FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One of the themes of the week for the New England Patriots is that they'll approach Friday night's preseason game at the Detroit Lions somewhat similarly to how they would a regular-season game. And with the regular-season opener just 16 days away, linebacker Dont'a Hightower's availability becomes a bigger storyline.
Hightower, one of the team's defensive captains, opened the year on the physically unable to perform list. The expectation has been that he will be available when the games count for real, and if that is to be realized, his return to practice shouldn't be far off.