Six players were not on the field at the start: CB Ras-I Dowling (right quadriceps), safety Steve Gregory (hip), rookie RB Brandon Bolden (left knee), linebacker/co-captain Jerod Mayo (left shoulder or elbow), linebacker Tracy White (left foot), and defensive end Trevor Scott (hamstring).

Left guard/co-captain Logan Mankins (hip/calf) and right guard Dan Connolly (illness), neither of whom played against the Jets (Connolly was in for the first series, then left, actually), were both on the practice field.

Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe is practicing again as well after starting the year on injured reserve/designated for return. He is not eligible to play, however, until after Week 8, at the earliest. "I'm excited, man. I'm excited to get out there, you know," Shiancoe told reporters just before practice, "but I'll be even more excited to play. Can't wait for that."

TE Aaron Hernandez spent the entire media portion of practice riding a stationary bike on the sideline between the practice fields.

White was seen walking through the Patriots locker room before practice. He appeared to move with no limitations and was not wearing any medical devices on his injured foot. It's worth noting, though, that linebacker Mike Rivera was seen in the locker room this week. He apparently was brought back for a workout, but has not been signed. He was with New England from the end of last season through this offseason and training camp. Rivera actually made the opening day roster, but was later released. He spent time with Miami briefly before being let go from there, too.

Wide receiver Julian Edelman spoke for a few minutes before practice, his first public remarks since returning from a left hand injury. Edelman played last week against the Jets after missing three and a half games. "It's good. Getting back in the routine of things. Getting out there and preparing with your teammates, it's always a fun thing," said Edelman.

He hurt himself after catching a touchdown pass at the end of the first half against Baltimore, but Edelman insisted he wasn't sure exactly how he injured himself, whether it was the catch or subsequent celebration. Edelman, who has missed games with injuries each of this four seasons in the NFL, also maintained that he didn't waste time dwelling on his injury.

"I mean, it's something I can't control," he continued. "If I get frustrated on that, I'm thinking about the wrong things. It's part of the game. It's unfortunate sometimes, but when you get knocked off the horse, you've got to get back on. I kept my shape up. Usually, that's the thing when you get injured, you get out of shape, but it was something I could deal with to stay in shape."

Black jerseys were awarded to five practice players of last week, following the victory over New York. Edelman was among them. The other four were rookie defensive linemen Jake Bequette, Justin Francis, and practice squader Marcus Forston, as well as practice squad receiver Greg Salas.

Devin McCourty was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown against the Jets last Sunday. That was the second-longest kickoff for a touchdown in Patriots history, surpassed only by Ellis Hobbs' 108-yard effort (also against the Jets) in 2007.

UPDATE… 4:15 p.m.

Mayo is dealing with both an elbow issue and an illness. He did not practice at all today, nor did the other five mentioned above.

WR Brandon Lloyd was added to the injury report with a knee problem. He was limited in his activity at today's practice, along with 11 other Patriots: DL Ron Brace (back), S Patrick Chung (shoulder, injured at Seattle), WR Julian Edelman (left hand), tight ends Rob Gronkowski (hip) and Aaron Hernandez (right ankle),  rookie LB Dont'a Hightower (left hamstring), left guard Logan Mankins (calf/hip), OL Nick McDonald (right shoulder), CB Sterling Moore (knee), RT Sebastian Vollmer (back), and WR Wes Welker (ankle).

Defensive tackle Kyle Love (knee) took part in full.

Over in London, the Rams listed  just seven players, five of whom did not practice at all today:  rookie WR Chris Givens (illness), starting left tackle Wayne Hunter (back), backup tackle Roger Saffold (knee), backup linebacker Mario Haggan (thigh), and backup defensive end Eugene Sims (knee).

Starting WR Danny Amendola (shoulder) was limited in his first practice in weeks. Rookie defensive tackle Matt Conrath (knee) was also limited.