Pats escape major scare with lineman Tre' Jackson

The Patriots got a major scare at practice today when rookie lineman Tre' Jackson went down to the turf and was carted off the field by the medical staff.

Jackson was unable to move much when he was being attended to, and initial tweets from beat reporters described a pretty grim picture for the fourth-round pick out of Florida State. However, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, Jackson succumbed to heat-related body cramps as a result of exhaustion and expects to be just fine in the aftermath.

It was a scorcher today, with temperatures reaching as high as 94 degrees, and head coach Bill Belichick had his team practicing in full pads and stopped the session on two occasions to give a water break for his players. Whenever the cart rolls around and picks up a player is cause for worry, but it seems the Pats dodged a huge bullet with Jackson.

Jackson projects to start Week 1 and has played with the first unit offense since training camp started. With Ryan Wendell still on the PUP list, it remains to be seen if Jackson usurps him at the right guard position or slides over to the left when the veteran lineman is ready to return.

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