Saturday’s agenda: Brady’s birthday, last weekend practice of camp

By Shalise Manza Young

August 3, 2013

2 minutes to read

Good morning –

If you’ve been to training camp on Aug. 3 before, you know what’s on tap for today: a fair amount of singing. It is Tom Brady’s 36th birthday, and it is a tradition for fans to serenade him, and usually more than once.

On the day of his 32nd birthday, jokester Matt Light smashed a cake in Brady’s face in full view of the crowd, but there might not be a current player brave enough to do that.

Brady’s age has been a topic of conversation for a couple of years; as he gets older, the somewhat mythical “window of opportunity’’ for him and the Patriots closes a little more each season. But to hear Brady tell it, he now is considering playing through his 40s (it’s funny how this has changed for the quarterback the closer he gets to 40 — he used to say he wanted to play to that age, then into his 40s, and now he has said he’d play until 50), and on Friday he answered an interview-opening “feeling older?’’ question with, “I feel good.’’

TODAY’S GLOBE COVERAGE

Michael Vega: Has more on Brady’s comments, including the quarterback saying he’s feeling better as camp goes along

Emily Kaplan: Leads the notebook with an overview of the injuries the Patriots are dealing with, plus comments from Tim Tebow

WHAT’S ON TAP

Today

9 to 11:30 a.m.: Patriots training camp practice No. 8

* Today is the final weekend practice of training camp

Sunday

No practice: Players’ day off

Monday

9:40 a.m.: Bill Belichick news conference

10-11:45 a.m.: Patriots training camp practice No. 9

Monday night: Team departs for Philadelphia.

KEY INJURIES/ROSTER MOVES

Not practicing Friday

OL Marcus Cannon (undisclosed)

RB Brandon Bolden (in uniform but limited)

CB Ras-I Dowling (undisclosed)

DL Jermaine Cunningham (undisclosed)

Not cleared to practice yet:

TE Rob Gronkowski (Physically Unable to Perform)

WR Mark Harrison (Physically Unable to Perform)

DE Armond Armstead (Non-Football Illness)

AROUND THE NFL

Saturday’s Green and White scrimmage at Jets’ camp offers another chance for Mark Sanchez and rookie Geno Smith to show who should be starting quarterback.

The other rookie quarterback in the AFC East, Buffalo’s E.J. Manuel, got off to a fast start in his first week of training camp.

The Dolphins’ coaching staff is debating how long the starters will play on Sunday against Dallas in the Hall of Fame game.

Eagles’ receiver Riley Cooper left the team on Friday to attend counseling, but while hard feelings remain from some teammates, coach Chip Kelly said he has no intention of releasing Cooper.