New England Patriots Links 7/25/12 - A Slimmer, Trimmer Wilfork Excited For Camp

Jeff Howe reports Wilfork didn’t want to divulge any secrets just yet, but let’s just say he’s looking good heading into camp.

"You’re always excited for something you love," Wilfork told me with regard to getting back to work for the start of training camp. "I’m always excited to get back started. I’m pretty sure that’ll go away in a couple days once you start practicing. But it’s here. If you don’t like it, you should get out of the game. I’m always excited to start it up, get it going, see my teammates, and try and start off on the right foot. And I think that’s the goal. Start off, take it day by day, and see where we can go. Get out of camp healthy, hopefully we’ll be healthy coming out of camp, and start the season off right."

Tom E. Curran examines the Running back position at the start of Camp.

Summary: The dependability of BenJarvus Green-Ellis may be missed but the fact he'd become a down-on-first-contact, 3.7 YPC back in 2011 was often overlooked. The Patriots don't have a clear-cut replacement for Green-Ellis but Ridley, Vereen or Addai should bring equal value. Who will be the short-yardage and goal-line back and who can be relied upon for positive yards in clock-milking situations? That's the question. I'd bet on Ridley. He's more solidly built than Vereen and has excellent burst. Vereen is an unknown entity at this level. Whatever Addai brings will be a bonus but he's probably not expected to be the lead guy. Danny Woodhead was the Patriots best offensive player in the Super Bowl aside from Brady. The collection of fullbacks - Fiametta, Kettani and Larsen - is intriguing but I'm not sure yet what wrinkle they address. Keep an eye on Brandon Bolden. He's an undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss like Green-Ellis was. He had a senior year marred by injury but he's 5-11, 222 and a thick, hard runner who has soft hands and can play special teams.

TEAM TALK

• Andy Hart tackles the Ask PFW mailbag: Camp fever!
• Patriots Today - Counting down to camp. (3.44 min. video)
• PFW in Progress - The PFW crew gets us prepared for Pats training camp. (2 hour program)

LOCAL LINKS

• Shalise Manza Young presents 10 questions (and answers) on the Patriots on the team's first day of Training Camp.
• Jim Donaldson says so far the Patriots have given the fans plenty of reasons for optimism.
• The AP reports Bill Belichick's Patriots weren't satisfied with their AFC Championship rings, and have added key players hoping for a Super Bowl return.
• Mike Rodak offers an updated look at the Patriots' current roster, sorted by contract length.
• Greg A. Bedard posts his view of the depth chart heading into Thursday's training camp: Offense and Defense.
• Karen Guregian wonders if we'll see names on the jerseys at training camp or if the Pats will stick to the anonymous look.
• Mike Reiss isn't taking Tom Brady for granted.
• Mike Reiss notes he'll be keeping his eye on lesser-known draft pick Tavon Wilson when camp opens. (1.13 min. video)
• Luke Hughes reports the addition of Visanthe Shianco will add TE depth behind Rob Gronkowski.
• ESPN Boston reports the Patriots and TE Visanthe Shiancoe agreed to terms on a one-year deal.
• Jeff Howe notes Dan Koppen and Dan Connolly each have their sights set on being the starting center, the only O-line position up for grabs.
• Jeff Howe details the head-to-head matchup between Centers Dan Koppen and Dan Connolly.
• Christopher Price takes a quick look at how each position shakes out at the start of camp: Wide Receiver.
• Mike Reiss answers his weekly Patriots mailbag: Can we expect a better sub defense this season?
• Jeff Howe Patriots Notebook: Joseph Addai is the latest veteran RB to get a chance on the committee; TE Visanthe Shiancoe reportedly agreed to a contract with the team yesterday, after lowering his financial demands; The full team is expected to report for training camp today, move into the hotel, take their physicals and run the conditioning test, but they can't practice until tomorrow.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Analyst Debate (NFL.com) Jermaine Cunningham, Vincent Brown head breakout candidates.
• Herm Edwards (ESPN) 'Jets, Bills could threaten Patriots'. (1 min. video)
• Peter King (SI) MMQB Tuesday Edition - Ten storylines that will have my attention during my camp tour.
• Andrew Brandt (ESPN) Five truths about training camp.
• Nate Davis (USA Today) 10 burning questions as NFL training camps get underway.
• Clifton Brown (Sporting News) AFC training camp story lines: Peyton Manning commands most attention.
• Jeff Darlington (NFL.com) Training camp: 42 reasons to love this roster-shaping process.
• Ashley Fox (ESPN) Key questions for training camps.
• John Clayton (ESPN) Smaller window for position battles.
• Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) My training camp advice for rookies.
• Brian McIntyre (NFL.com) NFL draft picks mostly signed; 13 deals remain undone.
• Mike Pereira (Fox Sports) Labor dispute risks integrity of game.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Could referee lockout result in player strike?
• Joe Fortenbaugh (Nat'l Football Post) How turnover differentials can predict the future.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Mark Murphy drives another nail in the coffin of the 18-game season.
• Eric Edholm (Pro Football Weekly) Penn State discipline becomes NFL's warning shot.