The Patriots practiced at the Colts practice facility on Monday. The afternoon workout took place in full pads as New England began to ramp up preparations for Sunday's big game. New England will not practice on Tuesday, which is the always interesting Media Day that will be held inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
During his late afternoon press conference Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick said that All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski did not practice on Monday. The second-year star is dealing with an ankle injury suffered in the AFC title game against the Ravens. He got off the plane in Indy wearing a walking boot on his left foot. He has not practiced since the game against Baltimore and his status for the Super Bowl remains a question.
Belichick also talked a bit about right tackle Sebastian Vollmer, who's missed the last seven games with a foot injury. In response to a question about Vollmer from a German reporter, Belichick said there is a chance that the third-year tackle could return to action against the Giants.
"Sebastian has gotten a lot better over the last few weeks," Belichick said. "He came out of his cast, I'd say, before the Denver game. And then he practiced last week before the Baltimore game, and I would say he was close, but obviously, he wasn't ready to go, and we didn't activate him. This week, he is further along than where he was before the Denver game. He practiced today, so we will see how the week goes and see how he holds up. But I think there is definitely a possibility. We will just have to see how he tolerates the added work. If he does well, then I will think you will see him. If not, then it will be where it was in Baltimore. I don't know if we will know about that until we put him through the full week of practice. He is definitely making progress, so he is getting there."
