--Former Patriots employee Matt Walsh has certified in writing that he turned over all relevant videotapes in his possession to the NFL -- the St. Louis Rams walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI is not among them. Walsh certified in writing that he's turning over eight stolen tapes, from 2000-2002. The tapes are reportedly of the opposing team's defensive signals, a violation the Patriots and Bill Belichick confessed to Commissioner Roger Goodell last year.
--Third-round draft choice Shawn Crable, a 6-5, 243-pound linebacker from Michigan, was asked for his first impression of the New England Patriots. "I look at the Patriot logo, and there's a lot of history there. I'm just trying to be a part of it," he answered.
Perhaps he already feels at home, thanks to fellow Michigan alumnus Tom Brady, who's back at Gillette Stadium working out.
"I talked to Tom yesterday and today," Crable revealed. "Obviously, I'm from Michigan, so he talked to me and joked around a little. He's a good guy. He was in the training room, just got done working out. He just gave me some advice about what to expect [here in New England] and how to handle myself, take care of my body when I get aches and pains, and other things he's learned in his years in the NFL."
Crable also voiced excitement in anticipation of meeting and working with such Pats veteran linebackers as Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas.
--LB Gary Guyton, a 6-3, 242-pound free agent out of Georgia Tech, played both the inside and outside linebacker spots on defense during camp. Like the other rookies, Guyton said afterward that he's just going to play "wherever the coaches say." Guyton, by the way, is a distant cousin of former Patriots safety Myron Guyton.
--Patriots special assistant/secondary coach Dom Capers made his New England debut at minicamp, spending much of his time working with impressive second-round pick Terrence Wheatley.
"It's good to have him," coach Bill Belichick said of Capers. "I think Dom is a good fundamental coach and this is kind of a fundamental weekend. I think that's certainly coming out. He's got a lot of great experience. Just watching him coach, fundamentally, it's good. It's good to have him. It's a good addition."
--Two players the Patriots had in for tryouts -- punter Mike Dragosavich and tight end Tyson DeVree - were signed by the team to undisclosed contracts.
--The Patriots signed second-year nose tackle Steve Fifita and waived rookie offensive tackle Josh Coffman and rookie defensive lineman Carlos Feliciano.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"One of the things we try to do this weekend (at rookie mini-camp), and would highly recommend it to you and your programs based on my own personal experiences, we just really try to lay it out in terms of what we expect from the player." -- Coach Bill Belichick on what he expects from his players at rookie minicamp.
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