Shalise Manza Young details the over 2 hour practice run by Tom Brady, noting he still carries a good deal of clout with his teammates, judging by the number of them who were on hand.

The players were in shorts and T-shirts, and did a number of drills that would be familiar to those who have attended a training camp practice. Early on, receivers (with safety Patrick Chung among them) ran some short routes and caught passes, while others warmed up. Then everyone did wind sprints and stretched in small groups.

Defensive backs worked on backpedaling and catching, and there was a brief period of 11-on-11, with Brady handing off to a running back (there were five on hand, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, Thomas Clayton, Ridley, and Vereen) or throwing a short screen. During that time, the linemen simply stood up and put their hands in each others’ chests.

The offense and defense then split into separate groups; with the defense, Devin McCourty stood with fellow cornerback Dowling for a couple of minutes, and appeared to be giving him some instruction. ... Although the value of such a workout is unclear — there were no coaches, no film study, no pads — there at least seemed to be a lot of camaraderie. Players exchanged handshakes and hugs early, and some laughs as well. Brady could be heard several times giving instruction.

TEAM TALK

• The New England Patriots Alumni Club will host their second annual Stars and Stripers Fishing Tournament on June 4.
• NFL.com Report: Tom Brady leads Players-only workouts. (2.45 min. video)
• Bill Belichick's commencement speech. (1.03 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Ian Rapoport describes the passing camp-style workout led by Tom Brady yesterday at BC's Alumni Stadium.
• Shalise Manza Young lists the players in attendance [that she could see and identify] at the workout.
• Christopher Price sees the large attendance at the Patriots workout as a tribute to the power of Tom Brady.
• Jeff Howe says the Patriots prove their enormous amount of respect for Tom Brady with their huge workout numbers.
• Mike Reiss gives his take on Tom Brady leading players-only workouts that began Wednesday.
• Tom E. Curran points out that players have been working out since March, so just because TB12 blows into town doesn't mean the work officially begins with him.
• Mike Reiss wonders what fans think about the importance of lockout workouts.
• The Boston Globe posts some photos of yesterday's workout.
• Ian Rapoport notes Patriots owner Robert Kraft took part in a secret owners meeting in Chicago yesterday. Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith were present as well.
• Mike Reiss profiles Patriots' strength and conditioning coach Harold Nash, and what impact the lockout has had on him.
• Christopher Price profiles possible free agent fits for the Patriots: C/G Billy Yates.
• Ian Rapoport posts a clip from Tom Brady's Under Armour event showing his reaction to a fan telling him she named her dog after him. (1.04 min. video)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tim Graham (ESPN) Lockout impact on Mallett, other rookie QBs.
• Vic Carucci (NFL.com) Brady, Manning separate themselves from game's best QBs.
• Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports) Pats may not think much of Brandon Tate … yet.
• SportsCenter (ESPN) Tedy Bruschi discusses how rookie quarterbacks are affected by the NFL lockout. Ryan Mallett in the best spot. (3.17 min. video)
• Adam Rank (NFL.com) Pick six: The most vilified teams in the NFL.
• Adam Schein (Fox Sports) 2011 NFL organization rankings.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) League will consider allowing more teams to cover unsold seats.
• John Czarnecki (Fox Sports) 'Steelers Rule' will make NFL too soft.
• Clifton Brown (Sporting News) Dez Bryant not only 2010 first-rounder with plenty to prove.

LABOR LUNACY

• Brad Biggs (Chicago Tribune) Report: NFLPA's Smith met with several influential NFL owners meet secretly near Chicago. 
• Mike Freeman (CBS Sports) The daily shoutout: Hope for progress in labor talks.
• Judy Battista (NY Times) Headed back to court, NFL may gain clarity.
• Hub Arkush (Pro Football Weekly) Radical measures might be only way out of labor mess.
• Jim Trotter (SI) Players face dilemma when picking where to work out during lockout.
• Mike Wilkening (Pro Football Weekly) NFL doing little to help its brand.
• Ron Borges (Pro Football Weekly) Labor dispute growing more painful.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Supplemental draft could be next front in NFL-NFLPA legal battle.
• Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballTalk) Another victim of the lockout: youth football camps.