FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Richard Seymour took the field with his teammates for the first time in training camp Thursday. Unfortunately for the New England Patriots, holdout Deion Branch wasn’t with him.

A tight quadriceps has kept Seymour from practicing and he did little physically in a relatively light workout. The star defensive lineman, without helmet or shoulder pads, lined up in his stance and walked through different formations.

He remained on the physically unable to perform list, although he said he should be at full strength for the regular season.

There was no timetable for Branch’s return.

New England’s top wide receiver and MVP of one of its three Super Bowl victories stayed away for the seventh straight day. He wants more than the $1.045 million he’s scheduled to make this season, the last of a five-year contract he signed as a rookie, and has been negotiating for a new deal.

Seymour held out of camp last year but missed just four days before getting a raise and then, on April 12, agreeing to a four-year contract worth about $30 million through 2009.

“We love to play this game but we’re not going to play it for free or whatever the case may be,” Seymour said, “but everyone’s situation is different … and you have to handle it accordingly.”

Three other major contributors to team championships were missing Thursday, all on defense. Linebacker Willie McGinest signed in the offseason with Cleveland, safety Rodney Harrison is working his way back from a knee injury early last season and linebacker Tedy Bruschi has an injured wrist.

Seymour has been a defensive captain for the last three of his five seasons since he was taken with the sixth pick in the 2001 draft but isn’t likely to change his leadership style.

“Everyone leads in different ways,” he said. “I’m not a big rah-rah guy. I say what needs to be said when it needs to be said and that’s the way I get my point across.”

Seymour has watched film, participated in team meetings and worked on getting his quadriceps healthy. On Thursday, not only was he back on the field, but for the first time practice was inside Gillette Stadium rather than on the adjacent practice field.

“It feels good to finally get on the field with the guys,” said Seymour, coming off his fourth straight Pro Bowl selection. “In the offseason, you train for it.”

But he’s not ready to put on his pads and try to power past his offensive linemen.

“I’m still down,” Seymour said. “I just came out for the walk-through and I’m still working out with the strength coaches and, hopefully, I’ll be back out on the football field soon.

“I wish I was 100 percent now, but that’s just the way things roll and I don’t see any reasons why I wouldn’t be 100 percent” for the season opener Sept. 10 at home against Buffalo.

Another former first-round pick, tight end Daniel Graham, practiced for the first time in camp. He’s not on the PUP list, so he was allowed to catch passes in his helmet and pads Thursday.

Much of the workout focused on special teams play.

After that, “We didn’t really do anything other than just stand out there and talk about things,” coach Bill Belichick said.

Seymour was allowed to do that under the PUP rules.

While he may not show up in as many highlights as pass rushers whose role is to sack the quarterback, he is, at age 26, one of the NFL’s best defensive linemen.

“There’s a lot that I haven’t done,” Seymour said. “I’ve never been defensive player of the month. I’ve never been defensive player of the year. So I still have a lot that I have to do and I still think my best football is still ahead of me.”

First, he has to get his quadriceps healthy enough to practice regularly.

“Training camp is tough. It’s grueling,” he said, “and I just was at a point where I didn’t want to come out and further injure it.”

AP-ES-08-03-06 1806EDT