Michael Felger of the *Boston Herald *reports that Tom Brady made a phone call to Steve Young after his hall of fame induction speech Sunday in Canton, Ohio to congratulate him on making it to the hall of fame. Brady also spoke with Dan Marino as well on his induction. Felger reports that Brady was inspired to call Young after watching his speech on ESPN. "I told them what a great honor I felt it was,'' Brady said yesterday. "A great day and a special day. I watched both of their speeches and it was just awesome. Those are the guys you watched growing up, and I loved the way Steve Young played. And I loved Dan Marino, and I still do."
Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe reports that Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith took a few shots at Tyrone Poole on Sirius NFL radio yesterday. Smith claims that Poole spat at him during the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXVII. "There's a lot of people I have respect for," Smith said. "Tyrone Poole, he's not one of them. He's like Nike and I'm like Reebok. I don't talk to him. I got nothing to say to him." Michael Felger of the Boston Herald also offers a similar story.
Michael Felger of the Boston Herald writes that pressure is mounting for Patriots quarterback Rohan Davey to live up to his potential. Davey is currently in a heated battle for the backup quarterback spot with Doug Flutie and also risks the possibility of not being on the Patriots roster at all if fellow quarterback Matt Cassel can show his potential on the field. Tom Curran of the Providence Journal and Jerome Solomon of the Boston Globe also offer similar reports on Davey.
Alan Greenberg of the Hartford Courant offers a behind the scenes look at Patriots director of scouting administration, Nancy Meier, who is the Patriots longest tenured full-time employee. "My whole adult life has happened here," Meier said. "I was just like a fish on a hook. When you're into this kind of business, it's just captivating. I still enjoy every aspect of my job. People think it's just talk, but it isn't."
Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe offers a story on Patriots rookie quarterback Matt Cassel. Cassel has been one of the big surprises this training camp, showing great command of the offense and showcasing great arm strength and good accuracy. The big test will be friday against the Bengals to see how he fares in an actual game as opposed to a practice. Mark Farinella of the Sun Chronicle also writes a similar article.
Eric McHugh of the Patriot Ledger writes that though contract talks between the Patriots and kicker Adam Vinatieri have been quiet, it is still very likely that Vinatieri will remain a Patriots for the long term. McHugh also notes that Vinatieri is currently second on the Patriots all-time scoring list and is within 73 points of tying the mark set by Gino Cappellitti who is current first on the Patriots all-time scoring list.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal offers an article on Patriots second year running back Cedric Cobbs. Cobbs should get plenty of playing time this Friday against Cincinnati as he looks to prove he has smoothed out his game. "He's had a lot more experience now, having been in our system for a year and going through meetings in the offseason, passing camps and mini-camp. That certainly helped. He doesn't have the same type of experience as Kevin Faulk or somebody like that, there's no question about it. How that stacks up against NFL competition, that is what we'll have to see," said Belichick. Curran also reports the Patriots released tight end Matt Brandt one day after they had signed him.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal offers his daily sports blog with Pats notes and commentary.
