Summer camp

The Patriots opened their 2010 training camp in the rain today. Let's hope that's not an omen.

There were plenty of topics on the first day: Shawn Crable's release. Logan Mankins's contract. Bill Belichick's posters. Derrick Burgess's absence. Wes Welker's knee. Tom Brady's hair. Mankins's contract is the biggest issue but the posters and the hair -- not surprisingly -- got their fair share of the time on the air waves. Ah, sports talk radio.

The coach took down pictures from the team's Super Bowl titles that adorned the walls of the halls outside the meeting rooms at Gillette. No more pictures of Tedy or Rodney or Corey. A little message from Belichick to the younger players to do some things to get their pictures up there. I'm keeping my SI Super Bowl covers up on my den wall. Hope the coach doesn't mind.

The other non-issue issue was Brady's mop top. Enough said.

Mankins was reportedly offered a five-year deal back in June that would have made him among the highest paid players at the guard position. Since then he has blasted Robert Kraft and the team for being dishonest, disrespectful, and despicable. Today he didn't show up for camp. It's not officially a holdout. Yet. Mankins is one of the two or three best guards in the NFL. He wants more than the Pats offered him in years and cash. No problem with that. But enough of being disrespected by a $35 million offer. He's a key part of the line. My guess is the Pats sweeten the deal enough to get him in camp before the final preseason game. But maybe the lumberjack just wants out.

Linebacker Shawn Crable most surely did not want out. Me and Mark had high hopes for the 2008 third-round pick. He had all the tools to be to the outside linebacking job what '08 draft mate Mayo is to inside linebacking. Crable had the potential to be a key part of the transition from the Hall of Fame linebacking corp to the next generation. He just couldn't get on the field. He was always injured. This season was clearly his last shot at making it. That shot ended before it ever started.

Derrick Burgess did not show up for camp as expected for a guy that just signed a new one-year contract. Reports are that the 31-year-old linebacker, who joined the team in a trade from Oakland last year and played pretty well, is considering retiring. I guess playing for the Raiders really took a lot out of him.

Wes Welker did show up for camp but did not participate in practice -- mostly due to the wet conditions I'm guessing -- but he was working out. It seems that he has a very good chance of being ready for the start of the season. That would be amazing considering how badly he ripped up his knee in the fall. I'll be getting my Welker jersey soon. He's now the favorite Patriot of many. How can you not root for the guy? The team just has to be very careful he doesn't push himself too hard and reinjure himself.

That is really the most important issue in training camp. Health. Sure, there will be lots of stories about what rookies make the team, who will carry the ball, who will play linebacker -- and of course Brady's contract. But here's hoping there are no headlines like those that are coming out of the Ravens camp. Baltimore CB Dominique Foxworth tore an ACL. He will be out for the season. Rookie defensive tackle Sergio Kindle, who I was hoping the Pats would draft, suffered a fractured skull and will miss at least the rest of camp.

As the Pats continue with two-a-days (I hope to get to Gillette for at least one day of camp), those are the kinds of stories you don't want to read.