On one of the hottest days of the summer here in New England, the 26th and penultimate practice of Patriots training camp 2009 was a walkthrough. Players walked, and in some cases ran, through their paces in shorts, t-shirts, and ball caps.

After practice, which lasted about 90 minutes, several players spoke to the media, including DL Richard Seymour. While he said he's glad that the two-a-day schedule of camp has come to a close, Seymour believes the grind of these summer practices is a necessary evil.

"There's still a lot of work to be done. We're still trying to refine our game. We haven't even gotten close to the first regular season game yet. We're still knocking the rust off and getting in shape to set the foundation for the regular season.

"I definitely feel like we have a lot of talent," Seymour added. "Now is the time to work on our individual techniques, because during the season, we're so busy game-planning, so busy focusing in on our opponents, that we really don't have the time to work on fundamentals as much as we do in camp. If we put that work in now, it'll definitely pay off in the regular season."

Practice notes

As is the norm with walkthrough practices, every player made an appearance, including PUP lister Mark LeVoirand rookie o-lineman Rich Ohrnberger, who was last seen being carted off the field Sunday for heat-related problems.

WR Wes Welker, who's been absent the past few practices and even the Philadelphia game, took part in practice as more than an observer. He was involved in some of the team's passing game work and after practice expressed hope that he'd be able to go in this Thursday's preseason home opener against the Bengals.

The final practice of training camp is scheduled for 3:45 this afternoon. Head coach Bill Belichick, during his midday press conference, explained that this marks the "unofficial" transition from a training camp-style week of practice into more of a regular season mode.