injury, according to some reports, will keep him out the next month. Not having Wright, as has been the case in a couple of games this year, further depletes the team's defensive line depth, as Richard Seymour remains in PUP.

--- TOM KING

 

As usual, Wednesdays are big days in Foxborough and today was no exception as the Patriots began their preparations for Sunday's game at 0-6 Miami.

First, this is the first week players from the Physically Unable to Perform List (PUP) can practice, and once they do the club has three weeks to make a decision on their roster status. Notables Troy Brown and Richard Seymour, however, did not practice, or at least weren't reportedly visible during the open portion. Receiver Chad Jackson and cornerback Eddie Jackson, who was in the locker room, did by all accounts return.

Pats head coach Bill Belichick was asked whether it was a "when" or "if" situation with Seymour's (knee) return, but basically said any player's status was based on "A, the player and B, the team." In other words, he did not really answer the question. As for Brown, QB Tom Brady was asked about his return and did say "I think he's been bored as heck working with all the conditioning stuff. He's ready to get back to playing football." That appeared to be more of a comment on Brown's mental outlook rather than his physical status, however. 

Injury update: Not practicing were tight end Ben Watson (ankle), running back Sammy Morris (chest, reportedly to be out possibly for a month, although no word on that from the Patriots) and linebacker Eric Alexander (knee). Limited in practice was most notably running back Laurence Maroney (groin). Add to that list cornerback Randall Gay (thigh), safety Mel Mitchell (groin), OL Stephen Neal (shoulder), receiver Donte Stallworth (knee), linebacker Adalius Thomas (ankle) and receiver Kelley Washington (hamstring). Yes, QB Tom Brady (shoulder) practiced fully. Most notably for the Dolphins, defensive standouts Vonnie Holiday and Zach Thomas did not practice due to injuries.

--- TOM KING  

Let's face it, we never expect these Patriots to lose anymore, and they probably shouldn't today, despite facing the best team in the NFC and probably the third or fourth best team in the league.

Why? Because Dallas is vulnerable against the pass, and Patriots QB Tom Brady should be able to pick the Cowboys apart. One mismatch to look for: Dallas' Roy Williams chasing after Ben Watson, who has more speed and size and should come up big in today's game, as he did last week.

It won't be easy for New England today, however -- Dallas can score. Terrell Owens had a big game against the Pats in the Super Bowl nearly three years ago (that long?) and he'll be the focus again today. Expect New England to have trouble also with the roaming of Tony Romo and tight end Jason Whitten. But you can also see New England cornerback Asante Samuel licking his chops because suddenly Romo has become turnover prone.

FINAL SCORE: New England 31, Dallas 27.

INJURY UPDATE: Special teamer Mel Mitchell and offensive linemen Wesley Britt late Saturday night were declared OUT for today's game. Running back Laurence Maroney (groin) evidently made the trip and, as head coach Bill Belichick said Friday,  is a game time decision.

On Fridays NFL injury reports revert back to the traditional "Questionable", "Probable", etc. So for the Patriots here goes:

Questionable: CB Randall Gay (thigh), center Dan Koppen (ankle), offensive tackle Matt Light (flu, did not practice), running back Laurence Maroney (groin), safety Mel Mitchell (groin, did not practice), OG Stephen Neal (shoulder), cornerback Asante Samuel (foot), wideout Donte Stallworth (knee), linebacker Adalius Thomas (ankle) and wideout Kelley Washington (hamstring). All except Light and Mitchell saw limited practice time; in a rare admission on injuries, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Maroney's status on Sunday would be a game time decision.

Probable: QB Tom Brady (shoulder, full practice) and offensive lineman Wesley Britt (did not practice, team decision).

-- Tom King

 

There's certainly a different way in which the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys go about their business, as the media descended on both camps on Wednesday. The Patriots are trying to block out the fact that this is a huge game on Sunday -- it's actually only the fifth time in NFL history two teams with records of 5-0 or better are meeting. The Cowboys, meanwhile, seem to be embracing it. Note the comments by opposing QBs Tom Brady and Tony Romo:

Brady: "It's just another regular-season game for us, and there have been a lot of big games around here. ... I don't think we're building this into anything more than it really is, which is another game on our schedule."

Romo: "I think (it's big). You want to play in these types of games."

-- Tom King

There were a couple of new additions to the names of Patriots who have had limited participation in practice and did so again today, namely linebacker Adalius Thomas (ankle) and cornerback Asante Samuel (foot). Thomas, you may remember, got hurt toward the end of the first half of the Browns game Sunday but returned to play the second half.

QB Tom Brady also had limited practice time, listed with the obligatory right shoulder injury,but the guess here is he'll practice fully on Thursday. Also with limited time were: cornerback Randall Gay (thigh), center Dan Koppen (ankle, was inactive Sunday), running back Laurence Maroney (groin, he has missed the last two games), guard Stephen Neal (shoulder), and receivers Donte Stallworth (knee) and Kelley Washington (hamstring).

Two players did not practice: Offensive lineman Wesley Britt (team decision) and safety/special teamer Mel Mitchell (groin).

For Dallas, former Patriot receiver Terry Glenn is out with a knee injury, and cornerback Anthony Henry (ankle) did not practice. Those who saw limited practice time were cornerback Courtney Brown (biceps), linebacker Kevin Burnett (thigh), safety Keith Davis (shoulder) and fullback Oliver Hoyte (neck).

 PATS ROSTER MOVE: The Patriots released veteran linebacker Chad Brown today and, as expected, re-signed tight end Marcellus Rivers. Rivers has been on stand-by for awhile, he was signed last week and then released Sunday to make room for Rodney Harrison's rejoining the roster. As for Brown, he could be kept close by as well, as this is his third go-round with the team in three years.

Incidentally, don't expect veteran QB Vinny Testaverde back anytime soon. He signed today with the QB-depleted Carolina Panthers.

--- Tom King

Here's one humble observer's Weekly Rankings of the top five teams in each conference:

AFC

1.NEW ENGLAND (5-0) -- No explanation necessary.

2. INDIANAPOLIS (5-0) -- Not quite as good a defensive team now as the Patriots, but close.

3. PITTSBURGH (4-1) -- The Steelers are for real under their new coach, recovered from theri Super Bowl hangover.

4. TENNESSEE (3-1) -- With Jeff Fisher firmly in control, Vince Young is leading the Titans back to respectability.

5. SAND DIEGO (2-3) -- Bring those eyebrows back down. The Chargers still have more talent than most teams in the AFC. How many teams blow Denver away in Denver?

NFC

1. DALLAS (5-0) -- Thank you, Dick Jauron. Now we have a battle of unbeatens when the Patriots visit Texas on Sunday.

2. GREEN BAY (4-0) -- Brett Favre is more under control, but the Packers were facing a desparate Bears team Sunday night that may show up here soon.

3. NEW YORK GIANTS (3-2) -- Who would believe this after the first two weeks?

4. TAMPA BAY (3-2) -- The Bucs aren't as good as they were a couple of years ago, but can't penalize them for losing to Indy. They may fade from here soon, though, without a running game.

5. WASHINGTON (3-1) -- Think about it; one bad half vs. the Giants away from being 4-0. 

 -- Tom King

 

 

A few thoughts on what was a fairly, well, dull Patriots 34-17 win over the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium on Sunday:

-- Believe it or not, Sammy Morris had his second straight 100-yard rushing game (102 yards on 21 carries). Makes you wonder just how formidable the running game could be (if emphasized) with Laurence Maroney returning from his groin injury, whenever that is. Incidentally, with Maroney rushing for 100-plus yards against Buffalo, the Patriots have now had three straight games with a 100-yard rusher, the first time since 1995 that the team has reached that. A guy named Curtis Martin did it four straight times in 1995.

-- The addition the last two seasons of veteran and future Hall-of-Fame linebacker Junior Seau can't be underestimated. Seau, who had two interceptions off pass deflections, bought into head coach Bill Belichick's philosophy immediately upon his arrival in August of 2006 and seems to have a lot left in the tank in the right situations at age 38. Sunday he had six tackles (four solo).

 -- Randy who? The Patriots were able to put the ball in the end zone without relying on their receiving security blanket, Randy Moss. Moss was kept out of the end zone for the first time this season by Brown coach Romeo Crennel's defensive game plan, but that didn't stop Ben Watson (career-high 107 yards, two TDs) and Donte Stallworth (four catches for 65 yards and a TD) from picking up the slack. As Crennel said, "They have quite a few weapons and you have to try to pick your poison a little bit against these guys."

-- Best post game quote about the "Humble Pie" theme the Patriots keep using to downplay their success and point out their deficiencies came from its author, linebacker Adalius Thomas. "Ice cream will probably be out of the stores," Thomas said, "because we'll be serving ice cream with this one."

--- Tom King

Running back Laurence Maroney (groin) and starting center Dan Koppen (ankle), both with limited practice time this week have been declared out for today's game. Also inactive for the Patriots are safety Rashad Baker, tackle Wesley Britt, defensive linemen Santonio Thomas and Kareem Brown, and linebacker Chad Brown. In other words, the usual suspects. Matt Gutierrez was designated as the third quarterback. Maroney now will have to wait at least a week to record 1,000 rushing yards for his career, as he's three yards away.

As for the Browns, old friend Ted Washington (DL) heads the inactive list, which also included punter Dave Zastudil, DB Gary Baxter, running back Jerome Harrison, offensive linemen Issac Sowells and Nat Dorsey, plus wideout Travis Wilson. Ken Dorsey was the emergency third QB.

Meanwhile, there was a Marcellus Rivers sighting here at Gillette, as he is in the building, giving strength to the speculation that the tight end, recently signed but then released off the roster to make room for Rodney Harrison, will be brought back in a few days.

FYI: If he competes at least 75 percent of his passes today, Tom Brady would become the first player in NFL history, according to the Patriots media relations department, to complete at least 75 percent of his passes in five consecutive games. That might be tough to do on a drizzly day against a head coach (the Browns' Romeo Crennel) who knows his tendencies. Also, if he throws at least three TD passes, Brady would tie Steve Young's mark of three or more TDs in the first five games. Young set that record in 1998..

-- Tom King

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said on Friday that safety Rodney Harrison had been doing well in practice, certainly a sign he was going to be added to the 53-man roster in time for today's game. The Patriots late Saturday did just that, activating Harrison. To make room, they released tight end Marcellus Rivers, whom they had just signed to a reported two-year deal. It's possible that Rivers could be brought back at some point, as this was his second go-round with the team in a matter of a month. It would be a surprise if Harrison isn't on today's game-day 45-man roster.

Question marks today will include the offensive line and the status of starting center Dan Koppen (ankle) and starting guard Stephen Neal (shoulder). The inactives will be announced a couple of hours prior to the 1 p.m. kickoff.

-- Tom King

One can talk about strategy, a coach (Romeo Crennel)  who knows your system, et., etc., but when it really comes down to it, talent almost always wins out. That's why you hear so much talk of the Patriots going 16-0, which likely won't happen because there's always a chance a good game plan, a revved up team, etc. can ruin those plans -- hence the title of the movie "Any Given Sunday".

But today? Forget it, the Patriots just have too much talent to let the Cleveland Browns enjoy an upset. Crennel will come after Pats quarterback Tom Brady, no doubt, with some cleverly disguised blitz packages, perhaps the same way the Jets did in Foxborough last year. But this time New England will be ready for them.

FINAL SCORE: Patriots 27, Browns 17.

-- Tom King

As expected, the Patriots re-signed tight end Marcellus Rivers Wednesday, and placed fellow tight end David Thomas, an impressive and improving second-year player, on season-ending injured reserve thanks to a foot injury suffered in Monday night's win over the Bengals.

Signed Aug. 8, Rivers was with the Patriots until his release Sept. 1. He was re-signed two days later but released again on Sept. 8.

 

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There weren't the usual suspects making themselves available to the media today in Foxborough in the New England Patriots locker room. Tom Brady had the usual crowd around his locker and, of course, Rodney Harrison talked as did Sammy Morris. But most of the other players stayed away from their lockers, including two of the more talkative ones, linebacker Mike Vrabel and defensive back Ellis Hobbs. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues throughout the rest of this week as the team prepares for Sunday's game vs. Cleveland.

As expected, Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, suspended for the first four games of the season by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy (he admitted to using the human growth hormone HGH), returned to practice Wednesday. It's not known yet whether Harrison will play or even suit up for Sunday's game in Foxboro vs. Cleveland, but the team does have a one-week roster exemption for him, which means they don't have to make a roster move unless he's activated. It's likely, though, if he practiced fully today, he'll be available on Sunday.

Harrison did meet with the media earlier in the day on Wednesday and says he has worked out twice a day, on-field and weight room work, and leaves his return up to the coaches, saying "I'm always ready to play football." As for his suspension, Harrison preferred to talk football, as expected, but said the message/lesson he has is "Don't make bad decisions."

There was word that tight end Marcellus Rivers may be re-signed following David Thomas' leg injury Monday night but nothing official has been announced. The team will issue its first injury report of the week by 4 p.m. today.

Before the start of the game, the Patriots added fullback Kyle Eckel to the active roster, releasing linebacker Corey Mays. This move was obviously made to add running back depth with Laurence Maroney unable to play tonight due to a sore groin. Eckel, many may remember, was impressive in training camp out of Navy two years ago but was cut at the end of the 2005 camp. He ended up property of the Dolphins but was on the reserve/military exempt list, and wound up on New England's practice squad last month. Mays has been through the roster cuts and re-signs with New England and will likely be back again at  some point; he played in one game this season, recording a special teams tackle.

What a difference a year makes in tonight's New England Patriots game at Cincinnati. It is exactly a year ago to the day when the Patriots, a 2-1 team in 2006 that had a lot of question marks, went into Paul Brown Stadium to face a 3-0 Bengals team that was the talk of the NFL and left with a resounding 38-13 win. 

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