
When listing the remaining holdouts on Sunday, I forgot one of them. Possibly because he’s not really a holdout.
Then again, it’s not clear what he is.
Veteran offensive lineman Brian Waters hasn’t shown up for training camp. Under contract through 2012 at a base salary of $1.4 million, Waters hasn’t retired. But he also hasn’t shown up.
And it’s unclear whether he will.
Coach Bill Belichick didn’t seem to be bothered by Waters’ failure to report, even though the team needs him, what with the retirement of left tackle Matt Light and left guard Logan Mankins injury and the more recent (and abrupt) decision of Robert Gallery to call it quits.
Waters has done nothing to indicate his plans for 2012. The Patriots have done nothing to indicate that they’ll be squeezing him to show up.
So maybe he’s a holdout. Maybe he isn’t. Soon enough, we’ll know whether he’s going to play.
We think.