LB Mike Vrabelwas removed the PUP list yesterday and attended his first practice of the season. The 12-year veteran is coming off a Pro-Bowl season and is happy to be playing again.
“It feels real good just getting in a little work like today, and starting to move forward is a big plus for me,” Vrabel said to the Boston Herald. "I expect to play every time Bill (Belichick) puts me in there, and if Bill wants to put me in there, I'll play.
The offensive line was one of the strongest units on the Patriots team last year but they ended the year on a bad note. The line that returns three pro-bowlers is trying to return to form this year. The *Boston Globe *reports on the injuries that have been slowing down this process.
The Patriots first preseason game will be played and Gillette Stadium Thursday night and for the rookies, it will be their first taste of an NFL Game. LB Adalius Thomas remembers what it was like his first time as a rookie: “The game was so much faster, you can’t even imagine,” Thomas told the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.
Thomas also offered up a little advice for the rookies, telling them "If they calm down and just let the game come to them, they'll be alright."
Finally, rookie LB Jerod Mayohas had a lot to learn since coming to the Patriots. He is making the switch from a middle linebacker in the 4-3 to an indside linebacker in the 3-4. Through this change Mayo has relied on the help of LB Tedy Bruschi, a player that knows what it is like to change positions, as he went from a defensive end to linebacker after coming to the Patriots.
"Chris Slade helped me a lot. Willie McGinest. Those are two guys I leaned on. Those are two guys whose pads I carried off the field," Bruschi said to USATODAY.com, referring to the tradition of rookies hauling their mentors' equipment in from the practice field. "That really broke me in. I tell those guys that 13 years ago I was doing that too."
