Football
Associated Press 17y

Donte' Stallworth ready to jump into Patriots WR competition

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have 12
receivers trying out for a half-dozen roster spots, and Donte'
Stallworth can't wait to join the competition.

"I love this game. It's going to be a sad day that I have to
retire, whenever that is," he said Sunday night after joining his
teammates for a non-contact walkthrough. "I like getting out there
with the fellas, and everybody has one goal: getting better."

A six-year veteran who signed with New England as a free agent
this offseason, Stallworth began training camp on the physically
unable to perform list. Stallworth, who spent eight weeks on the
Eagles' injury report with a hamstring problem in 2006, is expected
to be activated from the PUP for practice on Monday.

"I actually didn't know I was on it until a friend told me,"
Stallworth said, deferring further comment to coach Bill Belichick.

Stallworth said he spent the time that he wasn't practicing
studying his playbook. "(But) there's a difference between
studying the playbook and being out there," he said.

"I've got a pretty good hold on the plays. It's just a matter
of me being on the field and being able to do everything I can,"
he told a cluster of reporters after practice. "I feel pretty good
about where I am."

A first-round draft pick, 13th overall, by the Saints in 2002,
Stallworth played in New Orleans four years before he was traded to
Philadelphia in training camp last year. He caught 38 passes for
725 yards and five touchdowns in 2006, adding six catches for 141
yards and two scores in a pair of playoff games.

In his career, he has 233 career receptions for 3,516 yards and
28 TDs in 68 games.

Stallworth was expected to give the Patriots a deep threat in
2007, a year after they traded contract holdout Deion Branch to
Seattle. Reche Caldwell led New England with 61 catches for 760
yards and four TDs, and no other player had more than 49 catches.

But then the Patriots traded for Randy Moss on draft weekend --
adding him to their stockpile of pass-catchers. They also brought
in Wes Welker and Kelley Washington to go with Caldwell, Troy
Brown, Jabar Gaffney and Chad Jackson.

"Competition is always good for everybody," Stallworth said.
"We've got a lot of unselfish guys on our team who all want the
team to win games.

Stallworth, Jackson and Brown all started training camp on the
PUP list.

"I've been in the game for a while, so I understand certain
concepts even though this is a new team," Stallworth said.
"There's a lot of new guys on the field. Obviously, Troy being on
the team, he's a guy you want to talk to."

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