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Sunday minicamp

FOXBOROUGH –- Patriots coach Bill Belichick held a press conference (11:30 a.m.-noon) and the media had access to the locker room (noon-12:30 p.m.) to kick off the second day of rookie minicamp.

Belichick opened his press conference with the following statement:

“We’re kind of rolling along here, pretty much on the same program we were yesterday, adding some new things, just moving everybody ahead. Fundamentally, it’s the same schedule, the same routine. Another day, turn another page.”

Belichick said following the end of today’s minicamp, the rookies will remain in the area and join the veterans in the offseason program.

When the topic of rookie free agents came up, Belichick noted there is often competition to sign those players after the draft. He said one of the selling points for the Patriots is the fact that a rookie free agent has made the roster in each of the last three years.

“You can go back to the seven years we’ve been here, and we try to play the players who have earned and deserved the opportunity to play, regardless of all the other things that could be listed on a resume, so to speak,” he said. “It’s really based on performance and production. That’s what we try to base our decisions on. I think there is plenty of evidence for that.”

In the locker room, fourth-round draft choice Kareem Brown was one of the players drawing a large media crowd.

The rookies will practice from 1-2 p.m. We’ll plan on passing along some observations after the workout.