Thomas in the fold

At first it seemed like a big problem, until it did not happen.

This was the case during the weekend, when the Patriots did not initially include Demaryius Thomas in their list of 53 players. However, various reports indicated that Thomas's time with the team was not necessarily over and that one day later he was back on the training ground with his teammates.

"He knows what it takes to be successful in this league in Year 10," safety Monday told Devin McCourty. "It's fun to watch him work. We were drafted the same year. We always played tough games when he was in Denver against him. He just came in, does not care about what he did in the past, he just worked and I think it paid off. "

In a move that surprised no one, Adam Schefter of ESPN tweeted Monday morning that Thomas had signed again with the Patriots. Shortly after Schefter's tweet informing everyone that the first rookie choice, N'Keal Harry, has been placed on the casualty pool while dealing with an ankle problem. Schefter added that the Patriots were waiting for Harry to play this season, but that the first eventuality would be the 9th week in Baltimore.

As for Thomas, the veteran opened the training camp on PUP before being activated after the Carolina match in the third week. After taking part in two training sessions, he joined Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon in training during the defeat against the Giants in the fourth week. He opened his eyes by catching seven passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns, although facing a less than brilliant competition.

Whatever the case may be, the fact that Thomas was healthy enough to compete at this level was an asset and allowed Bill Belichick to keep him in the receivers rotation to start the season. On Sunday, the coach discussed the difficulties of evaluating the position because of injuries sustained this summer.

"The whole situation of the recipients has been difficult throughout the camp with the limited availability of some players," he said. "I would say most players have been limited at one time or another. So we just have to use the information we have and do our best with it. We will have to see how it goes. "

For Harry, it's not a great way to start his rookie season. He was starting to slow down his camping activities when he started playing more regularly during training. He then appeared to have injured the hamstring during a joint training session in Detroit, but he was still ready and playing in the first game against the Lions a few days later.

He was impressed by his limited service, catching the two passes sent before coming down from the field after only three clicks. Various reports have linked his ankle injury, but no matter, it was the last time we saw him during the pre-season because he had been relegated to rehab work over the past three years. last weeks.

Now, his first regular season in the NFL will be reduced to a minimum in two, which will delay his early development.

"We think all players benefit from the practice, otherwise it would be useless to do it," said Belichick to the question about Harry's progress. "So these are opportunities. Each player missed one moment or another for any reason. It's something we deal with all the time. It's very rare in the National Football League that all players on your team are 100% healthy, which makes a bit of the rest of the NFL. All teams in the league suffer the same thing.

"He's definitely better. I mean, all our injured players are better. All the guys who have been dealing with things are getting better. Where are they exactly? Some of them did not participate in Sunday's game without training on Friday. We did not practice [Saturday]so some of these guys we have not seen on the ground in a few days. We will see where they are. "

All players, including Thomas, were spotted during the media portion of Monday's training. Some additional names could possibly be added to the training team as number 96 lockers, Gerri Green and Najee Toran were seen. The team has yet to announce a change after appointing eight members to practice Sunday.

Tom Brady was filmed during the preparatory session against the Giants in the final against the Giants on Thursday. On Monday, Winovich was asked about the talents of his new hairdresser.

"I think a lot of people would pay a lot of money to have Tom as a hairdresser," said Winovich with a smile. "Fortunately, I had this option, so I'll leave it there. In the margins, it was cool. I have to watch the Patriots on the sidelines while having my hair cut by To Brady. It was an experience for sure.

In the meantime, Winovich is eager to begin his first season in the NFL.

"I'm worried in a way, but at the same time, I've been doing it for so long at this point. I am confident in my preparation and I look forward to fulfilling the role I could have on Sunday. ," he said.