History is on curriculum

Tippett will never be forgotten man

FOXBOROUGH - Rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo admitted he didn't know who Andre Tippett was before he joined the Patriots. With Tippett, the franchise's all-time leader in sacks with 100, set to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, today, that won't be a problem for future Patriots rookies.

Starting this year, it became mandatory for all rookies to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The NFL adopted the idea after former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, who was inducted last year, suggested it to commissioner Roger Goodell.

Tippett said he loves the idea, and that all players who enter the league should have both a sense of and an appreciation for those who came before them.

"For me, I just think that we are in an era of people that don't really appreciate the history as much as they should, and I might be wrong," said the legendary Patriots linebacker, who first visited the Hall in 1986, when the Patriots faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game.

"Sometimes I joke with players and ask young guys, 'Do you know who Raymond Berry is? Do you know who [Vince ] Lombardi is? Do you know who Charley Taylor is?' Guys will say to me, 'Who?' "

Rookie cornerback Terrence Wheatley said visiting the Hall of Fame was an enlightening experience.

"You hear some of the stories that have gone on, some of the trials and tribulations that they had to go through," said Wheatley.

"A lot of guys don't really understand, and I think it was good for the rookies to go there."

Tippett, who will go into the Hall of Fame alongside defensive end Fred Dean, cornerback Darrell Green, wide receiver Art Monk, cornerback Emmitt Thomas, and offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman, said everybody who comes into the league should understand what it means to be an NFL player.

"For guys that come into the league to not have some kind of understanding other than the fact that I am getting paid a lot of money, you're doing yourself a disservice," said Tippett.

"You really, truly should understand the people that have come before you."

A return man?

According to a league source, wide receiver Wes Welker could join the Patriots at practice as soon as today. Welker opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list with an undisclosed injury, and would have to be removed from it to practice.

The source said Welker, who did not suit up for practice during the Patriots' minicamp in June, has been sidelined because of a groin injury.

Welker made a big splash in his first season with the Patriots, setting a franchise record for receptions with 112, which also tied for tops in the NFL last season. He also recorded career highs with 1,175 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.

First things first

Bill Belichick said preparations for the Patriots' first exhibition game, at Gillette Stadium Thursday against the Ravens, will begin tomorrow night.

The level of game-planning that goes into the first exhibition game is nowhere near that for a regular-season game, but Belichick said some semblance of a game plan is needed to give the players a chance

"We will prepare the team moderately," said Belichick. "We are playing a lot of people, so we need to prepare more than one player at [a] position because we know that we will play two or three players at each spot. You have to cut your preparation down to being realistic. Instead of playing 60 plays in a game, maybe you only play 20.

"How many plays do you need if you are only going to be in there for 20 plays? You don't need the biggest game plan of the year for guys that are only going to be in there for 15 to 20 plays. You scale it back and adjust."

Kraft honored

Owner Robert Kraft said it was a thrill that Tippett asked him to be his Hall of Fame presenter. "It's just a sports fantasy dream to have someone you watched play ask you to introduce them into the Hall of Fame," said Kraft. "He's given me an honor that you can't buy and you try to earn it in a way. I'm thankful for it. He's one of the most classy guys that's ever come through here." . . . The Patriots had yesterday off. The team will resume practice today at 2:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium. The session is closed to the public.

Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.