"The clanging of weight machines could be heard at Gillette Stadium yesterday as the Patriots returned for offseason workouts less than two months after the Baltimore Ravens ended their season in the wild-card round.

"We're trying to put last season behind us,'' linebacker Jerod Mayo said. "You can tell from the guys who were here before we actually had to report that people are really hungry to get back at it and start the new season.''

On Monday, players began working out under the guidance of strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik. Weightlifting, running, and watching film take up most of the players' time."