Chat leftovers

Our regular Thursday Patriots chat on Boston.com won't be taking place today, as I will be traveling to Philadelphia for the preseason opener.

With this in mind, here are a few leftovers from last week's chat:

From BR: I'm concerned with Tom Brady's knee. Can you describe how his footwork and mobility look when dropping back in the pocket?
Brady's footwork and mobility have been better than I anticipated. He's looked comfortable in practices, and tonight marks the next step in his process, playing against opponents who will pin their ears back and tackle him. Brady sounds mentally prepared for this, now we'll see how it goes physically.

From Dane: What are your thoughts on the opening pre-season game regarding the amount the starters play and areas of interest regarding competition?
Tom Brady's comments about Bill Belichick not treating this like the standard first preseason game caught my attention. I think the top units will play throughout the first quarter and possibly longer. As for top areas of competition, I think the long snapper spot is one of the biggies. I expect to see a lot of rookie Jake Ingram tonight to see how he responds. I'm also interested in the cornerbacks out of the group of Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley and Darius Butler.

From JP: How has Fred Taylor looked? Haven't heard much about him.
Running backs are tough to assess in practice when there isn't live tackling. In terms of still having speed and hitting the hole decisively, he looks solid to me.

From Stephen: What is the status on Richard Seymour and Ty Warren? Ty is such an underrated player and a key run stopper in the 3-4. Will he be 100 percent this season?
Both players returned to practice this week, although it wouldn't surprise me if both are held out of the preseason opener. It looks to me like they'll be ready for opening day. The defensive line is a strength of this defense and Seymour and Warren are a big part of that. I think Seymour is primed for a big year.

From Benny: Can you list the rookies that you think are a lock and the ones on the bubble?
Figuring that WR Brandon Tate and LB Tyrone McKenzie open the year on reserve lists, I'd say that S Pat Chung, DL Ron Brace, CB Darius Butler, OT Sebastian Vollmer, C/G Rich Ohrnberger and WR Julian Edelman are rookie locks. I'd put OT/G George Bussey, LS Jake Ingram, DL Myron Pryor, DL Darryl Richard, QB Brian Hoyer and WR Terrence Nunn on the bubble list.

From Matt: What is your best guess at the injury situation right now?
CB Shawn Springs, LB Tedy Bruschi, LB Paris Lenon, OL George Bussey and DL Mike Wright are players I don't expect to see tonight. They have been held out of practices of late.