When Al Saunders was the Rams' receivers coach in 1999 and 2000, players marveled at how he was always on the go, running down the field to talk to receivers and constantly being in their ear.

Wide receiver Dane Looker remembers his first training camp in 2000, when he caught a pass and was slowing down and easing up down the field.

"All of a sudden, here comes Al from behind, knocking the ball out of my arm," Looker said. "That taught me a valuable lesson."

After hiring Saunders as offensive coordinator, coach Scott Linehan said he heard the stories. After the first day of minicamp, Linehan said, "It was pretty famous, the lore around here about Al. I asked him if he was going to still chase the receivers.

Robert Kraft picked up the newspaper at his home Wednesday morning and was happy to see the front-page headline in big capital letters: "SORRY, PATS" The Patriots owner felt vindicated by the Boston Herald's apology after a season -- and offseason -- of reports the NFL's most successful franchise of the decade had spied on opponents.