Seymour in holding pattern

Two Patriots who openly expressed concern about their contract status heading into the season got different responses from the team yesterday.

Defensive end Richard Seymour was placed on the league's reserve/did not report list, while Rodney Harrison is about to have a happy resolution to his contact status according to a league source, though no evidence of any restructuring of the safety's contract had been recorded on the NFL management or NFL Players Association websites.

Harrison's agent, Steve Feldman, said he could not comment on any negotiations, though he indicated his client would be happy when he starts training camp tomorrow.

While the Patriots were not scheduled to report until today, some players, because of injury or other concerns, needed to report earlier. Seymour, who missed the final regular-season game against San Francisco with a knee injury, was inactive for playoff games against Indianapolis and Pittsburgh but played against Philadelphia in the Super Bowl. He did not attend minicamp in June and it was widely assumed he would not report to training camp on time unless his contract, which has two years remaining, was reworked.

Seymour faces fines of up to $6,000 per day if he continues his holdout. The Patriots and Seymour have held contract negotiations, but there's been no information from the team or agent Eugene Parker on the status of those talks.

Meanwhile, the Patriots cut rookie wide receiver Michael McGrew, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent after starting 35 of 46 career games at the University of Virginia. The team also placed receivers Bethel Johnson and Tim Dwight on the preseason physically unable to perform list. Both have foot-related injuries.

Walker reports
Javon Walker showed up at the Green Bay Packers' training camp last night in a surprising twist to his push for a new contract.

''Tell everybody I'm coming in," Walker told a reporter for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at Austin Straubel Airport in Green Bay, Wis.

Walker wouldn't elaborate on whether there had been any change in his contract status. A team official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity confirmed the wide receiver had reported to camp for the veterans' 7 p.m. mandatory meeting.

Walker skipped all the Packers' offseason workouts after hiring agent Drew Rosenhaus to renegotiate his contract, which has two years remaining and calls for him to make $515,000 this season. Last week, Rosenhaus said the Packers informed him that they had no intention of trading Walker, redoing his deal, or even committing to a renegotiation down the road.

Meanwhile, Colts running back Edgerrin James, another Rosenhaus client who'd been threatening to hold out, reported to camp, though in his usual mysterious manner.

Months of speculation about whether the two-time NFL rushing champ would report on time ended shortly after the Colts held their first meeting and officials announced he had arrived.

But instead of driving into the players' parking lot at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., James sneaked into camp undetected for the second straight year. There were no actual sightings by the larger than usual media contingent.

Panthers grab Gardner
The Carolina Panthers may have found a replacement for Muhsin Muhammad, acquiring wide receiver Rod Gardner from the Washington Redskins. The deal is contingent upon Gardner passing a physical today in Charlotte, Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. Carolina did not say what it traded for Gardner. Gardner, 27, who didn't miss a game in any of his four seasons in Washington, making 227 receptions for 2,997 yards and 22 touchdowns. His best season came in 2002 with 71 receptions for 1,006 yards and eight touchdowns . . . Miami Dolphins rookie Manuel Wright, who broke down in tears after he was chewed out by coach Nick Saban Tuesday, missed practice to have his ailing back examined. ''The guy went to the doctor today. They wanted to check his back out," Saban said. ''That's part of the issue. We have a protocol and procedure for how we do things around here and sometimes young players don't understand that." . . . Dolphins guard Jeno James was taken to a South Florida hospital following last night's practice with an undisclosed ailment. James, who started 14 games last season, took part in the two-hour workout and didn't appear to be injured.

Saints sign Fincher
Linebacker Alfred Fincher, New Orleans's third-round draft pick from the University of Connecticut, agreed to a three-year contract. Fincher, an All-Big East Conference selection and former Globe All-Scholastic at Norwood High School, was a three-year starter at UConn and a defensive leader on the 2004 team that went 8-4 and won the Motor City Bowl . . . Steelers owner Dan Rooney confirmed to The Associated Press that tight end Heath Miller, Pittsburgh's first-round pick, has signed with the team. Miller, who played at Virginia, was the 30th player taken in last April's NFL draft. He had 41 catches last season, five for touchdowns, after 70 receptions as a sophomore . . . Other early-round draft choices to sign: Linebacker Barrett Ruud, the 36th overall selection and Tampa Bay's second-round pick from Nebraska; cornerback Justin Miller, a second-round pick, signed with the Jets; second-rounder Kelvin Hayden, a cornerback from Illinois, agreed to a four-year contract with the Colts; and the Eagles agreed to a five-year contract with second-round draft pick Reggie Brown of Georgia, who's expected to challenge for the No. 4 wide receiver role.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.