FOXBORO, Mass. — Two days after a terrific showing in Tampa Bay, the Patriots' defensive line added yet another weapon to its impressive arsenal.
Shaun Ellis was activated from the physically unable to perform list Saturday, and he participated in New England's walkthrough. The Patriots signed Ellis on Aug. 8, and he had observed a number of practices but hadn't been able to actively participate as he recovered from a hip injury.
"Just trying to get caught up to speed, running with a lot of energy, trying to get back," Ellis said.
The Patriots didn't run through drills with an extreme amount of fire, so it wasn't possible to gage Ellis' conditioning level. However, he was active for the team's conditioning sprints at the end of the session.
Ellis believes his prior knowledge of Bill Belichick's system will help accelerate his learning curve. Bill Parcells was the Jets' general manager during Ellis' rookie season in 2000, and he has also played for Al Groh and Eric Mangini, who are part of the Parcells-Belichick coaching lineage.
"No surprises, I've kind of been here before," Ellis said. "I was born into this family with Parcells and being drafted by him, going through that period, and then going through it with Mangini. So I'm kind of getting back into the swing of things. It's a lot different, but it's a good thing."
