Bill Belichick and the Patriots wrapped up their first practice for the 2012 season Thursday afternoon. As usual, the Patriots coach offered little insight on what to expect from his squad. The Pats endured a two-hour session with around 12,000 fans looking on.
“Welcome to training camp. We’re excited to get started,” Belichick told reporters. “We’ve had some guys here for as much as a week, other guys since Monday. We have a long way to go … one meeting, one day at a time. We have a few players who are in various stages of rehabilitation, so we’ll take those day by day. We’ve had a little bit of roster movement; we don’t have a full roster.”
The Patriots cut running back Joseph Addai Wednesday, then added veteran tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. The team stands at 88 players, two shy of the 90-man roster limit. Starting right guard Brian Waters was excused Thursday for personal reasons.
Wes Welker, who failed to reach a long-term contract with New England in the offseason, was present. The receiver dismissed any notion that he was unhappy. He could be franchised next year.
“I tried, they tried, and it just didn’t work out,” Welker told reporters. “It’s in the past, and we’ve moved on to this season, which we expect to be a good one.”
