Patriots Football Weekly Blog

Quick Kicks: Fri. 2-3 Super Bowl XLVI Practice Notebook

… New England conducted its final practice of Super Bowl XLVI Week at the indoor training facility of the Indianapolis Colts, the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. Players were not in pads of any kind, as it was a Saturday-like walkthrough.

… Head coach Bill Belichick announced, via the AFC media pool report, that the Patriots would not practice on Saturday. They arrived a day earlier than the New York Giants and were thus able to hold a full-pads practice on Monday. “We’ve had a little bit of extra time this week … I think we’re ready to go. We’ve worked hard this week Monday, Wednesday and Thursday in practice, and we had good practices back (in Foxborough, Mass.) last week. We went through some mental-review things out there today.”

… When the official injury report was released this afternoon, TE Rob Gronkowski (left ankle) was listed as QUESTIONABLE. According to the pool report, Gronk participated on a limited basis in the session, which never saw players run faster than a trot while executing plays. The report adds that, “dressed in gray sweatpants, gray sneakers and a dark blue t-shirt bearing the popular ‘Yo Soy Fiesta’ phrase he recently coined, Gronkowski moved without a limp when the Patriots executed their offensive plays.’

… Ten Patriots are QUESTIONABLE along with Gronkowski: rookie OL Marcus Cannon (ankle), safety Patrick Chung (right foot), LB Dane Fletcher (right thumb), DL Kyle Love (ankle), LG Logan Mankins (left knee), LB Rob Ninkovich (hip), LB Brandon Spikes (right knee), right tackle Sebastian Vollmer (flu/back/right foot), WR Wes Welker (knee), and LB Tracy White.

… Five other players are PROBABLE for Super Bowl XLVI: WR Deion Branch (knee), C Dan Connolly (groin), S James Ihedigbo (shoulder), LT Matt Light (flu), and WR Matthew Slater (shoulder).

… New York head coach Tom Coughlin revealed, through the NFC media pool report, that RB Ahmad Bradshaw was held out of Friday’s practice because of soreness in his injured right foot. “But he’s okay,” Coughlin quickly added, going further, “He’ll be ready. He’ll be listed as probable. In fact, I don’t believe we’ll have anyone listed as questionable for the game.”

… Five other Giants are on the injury report, but all are PROBABLE. DE Osi Umenyiora (ankle/knee) and rookie special-teamer/safety Tyler Sash (foot) were limited in today’s 70-minute workout, held in shorts and helmets. Sash, a sixth-round draft pick from Iowa last April, had his foot stepped on midway through practice and left the field to have the foot wrapped. Meanwhile WR Hakeen Nicks (shoulder), CB Corey Webster (hamstring), and LB Jacquian Williams (foot) took part fully.