Jerome Solomon of The Boston Globe reports on Rodney Harrison's experimentation with refereeing. After newspapers mentioned Harrison's internship at NFL Europe training camp throughout the week, the hard-hitting safety checked in with the local media on a conference call yesterday afternoon. "It is kind of one of those things where, once you actually get on the field, you'll know if you want to do it, and I know that this is definitely something that I would want to pursue," Harrison said yesterday. There is a precedent for Harrison's dabbling, as Solomon notes the story of NFL referee Steve Freeman, who spent more than 12 seasons as a safety for the Bills and Vikings before donning the stripes. Alan Greenberg of The Hartford Courant also details Rodney’s adventure.
Solomon also reports the Patriots resigned offensive lineman Stephen Neal, who was a restricted free agent. If you read anything on Neal throughout the season, you know he was a NCAA wrestling champion at Cal-State Bakersfield, and did not play football in college. After overcoming injuries early in his stint with New England, Neal grasped the game he had been away from since high school, and worked his way into the Patriots starting lineup.
Michael Felger of The Boston Herald reports the Patriots had wide receiver Tim Dwight in for a visit yesterday. Dwight is one of the NFL's fastest players, and has excelled as a kick returner throughout his career. Dwight, who played for San Diego last season, has been hampered by injuries lately, but could provide the Patriots with some much-needed depth at the wide receiver position.
Finally, Jonathan Comey of The Standard Times extends his disapproving opinion of the offensive coordinator situation in New England. "I'm sure [Bill Belichick would] be a brilliant playcaller, but head coaches just shouldn't be filling that role. He needs to find a way to keep being the great head coach he is while delegating to people he can trust," writes Comey.
