FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots are halfway through their preseason schedule, and they've also completed their string of training camp practices at Gillette Stadium.
Of the 21 practices, 10 were in full pads, six were walkthroughs and five were in shorts and shells.
Injuries are always a major storyline throughout the season, and they've taken their toll in Foxboro. Thirty-six players on the Patriots' current roster have missed a total of 304 practices due to presumed injuries or other issues.
Last year, by comparison, 27 players missed at least one practice due to injury. The Patriots' 2010 training camp consisted of 25 practices, including 17 in full pads, three in shorts and shells and five walkthroughs.
Let's run through the 2011 list below.
(Contractual situations were not accounted for here, and players who have been removed from the active roster by the end of training camp — whether they were released or placed on injured reserve — were discounted. These are only players who have missed practices due to presumed injuries through the 21 practices of training camp. As an example, cornerback Ras-I Dowling has missed 20 practices — seven due to his delayed signing, and 13 with a hamstring injury — so he'll only count for 13 absences in the list below.)
Safety Josh Barrett: 16 missed practices
Defensive lineman Ron Brace: 21
Cornerback Leigh Bodden: 1
Cornerback Darius Butler: 2
Defensive lineman Marcus Cannon: 21
Offensive lineman Dan Connolly: 3
Linebacker Jermaine Cunningham: 4
Defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick: 21
Cornerback Ras-I Dowling: 13
Wide receiver Julian Edelman: 5
Defensive end Shaun Ellis: 8
Running back Kevin Faulk: 21
Linebacker Dane Fletcher: 1
Tight end Rob Gronkowski: 1
Defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth: 11
Tight end Aaron Hernandez: 4
Long snapper Matt Katula: 9
Running back Eric Kettani: 17
Left tackle Matt Light: 16
Safety Bret Lockett: 1
Defensive lineman Kyle Love: 1
Wide receiver Taylor Price: 6
Defensive lineman Myron Pryor: 11
Running back Stevan Ridley: 1
Offensive lineman Zach Roth: 1
Safety James Sanders: 15
Defensive lineman Alex Silvestro: 1
Tight end Lee Smith: 1
Linebacker Brandon Spikes: 11
Linebacker Jeff Tarpinian: 5
Wide receiver Brandon Tate: 10
Running back Shane Vereen: 12
Offensive lineman Ryan Wendell: 14
Cornerback Malcolm Williams: 6
Running back Danny Woodhead: 2 (including one due to the birth of his daughter)
Defensive lineman Mike Wright: 11
(Like Faulk, Light's signing was announced midway through camp, but each player had been placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Because of that, we'll mark them down for all of the practices they missed before officially signing their contracts since the Patriots knew of the two injuries, and the timing of the signings could have been presumed to be a mere formality. Ellis, who has been activated from the PUP, only counts for eight absences because he was signed from outside the organization.)
