The Facts: The Patriots convened for the first official day of the team's voluntary off-season program and Morris was with them, having flown in from Dallas late Sunday. Morris, who turned 31 Sunday, also feels he has some momentum on his side as he recovers from a sternum clavicle separation. "I'm really pleased with my progress," said Morris, noting that he began lifting weights about six weeks ago. "The doctors say everything looks good and that it was a freak injury, but that guys bounce back from it."
Diehards Line:As the Globe noted, Morris was off to a strong start in 2007 before suffering the injury in the third quarter of the Oct. 14 win at Dallas. He had posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing efforts and was the team's leading rusher (85 carries for 384 yards and 3 TDs) when he went down. A healthy Morris would bolster a running back group that includes leading rusher Laurence Maroney, do-it-all threat Kevin Faulk, FB Heath Evans, and second-year man Kyle Eckel. ... For what it's worth, Morris said he actually feels further ahead this offseason than last year, when he was recovering from shoulder surgery.