WEEI.com has just confirmed that the Patriots have released linebacker Prescott Burgess and have signed free agent defensive tackle Terdell Sands. Sands is a 6-foot-7, 335-pound defensive lineman out of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Sands, who will turn 30 next month, was a seventh-round pick of the Chiefs in the 2001 draft, and has played for Kansas City, Green Bay and Oakland. In six years with the Raiders he started 14 of 75 games and had 128 tackles, four sacks and one interception. He was released on Sept. 5.

Sands worked out for the Patriots recently, and would provide depth along the defensive line in case Vince Wilfork (ankle injury) is sidelined for an extended period of time.

Tom Brady appeared on Dennis & Callahan this morning to talk about Sunday’s 26-10 victory over the Falcons. Check out the audio here, and read below for some highlights from the conversation.

Coming off the loss to the Jets, what were some of the things you liked in yesterday’s game?

It was a very good opponent for us. We talked about how the Falcons really tested us. They have a very efficient offense with good guys at the skill positions and really physical defense. We kind of looked at it as a marker to see where we were at. We went out and did some positive things, we ran the ball well, we covered kicks well, we returned kicks well. We played some great defense. There were a lot of positives to take out of it. As usual, there are a lot of things we’re going to get back to work on this week.

It seemed like you got a little frustrated with some of your receivers during the game.

It’s part of offensive football and the quarterback-receiver relationship. We’re getting used to each other. It’s not that I’m right and they’re wrong, we’re just on different pages at times. That’s the way it is early in the year when you’ve never played together. With Wes [Welker] out, we’ve got a lot of moving parts, and I think those guys are putting a ton of effort in and they’re working hard trying to do the right thing and they do the right thing. We’re not playing up to the level of ability that we have. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to get there. I believe we’ll keep working at it and get better and better.

We saw you on the sideline saying “It’s not that ‘bleeping’ hard.” What’s not hard?

[laughs] I don’t remember that one in particular. It’s just poor communication by us and poor execution by us on offense. We’ve all got to be on the same page, that’s most important. Like I said, those guys are working hard and I think the frustration comes at times when we’ve worked hard all week and then we get in the game and we’re not on the same page.

How surprised were you when you look to the sideline and see Bill Belichick keep you on the field on fourth-and-inches?

He doesn’t do it often so he really had a lot of confidence that we could make that play. We had been running the ball great. He really challenged us in practice on those short-yardage situations and we came through. That was a critical one, we ended up going down and kicking a field goal on that drive to make it a two-score game.

More struggles in the red zone yesterday. Is there a constant involved there?

It’s just little things, things we should be better at, but we’re not. We need to bring more urgency when we get down there. It’s just little things that end up being big things. The field gets congested down there, there’s not a lot of room and guys won’t be running wide open. We’ve got to make the tight throws, got to make the tight catches, that’s what it comes down to. When you don’t kick field goals, when you do you score.

How many times does the receiver run the route you call in the huddle vs. the route run during the play?

You would like the receiver what you call in the huddle, 100 percent of the time, unless I change the route at the line of scrimmage which depends on the situation and the coverage. When the play breaks down, like the touchdown pass to Chris Baker, that wasn’t what we designed. That was just Chris turning up the field when I had more time to hold the ball. He just ran by Mike Peterson and made a great catch.

Same thing with Randy Moss on the fourth-down throw?

Yeah, I wasn’t expecting him to do that either. [laughs] But he was able to adjust and saw something he liked and it was a great catch, that was a big play.

Which retired NFL receiver would you have loved to play with?

I would say Jerry Rice. I grew up watching him. We saw some film of him this offseason, some old one-on-one tapes of 49ers practice with [Joe] Montana throwing to Rice and Steve Young throwing to Rice. He was just an incredible route-runner. He had great speed and incredible hands. He worked tremendously hard at it. Those route-runners are hard to find. You need incredible body control, strength in your lower body and consistency. Troy Brown was one of those, Deion [Branch] was one of those, Wes is and so is Randy [Moss]. But Jerry Rice, he was incredible.

FOXBORO — Just got back from the Patriots locker room. We saw Jerod Mayo sneak through, walking without crutches, a brace or a limp. (He politely delined an interview request.) Stephen Gostkowski, Fred Taylor and Brandon McGowan all drew big crowds.

Adams proudly displayed his hardware above his locker.

The biggest news of the day is likely the fact that a new guy is holding the belt — defensive lineman Titus Adams. Adams is the new Patriots’ Practice Player of the Week, a title previously held by safety Brandon McGowan. (He gets to hold on to the “Dirty Show” championship belt for the week.) Adams was going to stash the belt in the back of his locker before the media told him what McGowan did when he had it — he hung it over his top of his locker. As a result, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Adams gently climbed up on top of his chair and looped it over the top of his locker, displaying it proudly.

“It’s cool,” Adams said after he hung the belt over the top of his locker. “It’s just something to let people know you’re doing your work.”

Asked to handicap the field when it comes to who could take the belt from him next week, the 26-year-old lineman out of Nebraska in his first season with the Patriots was noncommittal.

“I’d like to keep it again, but they’re coming for me,” said Adams, who has played with the Giants, Chargers and Bengals before coming to New England.

McGowan said it was tough giving up the belt.

“Of course. Of course. It’s always tough when you’ve got to give that up,” McGowan said with a grin.

Thanks to the Patriots’ PR staff, here’s the complete transcript of Bill Belichick’s Q&A with the media today at Gillette Stadium:
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FOXBORO – The Patriots lost the anchor of their defensive line in the first half when Vince Wilfork went out with an ankle injury.

But the Patriots never seem to panic in situations like that. In fact, they do just the opposite as the Falcons found out on Sunday. The Patriots hunker down and turn up the defensive intensity while making life miserable for Matt Ryan in his return to New England after four years at Boston College.

Terrence Wheatley on what was key to defending Tony Gonzalez.

Wheatley on the defense picking up the slack for the injured Vince Wilfork.

Leigh Bodden said Sunday was a confidence builder for the defense.

Chris Baker surprised Tom Brady by being wide open on his TD route in the fourth quarter.

Baker said he understood Brady’s red zone frustration in the first half.

Baker said Tom Brady had a specific message for the team at halftime.

Matt Ryan disappointed in his return to New England.

Ryan said the Patriots deserve credit for executing their defensive scheme.

Ryan on the Patriots taking away Tony Gonzalez as a target.

Thanks to the Patriots’ PR staff, here is the postgame Q&A between Tom Brady and the media:
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Thanks to the Patriots’ PR staff, here’s the full postgame transcript between Bill Belichick and the media:
Read the rest of this entry »