REID OPENING STATEMENT:"I'll just add to it. Steven Nelson won't practice today, he's just working on getting better. I look forward to the challenge of playing the Patriots. We know they're a good football team obviously. They're World Champions and it's a great environment for football. Well coached, good players, it should be a heck of a football game. Time's yours."

Q:Is this a short-term concern about Steve Nelson's health?

REID: "We'll take it day-by-day here and just see."

Q:You were asked a lot of questions when the schedule came out about opening up the NFL season. Now that it's here how prepared and how excited are you guys to get out there?

REID: "Obviously the guys are excited to play. It's the beginning of the season and both teams I'm sure are in the same boat. You get tired of training camp and now you have an opportunity to play and it counts, especially in that atmosphere it's a great atmosphere for football."

Q:It seems like Tamba's knee problems are chronic, he's been having this for a while. What's going to change between now and October or whenever you guys might be able to get him back?

REID: "I think it's just a matter of monitoring and keeping an eye on him and letting him continue to rehab and when he's ready to go, then you let him go. For the time being just making sure you control it."

Q:What made you comfortable for the time being having just the two running backs on the roster?

REID: "Listen, we'll see how things go here in the next day or two, but we try to keep our eyes open. But I do like the two guys we have and I've got some flexibility there with some of the receivers in an emergency situation."

Q:You and Coach Belichick have had a good rivalry over the years and everything and I know you've got a friendship off of the field too. What's it like going up against a coach like that and somebody you know so well?

REID: "Well he's a phenomenal coach, great human being, does a heck of a job with his team. To be able to sustain as long as he's sustained is really something. That's a phenomenal thing in this profession. You love that challenge like he does, it's the same thing. You have two good teams that have an opportunity to play against each other. We're both lucky to have good personnel and he does all that himself with his guys and brings those people in and he's got good football players."

Q:With the way he's churned the roster a little bit this year, is the preparation a little bit more difficult bringing in some of the players he's brought in that may be different make up than those guys, especially offensively?

REID: "He's had a couple injuries and then he's added a couple of guys even before the injuries, but the common denominator is that they're good football players. They have different redeeming qualities but they're good players and they've got that guy playing quarterback that's pretty good too, so he knows how to find them. Anyway that's what I'll tell you there."

Q:What kind of unique challenge does it present to go up against this team week one, they're scheme is similar, but what kind of challenge does it present?

REID: "You love it. You love competition. If you're in this business that's what you thrive on. I tell you both sides feel that way. The players that's why these guys play the game. They want to play against the best and so that's how this is presented. You want to coach against the best, you have that opportunity and that's a great thing. That's the beautiful thing about this sport."

Q:What do you guys think you can do to help Cam Erving unlock his potential?

REID: "Cam's played a lot of different spots and we sure liked him coming out. We're very happy to have him here. We're going to probably keep him in one spot initially, at the tackle spot and let him get used to that and get used to the offense and then go from there. But we liked what we saw, we liked what we saw really at Cleveland too."

Q:How much growth have you seen from Larry (Laurent Duverany-Tardif) since he got here a few years ago on a leadership standpoint and as far as his relationships with players? REID: "Larry's done a phenomenal job. Again, I think just playing at McGill and then coming into the National Football League is quite a jump. It's a tribute to his hard work and toughness and then smarts. He's a pretty sharp guy. He's able to pick things up fast. Then as far as his leadership goes he's the kind of guy that you like being around. He's a good guy. I think the players appreciate him and he fits well in the locker room."