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Some leftovers from Thursday's weekly Patriots chat:

Shamarko (Boston, MA): What impact can a healthy Ras I Dowling make to the Pats secondary? Could he challange for a starting position?

Shamarko, there was a play in Tuesday's organized team activity where a ball was thrown to the sideline and a cornerback made a sharp break on the delivery to break it up and nearly pick it off (it would have been an easy touchdown). When it happened, because the players aren't wearing jersey numbers, my first instinct was that it was Aqib Talib because it was a taller corner flashing playmaking skills. But upon closer inspection, it was Dowling. I relay that story because it sort of captures an interesting dynamic with Dowling (33rd overall pick in 2011) this year. While he faces pressure for a roster spot, the pressure is off in the sense that no one externally seems to be paying attention to him. The top of the cornerback depth chart looks solid with Talib, Alfonzo Dennard and Kyle Arrington, and one assumes third-round pick Logan Ryan is a lock, so it puts Dowling in a tight spot. Maybe it brings out the best in him. He showed up more than once on Tuesday in terms of making plays.

Mike (North Carolina): Now that the Patriots have added more depth to the safety position, will Nate Ebner still be given a good chance to develop as a safety or is he only destined to be a special teams player?

Mike, for 2013, it looks to me like Ebner would be more of a special-teams-only type of option. That doesn't mean he couldn't one day emerge as more of a safety, but like you mentioned, one would think playing-time options will be limited based on the additions to the position this year (namely Adrian Wilson).

Matt (East Brookfield, MA): Mike, I haven't read anything about Donald Jones since he's been signed. Has he been participating in OTA's? We know he can be a thorn in a defense's side, as we experienced ourselves, and he's young. Any shot he's on the roster in September from what you've been able to see?

Matt, we only saw the one day of practice, on Tuesday, and nothing in particular stood out with Jones. He was on the field and has been assigned No. 19 on the roster.

Brandon (Morgantown, WV): Mike, I heard you mention that based on Tuesday's OTA, Michael Jenkins and Danny Amendola were looking as though they'll be the biggest part of the WRs used. Just curious how Aaron Dobson has looked thus far? Really hoping the rookie WR's aren't a bust this time.

Brandon, a lot can change between now and the start of the regular season, but it was notable to me that Amendola and Jenkins seemed to be paired together quite a bit on Tuesday. As for Dobson, his ability to catch the ball in tight spots showed up once on Tuesday, and there was also another pass or two that it looked like he should have had. I'd say he has some ground to make up at this point, like most rookies.

Rick (ct): Mike, is Bill Belichick just having fun with us by bringing in another former Rutgers player? THIS MADNESS HAS TO STOP!

Rick, the one question I think it could raise is if the affinity to Rutgers is overwriting the essence of the scouting process, and that Belichick is falling back on Rutgers when there are better options from other schools that could be brought in. The total of eight Scarlet Knights is unusual, although when I break it down, it's three rookie free agents who are longshots to make the final roster. Then you have solid players in Devin McCourty and Justin Francis, and widely viewed good value picks in cornerback Logan Ryan (third round) and linebacker Steve Beauharnais (seventh round). So, to me, it really comes down to the one outlier -- safety Duron Harmon (third round). That was the one pick that was the head-scratcher, the Patriots picking him earlier than several teams had him rated. That's how I break down the Rutgers connection, while also noting that with the 90-man roster, there is more flexibility than ever.

NFL rosters are expanded to 90 players during this portion of the offseason, making it far from uncommon to see multiple players from one school trying to make the same team at the professional level. The Patriots have a trio of players from Purdue, Ohio State, Illinois and Florida too, but those totals are largely overlooked because the team currently employs eight -- yes eight -- players from Rutgers.

The connection to Rutgers is apparent for head coach Bill Belichick, as his son Steve (now a Patriots assistant coach) was on the football team there and Belichick has grown close to former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, now the Buccaneers head coach. LSU, Florida and Alabama have previously served as informal "pipelines" to the Patriots, akin to how Rutgers seems to be now.

Here's a snapshot look at each of the former Scarlet Knights now on the roster and how they may fit into the Patriots' 2013 plans.

Defensive back Devin McCourty
A 2010 first-round pick, McCourty has become a team leader and defensive captain in New England. Belichick consistently praises him for his work on the field and his preparation off of it, and McCourty has become a staple in the Patriots secondary. After a terrific rookie season at cornerback, he endured through a difficult second season before bouncing back in 2012. McCourty eventually moved to safety in 2012, where he appears to be entrenched for years to come.

Defensive end Justin Francis
After going undrafted in 2012, Francis used a strong training camp to earn a spot on the Patriots' 53-man roster, starting down the stretch due to Chandler Jones' absence due to injury. Francis finished the regular season on a high note with three sacks in Week 17, and looks to be part of the defensive end rotation again in 2013. He has good pass rushing skills and is a relentless worker.

Cornerback Logan Ryan
A third-round pick in 2013 (one of two from Rutgers), Ryan projects to be among the Patriots' top five cornerbacks as a rookie. With Aqib Talib, Kyle Arrington and Alfonzo Dennard in the fold, Ryan might not be counted on to play extensively on defense, but he could contribute as a dime back and on special teams. Talib's contract expires after 2013; if he doesn't re-sign, the Patriots have a young cornerback who could be counted on to play more.

Safety Duron Harmon
One can virtually cut and paste the analysis from Ryan, as Harmon was another third-round pick who may not be counted on to play extensively on defense in 2013. A leader and a physical, downhill run defender at Rutgers, Harmon projects as a developmental strong safety who should absorb plenty of insight from both Adrian Wilson and Steve Gregory.

Linebacker Steve Beauharnais
The last of the Patriots' draft picks out of Rutgers in 2013, Beauharnais strikes as a player who should compete for a job on the 53-man roster via a reserve linebacker and special teams role. He's 240 pounds and draws strong reviews for his character and leadership while at Rutgers. The Patriots have uncovered seventh-round diamonds in the rough in previous drafts.

Offensive tackle Kevin Haslam
Acquired via waivers on Wednesday, Haslam was a part-time starter in San Diego during the 2012 season. Originally an undrafted free agent in 2010, Haslam has good athleticism and enough reactive movement skills to play left tackle, but isn't currently someone a team wants starting 16 games. He'll likely compete for a backup tackle role to stick around.

Cornerback Brandon Jones
Another undrafted player, Jones was signed following this year's draft. He has good size for the position (6-foot-0) and led Rutgers with five interceptions in 2012. As is the case with any rookie free agent, he'll need to impress in defensive drills and on special teams to make the roster. The Patriots have sufficient depth at cornerback, and the practice squad could be a possibility for Jones as well. Without having seen him play much, it's an early projection.

Wide receiver Mark Harrison
It's hard to miss the towering Harrison, whose combination of size and speed make him a fascinating prospect, although he was not drafted this year and is coming off of foot surgery. He's 6-foot-3, weights over 230 pounds and ran a 4.46 at the combine. He'll have a shot to compete for a back-end of the roster spot or a practice squad opening. Given the turnover in the receiving corps, Harrison and the rest of the young wideouts will be watched closely.

On Wednesday, longtime Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher announced he would be retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons. It capped off what was a sensational career, as Urlacher made eight Pro Bowls and provided outstanding leadership and play for the Bears, helping to lead them to a Super Bowl XLI appearance.

Not long after his retirement announcement, Urlacher appeared on the "Dan Patrick Show" to discuss his decision and recall some of his most memorable plays from his career. Urlacher was able to share a laugh over one play involving Tom Brady that didn't exactly go in his favor.

"Brady always kicked my butt. I don't think I ever beat Tom, we as a Bears team, ever beat Tom Brady when he was the starting quarterback," he said. "He always played well against us and he juked me out of my shoes in 2006... Man, he got me." (To see the clip of the third-and-9 scramble that gave the Patriots a fresh set of downs, CLICK HERE).

Following the game, Brady kept things light-hearted, saying, "That was pretty cool. I can tell my kids one day that I beat Brian Urlacher."

Brady will never be confused as a mobile quarterback, while part of what made Urlacher such a terrific player was his combination of size and athleticism. It was a play that caught our attention at the time, and it's refreshing to see that Urlacher can still laugh about it now.

Every Thursday on ESPNBoston.com, there is a Patriots chat in the early afternoon. Today's chat kicked off at noon, can be recapped here, and included some of the following topics:

1. Outside wide receivers -- Michael Jenkins, Aaron Dobson and more.

2. Tight end Jake Ballard and how he looked at Tuesday's organized team activity.

3. Are organized team activities overblown?

4. Brandon Spikes staying away from voluntary organized team activities.

5. Tom Brady's remarks this morning on sports WEEI regarding Wes Welker.

6. Looking ahead to the quarterback position in the future.

Passing along some leftover soundbites from Tom Brady's interview with the "Dennis & Callahan Show" on WEEI sports radio in Boston on Thursday morning.

* On how quickly he can see that a new wide receiver understands the system and the offense. "It's a process, there's no question. I think there are certain players that I've played with that get it right it way like Deion [Branch] as an example, like Wes [Welker] as an example, like Randy [Moss] as an example. Those guys were so football smart, they kind of know how to play the game, they know how to play position, they know how to get open for certain looks or the type of body language they give to me as a quarterback so I can anticipate throwing the ball. I wouldn't say two days into OTAs we have it figured out, but by training camp, by mid-training camp, we'll have a pretty good idea of who I'm most comfortable with. And all those guys, you just try to get more comfortable. If you're starting at place where you don't have a lot of comfort, then you're working hard every day to develop that comfort. And that comes with the repetition and the practice and certainly under more pressurized situations is when you learn the most. To me, football is so much about mental toughness, it's digging deep, it's doing whatever you need to do to help a team win and that comes in a lot of shapes and forms. That comes on the practice field when you really see when you're in the heat of the battle, and the willingness someone has to do something that's asked of them when it matters most.

* On his comfort level with the new-look wide receiver corps. "There's quite a few new guys on the roster, certainly at the receiver position almost the entire group. As many days of practice as we can get in, as many opportunities as we can have to actually throw the ball together in a competitive environment, I think that's where a lot of the improvement comes. We've only had two days of practice, it's a very competitive position, I think there are a lot of positions that are very competitive on our team. I'm excited to see at this point the work we've been putting in, how well it's paying off."

* Impressions of Danny Amendola. "Well Danny has always had a lot of talent, so to watch him out there and to play against him when he was at the Rams, he was very productive. It's fun to work with him, he's got the tenacity to him and the drive and the determination and work ethic. In a short period of time, it's really easy to see. Like I said, he's one of those guys that the more we throw, the better we're going to be. We're trying to always kind of talk through practice, through the OTAs, we threw in spring a lot and hopefully as the summer continues leading up to training camp we'll get as many reps as we can together so we're on the same page."

* Details on his Best Buddies challenge, which will kick off Friday, May 31. "Next Friday we have a football game at Harvard Stadium. We've been doing it for four or five years now. Every year its grown [and] this year all the funds that are being made are being given to the Boston One Fund, which is very cool to support the people that were injured in the marathon. That's Friday night, that's a great turnout and it's a lot of fun, and then Saturday is the race from north of Boston to Hyannisport to support Best Buddies, which is a great organization I've been involved with for 12 years. We raised $3-4 million last year and hopefully we can do more this year. Come on out, it's a great event, a lot of my teammates will be there and it's really the highlight of my offseason."

* On his work with Tom House, a former major league pitcher and Brady's new personal quarterback coach. "The mental part of football is so important. To grasp your offense, the reads you're making, anticipation and so forth. When it comes to the actual throwing the football, it always comes down to mechanics and I always use golf as an example. The ball doesn't move, you're standing there looking at the ball and you have a long time to be able to think about your swing, but the guys that are most consistent over time have the best mechanics. If you're slightly off, you're still pretty good. Guys that are kind of hackers and don't have very good mechanics, well to go out and shoot even par is nearly impossible. But for the pros, it's because they work really hard on the mechanics and the mechanics are what allow you to do what you need to do so that you can get the ball where you want it to go, whether that's golf or football, it's the same thing. There's mechanics to throwing a football and how you maximize your efficiency. I think I've really been intrigued over the last few years to learn a lot of the reasons why, and not necessarily just how to do it. That's more what it's been about with Tom House. He's taken a very scientific approach to throwing the ball. It's fun to learn, it's fun to improve, it's fun to see yourself make improvements, that's part of the motivation as you continue on in this game to get better and better and better and better so that you can be at your best for you team."

* On the circumstances of throwing with Terrell Owens at USC earlier this offseason. "He was just out there -- Danny and I were going out to throw and he came out and had the chance to throw with him, which was my first time ever. Danny and I kind of scheduled a time to go and it was fun to kind of get a jump on the season."

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has long been outspoken about his appreciation for wide receiver Wes Welker, who totaled more receptions than any other player during the last six seasons in the NFL, but he said on Thursday morning that Welker's free-agent departure to Denver did not come as a surprise, as he's played in the NFL long enough to understand the nature of the business.

"I don't think anything surprises me anymore in the NFL," he said on the "Dennis & Callahan Show" on WEEI sports radio in Boston. "I've been around long enough to see things happen at different times with the greatest players of all, whether that's Wes or Randy Moss being traded by the Raiders or Brett Favre and playing for the Jets and Vikings.

"That's what happens, this is a, like I said, it's a very tough, competitive business and nobody appreciated Wes more than I did and what he was able to accomplish for our team," he continued. "He's moved on, he's in a good situation with another great team and a great quarterback. We always kind of kept in touch, we always will. He's one of my best friends."

Though Brady and Welker shared a close connection, the 35-year old quarterback wouldn't classify his feelings over Welker joining the Broncos as anger or disappointment.

"Of course I have feelings, but those feelings are very personal to me," he said. "I used to get caught up in angry and disappointment, but I don't make the decisions, these things aren't up to me. At some point you've got to realize the things that are out of your control, you've just to to let go, focus on my job and what I need to do. The game moves on, the team moves on, there's only so long you can dwell on the past and at some point you've got to move forward.

"Like I said, my job for my team is to be the best quarterback and not the general manager, not the coach and not the owner," Brady added. "It's to try to go out there and bring my own competitiveness to the field so that those guys that I'm playing with this year can rely on me and count on me to be the best I can be."

Prior to the start of free agency, Brady agreed to a three-year contract extension through 2017 that created over $15 million in cap space during the next two league years. When asked if the extension was motivated in part to create financial flexibility to ensure that Welker was re-signed, Brady rebuffed that he made such a request.

"Those aren't my demands," he replied. "I want us to field as competitive a team as we can. And I have all the trust in the world that Mr. Kraft and Jonathan [Kraft] and coach Belichick do that. There's nothing about me, I don't say that, I'm not general manger. I can't say 'I do this, you do this.' That's what my decision was, it was kind of a value proposition for me and wanting to be in this system with Coach Belichick and the other players that I've been able to play with.

"I think we are going to field a competitive team," he said. "It's been competitive thus far through the offseason conditioning and OTA's thus far. We've been close; we were in the Super Bowl two years ago, we were in the AFC championship last year and I know we have a good team, we've just got to do a few more things better. Hopefully that will lead to more success."

Brady was asked to compare the player that many are pegging to take over Welker's role, free agent signee Danny Amendola.

"[They play] similar positions, they're about the same height, they've both got very good ability," he answered. "It's hard, Wes was so productive for so long, I think it's unfair to compare anyone to Wes and what he was able to accomplish in his time here. Danny is really, he's just been fun to work with. I think he's come in with an open mind and an understanding of the way that we as Patriots, the way we need to play."

EXTRA POINT: Brady was also asked to share his thoughts on tight end Rob Gronkowski, who recently underwent a fourth surgery on a broken forearm that was initially suffered back in November of 2012. "I think with any injured player, you're always hoping they come back fresh and strong and healthy. He's dealing with his situation and I hope that he's out there as soon as he can be, as soon as he's ready I want him out there helping the team win. He's been battling through a long time, his mental toughness and his excitement and what he brings to the team are really unmatched. When he is healthy, I'll be excited to have him out there. It'll be nice to see what our offense can be when Aaron [Hernandez] is out there, Rob is out there and all the other guys that have been injured have [can be] out there and can contribute fully to the team."

Click HERE to listen to the full interview

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's celebration at the Kentucky Derby with connections to Orb was given widespread attention (video here), and Brady was asked about it this morning in an interview with the "Dennis and Callahan Show" on sports radio WEEI.

"It was just a fun experience. We've been going to the Kentucky Derby for a long time with a lot of my buddies -- with Wes [Welker], Dan Koppen and Tedy Bruschi, Lonie Paxton, a lot of guys that I've played with. Randy [Moss] came one year. I've been going for about 12 years and we went down with a friend of ours who is an owner of the horse, so we actually kind of had a rooting interest. We had a rooting interest for several months. It was kind of like we were very much a fan. I haven't had that experience in a very long time, where you're just very happy that someone else won. I was very ... I would say overjoyed. It was a long buildup to that race. We were all having a great time."

Brady was then asked about rumors that he bet $4,750 on Orb.

"I don't know where all that was reported," Brady said of rumors he won a big wager. "Like I said, I was most happy that my buddy's horse won, which was really cool. It was really cool. ...I don't even know what I even bet at that point of the day."

Click HERE to listen to the full interview

Every Thursday on ESPNBoston.com, there is a Patriots chat in the early afternoon. Today's chat is scheduled to kick off at noon, and questions can be asked in advance.

Catch up then.

In this week's edition of "Reiss' P.A.T.", Mike Reiss checks in from OTAs at Gillette Stadium, visits with Bryan Morry, the executive director of the Patriots' Hall of Fame, and answers your Twitter questions.

The New England Patriots claimed offensive tackle Kevin Haslam off waivers Wednesday, and waived offensive lineman R.J. Mattes in a corresponding move.

Haslam, who enters his fourth season, was waived by the San Diego Chargers on Tuesday. He went undrafted in 2010 out of Rutgers, and becomes the eighth Rutgers product on the Patriots' 90-man roster.

At 6-foot-5 and 304 pounds, Haslam has experience at both guard and tackle, and started three games for the Chargers last season.

Mattes is an undrafted rookie from North Carolina State.

One of the tenants behind the Patriots' sustained success under Bill Belichick has been a mix of young talent and veteran experience throughout the roster. When Tom Brady was a young, developing quarterback in the league, veterans such as Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Ty Law and others were around to serve in leadership roles.

Brady now lays claim to the elder statesman title on the Patriots roster, and it is he who serves as the team's leader while youngsters such as Rob Gronkowski, Dont'a Hightower, Stevan Ridley and Chandler Jones develop in the early stages of their own careers.

But while the Patriots' projected starting lineup for 2013 is laced with young cornerstones on either side of the ball, it has a veteran feel. Mike Sando, who runs the NFC West blog for ESPN.com, points out that the Patriots' projected starters are the sixth oldest among NFL teams.

More specifically, Sando calculated that the Patriots' offensive starters make for the seventh oldest group, while the defensive starters make for the ninth oldest group on their side of the ball.

It's important to note, as Sando does, that these rankings can change as starting lineups become clearer closer to the start of the regular season. If, for example, either Michael Jenkins or Adrian Wilson (who some project as starters) were to be reserves, the Patriots' rankings may drop, particularly if Aaron Dobson and Tavon Wilson were their replacements.

For the most part, however, we have a sufficient feel on which players will start for the Patriots in 2013, and while the overall average age of the starters ranks near the top of the league, it's safe to say that the Patriots have a strong young core in place for the future. Beyond the aforementioned young players, there are several others such as Nate Solder, Shane Vereen, Marcus Cannon, Jamie Collins, Alfonzo Dennard and Armond Armstead who could be fixtures in the lineup for years to come.

The development of those younger players (among others) will be worth monitoring as the offseason progresses and the regular season draws closer.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Eleven months ago, Bill Belichick seemed amused when asked a question about potentially breaking an "unwritten rule" by claiming injured tight end Jake Ballard on waivers from the Giants.

The long story short: The Giants were waiving Ballard with the intention of placing him on their PUP/reserve list because Ballard was recovering from microfracture knee surgery and a torn ACL suffered in the Super Bowl (against the Patriots), and wasn't expected to play in 2012. But because the Giants were making the move while teams had a 90-man roster limit, Ballard was subject to the waiver system before landing on PUP/reserve. The Patriots intercepted the move by claiming Ballard.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin called it "very disappointing" but made it clear he didn't harbor any ill feelings toward the Patriots. He called the move a "calculated risk [that] didn't work."

Belichick said simply that there are no unwritten rules on claiming injured players.

Still, that didn't stop some from questioning Belichick's decision. The Patriots already had a stocked depth chart topped by Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Daniel Fells, and they would later add Michael Hoomanawanui, so why did they even need Ballard?

This is why.

At the time of the waiver claim, June 12 of last year, Belichick couldn't have projected what his tight end depth chart would look like. The tight end personnel might have looked good at that moment, but in the physical game of football, an injury or unexpected turn of events could alter the picture at a position that is vital in the team's offense.

So Belichick weighed the cost of paying Ballard his 2012 salary of $540,000 while he rehabbed with the potential reward of seeing him on the field in 2013 when he'd earn a base salary of $630,000 (if he made the roster). He decided the investment of tight end insurance was worth it -- the only coach/personnel man in the NFL to do so -- and it's a move that is looking awfully smart right now as Gronkowski (left forearm/back) and Hernandez (shoulder) are rehabbing.

In Tuesday's organized team activity, Ballard's presence on the field was arguably the most notable storyline. It was the first clear-cut indication that his rehabilitation from serious knee surgery has gone well enough to put him in position to compete for a roster spot. At one point, he caught a pass from quarterback Tom Brady, and Brady yelled out his encouragement as the two are in the early stages of building a rapport.

Time will tell if Ballard emerges as a contributor for the Patriots, but the early indication is that this is another classic case of the forward-thinking Belichick building crucial depth on his roster.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One leftover from Tuesday's organized team activity was the status of second-year running back Brandon Bolden, who wasn't on the practice field with his teammates.

Bolden's absence Tuesday was health-related, as he has been taking part in the team's offseason program but hasn't been cleared to participate on the field as he continues to rehab an undisclosed ailment.

Bolden, who missed two games last season with a knee injury and four because of a league-issued suspension, appeared in 10 regular-season games in 2012. He finished with 274 rushing yards on 56 carries and two touchdowns, and coaches credited him with six special teams tackles. His highlight came Sept. 30 against the Bills when the Patriots turned to a power running game against an undersized Bills' sub defense and Bolden churned out a team-high 137 yards on 16 carries (8.6 avg.) and a touchdown. The following week is when he first showed up on the injury report (knee).

Bolden's status could have some connection to the Patriots acquiring LeGarrette Blount in a draft-day trade with the Buccaneers; more depth never hurts, especially when a team is managing injuries/rehabilitation at the position.

Between projected top back Stevan Ridley (5-11, 220), Bolden (5-11, 220) and Blount (6-0, 247), the Patriots currently feature one of their biggest offensive backfields in Bill Belichick's coaching tenure. Shane Vereen (5-9, 205) and Leon Washington (5-8, 203) offer a change-of-pace element at running back, with rookie free-agent Akeem Shavers (5-11, 203) also in that category.

Bolden's health status bears monitoring as training camp nears in late July.

The Patriots signed 19 rookie free agents after the draft, and their contracts were analyzed by colleague Field Yates. This was one of the largest rookie free-agent classes for the Patriots in recent memory, in part because of the 90-man roster limit and also something that reflects the general youth of the team.

Examining the rookie free-agent contracts reflects, in part, the value that the player had in the post-draft market.

Today, Brian McIntyre of the “Shutdown Corner” blog on Yahoo! Sports puts those numbers in a league-wide context by noting that the Patriots spent more guaranteed money on rookie free agents than any team in the NFL.

“The New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams each spent over $100,000 in guaranteed money on their class of undrafted free agents this offseason, according to a source with knowledge of rookie salary data,” McIntyre writes.

“NFL teams could spend a maximum of $78,170 in signing bonuses on undrafted rookie free agents this offseason, but there are no limits to the amount of guaranteed money teams can include in the standard three-year contracts signed by undrafted free agents. Seven NFL teams have spent more than the $78,170 signing bonus maximum in guaranteed money, with New England leading the way by spending $140,000 in guaranteed money on their undrafted free agents.”

To read McIntyre’s piece, CLICK HERE.

On Tuesday morning, five areas of interest for the Patriots' organized team activity were listed. Here is a follow-up based on what we saw on Tuesday's session:

1. Early signs of Brady-Amendola synergy. This came through as clearly as it could in an organized team activity setting. At one point, Tom Brady worked with Danny Amendola on the quick pass that was often a staple with the QB and Wes Welker, while most of the entire team was on the other field for special-teams work. That play requires a certain element of timing and being on the same page and it was something that Brady and Welker did particularly well, giving Welker the chance to create yardage after the catch in the form of a glorified running play. Brady and Amendola spent time Tuesday attempting to build a similar rapport. Overall, Amendola seemed to take a leading presence among the receiving corps, as he was often the first receiver in drills.

2. Progress report on Ballard. This was probably the most significant development of the OTA from this perspective, the fact that Ballard's rehabilitation from knee surgery has reached a point where he is on the field catching passes from Brady. With Rob Gronkowski (forearm/back) and Aaron Hernandez (shoulder) not in the mix, Ballard received some significant reps, at one point running a dig route from left to right and showing good hands in hauling in a throw from Brady about 15-20 yards down the field. That was a good chance to get a snapshot look at Ballard's ability to run, which some might have had a concern with after knee surgery -- the thinking being that Ballard wasn't considered fleet of foot before the injury, and any loss of speed might limit his ability to contribute. Ballard is 275 pounds, and it certainly doesn't look effortless, but the feeling here was that he was running better than anticipated. It looks like he's still being managed health-wise -- at one point in practice he worked off to the side with some resistance training -- but his on-field presence is a notable development for the Patriots as they navigate rehabs with top tight ends Gronkowski and Hernandez.

3. Eyes on Dobson and the outside receivers. A little bit of a surprise to see veteran Michael Jenkins stand out from the crowd among outside receivers, and also took note that it was Jenkins and Amendola working with Brady on two different occasions (while most of the team was on the other field for special-teams work). Was curious if second-round pick Aaron Dobson would have those types of opportunities, but they weren't as plentiful. Also took note of Lavelle Hawkins' quickness at one point. His style of player seemed to be closer to an early-career Deion Branch -- not a big target, but some shiftiness there.

4. Trickle-down effect of Spikes' absence. With starting middle linebacker Brandon Spikes staying away from voluntary organized team activities, it opened the opportunity for others to take more reps. Dane Fletcher, who missed last season with a torn ACL, was one beneficiary. "I feel good or else I wouldn't be out here," Fletcher said. "I feel like everything is [progressing]. It's getting better."

5. Brady breaking in new receivers. Brady was vocal on the practice field, often times barking out encouragement when he liked what he saw from one of the team's pass-catchers. In a practice with a heavy emphasis on the passing game, Brady was naturally a central focus. The change at the receiver position puts him out of his comfort zone a bit, but as one would expect, he seems to be embracing the challenge.