Warren on road to be ready for training camp

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots defensive end Ty Warren said today that he expects to be ready for the start of training camp in July after he had double groin surgery this off-season.

Warren went under the knife in January to repair a torn groin muscle on his left side and also had repair work done to the groin on his right side, as well as a procedure to fix a sports hernia injury.

"I'm approaching it like I'm going to be ready, and I think I will be," said Warren, who missed three games with the left groin injury last year and was able to gut out four other games, including the final three of the season, at substantially less than 100 percent.

"I can't really tell you anything outside of what's going to happen today, but I would say so. I'm taking the approach that I'll be able to do some things in mini-camp [in June]. Hopefully, I'm doing something then. Now, to what extent they allow me to do it and say I need to do something that I don't know, but I'm taking that approach. That's just how I feel, that's my thoughts from my mouth. You heard it from the horse's mouth."

The 28-year-old Warren also revealed that in addition to the groin surgeries and the sports hernia he also had a procedure to clean up his right knee in February. The jovial defensive end, who is entering his seventh NFL season, joked that he felt like a car getting a 60,000-mile tune-up with all the work he had done this off-season.

"All in all, despite going through that last year, I've been fortunate," Warren said. "This is the first time I've had to have surgery since college, early college. I've been fortunate. Hopefully, the next time I need another check-up is at 120,000 miles. That would be great."

Warren said that Tuesday was the first time since his surgeries that he was permitted to run on the ground, as opposed to a treadmill.

"The first day running wasn't the best day running, not endurance-wise, but just strength-wise," he said. "But I'm feeling better. I'm definitely feeling better. I'm not taking steps back. When I've done things like run the first time on Tuesday there haven't been any setbacks. I'm on the right track I would say."

Warren is one of just two members of the Patriots' regular defensive line rotation who is signed past this season. The five-year extension he agreed to in 2007 put him under contract through 2013. The Patriots re-signed defensive end Mike Wright to a four-year deal this off-season, but nose tackle Vince Wilfork, right defensive end Richard Seymour, defensive end Jarvis Green, and nose tackle/defensive end Le Kevin Smith are all entering the final year of their contracts.

"We touch on it. Everybody's situation is different," said Warren. "I'm not going to get into the big cliche stuff with you, but I'm just going to tell you that they do talk about it from time to time. Best-case scenario: everybody gets a deal worked out; Reality: that might not happen because you got so many pieces to this team that are going to be looking to get signed as well as they are.

"Selfishly, I'll say yeah, I want everybody to be here, but I understand the business side of it. It happens every year. I hope something and I know they hope something gets worked out when that time comes. We all got to be ready to deal with the reality, whatever that is. No matter their situation, my situation is my situation, so I got to go out there and perform and honor my contract and my responsibilities to this organization. That's what I'm going to continue to do, regardless of what happens because what they eat don't make me [crap], right? But those are good friends of mine."