LB Ted Johnson misses Pats’ Monday practice
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson missed practice Monday with an undisclosed injury. Team spokesman Stacey James said no information was available about Johnson’s injury.
Johnson was among several Patriots who played with the flu in the AFC championship game against Pittsburgh.
Defensive tackle Richard Seymour, who missed the last three games with a left knee injury, did light work on the side.
“We didn’t put everybody out there; that is really for Wednesday,” coach Bill Belichick said. “Some of the guys out there today are guys we wanted to get reps that normally wouldn’t get that many, just to cover us on depth.”
Belichick said a slippery practice field also factored into the decision to keep Seymour on the sideline.
Belichick complained about the field at Bartram Trail High School, where the NFL spent more than $250,000 last year to prepare the facility for the Super Bowl. The league put in new grass and a drainage system.
“We were kind of out there on an ice rink today,” Belichick said. “It’s slick. We’re not even going full speed and guys are falling all over the place.”
The Patriots also took issue with their Super Bowl practice facility last year and ended up moving from Rice Stadium in Houston to the Texans’ indoor field.
George Toma, the NFL’s turf consultant for every Super Bowl, said he had not heard about any problems with the field at Bartram Trail.
“Once the league says something, we’ll check into it,” said Toma, adding that cleats selection might have played a role after about three-quarters of an inch of rain fell on the field Saturday.