Pollard given his release
DeVree brought back for a second chance
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FOXBOROUGH - It was out with the old and in with the new at Gillette Stadium yesterday, as the Patriots released 36-year-old veteran tight end Marcus Pollard and filled his roster spot by signing 23-year-old rookie tight end Tyson DeVree, who returns for a second stint after being released June 11.
Pollard, a veteran of 13 NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts (1995-2004), Detroit Lions (2005-06), and Seattle Seahawks (2007), was signed as a free agent April 23. He was veteran insurance behind Benjamin Watson and David Thomas, who is coming off a season in which he was limited to two games by a broken foot.
Pollard made only two catches for 17 yards in two preseason games, and his role was not what he had envisioned.
"There are still a couple of preseason games left and time before the season opener," coach Bill Belichick said. "I think there are some other teams that are looking for tight ends, and maybe there is a better opportunity for him somewhere else.
"We felt like, in fairness to him and out of respect for Marcus and what he has done in his career - he's had an outstanding career, coming from a small school, and has become a very productive player - he deserved that."
The move left Watson, Thomas, undrafted rookie Jonathan Stupar, journeyman Stephen Spach, who is out with an undisclosed injury, and DeVree, who was originally signed as an undrafted free agent May 5, as the tight ends.
"All the players that are here we are comfortable with to some degree," Belichick said. "On the other hand, there is always room for improvement with everyone. I think with Marcus that it wasn't really going to work out here the way that we had hoped and he had hoped."
DeVree, who finished his collegiate career at Colorado (2006-07) after transferring as a sophomore from Western Michigan, reported yesterday and was at practice, wearing No. 46.
He knows the drills
Not surprisingly, quarterback Tom Brady was among the missing during the portion of practice that was open to the media. Brady, who is nursing a right foot injury, was one of 12 players - not including Stephen Neal and Oliver Ross, who are on the physically unable to perform list - who were not present at the outset of practice.Brady has yet to play in a preseason game, and also didn't practice Friday. However, Belichick said he shouldn't be behind in his preparation.
"With Tom's situation, I would say everything he would probably be doing, he's done before," said Belichick. "It is just a question of fine-tuning it, working on timing and all those kinds of things.
"[These] are the same kinds of conversations we had last year when Randy [ Moss] wasn't out there, so I think that works to his advantage. Some of the practices that he hasn't participated in are still things that he has done before, not new things."
The other players absent from the media portion of practice were Spach, safety Brandon Meriweather, wide receiver Sam Aiken, who suffered a knee injury in the preseason opener, defensive end Le Kevin Smith, running back Kyle Eckel, cornerbacks Jason Webster (hamstring) and Mike Richardson, and offensive linemen Matt Light, Ryan O'Callaghan, Russ Hochstein, and Billy Yates.
Meriweather suffered a leg injury on the first drive of Sunday night's 27-10 loss to Tampa Bay, and Yates suffered a pinched nerve in his neck/shoulder blocking on the opening kickoff of the second half.
Welcome back
The Patriots did get some players back out on the practice field, as safety Rodney Harrison, cornerbacks Jonathan Wilhite and Lewis Sanders, running back LaMont Jordan, and wide receiver Kelley Washington were all spotted.The presence of Harrison, Wilhite, and Sanders was good news for a shorthanded secondary.
Harrison, who started camp on the PUP list and came off July 29, didn't do much during the media portion of the session and was having his left leg stretched. He had been missing from practice since Aug. 3. Wilhite came up clutching his hamstring region following a practice Aug. 4 and had not been seen at practice since. Sanders played in the first preseason game Aug. 7 but had not practiced since.
Sanders, who had two passes defended against the Ravens, said he didn't think his injury, which he didn't detail, would set him back in the cornerback competition.
"Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem for me," he said. "I'll just pick up where I left off."
