Things look brighter for Light
Patriot's recovery progressing well
FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots left tackle Matt Light arrived at Gillette Stadium at 7 yesterday morning for another workout. He needed no jolt of caffeine to get going, just a reminder of how his 2005 season ended, with a late September leg injury.
''It's been a long time since I've been on the field, so that's motivation," he said. ''It was a rough injury."
And it's been a rough road back to health. Light hoped to return to action late last season, but a setback in his rehab kept him on the sideline.
Seven-plus months after suffering the initial injury, having tossed his crutches aside, he believes he's turned an important corner.
''I'm feeling as good as I possibly can at this point," said Light. ''Not to say everything is perfect, because if you've been playing football for more than a couple years, usually nothing is perfect. But it's coming along really well."
That's good news for the Patriots, who have a solid young nucleus on the offensive line, with four of their top seven players signed to long-term contracts. Light is locked up through 2010, while second-year left guard Logan Mankins (2009), second-year swing tackle Nick Kaczur (2009), and fifth-year guard Stephen Neal (2009) -- who combined for 43 regular-season starts in 2005 -- also have multiple years left on their deals.
Centers Dan Koppen and Russ Hochstein have contracts that expire after 2006, while tackle Brandon Gorin's deal extends through 2007.
''We have a young line, and you hope it stays together," said Light, a second-round pick in 2002 who turns 28 next month. ''There really is something to be said for a group of guys that have had years of experience together. They know what's expected of them, they know what the staff expects of them, and they know the way we do things up here. That's half the battle."
Light's current battle, he joked, is gaining some separation from the team's trainers. He said he's seen too much of head trainer Jim Whalen and strength coach Mike Woicik since painfully crashing to the Heinz Field turf in Pittsburgh.
He had started 63 straight games before the injury.
''This was something that nobody could have seen coming," he said. ''I would have loved to have been back, for the playoffs or even the latter part of the season, but it just didn't happen. There was hope, a lot of hope. But with the way injuries go, even if you gain 50, 60, 70 percent of it back -- and you're just trying to get that last part -- sometimes you can have issues then. You never know how things are going to go."
Light plans to remain in Foxborough throughout the offseason, and said the team is in Phase 2 of ''pretty intense workouts this offseason."
He also has taken note of the team's draft picks and is excited about the possibilities.
''It's kind of like watching all the pieces of the puzzle come together, and you're sitting there saying to yourself, 'That looks pretty good, I can see everything forming,' " he said. ''There are always a lot of could-be's and should-be's, but it does give you some hope.
''Not to say we don't have guys who can get it done now, but we picked up some great guys in the draft, some guys on offense who are hopefully going to come in and make a big impact."
The contracts signed by veteran linebackers Barry Gardner and Jeremy Loyd Monday were both one-year deals, according to figures filed with the NFL Players Association. Gardner's deal is for $710,000, the veteran minimum for a player with eight credited seasons, while Loyd's is for $425,000, the veteran minimum for a player with two credited seasons. Neither player was given a signing bonus. Should they make the final roster, each would count $431,160 against the salary cap. 