Patriots defensive back Chad Scott will miss the upcoming season because of a knee injury, the team announced Monday, as Asante Samuel's holdout continued. Scott, 32, was placed on the reserve/injured list. The news came just hours after Bill Belichick continued to describe Scott's injury as day-to-day.

While the commonly held view has Asante Samuel not being at Patriots camp when it opens tomorrow in Foxboro, agent Alonzo Shavers won?t tip the cornerback?s hand either way. All Shavers would say was Samuel, who has yet to sign the club?s franchise tag at $7.79 million, was in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., working out yesterday and planning on remaining there today. ?Either he?s going to be there, or he?s not. It?ll be noticeably obvious,? Shavers said yesterday of the disgruntled defensive back. ?Then, we?ll take it from there.?

It?s the issue that periodically reveals itself like a dorsal fin, stealthily piercing the surface before disappearing just as quickly. It?s Bill Belichick?s contract, and Patriots fans have every right to wonder how long his hoodiness plans to stalk the sidelines. They?re not likely to receive an answer anytime soon. Belichick and management keep even the simplest contract details - like the expiration date - under wraps. That resulting tea leaf reading makes amateur horticulturalists of the entire six-state region. Failing a proclamation from either Belichick or owner Robert Kraft, the best we can do is analyze the coach?s actions. And though a case can be made for both sides, the evidence points to him remaining in power beyond this season. This is an issue because the Patriots have not made any pronouncements regarding his deal since 2003, when Kraft announced a two-year extension to the five-year pact Belichick signed in 2000. That extension was due to expire last year, but obviously didn?t.

A jury found against Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis on Tuesday in his malpractice lawsuit against two doctors he claimed botched his care after he had gastric bypass surgery five years ago. The jury deliberated for less than half a day before finding Massachusetts General Hospital surgeons Charles Ferguson and Richard Hodin were not negligent. Weis, 51, who won three Super Bowls as the offensive coordinator for the Patriots, accused the surgeons of negligence, saying they allowed him to bleed internally for 30 hours before performing a second surgery to correct the complication.

Troy Brown signed with the Patriots for a 15th season Tuesday, giving the wide receiver a chance to increase his team record of 557 catches. Brown, 36, has spent his entire career with the Patriots since being drafted in the eighth round out of Marshall in 1993. He did not attend last month's minicamp where another former Marshall receiver, Randy Moss, worked out with his new team after he was acquired from Oakland in a draft day trade in April.

Cornerback Asante Samuel and the New England Patriots failed to agree on a multiyear contract, setting the stage for a possible holdout. Samuel, coming off the best of his four seasons, can play only for the tender offer the Patriots made when they designated him as their franchise player. He skipped the team's mandatory minicamp last month and has said he intends to hold out until the 10th week of the regular season. The club made no transactions, team spokesman Stacey James said. Samuel's agent, Alonzo Shavers, did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Although the Dolphins believe Lorenzo Booker is ready to be Ronnie Brown's backup, they likely would explore veteran options if Brown is hurt, Booker struggles in camp or potential third-stringers Jesse Chatman and Patrick Cobbs flop. Free agent Corey Dillon likes the Dolphins, but they haven't called.

Barring an unexpected turn, the Patriots and cornerback Asante Samuel will not reach a long-term contract agreement before today's 4 p.m. deadline for franchise players. The Patriots have not increased their most recent offer, according to a source directly involved in negotiations. Yet Samuel's agent, Alonzo Shavers, has not lost hope that a deal could be struck. "We're still working, the deadline hasn't got here yet," he said. "We've been in conversations."

Vinny Testaverde joined the Patriots last November, but this year he'll be aboard a bit earlier. Currently a free agent, Testaverde told Sporting News Radio yesterday he has an arrangement with the Patriots to return for the 2007 season. "After two-a-days are over, I'll go back and sign my contract," said Testaverde, who turns 44 in November. Testaverde's locker has remained intact at Gillette Stadium, a sign of his likely return. He also participated in the team's offseason passing camps and a mandatory full-time minicamp in June.

The clock is ticking on Asante Samuel. The cornerback is not yet technically a holdout, since he remains a free agent. But Samuel?s options decrease on Monday when the deadline arrives either to agree to a long-term deal or be limited to signing the Patriots? one-year franchise tender of $7.79 million. The sides have remained far apart in negotiations in recent days, increasing the likelihood that Samuel will be a no-show once training camp opens on July 27. However, there is a glimmer of hope. A source close to Samuel yesterday said he wouldn?t be surprised if the corner held out into the season, but thought a more likely scenario would be for Samuel to end his holdout early in training camp so he has enough time to get into game shape and decrease the risk of injury that would come with just jumping into the action halfway through the season.