Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe writes that the middle linebacker core appears to be set with veterans Tedy Bruschi and Monty Beisel as the starters. "I really haven't gotten to play with Monty a lot," said the 33-year-old Bruschi, now in his 11th season. "I'm looking forward to developing that chemistry with him this year, and we've had the minicamps and the offseason to try to do that. I think we're going to be a good team inside."

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe and John Tomase of the Boston Herald report that quarterback Tom Brady missed his third practice in a row. Coach Bill Belichick didn't specify why Brady hasn't practiced. He said each player has a particular practice routine, which could call for days off, and added that there is also a group of players who are day-to-day because of injuries. Matt Cassel filled in for Brady's duties. Reiss and Tomase both offer practice notes.

Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald offers a story on backup quarterback Matt Cassel. No longer a novelty, Cassel has a chance to play a significant role with the Patriots as the primary backup to Tom Brady. "I can't worry about who they're going to bring in," Cassel said. "Coach Belichick always says players make the decisions, whether they end up No. 1 or No. 2. That's kind of the approach that I'm taking, and I'm going in there with the intent to be the No. 2 guy and I can't worry if there are other people out there. I think I've made a lot of progress up to this point. The coaches make the ultimate decision. All I can do is go out and play and hope it falls that way."

Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald also offers an article on linebacker Eric Alexander,who has a chance to earn a spot on the Patriots' roster this season after spending most of the last two years on the practice squad. "My goal," Alexander said yesterday, "is just to get on the active roster, whether it's in a special teams role or wherever I fit in. If I play on defense, that's great, that's terrific. I'm old school. I just want to play."

John Tomase of the Boston Herald writes that a winning attitude is key to cornerback Ellis Hobbs emergence as starting corner and one of the leaders of the Patriots secondary. Hobbs considers the ability to forget one of his greatest attributes. He learns from his experiences but doesn't obsess about the results. That should come in handy this season, as Hobbs projects to be the team's No. 1 corner. "The wide receivers get paid, too," Hobbs said. "You've got to have a short memory out there as a defensive back. I believe that's an edge for me. I'm that type of very aggressive guy where things might go wrong, but I'm never going to let it get me down. I'm going to move on to the next play, whether it's good or bad."

Tom Curran of the Providence Journal writes that third-year nose tackle Vince Wilfork knows he still has room to improve, and he's doing everything in his power to do so. Wilfork admitted he had a poor start to the 2005 season and said last fall he'd learned more about football when he and the Pats defense were struggling than he ever did when it came so easily. raved about the tempo and intensity of the first six practices of training camp. "Everybody got better today," he said. "Both sides of the ball. Great practice. We came out and were physical at the line of scrimmage, which is something Coach demands of us this year -- being physical up front offensively and defensively. We're going to be a tough football team. Right now in camp, everybody's hurting, and right now we're giving it our all. But it's going to pay off down the line."

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe offers his blog with Patriots notes and quotes. Also, check out Reiss's latest Patriots mailbag where he answers your Patriots questions. The Providence Journal also offers a Patriots blog and offers comment and notes from Training Camp.