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Seymour & practice

FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots are holding their afternoon practice inside the Dana-Farber Field House today and the big news is the presence of DL Richard Seymour.

The five-time Pro Bowler, who opened the year on the physically unable to perform list due to a knee injury, has missed the season's first seven games. With Seymour at the full-pads practice today, that means the Patriots now have up to 21 days to decide whether he will be placed on the active roster or on season-ending injured reserve.

Before practice, safety Rodney Harrison touched on what the return of Seymour would mean to the defense.

"To add a guy who has been a tremendous mainstay on our defensive line, a guy that's very big, physical, strong, can do it all -- rush the passer, stop the run -- just his presence along with his leadership will be tremendous for us," he said. "Of course, I feel like he'll give us a spark, just like when we get any of our guys back."

WR Troy Brown, meanwhile, remains on the physically unable to perform list as he was not present at practice. Brown is recovering from offseason knee surgery.

Players not present for the media-access portion of practice today included:

S Mel Mitchell
S Eugene Wilson
RB Sammy Morris
LB Eric Alexander
TE Benjamin Watson

The media was present for stretching and a few warmup positional drills.