New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Thursday that he was not surprised by the absence of starting right guard Brian Waters.
When asked about Waters on Thursday, Belichick said that the situation was similar to that of mandatory minicamp, when Waters was "excused for personal resasons." When asked about a time frame for Waters to return to the Patriots, Belichick said: "We'll take it day to day. There is no long term plan."
When reached by phone on Wednesday, Waters diverted all questions about his status to the team. This marks the third out of three Patriots team activity that Waters has ducked. We was also not present for team OTA's and mandatory minicamp back in June.
The 35-year old Waters started all 16 games for the Patriots last season at right guard this past season. He didn't join the team until early September, and was able to perform at a pro-bowl level throughout the entire course of the season.