A few quick hits from the dozen or so recaps I've seen from Patriots' mini-camp. (And yes, the picture has nothing at all to do with the subject matter, and everything to do with the fact that I just realized that Alicia and I had met before last night's State of the Barstool meeting.)

• Apparently, the Patriots have upgraded their receiver corps, in case you didn't hear. The most underrated part of the upgrade though is that last year, no one outside of Troy Brown had any experience in this offense. But right now, Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney are running with first team while Randy Moss and Donte Stallworth learn the system with the second team...a luxury they didn't have last year.
• Observers say Wes Welker is going to be a force. He had 67 friggin' catches in an anonymous Dolphins unit, and the Pats put him in motion a lot to give him a release off the line and get him open underneath. And Garrett Mills has been making some filthy catches.
• The annual HoldOutaPalooza featuring Asante Samuel is getting uglier. Unlike Deion Branch at this time last year, Samuel is free to work out other deals, and he's found teams willing to pay him. But the Pats have excercised their leverage as well, so right now for a team to sign him, they'll have to cough up two first round picks. Still I don't anyone who's watched the Pats closely the last four years who thinks Samuel is worth elite CB money. He put up good numbers last year, in a contract year, but wasn't he the most questionable of question marks going into 2006? The problem with the secondary the last three years in a row has been the fact that the bodies have dropped like Droid Troopers. If Randall Gay, Ellis Hobbs, Tory James and Chad Scott can stay on the field, Samuel is expendable.
• And don't count out the possibility of Brandon Merriweather on the corner. At Miami he did a respectable job one-on-one against Calvin Johnson. The fact that Merriweather sat out this camp with a hamstring shows how much the Pats are counting on him. They don't want a repeat of Chad Jackson's lost rookie year.
• As I told Alicia last night: I once flew a helicopter through the Grand Canyon, the most spectacular sight I'd ever witnessed. Until she and Tracy started rummaging through her dress to find that tongue ring. That now takes the top spot.
• Adalius Thomas is a beast. Every report says his athleticism jumps out at you. While we knew he was versatile, I don't think we were prepared for how much he'll be lining up in the Mike spot. Apparently the Pats feel that putting him in the middle makes Bruschi and Vrabel both better players. The only drawback is it will cut down on Thomas' big play ability.
• Sign that being a first ballot Hall of Fame lock doesn't mean dick on this team: Junior Seau running a lap for jumping offsides.
• Albert Breer of Metrowest Daily News says that at times Moss has been "uncoverable." That he's beaten one-on-one, double-teams and zones.
• They babied Laurence Maroney.
• And Sammy Morris = Patrick Pass, not the poor man's Corey Dillon some have made him out to be. But Mike Reiss says he looks "smooth in the passing game."
• Breer also says "The Patriots seem to be very, very focused. To be honest, they look more zoned in now than they did even in September of last year."

That is the only thing I can think of more exciting than a business meeting with Alicia and Tracy. How soon until September?