… Clouds and some showers throughout the day made for a wet practice field for the Patriots this grey, autumn afternoon. The team shed the full pads and went with shorts, shells, and helmets for today's workout, held down on the single practice field behind Gillette Stadium.

… Left guard Logan Mankins, who missed Wednesday's session with an illness, was back on the field.

… However, for the second Thursday in a row, Albert Haynesworth did not appear. He did not play against Buffalo because of a back injury. Joining him on the absentee list were three others who also didn't attend Wednesday's practice – tackle Sebastian Vollmer (back), tight end Aaron Hernandez (knee), and Mike Wright (concussion).

… Rookie defensive lineman Alex Silvestro was brought back to fill the void left by A.J. Edds departure from the practice squad. Silvestro was with the Patriots during training camp. Edds signed yesterday with Indianapolis.

UPDATE … 4:15 p.m.

The bad back that prevented Haynesworth from playing last Sunday was responsible for his absence again today at practice. According to the official injury/practice participation report, he did not take part at all. Meanwhile, Mankins was limited after returning from his illness. Ten other Patriots were listed as LIMITED as well, including cornerback Kyle Arrington (chest), defensive lineman Shaun Ellis (knee), and cornerback Leigh Bodden (groin). The two corners have different injuries than they were listed as having last week. Ellis is new to the list this week.

The Raiders are a pretty banged-up bunch, too. Starting secondary players Chris Johnson (hamstring) and Michael Huff (concussion) were both DNPs today,as was starting defensive end Matt Shaugnessy (shoulder).