I’m about to go all Maureen McGovern on your asses with a few lingering thoughts, as the sun comes up across Maine’s western mountains….

The number of passes caught by Patriots wide receivers last night? Three. Before you get all excited about that, Erik Davis and Rich Musinski caught 66% of them.

Again, I maintain that it was a good night for the rookies. Along with the aforementioned Maroney and Mills, it turns out Jeremy Mincey led all Pats in tackles (with 5), and on one play I particularly recall, LeKevin Smith, the d-line hopeful, made a nice penetrating play in the backfield to squelch a Falcon run. I spotted rookies O’Callaghan and Stevenson taking snaps on the offensive front and acquitting themselves well.

The kickers both had reasonable length on their kickoffs and Steven Gostkowski hit his first field goal as a pro, a 34 yarder just inside the right post. In their Amazing Race to succeed Adam Vinatieri, this week was a non-elimination challenge for the rookie and veteran Martin Gramatica.

Asante Samuel got the start at the corner opposite Ellis Hobbs, and made a few plays beyond his end zone pick of Schaub. Atlanta’s Michael Jenkins went up and ripped his touchdown catch away from the diminutive Samuel, who seemed to have good coverage only to be outmuscled in the end. Eugene Wilson briefly handled mop-up duty after getting a ton of work at CB over the previous two weeks. Moral of the story: I have no idea what the hell is going on at cornerback.

Okay, so who is Patrick Cobbs? I don’t care if he ever does anything else, that 57 yard TD off a screen play was as enjoyable as a first pre-season game gets. I love how he accelerated out of the grasp of a trailing Atlanta defender who seemed sure to catch him from behind. This Bud’s for you, Patrick.

Cassel finally came to life with a 77 yard touchdown drive to open the fourth quarter, hitting both Cobbs and Garrett Mills on nice sit-down routes against an Atlanta zone, before going to his right to hit (in stride) a streaking Mills for 31 yards to the Atlanta 1. Heath Evans followed with an easy TD run to draw the Pats to within 3, but my memory of this drive will be Mills’ sprint and stretch for the goal line. He looked like a real player on that one.

The good times for the offense continued after a brief Atlanta possession and punt to the New England 8. Cassel drove the Pats 80 yards, keyed by a 17 yard pass to Mills on 4th and 1 from the Atlanta 46, amd then with 15 yard scramble on 3rd and 11 from the Falcons 30. The offense-heavy draft class had a good night for itself. UDFA Cobbs kept plugging like a good fire hydrant should, and he continued a strong evening for the New England ground game, which netted 160+ on the Falcons. It all set up Gramatica’s tying field goal from 30 yards with a little over two and a half minutes left.

Thanks to Cassel’s resurgance after a slow start, the Patriots defense was barely on the field in the fourth quarter. And it was the best they looked all night. They were fairly well abused throughout the third quarter by a guy named Brian Randall, and rookie runner Jerious Norwood looked like both Jim Brown AND Marshall Faulk against a squishy Pats defense. And when DJ Shockley got the ball for the game’s final possession, he drove the Falcons almost 60 yards as we suspected he would.

They didn’t hold the point of attack (they were worse than the Falcons, giving up almost 200 on the ground), they didn’t rush the passer, they didn’t cover, and on the rare occasions they had the chance, they didn’t tackle anybody. Now, we’re talking about a group of guys competing for the final spots on the roster for the most part, but still, they stunk. As a result, Michael Koenen, who is like Superman against the Patriots, stroked his fourth field goal of the night as time expired. I’m guessing we hear a little bit of handwringing about the defense this week. They probably deserve a little.

You know what else is rockin’ about the Bethel Inn? That Golden Tee 2005 video game in the tavern. I may need that tomorrow night.

We’re bloggin’ live from the Bethel Inn and Country Club as we await my bride’s twentieth high school reunion tomorrow night. If you’re already laughing about how generally uncomfortable I’ll be twenty-four hours from now, two words: shut up.

This place is fantastic, though. We’re watching the Pats in a nice room warmed by an exquisite gas fireplace, shortly after finishing 9 holes of golf (don’t ask) and hitting the pub for a couple of Geary’s seasonals. Damn it feels good to be a gangsta.

And football too. And wireless Internet access. Is this heaven?

Look, these games don’t matter, so who cares what the score is or how it got there. Both teams played their starters for a series and got the hell out of Dodge. Tom Brady had one series and drove the team 75 yards before settling for a Martin Gramatica field goal. The defense opened the season by allowing a scoring drive to Mike Vick, who passed for one first down and ran for another. Early on, the game was left the the backups and newbies, which is what makes these things interesting.

Laurence Maroney…..WOW. It’s going to get ridiculous this week with the rookie. He was pretty freaking impressive with both the first team and second units. He broke a shotgun 27 yard run on a 3rd and 17, setting up Gramatica’s three. He finished the half with 66 yards on 9 carries, and could break a hundred with some second half carries. He mixed burst with a hard nose, and I probably liked his 3 yard runs as much as anything. I like a guy that takes what they give him. While we’re on the subject, though, I didn’t think Corey Dillon looked bad, either.

Matt Cassel hasn’t been impressive. He doesn’t seem comfortable in the pocket especially. He hasn’t stepped into to too many throws, and he flat missed Bam Childress on what could have been a sizeable gain on a seond quarter drive. And he got raked by Patrick Kearney for a fumble that set up the Falcons touchdown (a sharp pitch and catch by Matt Schaub and Michael Jenkins). Blah.

Reche Caldwell caught a 7 yard pass, but on Brady’s drive, he let a sure touchdown pass bounce off his hands. The throw was there (immaculate by Brady), the route was there (a nice slant that gained inside position); alas, the catch was not.

Let me tell you, Willie Andrews sure looks like a good man with the punts to me. Poised, sure-handed, and aggressive. He’s averaging 16 yards on two returns. And later, he downed a Josh Miller punt inside the Atlanta 10. This is what fringe guys are supposed to do; make us believe.

The first team defense allowed a score in its one drive, and the second team defense is allowing Matt Schaub to do what he does best: ring up points on the Pats. Everytime I saw Monty Beisel, he was getting shoved around. The most impressive defensive plays of the half were by Asante Samuel (a heady pick of a short Schaub lob to the end zone, after a long Falcon drive), and a Pierre Woods sack of Schaub over former Patriot Fred McCrary.

They’re kicking off the second half; talk to you after the game.

Well, after two weeks of training camp and constant visits to Reiss’ Pieces for the latest observations on the team, we’re finally going to get a chance to see the newest edition of the Patriots with our own eyes.

Last week’s “McLaughlin Group” style was fun and I have no doubts we’ll do more of that format, but this week Scott couldn’t put it together because of some silly thing called work. Bah. What’s more important than talking Patriots football? Nothing. I’ll need to have a talk with him about his priorities. In the meantime, here are some issues from the week that warrant further discussion.

Monday saw several key Patriots hit the practice field for the first time in camp. Rodney Harrison and Richard Seymour chief among them. Getting these guys back was a huge boost for the team and the fan base. I’m not sure though, what I enjoyed more, having these guys back, or the fact that everyone in the media was so concerned about pinning down the day that Seymour would return that they completely missed the boat on all the other guys. Thoughts on this, and the returning players?

Scott: I can’t say much - last week, I said the Patriots “will likely be without bellwether Rodney Harrison to open the season,” for no other reason than I bought the hype hook, line and sinker. Idiotic. As far as the returnees, one word: fan-freaking-tastic. God, this was a good week to be a Patriots fan, with Rodney, Seymour, Dan Koppen, Randall Gay and Daniel Graham all making it back to the field . You can’t overstate what raw nerve Harrison - even a recuperating one - does for the defense’s head and heart, and Koppen fortifies an already solid line group. I’m probably just being ridiculous when I hope for a healthy Randall Gay to make a true Blue difference in the secondary, considering that seemingly, there has rarely been a healthy Randall Gay.

Watch - Gay will now go on a consecutive game streak to rival Cal Ripken.

Greg: I don’t have much thought on the media missing the boat on the returning guys. I suppose everyone did and the Pats are pretty tight lipped. Rodney Harrison was a definite surprise, can’t blame the media there. The bottom line is, having these guys back is great for the Pats obviously. I think its still key for them to get Chad Jackson back practicing and getting game experience and clearly to get Branch into camp as well. Do these things and I like the Pats roster and how camp is progressing. Some tinkering can be done, but they look pretty solid top to bottom to me.

Mike Felger has made a lot of comments here in the second week of camp decrying the Patriots perceived lack of depth, especially at the wide receiver and linebacker position. We’ve been talking this week about this topic, and I know both you Scott and you Greg have thoughts on Felger’s stance. How is he being an idiot?

Scott: I object to Felger’s premise for two reasons. One, it’s not a story, not yet. How can it be a story when training camp is fourteen days old? Did Felger know what Roman Phifer was going to mean to the Patriots over three championship seasons when he first arrived in 2001? Or was he just a ’scrap heap acquisition’ then? And since when are JJ Stokes and Dedric Ward fondly-remembered ‘quality vets’? I don’t remember any flowery pieces on the Pats great depth at receiver when they were here. He’s exaggerating, which is my second objection: let’s not pretend that Felger doesn’t also work in radio, which thrives on just this sort of - ahem - embellishment.

Greg: Felger is engaging in serious revisionist history here. I am unclear where he thinks he is correct.

Lets start in 2001, a Super Bowl winning team. Has he checked the receivers they had in camp that year? If you could transport yourself back to August, 2001, Terry Glenn was suspended and wouldn’t really play a role that year. David Patten was an unknown quantity more so than Reche Caldwell. They had guys who never produced like Charles Johnson, Burt Emmanuel and Torrance Small in camp and expected to produce. Troy Brown was the only legitimate guy, as far as anyone knew, at that point. I’ll take this year’s crew when Deion returns. Much more talented if that happens and Jackson can get on the field.

Maybe Felger forgets, but you had guys like Greg Robinson-Randall and Jace Saylor starting the opening game. Guys like Grant Williams, Riddick Parker and Grey Ruegemer were key backups. He calls this depth? The tight ends were Jermaine Wiggins and Rod Rutledge? Sorry, I’ll take Ben Watson, Daniel Graham and David Thomas over that crew. Running back? Forget it, I’ll take Corey Dillon, Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk over Antowain Smith, J.R. Redmond and Faulk any day of the week. And that 2001 team won the Super Bowl. Where is the depth of the past Felger is pining for?

How about 2003? Well, two of the guys Felger claims were the depth he means, J.J. Stokes and Dedric Ward weren’t even on the roster on opening day in 2003. I don’t know how Felger can claim the depth was obvious to him in August of 2003. Those guys didn’t even play a game for the Pats until November of 2003. Is Felger claiming the Pats can’t make November pick ups this year if they need them?

And what of Dan Koppen? He was a 5th round pick in 2003. Nobody knew he’d produce. The Pats have two second day offensive line picks like him in camp this year, Ryan O’Callaghan and Dan Stevenson. Are we supposed to trust Felger’s personnel evaluation skills that they aren’t Koppens too? I don’t think so. He has no idea just as he had no idea Koppen could fill in in August of 2003?

Someone should ask Felger who the Pats starting nose tackle was on this date in camp in 2003? Ahh, the heck with it, I’ll give him the answer since his memory is apparently failing him. It was a fight between Rick Lyle and Ken Kocher. Ted Washington wouldn’t have been on the team if Felger had held the roster to the same standard the first week of camp he is this year back in 2003. He was traded for just before the regular season. Where is this depth Felger claims existed in early August 2003? In camp 2003, a backup offensive lineman the Pats were counting on, Bill Conaty, got put on IR in camp, and another, Brendan Stai retired. That hasn’t happened this year. The QBs behind Brady? Rohan Davey and Kliff Kingsbury. Sorry, Matt Cassel is better depth. The running backs in 2003? Antowain Smith, Kevin Faulk and Mike Cloud. Again, more depth with Dillon, Maroney and Faulk. Tight end? Please. In 2003 it was Daniel Graham, Christian Fauria and Fred Baxter. Again, that doesn’t compare to Graham, Watson and Thomas. How about linebacker that Felger finds so lacking in 2006? In 2003, Matt Chatham started numerous games for the Pats. Is Barry Gardner that much worse than Matt Chatham? I’d argue he’s better and more experienced. Roman Phifer’s career was nearly over. Perhaps they were deeper at this one position back then. But if the Pats can add a veteran or two before camp ends, just as they added Washington and other players later on in 2003 at other positions, then what’s all the screeching about? At safety where Felger points to having Eugene Wilson as depth when Milloy was released? No one even thought of that until week two of the regular season against Philadelphia. At this point in camp, Wilson WASN’T safety depth and hadn’t played at all there. Whose to say the Pats can’t figure out similar contingency plans in week two at other positions if need be this year? No one should be able to. Unless you are trying to pump up a failing radio station and apparently suffer from amnesia.

The bottom line is Felger is being an idiot. Its too early to say the Pats don’t have depth. History, PATRIOTS RECENT HISTORY, tells us that. Just take a look at past media guides and try to remember what was going on in early August 2001, 2002, 2003, whenever and you’ll see Felger is bringing up issues that just aren’t ripe. And he’s making a fool of himself.

Bruce: Hmm, I think Felger touched a nerve with Greg on this issue. I agree completely. Now before this all gets twisted out of context, I think it’s important to note that no one here is saying that the Patriots positively have great depth this season. The point of all of this is to say that it is way too early to say that the team is lacking in depth. Felger clearly seems to be looking for something to knock the team for, and has decided this is how to do it. Check back in four months and we’ll see if the team depth really is as poor as Felger says it is.

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Randall Gay on the field. Could be be capable of winning the starting CB spot across from Ellis Hobbs and thus pushing Asante Samuel to nickelback? Or are we still of the mind that Eugene Wilson will be playing CB?

Scott: I’m going to stick with my theory that Wilson plays cornerback, though he’s been sneaking back to safety now and again this week. Like I said, I’m skeptical about Gay (not that there’s anything wrong with it) but then again, this is a guy that once played a lot of football in a tough situation for the Patriots, held up his end for the most part, and won a Super Bowl. If he stays upright, he’s got to help, but is he going to be in the first team mix right away? That might be too much to hope for from a guy that missed nearly all of last season. And Samuel’s been piling up interceptions like Paul Krause the last couple of days. I’d say on the whole - too soon to tell. That sounds kind of promising, in its own way. It can’t be as bad as last year.

Greg: Yes, Gay proved in 2004 when healthy he can be a solid starting NFL corner. He has the size and athletic ability and some critical game experience now. I feel this is a distinct possibility, though I don’t necessarily consider Hobbs the lock most do to be a starter either. I think Wilson will be one corner, but who the other one is being fought out between Samuel, Hobbs and Gay.

Bruce: I guess I’m the contrarian here. I just don’t see Wilson being a regular at cornerback. Like I said last week, I think his work there is just for added flexibility, as well as to give the backup safeties more time at that position in camp. I think the coaching staff would love to have Hobbs and Gay as their starting corners with Samuel, Warfield and Chad Scott providing depth. Gay was something of a phenom in his first year with the club, ending up as a starter on a Super Bowl champion after not being drafted out of LSU. The coaches like his ability and intelligence, he’s just got to be able to stay on the field.

How do you feel about the prospect of going into the season with just two quarterbacks on the roster, one of them having very little actual game experience since high school? Is the extra roster spot worth the risk?

Bruce: Brady has to get hurt sometime, doesn’t he? The potential is here for a huge risk. I hate even thinking about it. I would say that the chances might be slim that the doomsday scenario in which Brady goes down comes about, but if it does, are we ready for the Matt Cassel era? As far as an experienced backup…I guess should the worst happen, they can always call over to Natick for some temp help, but I’d prefer that not happen. I’m glad I’m not making this call on whether the rarely-used third QB takes up the roster spot or if it goes to someone who might get on the field a little more often. Denver has done carried only two QB’s in the past, it’s worked OK for them.

Greg: There is a risk. Its not impossible both Brady and Cassel could get hurt in the same game. Even a close game. Maybe a game you have a lead in and just need a third guy who can at least go in and know the plays and maybe throw a screen or two to preserve a win. It wouldn’t be the first time two quarterbacks got hurt in the NFL. But, having said that, the extra roster spot may be worth the risk given the amount of injuries the Pats have suffered at positions such as defensive back and receiver in recent years. Having an extra guy at one of those spots is the type of risk/benefit analysis I am sure Belichick will be wrestling with at the end of camp.

Scott: I’ve just accepted it as a given (I know…those who forget history…). What does that third quarterback get you, anyway? And if Tom Brady goes down, let’s face it, we’re going to want to be entertained. I like what little we’ve seen of Cassel - as far as I’m concerned, he’s got just as much a chance of making a play in that dire situation as any of the guys that the Patriots could have reasonably brought in. If keeping two guys at quarterback allows them to keep a player they can use elsewhere, a player than can contribute every week, then why not? I’m already planning for two kickers and a quartet of tight ends.

If Tedy Bruschi is out, do the Patriots move Mike Vrabel back inside and let Tully Banta-Cain and Chad Brown try to take the outside, do they put Barry Gardner in Bruschi’s spot, or do they play more 4-3?

Scott: They’re still a 3-4 team. I’m not sure what the 4-3 does for this situation - you still don’t have Bruschi in the middle of your defense. So the base stays a 3-4. If Bruschi’s out for an extended period, I would think they may have to move Vrabel inside, which already gives this season a bit of a 2005 vibe. This time, though, Vrabel has the benefit of inside experience, and I’d rather have a heady guy inside helping to direct traffic in that shorthanded situation, and take my chances that Chad Brown can step in for a spell. Who knows about Barry Gardner, though? Its not like the guy hasn’t played in the league. If it’s a short term thing with Tedy, maybe Gardner gets a chance to get off the scrap heap, or even old dependable Don Davis. One thing for sure - the schedule isn’t exactly the killer 05 was, which should help.

Greg: I think they play more 4-3. The one day I was at practice, they seemed to be playing a lot more 4-3 then 3-4. And even when they did play 3-4, Gardner and Beisel, while not ideal, can hold the spot for 2-3 games I believe. Especially considering the first two opponents are weak. Adding a veteran linebacker by trade or the waiver wire before the end of camp is also a possibility.

Bruce: Here, let me do my Glenn Ordway impression: “I’m not sure that the Patriots don’t play BOTH a 3-4 AND a 4-3 while Bruschi is out, I think that it’s entirely possible that they spend some time working in the 3-4 and other times working in the 4-3. As long as they get eight in the box and stuff the run, I’m not sure that things won’t be OK for this team right now.” Actually, I think they stick with the 3-4. I think if they put Vrabel inside for a couple games that Chad Brown or Tully Banta Cain would be able to mount enough of a pass rush on the outside to make the defense effective. As Scott also mentions, the schedule doesn’t seem as tough to open the season either.

Besides Felger, any nominees for Mediot of the week?

Scott: If Alan Greenberg of the Hartford Courant actually used a Patriots head coach press conference to complain about getting scooped on Tedy Bruschi by Mike Reiss, then I guess it would have to be him. But in a late rally, Little Billy Simmons has decided (in his latest ESPN The Magazine column) that the Patriots must return to their red uniforms and Pat Patriot logo, because “I want my childhood back.” Oh for crissakes. I give up.

Greg: I’ll go with Craig Mustard, who apparently expressed a lack of ability and/or desire to discuss football, at all, in August. What is he doing on sports radio then? He has his summers off, if he is a fan, he should be excited by this time of year. If he isn’t a fan, that’s fine. But frankly he shouldn’t be on the air on a sports station.

Bruce: In a similar vein, I heard Mike Adams this week say he was forbidding Patriots talk on his program “because it’s way too early”. Right. The same shows that will talk Red Sox in December and January won’t talk Patriots in August because it’s too early. I think a more likely scenario is that it is much easier for Adams to call Manny Ramirez a bum for four hours than it is to actually know and be able to talk about anything relating to football and the Patriots. As for Greenberg, he might have had a legit gripe about the channels of communication, but by airing his grievances in a public press conference, he showed himself to be only interested in making a spectacle of himself.

So that wraps up another edition of the GDRV roundtable. Be sure to check back this weekend for a wrapup of the Patriots/Falcons game Friday night.

I’ve never hosted a roundtable before. This is kind of exciting.

I suppose when you’re talking roundtables, you’ve got to start with the Algonquin, but permit me to suggest a close second in The McLaughlin Group.

I think that one suits me. I’ll shout out a vague, sometimes unsettling premise and the rest of you - Bruce (Mort Kondracke) Allen and Greg (Jack Germond) Doyle - thrash on it, like sharks feeding on chum.

Then I’ll come in after to point out where you both are fatally wroooooooooong.

Actually, I won’t. The order of our appearance was decided off-stage by a coin flip.

I know what you’re thinking ..what’s this got to do with the Patriots?

Look, Bruce said to write a lead, and this is the best I could come up with. You deal with that kind of pressure. And in this heat? Forget it.

Issue One.. On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 representing impossibility and 10 representing complete metaphysical certitude, what is the chance that Eugene Wilson will be one of the two starting cornerbacks to open the 2006 season? Greg Doyle!

Greg: I will say 8. Wilson has always had the tools to be a top flight corner. He was drafted as a corner. His skills in terms of size, speed, athletic ability, etc. are more suited towards corner. And they have a need there. He has done a fine job at safety for 3 years, but I think this shows they have a lot of confidence in Artrell Hawkins, who is similar but older than Wilson, and must think Rodney Harrison will be back at some point.

Bruce: I’m thinking no greater than 5. The last two seasons have each seen the secondary get decimated with injuries. I see the increased work load at corner by Wilson to be more insurance should that position again become thin. His working at that spot means guys like Hawkins and James Sanders get more work and experience in the preseason at safety, where they will likely be needed at some point as well. I do think that the Patriots would like someone…Warfield, Gay, Chad Scott, to step up and fill the number two cornerback across from Ellis Hobbs. Perhaps it will have to be Wilson, depending on how well the other safeties work out. This would allow Asante Samuel to be just a nickel back, where I think he is better suited.

Scott: Wrong! The correct answer is 9.5. I don’t buy this business about flexibility and versatility, not when your starting free safety has yet (by reports) to take a snap at that position, as he is otherwise occupied as a starting cornerback. Seems like if he was going to be the safety, he’d be back there even at these earliest stages of camp, considering they will likely be without bellwether Rodney Harrison to open the season.

I’d even go so far as to suggest that this move may be a by-product of the team getting outbid on Ty Law. They seemed to make a competitive bid for the former Pat, which would indicate a certain level of intent on New England’s part… is it so outrageous to think that they moved Geno (cool nickname) only when it became evident that they could not get Law? It brings to mind a brief mention in Pro Football Weekly after the Denver playoff loss… one of those “insider” columns mentioned rumblings that the team (in so many words) was dissatisfied with Asante Samuel as a starting corner, and were intent on addressing the alleged “problem” by the time they took the field in 06. I didn’t think much about it then, but I do now.

A quick note to finish - next time we bring up Duane Starks (”They’re not PERFECT!”), let us remember that Artrell Hawkins has become a pretty useful player for a guy nobody wanted. Now it looks like the heady vet has the angle for the starting safety job alongside second-year guy (and Mike Reiss favorite) James Sanders.

Issue Two…Brady Blabs! Bruce Allen!

Bruce: Um…what’s the problem here? The problem with these types of articles (Silver in SI) is that we have to rely on the interpretation of the writer as to what the tone and intentions of the interview subject are. Silver clearly went for sensationalism here, as was evident by the way the article was hyped. (CNN linked the article with this title: “Why Tom Brady is mad at the Patriots.”) In fact, Brady himself stated on Wednesday that the Silver came to him with the statement that Branch wasn’t as good as…and named a bunch of receivers. Brady said that got him fired up and defended his guy. The article alleged that Brady was “Mad as hell” and was very “grumpy” about the situation. If anything, I get the impression that Brady is angry at Deion’s agent for making this a public confrontation with the club, rather than a low key matter like the Seymour holdout last summer.

Scott: I’m usually the first guy to say “shut up” when a Patriot goes on the record with anything but “we play them one week at a time”. No different on Tuesday when word began to surface that SI’s Michael Silver had Brady whacking the tight-fisted Pats (essentially). But it’s obvious now that the reporter and Brady have differing views as to the particulars of their conversation. I don’t imagine it will amount to much, and in the end, it might be a plus in the team-building column. I can’t say for sure, but I would imagine there were a few players in that locker room that noticed when Mr. Untouchable took up for a teammate.

Greg: Much ado about nothing. The comments Brady made were more benign than portrayed by Sports Illustrated and a couple agenda-prone local hacks. Of course he is going to say nice things about Branch and that he wants him here and thinks he’s the best. He’s a teammate and a friend. What’s he supposed to say?

Issue Three….where in the world is Richard Seymour? Scott “Beetle” Benson!

Scott: I’m lousy at geography. Can I say at this point that I don’t care if Richard Seymour is practicing right now? If he’s a little tweaked somewhere, so what? For crying out loud, it’s August 4th. Roll somebody else out there.

Greg: Probably with some minor injury. Is it contract related? Maybe, but with an injury last year, I am willing to guess he would have started on PUP either way.

Bruce: It doesn’t have anything to do with his contract. It appears to be a minor issue with his quad, but it’s not really a major problem right now. There are plenty of young defensive linemen on the roster who need the reps and work in practice. I’m fine with them getting the work, and Seymour getting the rest before the real games start.

Issue Four..He’s the Feel Good Story of Camp 2006! Who is he? Greg Doyle!

Greg: I’ll go with Reche Caldwell. From all reports he is performing well and taking hold of his opportunity. Of course, it’s early. Many an early camp star has faded since I have been watching the Patriots. Still, its encouraging given how there was somewhat a collective yawn at his signing and the fact the Patriots have a need there. Maybe he was just stuck in Marty-ball for a few years and needs a more wide receiver oriented offense to excel. We shall see, but it would certainly be a shot in the arm if he can grab hold of the #2 wide receiver slot.

Bruce: The peril of going second in these groups is what happens when the first guy takes your answer. Isn’t it amazing what happens how good receivers can look when they’re getting passes from Tom Brady? It seems every blog entry we see, there is some mention of Caldwell making a great grab. That’s encouraging. I think fellow receiver John Stone has been opening some eyes as well. A friend of mine went to camp on Tuesday and said the guy who made the biggest impression on him was Matt Shelton, the undrafted receiver from Notre Dame. I don’t think he’s got much of a shot, but I wanted to give a name no one else has mentioned. Other than the receivers, it’s hard to tell who is making a good impression or who is the feel-good story. I like the reports on the Dillon/ Maroney master/pupil relationship thus far. It seems that Corey, while acknowledging that Maroney is the future and is helping the train the rookie, isn’t conceding anything on the field thus far.

Scott: I was all set to wax poetically about Tedy Bruschi’s first full training camp in two years and how it was going to be great for his game and for the defense as a whole, and how he was really re-asserting himself as a team focal point, like his run-ins with rookie Maroney, and how there was no way the Patriots defense gets hammered again this year, not with an all-the-way-back Tedy Bruschi.

And then he broke his goddam wrist.

Issue Five…Mediot of the Week! Bruce “Ivory Tower” Allen!

Bruce: Can’t these guys spread it out a little? So many targets, so little time. There are the little inaccuracies in the Globe, plus Gary Tanguay declaring emphatically on FSN last week that “THIS GUY IS A STIFF” in regards to Reche Caldwell…before the guy had ever had a formal practice with the team. Reche seemed to be the early target this week, as John Tomase made sure to tell us that Caldwell was shoved out of bounds while running a play in which he ended up catching a TD. It was Ellis Hobbs who took Caldwell out of bounds, and even though the receiver recovered to catch a TD, Tomase said this was a bad sign because Caldwell is not considered physical enough. Caldwell has since been earning rave reviews from observers at camp. Then there was Wednesday. Tomase went 1-2 on this day. It appears he was right about Tedy Bruschi’s wrist, and he was wrong about Richard Seymour. Of course, on the radio in the afternoon Tomase’s colleague Michael Felger said Bill Belichick was lying about it. Now what possible reason would Belichick have to lie about Seymour if his absence had to do with his contract extension, as Tomase had claimed? I’ve received separate confirmation that Tomase was in fact WRONG about this, yet, they continue to insist the Patriots coach is lying. Then there is Ron Borges, who eagerly leaped on the Mike Silver SI story, even though it was clearly slanted to read one way, as mentioned above. His fake “mea culpa” over whether Brady is a “team guy” was pretty sad. I think that’s my winner for the week.

Scott: This one’s pretty hard for me because as you know, I’m a great admirer of all the reporters and columnists and broadcast journalists …I’m talking credentialed people… and quite frequently the lone voice defending these fine men and women…in most unfavorable conditions, mind you - on the BSMW message board.

I did get a kick out of Jerome Solomon writing that Adam Vinatieri signed with the Baltimore Colts. But even I will admit that’s a minor mistake, unless you’re Steve Myhra, I guess.

Greg: I’ll go with Pete Sheppard, who perhaps should also be in line for some sort of lifetime achievement award in this area. Pete fielded calls on consecutive days from the same caller lambasting the Pats for not spending to the cap. Although Pete vehemently disagreed that this was a negative, he was unable to state a cogent argument why. And there are plenty of reasons he missed. Instead, he kept disagreeing but displayed no knowledge of how the cap works. The first day Pete insisted the Pats would be at the cap by opening day, which is patently ridiculous considering what stage of the off-season we are at. The second day, he dropped that claim, but still could not explain rationally why the caller was an idiot. Bottom line is, the caller was completely disregarding the effect spending to the cap, which is at a much higher level due to the new CBA than in the past, would have on future seasons. Pete didn’t mention this even once. He did say you don’t spend money just to spend it, but missed the larger explanation. He may have passion for the Patriots, but he lacks much knowledge.

Bye-bye!