I realize that I probably say this every year, but I'm going to say it again. If you get an opportunity to go to training camp you need to go. It is just a fantastic event. There's stuff for the kids to do, there's autographs to be had, and of course you get a glimpse of the team as it comes together.
I got there a little bit early (practice was to start at 230 and I arrived at the field by 2pm) and already the bleachers were nearly full. I sat on the hill in the grass which is about the best view you can get of both practice fields. It just to happens that I was near the press tent. Since it was early, I went over to chat with Mike Reiss, from the Boston Globe. He was the first media guy to arrive and was sitting by himself. He's a real nice guy, fun to chat with, maybe I'll invite him to golf as well. (My buddy called me a media whore.)
There were a lot of oohs and aahs from the fans as the players began to trickle onto the practice fields. A lot of "Look- there's Adalius" and "Look- there's Moss" and so on. Tom Brady was last to come out and he nearly got a standing ovation - the place went crazy.
Practice was held in full pads and there was certainly a LOT of hitting going on. There was a lot of first O versus first D, there was blitz pickup drills, there was some special teams work.
Adalius Thomas was once again working as the strong side middle line backer. This is a change of position from Baltimore where he played outside and was highly effective. To his credit his has held the company line saying that he'll play wherever they want him to. As far as the linebackers go, this could be a special year -IF they all stay healthy. Bruschi looks like the Bruschi of old, Vrabel is back on the outside where he belongs and Rosie looks good. Add in Junior Seau to back them all up and you've got quite a corps. Second year LB Pierre Woods also made some nice plays which is important to the depth of the LB's.
With Maroney in a non-contact RED jersey, Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris got lots of action. While Morris looked pretty decent, he got beat by blitzers more often than you'd like to see. Kevin Faulk was just outstanding. He broke at least 3 runs, never missed a blitz pickup and was involved in the play of the day. Faulk motioned out of the backfield to a WR position and was followed by Bruschi in coverage. On the snap he ran a go route down the sideline followed very closely by Tedy, with Hobbs providing over the top help. Brady launched the ball into the tight coverage and it looked like he shouldn't have even thrown the ball. The ball came down right into Faulks hands, he tucked it and was pushed out by Hobbs. Bruschi was only a half step away, Hobbs was a half step away, yet Brady snuck the ball in perfectly. The place erupted.
On another play - one that I hope we'll see many more times- Brady hit Randy Moss deep. It was real subtle how Moss got open and may not have even been noticed by most bystanders. It appeared to be a play that wasn't designed to go to Moss, but Brady couldn't find anyone else open. Moss was barely coasting and was 40 or so yds downfield when Brady finally made the throw. Moss picked up on it and went into a sprint. I couldn't tell who was in coverage from my angle, but he was stride for stride with Moss - who eventually had to almost stop and wait for the ball to come down some 60 yds downfield. Moss looked up for the ball while "incidentally" bumping the safety and knocking him slightly off balance just as Moss jumped up to snare the ball. Brady has acknowledged that he hasn't been overly accurate when throwing to Moss. It almost seemed like he's trying too hard to make a perfect pass to him. In a lot of drills, when Brady wasn't putting where he wanted you could hear him give out an "AAAAGGHH" before the ball even got to Moss. It happened probably 5-6 times and only when throwing to Moss. One ball almost skipped to him, but Moss was able to reach down and pull it off the blades of grass.
Kelley Washington participated in practice and looked pretty good. The other WR that stood out was Jabar Gaffney. It's easy to see why many of the local writers are saying he'll start opposite Moss on opening day. What was really cool was the way they employed the 3 WR sets. The first Offense had Moss, Gaffney and Welker. One would assume that Moss and Gaffney would be the wide guys with Welker in the slot. Most of the time however, Welker would line up wide right with Moss wide left and Gaffney on Moss' side in the slot and it was an imposing sight to see them break the huddle and line up on the same side. Looking at the various formations, it was hard not to imagine what the hell an opposing defense will do to TRY to stop this team.
While Welker didn't really stand out on Offense, he had a good day returning punts. He will make a big difference for this team in the battle for field position. Another guy that really stood out on special teams was rookie free agent CB Larry Anam from BC. He's big and pretty fast, but he was relentless in his pursuit of the ball. He's a very long shot, but Belichick puts a premium on special teams, so maybe he's got a chance.
Overall it was a good, fast paced, hard hiting practice. Now I can't wait to see how it all comes together on game day!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Thoughts going into camp....THIS FRIDAY!!!!
I almost can't take it anyore, the last few days before camp are killer!
I don't know if anyone heard the UNTRUE, STUPID rumor going around yesterday that Tedy Bruschi died. I don't know where it came from (I had 3 different people ask me about it) but I am glad to report that the rumor is NOT TRUE. Some people need to get a life.
The PUP list came out and it includes the following Patriots:
WR Troy Brown;RB Justise Hairston; WR Chad Jackson; CB Eddie Jackson; S Mel Mitchell; DL Richard Seymour; TE David Thomas; WR Kelley Washington
Being put on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list means that you cannot take part in training camp until you are taken off the list. You cannot be on the regular season PUP unless you are on the pre-season PUP. The PUP designation may be removed at any point prior to the start of the regular seasn, but if you beging the regular season on th PUP, you are not eligable to begin praciting until after week 6. The most likely to remain on the PUP for the regular season are Chad Jackson (torn ACL v. Indy) and Eddie Jackson (special teams standout signed from the dolphins who also has an ACL injury)
Patriots camp this year promises to be filled great competition unlike last year, when there was not a lot of depth behind the starters. What makes this year especially interesting is that it's not just inter-positional battles for roster spots. While there are 12 WR's fighting for possibly 6 roster spots, we will be seeing battles between full backs and tight ends for roster spots. We may also see some of the 'bubble' WR's battling DB's for roster spots. It all depends on who's going to play special teams well.
Did I harp on Seymour money yet? I guess I was right about him, he was the highest paid player in the NFL last season, raking in nearly 25 MILLION Dollars. Let's see....doing some math....24 solo tackles...that's a million per tackle.....4 sacks.....that's 6 million per sack....That almost gets him into the JD Drew league of unproductive contracts. Oh but i guess he's worth it 'cuz he's got a fan hotline. You DID see his name on the PUP, right?
I'm very happy to hear the news that Tarik Glen, Indy's starting left Tackle for the past 11 seasons, is retiring! Now they'll either have a journeyman or a rookie protecting Peyton's backside. Mr Manning, this is Mr Thomas and Mr Vrabel and Mr Colvin and Mr Harrison.
Here's one that really pisses me off. Now I'm not a proponent of drug use in any way shape or form (not even prescription), but I have to take issue with the NFL over it's drug policies. Ricky Williams has absolutely NO CHANCE of getting back into the league because he smokes weed. Explain to me how that gives him an edge over the competition. The guy gets pounded 20 or 30 times a game and is sore and beat up, he smokes some weed to make some of the pain go away. Then they tell him he can't ever play in the league again. On the other hand, Shawn Merriman gets busted on STEROIDS, completely enhancing his game - changing the outcome of games, and he gets a little 4 game suspension. OH, and a trip to the probowl! Shouldn't it be the opposite punishment for these two guys? Don't get me wrong, I'm not naive enough to thing that no one's doing roids in the NFL. They're probably all on some type of enhancers, but if you get caught you need to be severely punished. Do you think a 4 game slap on the wrist stopped Merriman from cycling again this of season?
Yes it is dispicable what Mike Vick "supposedly" did. I think that it's more disgusting that the public outcry about it is greater than the outcry against Pacman Jones. Vick brutalized some animals. There's a young guy with a wife and little children to support who was paralyzed because of the actions of Pacman Jones. Where is the outcry? When did the life of an animal become more important than that of a human being in this country? Can we blame Bush for that too?
Rumor has it the Falcons called the Texans and offered two first found picks to get Matt Schaub back. I feel for Bobby Petrino, he was a great college coach who just got his hands tied before he starts his first NFL season.
Can anybody think of a good NFC team? I really can't come up with one that has a legit shot at winning the superbowl this year. Really. And I've looked extensively.
I'll be in attendance at Pats camp next Monday and hopefully posting shortly after. Don't forget to go to the official Pats website each evening during camp to see the storylines and video high lights from the day's practices.
I don't know if anyone heard the UNTRUE, STUPID rumor going around yesterday that Tedy Bruschi died. I don't know where it came from (I had 3 different people ask me about it) but I am glad to report that the rumor is NOT TRUE. Some people need to get a life.
The PUP list came out and it includes the following Patriots:
WR Troy Brown;RB Justise Hairston; WR Chad Jackson; CB Eddie Jackson; S Mel Mitchell; DL Richard Seymour; TE David Thomas; WR Kelley Washington
Being put on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list means that you cannot take part in training camp until you are taken off the list. You cannot be on the regular season PUP unless you are on the pre-season PUP. The PUP designation may be removed at any point prior to the start of the regular seasn, but if you beging the regular season on th PUP, you are not eligable to begin praciting until after week 6. The most likely to remain on the PUP for the regular season are Chad Jackson (torn ACL v. Indy) and Eddie Jackson (special teams standout signed from the dolphins who also has an ACL injury)
Patriots camp this year promises to be filled great competition unlike last year, when there was not a lot of depth behind the starters. What makes this year especially interesting is that it's not just inter-positional battles for roster spots. While there are 12 WR's fighting for possibly 6 roster spots, we will be seeing battles between full backs and tight ends for roster spots. We may also see some of the 'bubble' WR's battling DB's for roster spots. It all depends on who's going to play special teams well.
Did I harp on Seymour money yet? I guess I was right about him, he was the highest paid player in the NFL last season, raking in nearly 25 MILLION Dollars. Let's see....doing some math....24 solo tackles...that's a million per tackle.....4 sacks.....that's 6 million per sack....That almost gets him into the JD Drew league of unproductive contracts. Oh but i guess he's worth it 'cuz he's got a fan hotline. You DID see his name on the PUP, right?
I'm very happy to hear the news that Tarik Glen, Indy's starting left Tackle for the past 11 seasons, is retiring! Now they'll either have a journeyman or a rookie protecting Peyton's backside. Mr Manning, this is Mr Thomas and Mr Vrabel and Mr Colvin and Mr Harrison.
Here's one that really pisses me off. Now I'm not a proponent of drug use in any way shape or form (not even prescription), but I have to take issue with the NFL over it's drug policies. Ricky Williams has absolutely NO CHANCE of getting back into the league because he smokes weed. Explain to me how that gives him an edge over the competition. The guy gets pounded 20 or 30 times a game and is sore and beat up, he smokes some weed to make some of the pain go away. Then they tell him he can't ever play in the league again. On the other hand, Shawn Merriman gets busted on STEROIDS, completely enhancing his game - changing the outcome of games, and he gets a little 4 game suspension. OH, and a trip to the probowl! Shouldn't it be the opposite punishment for these two guys? Don't get me wrong, I'm not naive enough to thing that no one's doing roids in the NFL. They're probably all on some type of enhancers, but if you get caught you need to be severely punished. Do you think a 4 game slap on the wrist stopped Merriman from cycling again this of season?
Yes it is dispicable what Mike Vick "supposedly" did. I think that it's more disgusting that the public outcry about it is greater than the outcry against Pacman Jones. Vick brutalized some animals. There's a young guy with a wife and little children to support who was paralyzed because of the actions of Pacman Jones. Where is the outcry? When did the life of an animal become more important than that of a human being in this country? Can we blame Bush for that too?
Rumor has it the Falcons called the Texans and offered two first found picks to get Matt Schaub back. I feel for Bobby Petrino, he was a great college coach who just got his hands tied before he starts his first NFL season.
Can anybody think of a good NFC team? I really can't come up with one that has a legit shot at winning the superbowl this year. Really. And I've looked extensively.
I'll be in attendance at Pats camp next Monday and hopefully posting shortly after. Don't forget to go to the official Pats website each evening during camp to see the storylines and video high lights from the day's practices.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thanks for the Comments
Here's a reply to your comments asking about specific topics:
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT OUT OF TEDY BRUSCHI THIS YEAR? (and the LB's in general.)
I think we've seen the best out of Tedy Bruschi and those days are behind him. This year should be pretty similar to what we saw last year, that is, a solid player but one that just isn't quite capable of making the game changing plays that he used to. That's OK though because Bruschi will get lots of help from A.T. (easier to type than Adalius Thomas) Brushi won't have to be the run stuffing MLB on every down anymore and that should lead to more production. The problem is that you're almost wasting A.T. if he has to play the run stuffer.
Belichick will do plenty of mixing and matching (and mismatching!) with the highly flexible group of LB's. Assuming that they all stay healthy, they should all be productive because they will all get some downs off and they will all be put in positions in which they will have the best chance to succeed.
While the top 5 LB's are excellent, this team will need some big time development from the likes of Pierre Woods and Eric Alexander in order to have real depth.
CAN MARONEY CARRY THE ROCK?
Laurence Maroney hasn't ever had to be a featured back, even in college he was splitting the carries. It will be interesting to see how he holds up. He hasn't really participated in the off-season stuff because of a shoulder surgery. Don't be surprised if he plays very little in pre-season games either. I've seen conflicting reports from the experts about Maroney. Some say he'll benefit greatly from a passing game that may force defenses to only play 6 men in the box. Others maintain that he isn't tough enough to have 300+ carries and lack of depth at RB will become an issue for the Pats. I would think that the Pats will try to pick up a veteran RB before the season starts but it's too hard to tell with Scott and Bill. Only time will tell if Maroney will hold up, but there will be enough one sided games for the Pats to let the likes of Morris and Evans run out the clock.
WHO WILL BE THE #1 CB IF ASANTE HOLDS OUT OR COMES BACK DOWN TO EARTH?
The same guy that was the best corner on the team last year - Ellis Hobbs. Why do you think Asante had so many picks and Hobbs so few? Teams weren't throwing at Hobbs as much as they threw at Asante because Hobbs is a better cover man. Regardless, there are numerous CB's looking to step in to the rotation as either starter or nickel corner. Leading candidates are Chad Scott, Tory James and old friend Randall Gay. In an interview with Gay that I read he said that he's 100% healthy and no one is more excited about camp than he is. Scott and James are Savvy vet's that should be able to hold coverage until Vrabel, Colvin and or A.T. can get to the QB. Don't rule out first round pick Brandon Merriweather either. Sources in the know said that he was by far the best CB at the U for the last couple of seasons, but he was so fast and atheletic they played him at Safety so he could impact the entire field. At the very least he should see significant time in Nickel and Dime packages.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT OUT OF TEDY BRUSCHI THIS YEAR? (and the LB's in general.)
I think we've seen the best out of Tedy Bruschi and those days are behind him. This year should be pretty similar to what we saw last year, that is, a solid player but one that just isn't quite capable of making the game changing plays that he used to. That's OK though because Bruschi will get lots of help from A.T. (easier to type than Adalius Thomas) Brushi won't have to be the run stuffing MLB on every down anymore and that should lead to more production. The problem is that you're almost wasting A.T. if he has to play the run stuffer.
Belichick will do plenty of mixing and matching (and mismatching!) with the highly flexible group of LB's. Assuming that they all stay healthy, they should all be productive because they will all get some downs off and they will all be put in positions in which they will have the best chance to succeed.
While the top 5 LB's are excellent, this team will need some big time development from the likes of Pierre Woods and Eric Alexander in order to have real depth.
CAN MARONEY CARRY THE ROCK?
Laurence Maroney hasn't ever had to be a featured back, even in college he was splitting the carries. It will be interesting to see how he holds up. He hasn't really participated in the off-season stuff because of a shoulder surgery. Don't be surprised if he plays very little in pre-season games either. I've seen conflicting reports from the experts about Maroney. Some say he'll benefit greatly from a passing game that may force defenses to only play 6 men in the box. Others maintain that he isn't tough enough to have 300+ carries and lack of depth at RB will become an issue for the Pats. I would think that the Pats will try to pick up a veteran RB before the season starts but it's too hard to tell with Scott and Bill. Only time will tell if Maroney will hold up, but there will be enough one sided games for the Pats to let the likes of Morris and Evans run out the clock.
WHO WILL BE THE #1 CB IF ASANTE HOLDS OUT OR COMES BACK DOWN TO EARTH?
The same guy that was the best corner on the team last year - Ellis Hobbs. Why do you think Asante had so many picks and Hobbs so few? Teams weren't throwing at Hobbs as much as they threw at Asante because Hobbs is a better cover man. Regardless, there are numerous CB's looking to step in to the rotation as either starter or nickel corner. Leading candidates are Chad Scott, Tory James and old friend Randall Gay. In an interview with Gay that I read he said that he's 100% healthy and no one is more excited about camp than he is. Scott and James are Savvy vet's that should be able to hold coverage until Vrabel, Colvin and or A.T. can get to the QB. Don't rule out first round pick Brandon Merriweather either. Sources in the know said that he was by far the best CB at the U for the last couple of seasons, but he was so fast and atheletic they played him at Safety so he could impact the entire field. At the very least he should see significant time in Nickel and Dime packages.
The Rich Get Richer
Training camp is now just ONE week away and I'm so anxious I had to get blogging again. This week's post will cover the off-season acquisitions. Not only who's been signed, but also what impact they should have on this year's team. Let's get started.
ADALIUS THOMAS -LB- We're told that this guy has it all and can do it all. He's BIG (6'2 270) and Fast. He can play virtually any defensive position. He's very smart. The big question here is how Belichick will use his new toy. Most thought Thomas would play his natural outside linebacker position. However in Pats mini camps he's been mostly been playing inside linebacker. I'd guess that Belichick will use him at Inside and Outside LB, but in passing situations he may play pass rushing end. Evidently in some packages he lines up at OLB behind Seymour and rushes the passer. He was a the guy that made the big play for the Ravens the last couple of years, like Bruschi USED to do here. Hopefully Thomas will continue making plays for his new boss.
RANDY MOSS -WR- The biggest steal of the draft whether or not he pans out. The general concensus (and my opinion too) is that Moss will be just fine - this year. He will be a good boy and drink the coolaid even if he isn't the leading receiver on the team, even if he catches no balls in some games. Winning is too important to him at this stage in his career. If they go on to win it all he may become selfish again. Look for him to start as the #1 receiver, the "Z". According to Troy Brown, Moss didn't drop one ball in mincamp.
DONTE STALLWORTH -WR- Perhaps he'll have the biggest impact of any newcomer to this offense. According to sources he's gobbled up this offense and he's busted his tail on the field. He'll be the deep threat, but if he indeed has learned this O, then he'll be in the right place all the time and will become Brady's 'go to' guy.
WES WELKER -WR- I don't care how productive this guy is, I believe the Pats overpaid for him. They gave the Dolohins second and seventh round picks and then shelled out nearly 7 million dollars to sign him. Don't get me wrong, he will be very good in the slot and he'll probably be a difference maker on kick returns, I just think it was a steep price to pay especially when you only gave up a 4th rounder for Moss.
KELLEY WASHINGTON -WR- My initial impression when I heard that the Pats signed him was "WHY?" and he hasn't done much to change my opinion. From what I've read, he's struggled to pick up this offense and he may be the odd man out at an overcrowded WR position. It's too bad because he's got good size.
KYLE BRADY -TE- A very good signing that I think went under the radar because of all the other weapons signed on the offense. At the VERY least Brady is a MOUNTAIN (6'6 280) and will be a devastating blocker. Put him on the same side as the Dwight Freeneys and Jason Taylors of the world and TOM will not have to worry about a pass rush. I personally feel that he's going to be an integral part of the passing game for two reasons. First, David Thomas' broken foot prevented him from participating in the offseason mini-camps, so Brady got a lot of reps with Brady. Second, he came from a Jacksonville offense that isn't designed to throw to the TE. His # of catches have been very low the past few seasons. Teams aren't going to gameplan to stop Brady because of that (and the other weapons the Pats have) so I think he'll be a BIG part of the red zone offense. I fully expect 8-10 TD's.
TORY JAMES -CB- I like this signing more than most of the experts, who seem to have been written him off for some reason. Maybe he has lost a step - I can't say that I've seen him run. But there's something to be said about a guy that has started nearly every game for the last 12 seasons. He'll be in the right place at the right time and his veteran savvy will help to make up for a little less speed. He's had 17 INT's over the last 3 seasons and I think he'll contribute when/if Samuel holds out.
SAMMY MORRIS -RB- I don't really know how much impact he'll have on the Offense. Although, he was great catching the ball out of the backfield in the offseason camps and Welker (Morris' teammate in Miami the last couple of years) is convinced that Morris could carry the load at RB if given the opportunity. He'll be in there to give Maroney a blow and might even get some 3rd down action when Faulk isn't in. Don't be surprised to see Morris play some fullback. His real impact will be on special teams.
Those are the major additions and it's way too early to mention the rookies. I'm off to work on some of your requests!
ADALIUS THOMAS -LB- We're told that this guy has it all and can do it all. He's BIG (6'2 270) and Fast. He can play virtually any defensive position. He's very smart. The big question here is how Belichick will use his new toy. Most thought Thomas would play his natural outside linebacker position. However in Pats mini camps he's been mostly been playing inside linebacker. I'd guess that Belichick will use him at Inside and Outside LB, but in passing situations he may play pass rushing end. Evidently in some packages he lines up at OLB behind Seymour and rushes the passer. He was a the guy that made the big play for the Ravens the last couple of years, like Bruschi USED to do here. Hopefully Thomas will continue making plays for his new boss.
RANDY MOSS -WR- The biggest steal of the draft whether or not he pans out. The general concensus (and my opinion too) is that Moss will be just fine - this year. He will be a good boy and drink the coolaid even if he isn't the leading receiver on the team, even if he catches no balls in some games. Winning is too important to him at this stage in his career. If they go on to win it all he may become selfish again. Look for him to start as the #1 receiver, the "Z". According to Troy Brown, Moss didn't drop one ball in mincamp.
DONTE STALLWORTH -WR- Perhaps he'll have the biggest impact of any newcomer to this offense. According to sources he's gobbled up this offense and he's busted his tail on the field. He'll be the deep threat, but if he indeed has learned this O, then he'll be in the right place all the time and will become Brady's 'go to' guy.
WES WELKER -WR- I don't care how productive this guy is, I believe the Pats overpaid for him. They gave the Dolohins second and seventh round picks and then shelled out nearly 7 million dollars to sign him. Don't get me wrong, he will be very good in the slot and he'll probably be a difference maker on kick returns, I just think it was a steep price to pay especially when you only gave up a 4th rounder for Moss.
KELLEY WASHINGTON -WR- My initial impression when I heard that the Pats signed him was "WHY?" and he hasn't done much to change my opinion. From what I've read, he's struggled to pick up this offense and he may be the odd man out at an overcrowded WR position. It's too bad because he's got good size.
KYLE BRADY -TE- A very good signing that I think went under the radar because of all the other weapons signed on the offense. At the VERY least Brady is a MOUNTAIN (6'6 280) and will be a devastating blocker. Put him on the same side as the Dwight Freeneys and Jason Taylors of the world and TOM will not have to worry about a pass rush. I personally feel that he's going to be an integral part of the passing game for two reasons. First, David Thomas' broken foot prevented him from participating in the offseason mini-camps, so Brady got a lot of reps with Brady. Second, he came from a Jacksonville offense that isn't designed to throw to the TE. His # of catches have been very low the past few seasons. Teams aren't going to gameplan to stop Brady because of that (and the other weapons the Pats have) so I think he'll be a BIG part of the red zone offense. I fully expect 8-10 TD's.
TORY JAMES -CB- I like this signing more than most of the experts, who seem to have been written him off for some reason. Maybe he has lost a step - I can't say that I've seen him run. But there's something to be said about a guy that has started nearly every game for the last 12 seasons. He'll be in the right place at the right time and his veteran savvy will help to make up for a little less speed. He's had 17 INT's over the last 3 seasons and I think he'll contribute when/if Samuel holds out.
SAMMY MORRIS -RB- I don't really know how much impact he'll have on the Offense. Although, he was great catching the ball out of the backfield in the offseason camps and Welker (Morris' teammate in Miami the last couple of years) is convinced that Morris could carry the load at RB if given the opportunity. He'll be in there to give Maroney a blow and might even get some 3rd down action when Faulk isn't in. Don't be surprised to see Morris play some fullback. His real impact will be on special teams.
Those are the major additions and it's way too early to mention the rookies. I'm off to work on some of your requests!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Golfing with Tom Curran
A few weeks ago I invited Tom Curran to play golf. You may know Tom from his days as the Patriots beat writer from The ProJo, or his numerous appearances on FSN New England and WEEI. These days Tom writes for NBCsports.com. Anyway, he happily took me up on my offer to play some golf and yesterday we went out and hit the links.
Tom is a great guy, down to earth, family man, funny and informative. I got to pick his brain quite a bit about the Pats and other teams around the NFL and I'll share with you some of Tom's thoughts. By the way, we got our assess handed to us in the golf match by a couple of old geezers even though I had the best round of my life to date.
I had to start with the Asante Samuel situation. (Those of you that see me on a regular basis can ask me about Asante, because I don't want to "publish" any of it on my BLOG). Tom essentially agrees with what most of us think, that Asante had one good year (bolstered by three picks from Rex Grossman) and Asante's crazy to think that he should get big time cash. Curran thinks that he'll probably sign his franchise tag at some point during training camp. (a sentiment also echoed by Reiss' pieces yesterday). Tom thinks the Pats probably have enough depth at CB to get by without Asante. He likes Scott, Gay and James, but he really thinks that Merriweather will be used more as a Corner than a safety and will have an impact on this team as at least the nickel corner.
I asked Tom if he got to go to the mini camps and passing camps. As for the WR's, he was most impressed with Stallworth because he was working his butt off. He also agreed with Mike Felger about Randy Moss looking like he was 'dogging' it during the workouts, but didn't seem too concerned about Randy's production this year. His sentiment overall is that the Pats won't cut any receiver, rather whoever isn't going to make the team will be trade bait.
The player that stood out the most in Tom's eyes was 6th round draft pick RB Justice Hairston. For those that don't know him, he started his college career at Rutger's and was a productive back there. However, Rutger's recruited the #1 back in the state of NJ and Hairston transferred to Central Connecticut rather than split carries at Rutgers. His #'s last year were impressive,
277 carries 1847 yds 6.7avg 20TD's. That being said, don't expect Hairston to get many carries THIS season, he's too raw, especially given the complex nature of this offense. So one area that does concern Tom is the depth ar RB. IF Maroney goes down for only 2-3 games then the offense can get by with 4 and 5 WR sets throwing the ball all over the field and still win. But if Maroney goes down for an extended period of time (perhaps for the playoffs) then this team will be in trouble because the guys they have can lug it 20 -25 times a game. So watch for the Pats to pick up a veteran RB prior to the start of the season.
As for the restof the NFL, Tom and I agree that realistically there are 3 teams head and shoulders above the rest: the Pats, Colts and Bolts, with the Pats as the best team. He feels that way becasue the Colts D is way too porous this year given their offseason losses. He is also convinced that the Bolts will have a hard go of it based on the coaching turnover and learning a new offense and new defense. One team he thinks will improve (and I disagree) is the Jets. This is because he likes the additions of Revis at CB and Thomas Jones at RB. The rest of the team is pretty much the same guys as last season so he anticipates the Jets contending for the playoffs. I think they played over their ability last season and will come back down to earth this year.
That pretty much sums it up for now. I'm still working on the individual assessments of the Pats new face and will postit when it's complete.
Tom is a great guy, down to earth, family man, funny and informative. I got to pick his brain quite a bit about the Pats and other teams around the NFL and I'll share with you some of Tom's thoughts. By the way, we got our assess handed to us in the golf match by a couple of old geezers even though I had the best round of my life to date.
I had to start with the Asante Samuel situation. (Those of you that see me on a regular basis can ask me about Asante, because I don't want to "publish" any of it on my BLOG). Tom essentially agrees with what most of us think, that Asante had one good year (bolstered by three picks from Rex Grossman) and Asante's crazy to think that he should get big time cash. Curran thinks that he'll probably sign his franchise tag at some point during training camp. (a sentiment also echoed by Reiss' pieces yesterday). Tom thinks the Pats probably have enough depth at CB to get by without Asante. He likes Scott, Gay and James, but he really thinks that Merriweather will be used more as a Corner than a safety and will have an impact on this team as at least the nickel corner.
I asked Tom if he got to go to the mini camps and passing camps. As for the WR's, he was most impressed with Stallworth because he was working his butt off. He also agreed with Mike Felger about Randy Moss looking like he was 'dogging' it during the workouts, but didn't seem too concerned about Randy's production this year. His sentiment overall is that the Pats won't cut any receiver, rather whoever isn't going to make the team will be trade bait.
The player that stood out the most in Tom's eyes was 6th round draft pick RB Justice Hairston. For those that don't know him, he started his college career at Rutger's and was a productive back there. However, Rutger's recruited the #1 back in the state of NJ and Hairston transferred to Central Connecticut rather than split carries at Rutgers. His #'s last year were impressive,
277 carries 1847 yds 6.7avg 20TD's. That being said, don't expect Hairston to get many carries THIS season, he's too raw, especially given the complex nature of this offense. So one area that does concern Tom is the depth ar RB. IF Maroney goes down for only 2-3 games then the offense can get by with 4 and 5 WR sets throwing the ball all over the field and still win. But if Maroney goes down for an extended period of time (perhaps for the playoffs) then this team will be in trouble because the guys they have can lug it 20 -25 times a game. So watch for the Pats to pick up a veteran RB prior to the start of the season.
As for the restof the NFL, Tom and I agree that realistically there are 3 teams head and shoulders above the rest: the Pats, Colts and Bolts, with the Pats as the best team. He feels that way becasue the Colts D is way too porous this year given their offseason losses. He is also convinced that the Bolts will have a hard go of it based on the coaching turnover and learning a new offense and new defense. One team he thinks will improve (and I disagree) is the Jets. This is because he likes the additions of Revis at CB and Thomas Jones at RB. The rest of the team is pretty much the same guys as last season so he anticipates the Jets contending for the playoffs. I think they played over their ability last season and will come back down to earth this year.
That pretty much sums it up for now. I'm still working on the individual assessments of the Pats new face and will postit when it's complete.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Here We Go Again...Finally!
Hope everyone has had a great summer so far, welcome back to the new look Patriots Report! It's been an exciting off-season filled with great anticipation and finally, training camp is only 23 days away! It seemed like the Patriots were in the headlines with a new acquisition every week, which just led to more and more excitement over the potential of this team.
However the so called "experts" still think this is a team with a lot of questions going into the season - too many to win the superbowl. Here's a quick list of Patriots issues:
The Asante Samuel contract
Randy Moss' behavior
The age and lack of depth at linebacker
The health and age of Rodney Harrison
The ability of Maroney to be the lead back for a full season
The lack of a #1 corner (given the Samuel situtaion)
Brady's baby destraction
Of course I could sit here and dispute most of these issues, but you've got to admit that each of them could turn into a problem during the course of the season. My contention is that this list for the Pats is not as great as some of the concerns for the other major AFC contenders.
The Colts lost 3/4 of their starting secondary, a staring linebacker, a starting defensive tackle and the guy that, for all intents and purposes WAS the superbowl MVP in Dominic Rhodes. They are hoping that untested draft picks will fill those holes. Good luck.
The Chargers turned over their entire coaching staff. We saw what it was like for a few years in a row here when coordinators left and there was a noticeable difference - even thought they continued to run the same schemes. Now the Bolts must learn a new D, a new O, and what each new coach expects of them. Oh yeah, can you name 2 WR's on this team? Eric Parker and Vincent Jackson are 1 and 2 on their depth chart.
However the so called "experts" still think this is a team with a lot of questions going into the season - too many to win the superbowl. Here's a quick list of Patriots issues:
The Asante Samuel contract
Randy Moss' behavior
The age and lack of depth at linebacker
The health and age of Rodney Harrison
The ability of Maroney to be the lead back for a full season
The lack of a #1 corner (given the Samuel situtaion)
Brady's baby destraction
Of course I could sit here and dispute most of these issues, but you've got to admit that each of them could turn into a problem during the course of the season. My contention is that this list for the Pats is not as great as some of the concerns for the other major AFC contenders.
The Colts lost 3/4 of their starting secondary, a staring linebacker, a starting defensive tackle and the guy that, for all intents and purposes WAS the superbowl MVP in Dominic Rhodes. They are hoping that untested draft picks will fill those holes. Good luck.
The Chargers turned over their entire coaching staff. We saw what it was like for a few years in a row here when coordinators left and there was a noticeable difference - even thought they continued to run the same schemes. Now the Bolts must learn a new D, a new O, and what each new coach expects of them. Oh yeah, can you name 2 WR's on this team? Eric Parker and Vincent Jackson are 1 and 2 on their depth chart.
The point is that EVERY team in the league has major question marks going into any NFL season.
Next week's blog will post on Wednesday and will focus on the off-season personell moves. I am open to questions or suggestions for topics to cover in the three posts prior to the open of training camp on Friday July 27th.
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