Salas part of McDaniels' pipeline
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. (AP)
The Josh McDaniels pipeline is alive and well.
The New England Patriots added another receiver with ties to the
offensive coordinator this weekend, hoping to bolster a corps that
suddenly looks thin after three established veterans were released.
Greg Salas was acquired from the St. Louis Rams on Saturday for an
undisclosed future draft pick. Salas was taken by the Rams in the
fourth round of the 2011 draft out of Hawaii and played in six games
for the Rams last season, finishing with 27 receptions for 269 yards
before a leg injury ended his season. McDaniels was the team's
offensive coordinator last season before rejoining the Patriots for the
playoffs.
The trade followed the release of veterans Donte' Stallworth, Jabar Gaffney and Deion Branch, although the Patriots might bring back Branch
after the first game.
Salas joins veterans Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Julian Edelman and
Matt Slater.
''I play hard and I'm here to do anything the team asks me to do,''
Salas said.
He has played both in the slot and wide, giving the Patriots depth
behind Welker and Lloyd, respectively.
Salas was asked about the challenge of joining a team one week before
the first game after spending the entire training camp elsewhere.
''Just refreshing myself with the material and concentrating on
everything about the team,'' Salas said.
''He's got some versatility and we'll put him out there and see how it
goes,'' coach Bill Belichick said.
Belichick said Salas was productive both in college and with the Rams
until his injury, and that McDaniels' firsthand experience with him
also played a role in the deal.
''We had a good feel for him before Josh was here just based on our
scouting department and working him out and getting ready for the draft
and all that,'' he said. ''Of course Josh spent some time with him so
that was some additional input.''
The retooled Patriots offensive line will also be in the spotlight
Sunday. Newly arrived center/guard Matt Tennant, obtained on waivers
from New Orleans on Saturday, practiced again Monday and may be ready
for the opener at Tennessee.
''He's been here one day and he's working at it,'' said Belichick.
''Players will be off tomorrow, so that will give him a day to catch
up. I think some of the things that they did in New Orleans are similar
to what we did, but I'm sure there are plenty of differences, too. He's
a smart guy and he's got some experience in the league, so we'll give
it to him and see how quickly he can grasp it.''
New starting center Ryan Wendell, one of four players who handled the
position last year when Dan Koppen was injured in the first game, said
much of what he knows about the position he gleaned from playing
alongside Koppen.
New England released Koppen last week.
Wendell said playing behind Koppen for the last several years has been
a ''great learning experience on how to be a pro. Being a pro is a lot
more than about what you do on Sundays.''
Notes: The last time the Patriots and Titans met in
October 2009 in the snow at Gillette Stadium, Tom Brady threw a record
five touchdown passes in one quarter as New England rolled 59-0. The
long-range weather forecast shows no chance of snow in Nashville for
Sunday's game. . The Patriots filled their practice squad with the
signing of free agent fullback James Develin, a former defensive
lineman from Brown. Develin, who spent the entire 2011 season on
Cincinnati's practice squad, was converted to fullback when he played
for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League in 2010.
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