All posts by Jake Mackey

AFC, New England Patriots

New England Patriots: Evaluations From Day Ten Of Patriots Training Camp

Leave a comment

After having the day off on Sunday, the Patriots were back on the practice field on Monday afternoon. It was an overall solid day for the defense, and yet another sloppy performance by the offensive units. Here are my breakdowns and evaluations from day number ten of Patriots training camp.

Key Players Return To Practice: A nice surprise for the Patriots fans in attendance on Monday was the return of multiple key players including Julian Edelman and Brian Tyms who were injured during camp last week. Also, Matthew Slater and Alan Branch made their way onto the practice field in pads for the first time this season. Slater and Tyms were wearing red non-contact jerseys.

Edelman was considered a full-participant at practice, but the team seemed to be taking it easy with him holding him out of most eleven on eleven drills. He did look like he was moving around and running routes smoothly without much trouble from his ankle.

Brian Tyms was wearing the red non-contact jersey, but he was receiving a lot of reps in live team drills working with all three quarterbacks on the roster. Tyms is now part of what is a developing multiple player battle for the fourth wide receiver spot on the roster. Furthermore, LeGarrette Blount was seen running hill sprints and it was reported by Pro Football Talk that there is no structural damage in his knee, after it was reported that he had suffered an MCL sprain.

Patriots.com
Patriots.com

Malcolm Butler Continues To Impress: Monday was yet another day of Patriots training camp where Malcolm Butler proved why he should be the team’s number one cornerback. He has been a nuisance for Tom Brady to deal with throughout the past couple of weeks, and that was no different on Monday.

Early in practice during seven on seven work, Brady targeted Jonathan Krause deep down the sideline. Krause was blanketed by Butler who went up and deflected the ball out of the air, and proceeded to bop his head up and down signaling the crowd. The so called, “swagger” that Butler possesses has been a big reason why he has stood out this summer.

Later on in practice Butler made a very nice pass breakup on a play action pass intended for Josh Boyce. As always, Butler let Brady know that he got the best of him on that play. It is safe to say that as of right now, Malcolm Butler has a strangle hold on the number one cornerback spot.

Miscellaneous Notes: Monday marked the first day for Ryan Lindley in a Patriots uniform. You can tell that the coaching staff is expecting to use Lindley for a substantial amount of time Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, because he received a vast majority of the reps at the end of practice.

Overall he was not much different from the last time we saw him against the Carolina Panthers in the wild card round of last years playoffs where he threw two bad interceptions. He has a big arm, but he overthrows his targets much too often.

The Patriots offense continues to have slow starts to practice that set the tone for a stressful and lack luster practice for Tom Brady and the coaching staff. This was most apparent early on at practice Monday when Brady targeted Brian Tyms on a quick crossing pattern.

Patriots.com
Patriots.com

Tyms did not look for the ball fast enough, and by the time he did the ball had already ricocheted of his chest and into the waiting arms of Dont’a Hightower. Brady showed his frustration by shouting the four-lettered word that he commonly uses on game day.

Furthermore, Jerod Mayo took a nasty shot at Rob Gronkowski when he caught a pass over the middle of the field form Tom Brady. It is the kind of physicality you like seeing from your defensive leader, just don’t target it towards arguably your teams most valuable player. The hit caused for some boos from fans, and a sigh of relief when Gronkowski walked away okay.

Lastly, an interesting sight during eleven on eleven work with the second and third team groups towards the end of practice, was the installation of the wildcat offense with undrafted rookie Zach D’Orazio taking the snaps at quarterback.

The Patriots will be back at it on Tuesday, and I will be attending, therefore stay tuned for more training camp updates and analysis form Goal Line Gazette.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL

Dominique Easley And Chandler Jones Will Make Or Break Patriots Defense

Leave a comment

Questions surround the Patriots defense going into the 2015 season, and almost all of them come from the secondary. With the loss of Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, and Kyle Arrington the cornerback depth chart is thin and will for sure be a work-in-progress throughout the summer and into the start of the regular season.

Also, at the safety position, Devin McCourty will be under heavy scrutiny given his expensive new contract in which the team basically chose him, over Darrelle Revis. Next to him, Duron Harmon is a wild card, and you can’t expect much from Patrick Chung and Tavon Wilson in the passing game. The old cliche is that you can fix a weak secondary, with a good pass rush.

That is something that Patriots fans have been harping on all offseason long, and I understand the optimism. The front seven is bursting with young talent and athleticism, but some players have yet to break out and really help make the Patriots front seven an elite unit. In 2015, they have no other choice but to make that leap, due to the fact that the defense needs to be carried by the front seven.

Chandler Jones has been one of Bill Belichick’s more overrated first round picks. In his three seasons he still hasn’t become that constant pass rusher that he was drafted twenty-first overall to be in 2012. Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia have used him in multiple ways, and he has yet to truly find his spot.

bookofbelichick.com
bookofbelichick.com

Early on he played as a 4-3 defensive end with his hand in the dirt, and that did not pan out well leading to injury. Early last season Jones transitioned from a stand up player that would drop back into coverage, to a 3-4 defensive end. He was ineffective at both positions. In coverage he was much to slow, and inside in the 3-4 he was way too over matched physically.

His toughness has certainly been a question mark at times, especially during September of last season. In addition, when he went down with injury, the team proved that they can be just fine without him when they brought in Akeem Ayers to essentially take over his role.

Jones biggest issue has been his ability to stay on the field. He missed six games last year with a hip injury, and it has been reported that he had surgery in the offseason. Nevertheless, he has been on the field during every training camp practice with the first team defense.

In previous seasons, when healthy Jones has been on the field for about ninety-five percent of the defensive snaps. With the addition of Jabaal Sheard, Jones may be able to rest and stay more fresh on Sundays. This, along with Bill Belichick placing Jones in a better role as a stand up edge player in a 4-3 set, could lead to him finally making the leap to an elite pass pro-level pass rusher. He has the potential to be a fifteen sack player.

Dominique Easley is for sure a player that will need to heavily contribute in order for the Patriots front seven to be an elite unit. After a non-existent rookie season, fans were hoping to see a fresh legged Easley during training camp. This was not the case as he began camp on the physically unable to perform list.

He returned on day number three of camp, and has been in attendance every day since then. However, the team is taking it easy with him, not throwing him into action right away. Most of his reps are coming with the second team. On Thursday, he saw some time with the first team squad and he impressed, blowing right through the line untouched at one point.

Easley has a very unorthodox set of skills. His mixture of speed, power, and physicality really is unmatched to any Patriots defensive player in recent memory. He is not exactly an interior pass rusher or space eater, nor is he an edge setter that can get to the quarterback.

If his knees can hold up this upcoming season, Easley needs to be what he was labeled coming out of the University of Florida. He needs to be a,”disruptor.” Collapsing the pocket, creating lanes for blitzing linebackers, and plugging up space to block running lanes is what he was drafted to do. He was dubbed as a top ten talent if he did not get injured in college, and after a fully healthy offseason Patriots fans should expect to see that talent emerge at the pro level this year.

In the end, Chandler Jones and Dominique Easley are the two players that will make or break the Patriots defense in 2015. The front seven is going to need to carry the load because of the lack of talent in the secondary. The team has lacked an edge rusher since Willie McGinest departed in 2005, and Chandler Jones was drafted to be just that. This may be his last chance to prove he can be that in a Patriots uniform.

patspulpit.com
patspulpit.com

Dominique Easley needs to help fill the void of Vince Wilfork in the middle. Without Vince, there is a lot of space left barren at the core of the defense. Easley needs to prove he can stay healthy and show that aggressive nature that he shows on the practice field often. It is safe to say both Easley and Jones need to show some nastiness in 2015.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL

Evaluations From Day Seven Of Patriots Training Camp

Leave a comment

The Patriots wrapped up their seventh practice of training camp Thursday afternoon, and it was much more lively than Wednesday nights in-stadium season ticket holder practice. The players were in full pads, and much of the absences were the same as they have been throughout camp, with a few new additions.

Julian Edelman missed his third straight practice with what is believed to be an ankle injury. In addition, Aaron Dobson missed practice for precautionary reasons with a hamstring injury. Also, the team signed two new players, tight end Mason Brodie who stands at 6-7, and tackle Mark Asper. Harlan Gunn was released after only a few days on the roster. Here are my evaluations and observations from Thursday’s practice.

patriots.com
patriots.com

Wide Receivers Emerge Without Edelman: With Julian Edelman now absent for the past three practices, other wide receivers such as Josh Boyce and Chris Harper have had their chances to get quality reps with Tom Brady and the first team offense. For Josh Boyce, many people have written him off for making the roster, but he has impressed so far this camp.

Boyce was targeted multiple times by Brady, and made a nice grab over Logan Ryan at the start of practice. If he can add solid receiving ability to his repertoire along with his kick returning, he could be a solid contributor to the offense.

Chris Harper was a player that for the first time received decent reps with Tom Brady on Thursday. At 5-11, 175 pounds, height is not Harper’s strength, but he can fly. Harper is getting good reps returning kicks and punts. Many believe that he was brought in specifically for this reason. However, on Thursday he showed his down field speed during eleven on eleven drills. Brady targeted him deep, but he lacked the ability to fight for the ball in the air, resulting with a pass breakup from Darryl Roberts.

Travaris Cadet Winning The Battle For Third Down Back: As training camp moves along, we can begin to see who is winning the individual position battles that we focused so heavily on leading into camp. It is probably safe to say that Travaris Cadet is winning the battle for third down running back.

Cadet is not as bulky as I had previously anticipated, but he seems to be the best option in the passing game. When you see him up close he looks like a slot receiver. On Thursday, he made a nice catch down the sideline from Tom Brady. He has shown the ability to run the wheel route very effectively, beating outside linebackers with his speed. Cadet can be used in the slot, much like Shane Vereen. The only question I have concerning him now is his pass blocking ability.

Patriots.com
Patriots.com

Miscellaneous Notes: Tom Brady took over the majority of the reps on Thursday, going 21 for 28 during eleven on eleven drills, with Garoppolo going 12 for 16 with an interception to Tavon Wilson who has impressed this summer.

Furthermore, Danny Amendola has been getting a lot of good reps with the absence of Julian Edelman. He is breaking free from defenders and making some very impressive catches. It should leave fans with confidence if Edelman were to miss significant time. Edelman is, “day to day” according to head coach Bill Belichick.

Lastly, media reports indicate that Brandon LaFell is walking around without a walking boot.

I will not be attending training camp over the weekend, so stay tuned next week for more updates from camp.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL

Evaluations From Day Five Of Patriots Training Camp

Leave a comment

After getting the day off on Monday, Bill Belichick had his team back out on the practice field on Tuesday afternoon. A later start at roughly 1:30 p.m, the crowd from the weekend diminished drastically, leaving fans in attendance with a much better view point for the practice. The practice schedule and routine was the same as the first four days, things are just slowly picking up as the days move on. Here are my three observations and evaluations from Tuesday’s session.

Injuries Pile Up: With players hitting mostly at full speed comes the increased risk of training camp injuries. At the end of Sunday’s practice, Julian Edelman came up limping after catching a low placed ball from Jimmy Garoppolo. Edelman was on the field in full pads to start Tuesday’s practice. However, after stretches he walked into the field house next to the practice field and never returned.

In addition, halfway through the practice during individual tackling drills between defensive backs and wide receivers, Brian Tyms was rocked by Robert McClain. It did not seem to be a cheap shot, but most players do not follow through with their tackles, except for McClain who took Tyms directly to the ground. Tyms was carted off the practice field with what looked to be an upper body injury.

Also, an injury that looked to slip under the radar at the end of practice was an alleged one to Rob Gronkowski. I first noticed when the first team offense was practicing goal line drills. Gronkowski was kneeling on the side, grabbing at his lower back. There was no sign of trainers looking at his back, but during the two-minute drills at the end of practice, Gronkowski sat out. He was walking okay at the end, so try not to panic to hard Patriots fans.

patriots.com
patriots.com

Jimmy Garoppolo Has His Best Day: Throughout the first four days of training camp, Jimmy Garoppolo was underwhelming to put it lightly. Nevertheless, on Tuesday he was pretty impressive. He started practice off slow, with his first pass being intercepted by Nate Ebner. However, his passes had some very nice touch on them, particularly in red zone situations.

His first two passes in live eleven on eleven situations were beautifully placed passes, hitting Travaris Cadet and Danny Amendola in stride in opposite corners of the end zone. His decision making still needs to speed up, but overall he is slowly progressing day by day.

patriots.com
patriots.com

Miscellaneous Notes: Malcolm Butler continues to build upon his Super Bowl heroics during training camp. During the first eleven on eleven session, Butler picked off a bullet pass from Tom Brady intended for Josh Boyce in the middle of the field. Also, he certainly does not lack in confidence as he continues to chatter back and forth with Tom Brady.

Practice for sure started off very chippy on Tuesday afternoon. It started off right away during seven on seven interior drills. Jonas Gray ran through the hole, only to be absolutely leveled by Jamie Collins from the right side. Gray got up a little ticked off and the two exchanged words for a moment.

In addition, Josh Kline was getting very scrappy as well early on, and Jordan Devey looks terrible as always. Kline was blowing back Jonathan Freeny and getting good contact on Jamie Collins. Especially on Freeny, pushing him all the way back to the sidelines. Devey looked as if he were on roller skates when Zach Moore made one move on him and blew up a run play in the back field.

Josh Boyce is also raising some eyebrows so far. I completely wrote him off from making the team, but he is seeing a lot of time with Tom Brady, and Jimmy Garoppolo especially loves targeting him. Boyce continues to burn seventh round rookie cornerback Darryl Roberts, on almost a daily basis.

The Patriots will have a light practice inside Gillette Stadium for season ticket holders, and residents of Foxborough and South Walpole on Wednesday night after the Hall of Fame induction of Willie McGinest. Stay tuned for more training camp updates on Goal Line Gazette.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL

New England Patriots: Evaluations From Day Four Of Patriots Training Camp

Leave a comment

The first weekend of 2015 New England Patriots training camp is now in the past, and on day four the thousands of fans in attendance witnessed plenty of contact. I was one of those fans in attendance, and I found it to be the best day of camp thus far, from an evaluation standpoint. There was a lot of one on one drills, along with live team drills between the first team offense and the first team defense. So without further a due, here are my three biggest takeaways and evaluations from day four of Patriots training camp.

Aaron Dobson Shines Again: One of the biggest bright spots of camp so far has been the resurgence of third-year wide receiver Aaron Dobson. The former second round has stood out on multiple occasions, and none more evident than on Sunday. During eleven on eleven drills, Tom Brady threw a beautiful pass to Dobson down the sideline even though he was blanketed by Malcolm Butler. Dobson stretched out and made a phenomenal catch, erupting the massive crowd.

Dobson was targeted often by both Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo during practice. In addition, during one on one drills against the cornerbacks, Dobson beat out Logan Ryan making another great grab. Also, he made one move on Bradley Fletcher and left him in the dust.

Aaron Dobson.
patriots.com

Darryl Roberts Continues To Struggle: As one Marshall Thundering Herd succeeds during training camp with Aaron Dobson, the other on the roster, seventh round rookie cornerback Darryl Roberts, continues to have a tough time acclimating himself to life in the National Football League. Going into training camp, I had Roberts listed as my rookie sleeper that would stand out, as did Malcolm Butler last year, and Zach Sudfeld the year before.

For the second straight day, Roberts was toasted by wide receivers on multiple occasions. On Sunday, Roberts was beaten by Josh Boyce three separate times. The first was during one on one drills, where Boyce ran a flag to the corner of the end zone and Roberts did not even turnaround to look for the ball. That has been a common occurrence throughout camp.

The other two times came during team drills where Boyce just ran right past Roberts, and his only choice was to maul Boyce before the ball could get to him. He is certainly living up to his pre-daft billing of being to aggressive down the field.

patriots.com
patriots.com

Miscellaneous Notes: Jerod Mayo for sure came out firing at practice on Sunday. Twice during four on four drills in which two linebackers and two defensive tackles, would go up against three lineman and a running back, Mayo blew past James White sacking the quarterback. He then seemed to take it easy for the rest of practice, riding the bike heavily.

Furthermore, there was a bit of a scare for Patriots fans during practice as Julian Edelman came up limping after he caught a low placed ball from Jimmy Garoppolo where he was then tackled by Patrick Chung. He eventually walked it off, but then sat out the rest of team organized drills.

Also there was some very spirited competition between Julian Edelman and Malcolm Butler during one on one sessions. Butler won three times, but Edelman got the last laugh spinning the ball in Butler’s face.

Stay tuned throughout the week for more training camp updates.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL

New England Patriots: Patriots Training Camp Day Three Evaluations

Leave a comment

Day number three of New England Patriots training camp has come and gone, and now the real football has begun. Saturday marked the first time that the team has worn full pads during practice, which could only mean one thing, contact! Of course since the new Collective bargaining agreement came out in 2011, the amount of hitting teams can do in practice is limited, but there was certainly still some popping in Foxborough on Saturday morning. Here are my three biggest takeaways and observations from day three of camp.

1. Blount and Easley Back In Action: On Saturday morning, media members and fans were delighted to see the return of both LeGarrette Blount and Dominique Easley to the practice field. After failing his conditioning test on Wednesday, Blount had to spend the following days getting himself in shape so he could get on the field and help his team.

It was evident that Josh McDaniels wasn’t going to just hand Blount all the reps, he had to capitalize when he had them. When it came down to it, he did capitalize. He doesn’t look like he has missed a step at all since we saw him in February. During a drill in which a linebacker had to cover a running back one on one on a passing pattern, Blount made a phenomenal move on Jamie Collins leaving him in the dust as he reeled in a catch from Tom Brady down the sideline. In addition, during goal line drills, Blount showed his power once again plowing through the defense into the end zone. Although, he was stopped on his second attempt by rookie first-rounder Malcom Brown.

patriots.com
patriots.com

There was a report on Friday, stating the Patriots coaching staff was going to be cautious with Dominique Easley. This did not appear to be the case on Saturday as Easley was full go. Even though he was mostly phased out of first team reps by veteran Antonio Johnson, Easley did impress during interior lineman three on three drills. The drill was simulated with a center, guard, and tackle going up against two defensive lineman and a linebacker. Easley really gave it to un-drafted rookie center David Andrews during the drill. The two were really going at it, that could stem from their Georgia versus Florida college rivalry days.

Rookie Offensive Lineman Jumping Right Onto First Team: With the left guard position wide open, and with Ryan Wendell still on the physically unable to perform list, rookie guards Shaq Mason and Tre Jackson have been able to see plenty of action over the past three days. Many believed that Jackson would have the best chance at the starting job based on his size, but Shaq Mason was the one that really stood out on day three.

Mason was in the left guard spot during live team drills, and he stood his ground giving up zero sacks of Tom Brady. Furthermore, during the interior lineman drill period, Mason made a fantastic cut block on veteran linebacker Jonathan Freeny, taking his feet from right up under him.

patriots.com
patriots.com

Miscellaneous Notes: The story with the quarterbacks was very much similar to what it was on Thursday when I was at training camp. Tom Brady took the majority of the reps with the first team with a little Jimmy Garoppolo mixed in. Brady was borderline flawless, and Garoppolo still needs to make quicker decisions. Brady went seven of ten during seven on seven drills, and a perfect twelve for twelve during live team action. Garoppolo also went seven for ten, and seven for nine during team action.

The defensive back group continues to put things together with some bumps in the road, as expected. The two quarterbacks for the most part carved up the secondary. Nevertheless, there was some bright spots on Saturday. Logan Ryan shined by breaking up multiple passes from Tom Brady. That is key because Ryan is the most experienced corner in the Patriots system, which is scary. Second round safety Jordan Richards also continues to impress the doubters.

On Thursday he had a very nice interception of Jimmy Garoppolo, and today he made a great play by knocking the ball out of Scott Chandler’s hands in a one on one drill. The 6-7 Chandler towers over 5-11 Richards.

Lastly, the play of the day for me had to go to one Aaron Dobson. During one of the seven on seven periods, Dobson made an outstanding grab on a post corner route from Tom Brady, over former college teammate Darryl Roberts, who was all over him.

I will also be in attendance at day four of Patriots training camp, so stay tuned for more updates.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL

New England Patriots: Patriots Training Camp Day One Evaluations

1 Comment

Day one of New England Patriots training camp is officially in the books. Fans piled into the practice field stands and the famous hill, to watch their favorite team take the field for the first practice of the summer. Many fans most likely had a very tough time telling which players were which, because in typical Bill Belichick fashion he sent his players onto the field without jersey numbers. The only thing the casual fan could tell was that quarterbacks were in red, offense in gray shirts, and defense in blue shirts.

I was in attendance at practice, and because I spend too much learning every minute detail of these players, I did not have an overly tough time deciphering which players were which. Seeing how the players were in just shorts, t-shirts, and helmets there was virtually zero contact.

7/30/15 QBs and WRs
7/30/15 QBs and WRs

The lack of physicality made it very difficult for defensive players and offensive lineman to stand out. Therefore, I really limited myself to evaluating some of the skill position groups that were really on display. This meant predominately quarterbacks, wide receivers, and slightly tight ends and running backs.

The running backs that were out on the field today were Brandon Bolden, Travaris Cadet, Tyler Gaffney, Dion Lewis, and James White. When it came to first team reps with Tom Brady and company, Brandon Bolden received almost all of the snaps when the offense was in shot gun, (which was almost every snap).

Furthermore, in goal line drills, the Patriots lined up in the jumbo set with six offensive lineman, with Gronkowksi and Chandler on the end, and Jonas Gray running the ball behind James Develin in the, “I” formation. Jonas Gray was big to begin with, now he looks significantly thicker, and Josh McDaniels seems to be looking to get him involved in the passing game.

Patriots.com
Patriots.com

Patriots fans got their first glimpse of Tyler Gaffney today, and it was in a limited role. He received decent reps, but mostly just running the ball in simulated goal line situations. He also got some special teams work in.

The wide receivers were harder to tell apart. Obviously Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are easy to tell apart, but players such as Josh Boyce, Brandon Gibson, and Chris Harper are not as easy. Amendola and Edelman looked impressive as always. Brady targeted Edelman more than any other receivers, connecting every time they attempted, with the exception of one post corner route in the back of the end zone, dropped by Edelman.

Both Aaron Dobson and Brian Tyms saw a lot of time on opposite sides of the field. Dobson was with Brady and the first team, and Tyms with Garoppolo and the second team. Garoppolo targeted Brian Tyms a total of six times throughout the day during team drills, going four for six, based on my observations, and as expected they were all fade routes and skinny posts. Dobson was on the field a lot with Brady, but the ball did not come his way very often.

At tight end, there are few words to say other than, Rob Gronkowski is a freak. He caught multiple passes in traffic from Tom Brady, the most impressive being a skinny post route in which he caught the ball while shaking off Tavon Wilson like he was nothing, and spiking the ball in the process. In addition, Jake Bequette did not impress at tight end. He has the physical stature to be a beastly blocking tight end, however he has stone hands, dropping passes on multiple occasions.

Quarterback was by the far the easiest position to evaluate, given the fact that there was only two quarterbacks on the field. Tom Brady impressed as he always does in training camp. His passes were pinpoint and he also showed a little bit of athleticism. Early on in practice Brady caught a fade in the corner of the end zone from Julian Edelman. Then later on he caught another pass down the sideline from Julian Edelman on a reverse pass, this time he only needed one hand.

garops patriots.com

Many were probably expecting to see a slightly improved Jimmy Garoppolo from the one they had seen in December. If you went to Patriots training camp with these expectations, you left disappointed. His first pass of the day was an interception to rookie Matthew Wells or Jordan Richards. He simply can’t throw the ball down field and he seems to be afraid to even try it. Brady certainly does not have a cannon for an arm, but he makes decisions quickly and gets rid of the football. Jimmy panics when his first read is gone, looks around and then dumps it off to James White. If it were a real game situation he would be put in the turf fairly quick.

I hope to attend training camp more in the coming days, so stay tuned for more updates and analysis of the Patriots practices.

AFC, New England Patriots

New England Patriots: Five Positions To Watch At Patriots Training Camp

Leave a comment

It is one of the callings of fall. The days are slowly getting shorter, the grass is freshly cut, and the man in the visor swinging his whistle ferociously, who is better known as the hoodie, is once again patrolling the practice fields of Foxborough. Patriots training camp is upon us. After a very tumultuous offseason in which the Patriots were under heavy fire most of the time, (even though they had just won the Super Bowl) it is time to strap on the pads, buckle up the chinstraps, and play some real football.

This year, more than in years past the Patriots have a plethora of question marks heading into training camp. Who is going to make up for Revis? How will they replace Wilfork? Is this the year Chandler Jones finally makes the leap? Position battles will highlight this summer, given the vast amount of starting roles up for grabs.

If you are going to training camp, you will realize that there is a bunch going on at once as the team breaks off into positional groups. Therefore, your probably thinking to yourself, what positions should I pay closest attention to? Well, here are the five most important positions to watch out for at Gillette this summer.

5. Quarterback: I trying my best to not mention, “deflate-gate” in this article, but I can’t get around it. There is a very good chance that Tom Brady will miss time early on in the season, so now more than ever Patriots fans need to evaluate the back up quarterbacks.

Personally, I will be watching Jimmy Garoppolo very intently. We need to see how he progressed over this offseason. The offseason between a players rookie season and their second season, is the most important of their career. Garoppolo was fully healthy, and I expect nothing less than vast improvement from what we saw in week seventeen last season against the Buffalo Bills.

Photo: masslive.com
Photo: masslive.com

In addition, Matt Flynn will battle with Garoppolo for the back up job. Many are sleeping on him, for good reason. He has never won a quarterback battle in training camp, and he has been apart of about three. Nevertheless, he was a very reliable back up for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, and always answered the bell when called upon.

4. Safety: The Patriots are now set for the next five seasons at free safety with Devin McCourty receiving an extension worth 47.5 million back in March. However, the safety spot opposite of him will be vastly important in 2015. In today’s NFL, you have to be prepared for passing situations on every down. The Patriots will certainly realize this early on in the season. With all the talented young players in the front seven, Bill Belichick maybe tempted to finally, “turn the dogs loose” up front.

Along with the weak secondary, opposing teams will want to throw the ball given these reasons. With teams throwing the ball non-stop the Patriots need another safety that can cover. That means Duron Harmon needs to have a big camp. Other than Harmon the rest of the safeties on the roster such as Tavon Wilson, Patrick Chung, and Nate Ebner are all tackle machines who can lay the boom, stop the run, and contribute on special teams.

None of the those players however can pass cover. Also, it should be interesting to watch second round pick Jordan Richards. I was not in the minority of being very skeptical of Bill Belichick for taking Richards that high in the draft. He seems like another Nate Ebner, which is all fine and well, but you can get that player in round five.

3. Running Back: No more Shane Vereen in New England, means it is time for a battle for the third down back role. One of the most important positions on the Patriots roster, because for a vast majority of the time your protecting Tom Brady. In my mind, the battle will come down to three players; Brandon Bolden, Travaris Cadet, and James White.

Last preseason, James White did not impress. He was soft and did not show that burst that he had in college at the University of Wisconsin. Travaris Cadet had a decent season in 2014 racking in thirty-eight receptions. Lastly, Brandon Bolden has seen little time at the third down back role, and when he did in 2013 he had a tough time getting on the same page as Tom Brady.

brandon bolden

Bolden’s pass blocking ability is better than any other running back currently on the roster. That is what makes this battle an intriguing one. Which player can put all three phases together, Running the ball, catching the ball, and pass blocking. Personally, I am going with the hulk, Brandon Bolden. Why? He has the most experience in the offense, and two years is enough time to fix the deficiencies he showed in 2013.

2. Guard: With no more Dan Connolly, and Ryan Wendell recovering from a shoulder injury, Patriots offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo will be rotating his young guards around. Tre Jackson was drafted in the fourth round of this years draft along with Shaq Mason.

It would be better off for the Patriots to have a rookie take over the role of Dan Connolly, as oppose to players such as Josh Kline and Jordan Devey. They have proven time and time again that they can’t get the job done.

If neither Jackson or Mason can grasp the complex Patriots system, expect to see Marcus Cannon to slide over to guard. Lets hope we don’t have to see that. Don’t be surprised if there is a repeat of the offensive line debacle of last September this year.

1. Cornerback: Obvious choice here. No more Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Alfonzo Dennard, or Kyle Arrington on the roster, thin would be putting it lightly when talking about the cornerback depth chart on the Patriots. What the Patriots need to do is rely on the few veterans they have right now. Tarell Brown and Bradley Fletcher.

I am in the minority, but I believe that Bradley Fletcher will bounce back and be a serviceable player. The real player to focus on is Malcolm Butler. A young player that shined in year one, and shined in the brightest moment. Can he finally break the trend of Patriots cornerbacks flopping in year two?

Darryl Roberts will also be a player to keep an eye on. He is a seventh round rookie that looks to have the physicality of a player like Brandon Browner. Logan Ryan will receive a ton of reps as well, however he has also proven he can’t fill the cleats. He is targeted immediately when he is on the field.

Photo: Masslive.com
Photo: Masslive.com
AFC, New England Patriots

Tom Brady Proclaims His Innocence, The Fight Continues

Leave a comment

I went to bed last night, like I have so many times in the past seven months feeling like I can’t defend Tom Brady and the Patriots anymore in the, “deflate gate” saga. The destroyed cell phone almost was the final straw for me. Then, yet again I woke up to a prepared statement, this time from Tom Brady himself.

Brady fired shots at both Roger Goodell and Ted Wells proclaiming his innocence. Some of the key quotes from were as follows; “The fact is neither I, nor any equipment person, did anything of which we have been accused. ”

Also, “Most importantly, I have never written, texted, emailed to anybody at any time anything related to football air pressure at any time before this issue was raised at the AFC Championship game in January. To suggest that I destroyed a phone to avoid giving the NFL information it requested is completely wrong.”

GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 01 : Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates holding up the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX February 1, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tom Brady
GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 01 : Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates holding up the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX February 1, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tom Brady

Lastly, to sum it all up, ” I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”

Those are pretty fierce statements coming from Brady. I find it hard to believe that he would keep going to these lengths if he truly did anything wrong. He won’t be backing down anytime soon, unlike his teams owner.

Now the question is, how will this effect his team. Certainly this cloud will hang over the team for all of training camp and until this conflict is resolved. Players with zero intel to the situation are going to be bombarded with questions, just giving the common Patriot answer. ” Im just here getting better everyday, trying to do my job.”

If Brady takes this to court, it will drag out through the season, which makes me feel uneasy as a Patriots fan. Why? The reason is, no matter how confident you are with the case that Brady’s camp has, you never no what can happen in court.

The NFL is taking off and running with their, “destroyed cell phone” case. However, the NFL already had the messages from John Jastremski and Jim McNally, and any other messages that were needed were offered to be retrieved by the Brady camp. That was turned down by the league.

If Brady goes to court and it is heard midway through the season, there is no telling what could happen. What if it goes to court in December and the suspension stays. Then Patriots fans could see Jimmy Garoppolo under center in a playoff game. That is a scary sight to think about.

Nevertheless, the fight must go on from Brady’s side. They have dug in their heels and they are not backing down anytime soon. They can’t, it would look terrible on their part if they talked it up like they have, and then backed down, (Robert Kraft).

470144094-new-england-patriots-owner-robert-kraft-gettyimages

In the end, I think I speak for all Patriots fans, and football fans in general when I say that I want this whole thing to just be over with. It is late July, we should be focusing on position battles and the upcoming season. Instead we are discussing cell phones being destroyed and air pressure in footballs.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL

New England Patriots: Eight Players Placed On Physically Unable To Perform List

Leave a comment

Late Monday afternoon the New England Patriots placed eight players on the physically unable to perform list, (PUP). This means that due to injury these players won’t be ready for the start of training camp. These players are Dominique Easley, Dane Fletcher, Brandon LaFell, Ryan Wendell, Matthew Slater, Chris Jones, Chris White, and Vince Taylor. In addition, quarterback Matt Flynn was added to the non-football injury list.

Jan 1, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn (10) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE
Foxsports.com

Players can be taken off the list at any time, and more can be added. Don’t be surprised to see players such as Chandler Jones, Jerod Mayo, and Dont’a Hightower be added to the list seeing how they were all absent from OTA’s and minicamp. They are all reportedly recovering from offseason surgeries.

Most of the players currently on the list won’t be hurt by missing time. For the most part they are all veterans who have established roles on the team. However, somebody like Dominique Easley may be hurt by missing time. For the majority of the offseason he has been looked upon as a player that was on the brink of a breakout season.

Now that Easley will be missing the start of camp it will further delay his progression. Last year was basically a red-shirt for him in the National Football League, as he was only available for eleven games. Even in that time he wasn’t nearly as effective as he was in college. I certainly wouldn’t write off Easley’s season just yet, but it is definitely cause for concern that his knee injury from 2013 is still causing him to miss time.

On the bright side, Ryan Wendell’s absence can be seen as a good thing by Patriots fans who have a, “glass half full” mentality. The most under looked position of need in Foxborough this year is the guard position. With Dan Connolly retiring, the Patriots now have to scrap pieces together, as they have done so many times before, and put together a serviceable interior unit.

With Wendell sidelined to start camp, it will give players such as Josh Kline, Shaq Mason, and Tre Jackson valuable first team reps. That is very valuable early on in training camp as we learned last season when a player like Jordan Devey was thrown into the fire in September. The result was Tom Brady spending the majority of his time on the turf. I expect to see much of that this coming September as well. It wouldn’t hurt to still have Logan Mankins still around would it.

washingtonpost.com
washingtonpost.com

Rookies Tre Jackson and Shaq Mason will benefit most from Wendell’s absence. It is more probable than not that Tre Jackson will be a starter at some point this coming season. It may not come in week one, but when Josh Kline or Jordan Devey once again get exposed, he will be forced into action like Bryan Stork was least season. Also, Jackson seems to have a great skill set for a guard. At 6-4, 326 pounds he is massive in size and he has meat cleaver like hands that can pack a punch.

Shaq Mason is a bit undersized. He may be more of a work in progress given the fact that he is transitioning from center to guard. Nevertheless, the experience can’t hurt.

In the end, the Patriots currently on the physically unable to perform list, will miss valuable practice time, but their veteran mentalities will allow them to come right back to football form when they are ready. However, someone like Dominique Easley may be taking yet another step back in his pro career.