ESPN Boston reports the rift between head coach Bill Belichick and LB Adalius Thomas started after the first week of the season. "After the Buffalo game, the first game of the year, something happened and I was like ‘I really don’t understand this,'" Thomas said on the "Felger and Massarotti Show" on Boston's 98.5 The Sports Hub. He was surprised by "the way some stuff went down" after only one game and was confused." Thomas added, "Monday through Saturday is for coaches. Sunday has to be for the player. You do adjustments and everything like that, which is great, but at the same time you can't coach every single thing during the game. It's just impossible to do because there are so many things going on. A player can't tell you every single thing that happens in front of him because it happens so fast and there is the next play. You're trying to go to the sidelines trying to recap everything and it's kind of hard to do that." He is under contract to earn $4.9 million in 2010 though it's unknown if he'll be back with the team.

Nolan Nawrocki of *Pro Football Weekly *believes the Patriots will select a wide receiver with the 22nd overall draft pick. Contrary to many analysts that have the team selecting a defender, Nawrocki thinks Notre Dame wide out Golden Tate would be a solid No. 3 receiver.

Said Nawrocki: "Losing No. 3 WR Jabar Gaffney affected the Patriots' offense more than expected, and Tate would have an accelerated learning curve, coming from Charlie Weis' offense." Click here to see his full mock draft.

NESN.com writes Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams praised Bill Belichick Thursday despite Belichick's success against him. "I think the world of Bill Belichick," Williams said to the Boston Globe. "I think he's one of the all-time best coaches. With he and I, there's a respect factor there." Belichick holds a 5-1 record against Williams' teams.