… Steady, heavy rain forced the Patriots indoors for their first practice of Redskins Week. It was a full-pads session under the sheltering roof of the Dana-Farber Field House.

… Linebacker Brandon Spikes (right knee), right tackle Sebastian Vollmer (back/right foot), and rookie RB Stevan Ridley (unknown) were the only players absent.

… Black jerseys were awarded to the following Practice Players of the Week, following the victory over Indianapolis: backup QB Brian Hoyer, reserve o-lineman Donald Thomas, wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, and three practice squad players – d-lineman Alex Silvestro, DE/OLB Markell Carter, and tight end Garrett Mills.

… New England had an open roster spot on the practice squad after promoting center Nick McDonald for the Colts game. To fill that void, the Patriots signed Dorin Dickerson, a 6-2, 227-pound wide receiver out of the University of Pittsburgh. He was a seventh-round draft choice of the Houston Texans last season, appearing in seven games, mostly on special teams. He was cut by Houston at the end of this preseason and spent a cup of coffee with the Steelers in September. He's been out of work ever since. Dickerson is somewhat stocky for a wide receiver, and, in fact, has some position versatility. He also played tight end and linebacker in college, which may explain in part why the Patriots were inclined to add him at this point in the season. "I'm just trying to settle in at this point," Dickerson said in between meetings prior to practice. "I'm just looking to go out there and practice hard and do what I can … I'm just happy to be here."

… A full injury status update, for both the Patriots and Redskins, will be posted around 4 p.m. here in this blog entry.

… And after a lengthy internal debate among the NFL higher-ups and network TV execs, the Patriots-Broncos game will remain at 4:15 next Sunday and will not be flexed to prime time on NBC.

UPDATE … 4:15 P.M.

… Vollmer and Spikes did not take part at all in today's practice. Neither did Ridley, whose absence was non-injury-related.

… WR Wes Welker (knee) and CB Kyle Arrington (foot) have been added to New England's injury report. They were both LIMITED in their practice activity, as were 10 other Patriots: safety Patrick Chung (right foot), C Dan Connolly (groin), WR/DB/returner Julian Edelman (back), LB Dane Fletcher (right thumb), S James Ihedigbo (shoulder), cornerback Devin McCourty (right shoulder), WR Matthew Slater (shoulder), rookie RB Shane Vereen (hamstring), center Ryan Wendell (calf), and RB Danny Woodhead (abdomen).

… Down in D.C., the Redskins had four players who didn't participate in practice, most notably starting safety LaRon Landry (groin). Seven Skins were LIMITED, including corner DeAngelo Hall (back) and linebacker London Fletcher (ankle).