FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -Five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour practiced with the New England Patriots on Wednesday for the first time this season.
Seymour is on the physically unable to perform list with a knee injury. He can practice for up to three weeks before the team must either activate him or place him on season-ending injured reserve.
Seymour stretched and ran an agility drill with other members of the defensive line during the part of practice the media was allowed to watch. He wasn’t available for comment.
Before practice, coach Bill Belichick said he wouldn’t be able to gauge Seymour’s effect on the defense until the seven-year veteran got back on the field.
“After we see him and see where he’s at, we’ll get an idea,” Belichick said. “Until a player gets out there and starts practicing, it’s hard to picture exactly what it looks like.”
Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, whose team plays at New England on Sunday, said Seymour’s possible return would make the 7-0 Patriots even more dangerous.
“They have (talent) all the way across the board,” Gibbs said. “You hate to see them get somebody back that’s a high-quality guy, too, to add to it. Not a pretty picture.”
Earlier this week, Gibbs predicted that the Redskins would “probably be the biggest underdog in the history of sports” against the Patriots, whom he called a “juggernaut.”
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who has thrown 27 touchdown passes already, said Gibbs was “blowing smoke.”
“I promise you that he’s not telling his team that,” Brady said. “That sounds like something that coach Belichick would say, so he’s trying to butter us up. You know, it doesn’t work for us. We know what we’re getting ourselves into.”
Although Brady is on a record pace, Washington counters with the NFL’s eighth-rated pass defense. Opposing quarterbacks have combined to throw five touchdowns and eight interceptions against the Redskins’ secondary, which features four former first-round draft picks.
“This is going to be probably our biggest test offensively,” said New England left tackle Matt Light. “We’ve done some good things in the past, but that doesn’t really mean much if you don’t go out there and execute.”
While the Patriots’ offense has been nearly unstoppable, the defense has appeared vulnerable without Seymour in high-scoring wins over the Cowboys (48-27) and Dolphins (49-28). Winless Miami rushed for 179 yards last on Sunday, and the Patriots are allowing 4.4 yards per carry, 24th in the league.
“We have a lot of work to do,” safety Rodney Harrison said. “That’s the thing about football, you never get there. It’s always a work in progress. I don’t care how good you are, there’s always some area that you struggle with as a football team.”
Of the four players on the Patriots’ PUP list, Troy Brown, New England’s career receiving leader, has not practiced yet. Receiver Chad Jackson and cornerback Eddie Jackson returned to practice last week.
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