New England Patriots Links 8/02/10 - Welker Wants To Play Week 1

Wes Welker spoke with the press following his first appearance at practice off the PUP list.  Here's a sample:

Q: You said you are not 100 percent yet. Do you feel like you've been at the same place for quite a while and you have that one final hump to get over?

WW: I feel like there's improvement every time. I think I can constantly get better at my game. The knee feels great and the shoulder feels great. It's just a matter of teaching the muscles, ‘Hey, this is how you are supposed to move. You are supposed to get out of your breaks like this. You are supposed to be able to explode out like this.' And really, [it's about] kind of getting them back in that shape.

Q: Is one ahead of the other? Is your shoulder better than your knee? Is your knee ahead of your shoulder?

WW: I wouldn't say that one is any better than the other. They both have their days. It's like a girlfriend. They have good days. They have bad days. You wake up and you roll with the punches.

Q: Are you worried at all about getting back all the way?

WW: No, not at all. It's [about] just consistently working on a daily basis and making sure that we are getting those muscles back firing and doing what they know they can do. Eventually we will get there.

Robert Lee notes Devin McCourty is quickly learning that lining up against NFL receivers, as opposed to college ones, is a different beast.

"When you line up against any of those guys at wide receiver, you’re going against the best receivers in the world so that is a big step up," McCourty said.

Competing against players like Randy Moss and Wes Welker in practice can only make McCourty better.

"When you’re going up against a guy that’s that good, you’re really prepared to go up against anyone in this league," McCourty said. "When you get to go against the best, you have no choice but to get better."

The Patriots are known to have one of the most difficult defensive playbooks to master, but McCourty said that he has a good grasp on what he’s learned so far.

"I’m getting more comfortable day-by-day," McCourty said. "Each day it’s something new that goes in but we get a good amount of time to go back and study."

TEAM TALK

• Erik Scalavino catches what Nick Caserio has to say, plus news and notes from Sunday afternoon's practice.
• Erik Scalavino notes Wes Welker was back in uniform plus news and notes from Sunday's AM practice.
• Erik Scalavino reports on David Patten's sudden retirement from football.
• PFW Blog: Observations from practices 8, 7 and 6.
• Patriots Today - Welker back in pads. (2.36 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Extra points from day 4. (2.27 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Devin McCourty interview. (4.32 min. video)
• Patriots All Access - 7/30/10 Training Camp edition. (29 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Karen Guregian talks about Devin McCourty getting absolutely schooled by the best in the biz, Randy Moss.
• Mark Farinella points out how Brady took the high road in his session with the media.
• Albert Breer does some slicing and dicing of Brady's words to the press regarding his contract situation.
• Ian Rapoport notes Wes Welker appreciated the fans loudly cheering his return to the practice field.
• Shalise Manza Young gives her take on Welker's return.
• Karen Guregian notes Wes Welker isn't fully back just yet.
• Ian Rapoport reminds us with a timeline of what's happened with Welker since suffering his injury 7 months ago.
• Mike Reiss offers some key storylines from Day 4.
• Shalise Manza Young catches up with Kevin Faulk who credits a combination of luck, prayer, and hard work (in any order) to endure an NFL career.
• Tom E. Curran Sunday A.M. and P.M. practice wraps; Welker less than 100%. (plus 1 min. video)
• Mike Reiss offers some quick-hit thoughts from the Patriots and around the NFL.
• Ian Rapoport Patriots Notebook: Nick Caserio says the team is open to bringing players in for a look this time of year; Gary Guyton's knee injury is not serious but he could miss a few days; Randy Moss played catch with a fan in the bleachers; Around 6,000 fans were in attendance at the morning practice and over 10, 000 showed up in the afternoon.
• Mike Rodak notes that training camp offers a look at the coaching dynamic.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Don Banks (SI) Postcard from camp: Patriots.
• Pat Kirwan (NFL.com) Influx of youth gives Pats new feel in bid to stay atop AFC East.
• Pro Football Weekly Patriots' Chung has room for improvement.
• Bruce Ciskie (NFL Fanhouse) Wes Welker returns to Patriots practice. Apparently three days on the sidelines was enough.
• Brian Webber (Fox Sports) Countdown to kickoff: New England Patriots. (4.24 min. video)
• Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballTalk) Torry Holt could be odd man out in New England.
• Brad Biggs (Nat'l Football Post) Patriots kick the tires on DE Adewale Ogunleye. Veteran might be good match for New England.
• Peter King (SI) MMQB: Snapshots from Week 1 on the annual NFL training camp circuit.
• Chris Chase (Yahoo! Sports) Is the David Tyree catch the greatest play in NFL history?
• Jenny Vrentas (Newark Star-Ledger) CB Darrelle Revis does not report to team facility for morning physical.
• Michael Lombardi (NFL.com) Just like players, coaches need to continue improving their game.
• Ross Tucker (SI) Conditioning hits center stage with Haynesworth, Cody.
• Gregg Doyel (CBS Sports) Don't look for laughs in this Fat Albert episode. People like Albert Hayensworth and Terrence Cody die.
• Jeff Pearlman (SI) It takes a certain type of player to be successful NFL backup QB.
• Mike Florio (Sporting News) Can Weis, Cassel coexist in Kansas City?