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September 4, 2006

Locker room love

Love, you say? Yup, love from Doug Gabriel. The newly-acquired wide receiver who arrived on the red-eye from Northern California yesterday morning, was cornered by the media horde and said he's happy to be here.

The 6-foot-2 speedster -- whose prodigious dreadlocks add another 3-4 inches -- admitted to being surprised when he got word that he'd been traded from Oakland, where he was preparing to be a starter alongside Randy Moss, but said his first thoughts about coming to the Patriots led to a smile.

"This is a better opportunity for me... I'm just happy to be here," he said.

Other observations:

* Rookie back Laurence Maroney, who did not make the trip to New York for the preseason finale because of a knee injury, was spotted by declined to talk.

* Rodney Harrison said his main concern with the regular season opening is his fitness; the safety started the last two preseason games, but may be on the field for more than 50 plays come Sunday.

* Bam Childress' nameplate has been removed, but his locker is still very much full. Could the little-receiver-that-can end up on this team somehow?

Practice access begins around 12:45.

shalise

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 12:12 PM | Permalink