Patriots rookies hit ground running at camp

The Patriots welcomed their 2005 rookie class to training camp yesterday along with the team's quarterbacks and veterans who ended the 2004 season on injured reserve.

The first practice is today at Gillette Stadium.

The next few days of workouts will generally mirror the full-squad practices that begin Friday, but they are more instructional. The intensity will pick up when the veterans report.

The rookies, who reported for physicals at 10 a.m., received their first taste of NFL training camp -- a run test.

The traditional conditioning test -- a host of sprints adjusted in yardage by position -- is typically the players' least favorite part of camp.

''Man, if I didn't have to do that, I'd be good," said linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, who won't report until Thursday. ''I don't like running for distance. Give me 5 yards to get around the corner and get to the quarterback. That's all the running distance I need."

The team did not release any information on attendance, but a team source said of those eligible to report, only Logan Mankins, the first-round pick from Fresno State, was not in attendance.

Mankins has yet to agree to a contract, and unsigned players are not allowed to practice with the team.

Some of the veterans scheduled to report won't check in until today, as they were granted a one-day exemption based on points earned from voluntary offseason workouts.

Other veterans -- and the Patriots have had a number of them at the stadium the past few weeks -- are allowed to work out at the team facility, but may not join practices or meetings until the official report date.

The Patriots signed rookie free agent Brandon ''Bam" Childress, a wide receiver. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Childress (5 feet 10 inches, 185 pounds) played at Ohio State from 2001-04, but was not drafted this spring.

Also, the team released defensive tackle Demarco McNeil, who was signed in April.