08:47 AM EDT on Friday, August 27, 2004

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

Journal file photo The media guide may say that Mike Cloud was with the Patriots last season, but it certainly wasn't a full season. This time around, he's off to a much better start.

FOXBORO -- Mike Cloud has never been handed a thing in the NFL unless you want to count the untimely injuries, clogged depth charts and plain-old bad breaks.

For a player as brilliant as Cloud was at Boston College, the former second-round pick is still looking to make an impact (it sure won't be sudden) with some team as an everydown player. And this is the running back's second season trying to do that with the Patriots.

"I feel very comfortable," Cloud said yesterday as the team readied to wrap preparations for its third preseason game. "I completed the whole offseason workout and was down here for minicamp. I'm very confident and definitely have a greater understanding of the offense at this point."

That wasn't the case last year. Signed in June and knowing he had to serve a four-game suspension at the start of the year for a positive steroids test, Cloud was playing well in camp until a blood clot in his calf railroaded his reps. Then he had to serve his suspension, which Cloud is still rankled about. He says that trace amounts of steroids were in a protein powder he used.

He came back and exploded for 77 yards on 7 carries against the Titans and had a two-touchdown day against the Colts, but he was generally quiet the rest of the way.

"Missing training camp kind of set me back some as far as getting the game plans and the whole offense under my belt," Cloud said. "That was a tough chore after my injury and then being away for the amount of time I was. Missing 25 percent of the season, I pretty much had to relearn the offense."

He didn't figure to return to New England, but he signed with the team April 5.

"I wanted to come back here," he said. "I didn't consider [leaving] at all. It was just a timing thing. Once things got straightened out, it was a great opportunity for me to come back."

The Pats drafted Cedric Cobbs and traded for Corey Dillon, muddying the scene for Cloud at running back. But he maintains he's unfazed by that.

"I don't look at it [as something to worry about]. You can't. You've just go out there and perform when you get the opportunities and let management take care of all that. It's all about opportunity," he said. "When you get it, you just have to make the best of it."

So far, head coach Bill Belichick has seen Cloud warm to the offense. Last week, he led the Pats in rushing against the Bengals and had a 39-yard scamper in the second half.

"In Mike's case, he really wasn't with us last year," Belichick said. "He wasn't with us in training camp, he wasn't with us for the first four weeks of the season. He came back and was kind of thrust into the offense. And I think was probably reacting to a lot of things, rather than having the background, the amount of carries and the experience in the system that a player who had been there for, whatever it was, 9 or 10 weeks would have. So, this year he has the benefit of all that. I think that, in terms of learning, understanding, reading the blocking schemes in front of him and having a familiarity with those players and how they block, there is a lot of chemistry there between a block and his blocking and just knowing the people in front of you and how they are doing it and how they are going to do it on certain plays. You have got to be better off with that."

"I think I've matured a lot and have a great understanding of how the league works and how long of a season it is," Cloud added. "I think I've definitely matured and am able to put it all on the line."

Wishful thinking

Belichick was asked what kind of reception he expected when the Patriots show up in Carolina.

"Probably a parade when we land," he deadpanned. "I imagine there will be a lot of cheering when they introduce us, I would think, maybe some fireworks. I bet they are going to be happy to see us.

"I am sure it will be a real hostile environment," Belichick said, reverting to normalcy. "It is going to be what we would expect it to be. It will be loud. There will be adverse conditions. That is an enthusiastic town. They are enthusiastic about their team. They have a good team. The team plays hard. They are well-coached. I am sure they will be ready to go. That is what we expect. I am sure that is what we are going to get. We will have to match that intensity and that energy level with a lot less support than what they will have. That is the way it is going to be eight times a year during the regular season for us."

"I think it is a great situation for us to go into especially after last week. To be able to look forward to that type of environment, that type of crowd noise, that type of hostility and really, to a degree, block it out and be able to focus on the team that we are playing and execute our game plan. It will be a big challenge for us, and one that we need to face and meet."

Stokes doesn't make cut

The Patriots released veteran wide receiver J.J. Stokes yesterday, cutting their roster to 79 players. Stokes, 31, was signed as a free agent on March 3.

Last season, after being released by Jacksonville on Nov. 12, Stokes was signed by the Patriots. He appeared in two games and was released on Dec. 9, but was re-signed on Jan. 17, during the playoffs.

He was originally drafted from UCLA by San Francisco in 1995. He played 8 seasons with the 49ers, starting 66 of 111 games and catching 327 receptions for 4,139 yards and 30 touchdowns.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.