Jerome Solomon of the Boston Globe, *Michael Felger of the *Boston Herald * and Tom Curran of the *Providence Journal all offer a report on quarterback Tom Brady. Brady talked with the media after yesterday's practice in Gillette Stadium and cleared up speculation regarding whether he has sustained an arm injury. Brady cleared up speculation by saying his arm isn't tired, sore, or otherwise distressed. He also followed practice with a 45-minute throwing session in which Deion Branch was the main target. The session entailed throwing passes in the range of 10 to 40 yards. "I feel good about where I'm at throwing the ball. I think Coach wants to give the other guys a look and at the same time it's nice to get a few days off from throwing. It's a long, long season. There's been a few years where my arm hasn't felt very good. A lot of the rest in camp is the precaution of making sure it never gets to a point where you've got to back off in the regular season, because that's not really what you want to do," said Brady.
The buzz around practice yesterday was the new haircuts sported by the rookies. In what is now a yearly hazing ritual rookies Logan Mankins, Nick Kacsur, Andre Torrey, Rhett Kopps and Raymond Ventrone were just a few players forced to sport the horrible haircuts. Matt Light was among the ringleaders of the so-called barbers. Jerome Solomon of the Boston Globe and Tom Curran of the Providence Journal break down the worst hair-cuts.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal reports that Patriots running back Kory Chapman is certainly making a case for himself to be kept on the roster. When asked if Chapman had earned the chance for more Playing time against New Orleans tommorow, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick responded, "That's probably a fair assessment. The more a player gets opportunities and the more he does with them, the more likely he is to get more opportunities in the future. I think Kory did show up well in the game in a number of areas. There were some positive things to work with."
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal offers his daily Patriots blog with team notes and commentary.
Michael Felger of the Boston Herald writes that Patriots quarterback Doug Flutie is set to audition to be the main backup to Tom Brady. Flutie should see plenty of reps in tommorow nights preseason game with the New Orleans Saints. "The adrenaline will be there, and then five seconds later you're playing football, then you have to have focus on what you're doing out there," said Flutie.
Ron Borges of the Boston Globe reports that Patriots linebacker Larry Izzo is organizing a charitable event to benefit the families of soldiers who have lost their lives in the war on terror. The event is Karaoke Night with the Stars and will take place on Oct. 24 at the Avalon dance club on Lansdowne Street in Boston. "We're going to get as many celebrities as we can to come and do it. We'll sell tickets through TicketMaster. You can just buy one to watch or you can purchase a package that will let you sing with a celebrity. A lot of my teammates will be there and, hopefully, other celebrities. We're going to have an auction to go with it," said Izzo.
*USA Today's* "Inside Slant" offers a story on the middle depth of the Patriots defense. The middle of the Patriots defense will be tested early and often over the coming weeks. With inside linebackers who lack experience playing the position in a 3-4 front and a first-year starter at nose tackle, opponents will likely attack the heart of the defense until they are stopped consistently.
