Willie Andrews

FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots' banged-up defensive backfield was delivered another knockout punch yesterday when safety Eugene Wilson was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. The Patriots had held out hope that Wilson, an opening-day starter who had missed eight games with a hamstring injury, might return for the final stretch of the season. Instead, the team signed 33-year-old cornerback Ray Mickens to take his spot on the roster. The move should have a trickle-down effect on the receiving corps, which figures to rely more on Troy Brown in the coming weeks.

It's never a good sign when you're an NFL player and you have more offseason arrests (two) than career touchdowns (one). That was the case for Willie Andrews, and now he's no longer an NFL player. The Patriots released Andrews yesterday, one day after the 24-year-old defensive back was arrested after allegedly brandishing a gun at his live-in girlfriend during an early-morning argument at his Mansfield apartment. Andrews was arraigned Monday on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a high-capacity handgun, both felonies.

FOXBOROUGH -- Bill Belichick believes every football season is an independent tale, unrelated to the previous year. According to the Patriots coach, the first two days of New England's rookie minicamp were like Pages 1 and 2 of a novel. Few of the players whose names appeared in the initial pages of a book that has yet to be written -- the Patriots' 2006 season -- will be key characters when the plot thickens. In fact, most of the 31 rookies participating in the three-day camp will be written out of the book before the season begins.

FOXBOROUGH - Willie Andrews's 77-yard kickoff return against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday wasn't an accidental trip to the end zone, a football fluke. It was a strategic strike on par with anything the Patriots' offense or defense has done this season. The Patriots' kickoff return team had planned for Jay Feely's pop kick and when Andrews fielded it along the left sideline, the planning turned into points. "Basically, we worked on that the whole week of practice," said Kelley Washington.

It's never a good sign when you're an NFL player and you have more offseason arrests (two) than career touchdowns (one). That was the case for Willie Andrews, and now he's no longer an NFL player. The Patriots released Andrews yesterday, one day after the 24-year-old defensive back was arrested after allegedly brandishing a gun at his live-in girlfriend during an early-morning argument at his Mansfield apartment. Andrews was arraigned Monday on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a high-capacity handgun, both felonies.

FOXBOROUGH - Willie Andrews's 77-yard kickoff return against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday wasn't an accidental trip to the end zone, a football fluke. It was a strategic strike on par with anything the Patriots' offense or defense has done this season. The Patriots' kickoff return team had planned for Jay Feely's pop kick and when Andrews fielded it along the left sideline, the planning turned into points. "Basically, we worked on that the whole week of practice," said Kelley Washington.

ATLANTA -- Were he still around and at the Patriots' first exhibition game last night, Sir Francis Bacon might rethink that knowledge is a power thing. Remember a year ago, when Matt Cassel, a player who knew the playbook like the back of somebody else's hand, shined as the Patriots beat Cincinnati? Well, a year of study, and the Patriots backup quarterback didn't seem to show much improvement. Cassel had an up-and-down night, as the Patriots fell to Atlanta, 26-23 at the Georgia Dome, thanks to a 40-yard Michael Koenen field goal on the last play.

Willie Andrews has been released. Of course. He's Willie Andrews. Adam "Pacman" Jones has been given another chance. Of course. He's Adam "Pacman" Jones. In matters of discipline, talent doesn't speak. It bellows. There's nothing new in all this. Seldom does honor trump pragmatism in the world of professional sports. Did I say "professional"? Make that sports, period. The late and truly great Abe Lemons was once asked why he didn't have a curfew for his Oklahoma City University basketball team.

FOXBOROUGH - He ended his holdout nearly two weeks ago, but will Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel be ready to play in tomorrow's season opener against the Jets? "I guess we'll have to wait and see until Sunday," Samuel said yesterday. "I don't know if I'm going to play, how much I'm going to play. I'm just going out practicing and working hard. " Samuel, who signed the one-year franchise tender and reported Aug. 27, maintained that he stayed in shape during the holdout by working out at home, but coach Bill Belichick rejected the notion that the left cornerback is back...

The idea that the Patriots want revenge on the Giants is one that will be a prominent story line as Super Bowl XLVI creeps closer, but for the majority of the players involved in the game, it won't be much of a factor. NFL coaches like to say that every year is different, and a look at the rosters for New England and New York bears that out: Just four years after they met in Arizona for Super Bowl XLII, they are vastly different. Of the 106 players who were on the active rosters for the Giants and Patriots on Feb. 3, 2008, only 23 are...

FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots' banged-up defensive backfield was delivered another knockout punch yesterday when safety Eugene Wilson was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. The Patriots had held out hope that Wilson, an opening-day starter who had missed eight games with a hamstring injury, might return for the final stretch of the season. Instead, the team signed 33-year-old cornerback Ray Mickens to take his spot on the roster. The move should have a trickle-down effect on the receiving corps, which figures to rely more on Troy Brown in the coming weeks.

ATLANTA -- Were he still around and at the Patriots' first exhibition game last night, Sir Francis Bacon might rethink that knowledge is a power thing. Remember a year ago, when Matt Cassel, a player who knew the playbook like the back of somebody else's hand, shined as the Patriots beat Cincinnati? Well, a year of study, and the Patriots backup quarterback didn't seem to show much improvement. Cassel had an up-and-down night, as the Patriots fell to Atlanta, 26-23 at the Georgia Dome, thanks to a 40-yard Michael Koenen field goal on the last play.

FOXBOROUGH -- Bill Belichick believes every football season is an independent tale, unrelated to the previous year. According to the Patriots coach, the first two days of New England's rookie minicamp were like Pages 1 and 2 of a novel. Few of the players whose names appeared in the initial pages of a book that has yet to be written -- the Patriots' 2006 season -- will be key characters when the plot thickens. In fact, most of the 31 rookies participating in the three-day camp will be written out of the book before the season begins.

FOXBOROUGH -- In the end, there needed to be comfort with the overall package, because solely from a football standpoint, there is plenty to like about the Patriots' first-round selection in yesterday's NFL draft. University of Miami safety Brandon Meriweather is intelligent, versatile, and a solid cover man. But as the Patriots often point out, any time a player joins a team, that club is getting the whole package -- on and off the field. The 23-year-old Meriweather shot at an assailant who had shot his teammate in the buttocks outside his residence on campus last summer.

Safety Rodney Harrison suffered his second significant injury in two years, breaking his scapula in Sunday night's game against the Colts, according to a league source. The injury to the shoulder blade won't require surgery, although a timetable for Harrison's return is unknown. Harrison, who turns 34 in December, suffered a similar injury in 1999 when he played for the San Diego Chargers, and he missed eight games that season. The hard-hitting Harrison was injured on the Colts' third offensive play Sunday night, a 44-yard pass over the middle from Peyton Manning to...