FOXBORO — When James Ihedigbo dreamed of playing in the NFL, he owned Patriot dreams. Yet when his dream came true, he wore the colors of the New York Jets.
Ihedigbo, a native of Northampton, Mass., who starred at the University of Massachusetts, enjoyed three good seasons with the Jets as a defensive back and special teams ace. When the Jets failed to re-sign him, Ihedigbo weighed a few offers from other teams but kept hoping that one specific invite came his way.
That call finally came from New England a few days ago and after a workout on Friday, the 27-year-old was on the practice field for the Patriots during a light walk-through on Saturday.
“I was born and raised a Pats fan,” he said. “I went to games when I was in high school at the old Foxboro Stadium and said ‘One day I’m going to be playing here.’ Lo and behold, here I am.”
Ihedigbo, who played at Amherst Regional High, joins a relatively thin group at the safety position. Patrick Chung, Brandon Meriweather and Sergio Brown saw the bulk of the action at that spot in Thursday’s win in Tampa and the Pats hope veteran James Sanders can help out at safety as well. But Ihedigbo is a clear special-teams ace who could make the roster if he flashes enough versatility.
Ihedigbo says he’s “modeled my game after Rodney Harrison,” and hopes to fit in with the Patriots quickly.
“Any way that the Patriots need for me to help, I’m all for it,” he said. “The way this game is designed to be played is to be fast and physical... being able to get off blocks, get to the ball. I want to bring whatever I can to help this team.”
As for potentially not playing this season due to a lack of interest in his skills, Ihedigbo said, “It was humbling and taught me to be patient and know that when one door closes, another one opens. Now here I am, a place where I want to be. The team has accepted me with open arms.”
The Patriots ended the public-viewing portion of their training camp Saturday. A large crowd of fans came to Foxboro and witnessed a light walk-through with players dressed in helmets and shorts. The one-hour practice was so non-descript that the only cheer of the day came when Chad Ochocinco caught a six-yard, undefended touchdown pass from Tom Brady.
Pats fans did see a potentially scary lineup as the offense staged a two-minute drill against no defense. Brady will look up and see a receiving corps at times that will feature Ochocinco, Wes Welker, Deion Branch and either Rob Gronkowski or Aaron Hernandez at tight end.
The big “news” of the day was an Albert Haynesworth sighting. For the first time since Aug. 3, the veteran defensive lineman was spotted on the field. But don’t get too excited. While the rest of his teammates finished the practice skipping, stretching and running wind sprints, Haynesworth barely moved from his spot on the sidelines and spent most of the hour chatting with his fellow defensive linemen and a few coaches and support staff.
“He’s day-to-day. He’s been day-to-day and he’s still day-to-day. When he’s ready he’ll be out there,” was what Bill Belichick said when asked if Haynesworth was getting closer to practicing with his new team.
The Patriots also added linebacker Ricky Brown to the roster. A six-year veteran out of Boston College, Brown played the last five seasons for the Raiders. In 14 games last season, he made 13 tackles and has played in 55 career games. The Pats have had a few injuries at linebacker (Brandon Spikes, Dane Fletcher) and can use some depth at the position.
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