Tom Brady’s camp took a step up to the plate to pre-empt the NFL offices by submitting the transcript of his meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell. The fact Brady’s camp was willing to make the entire document available speaks volumes for their confidence that he is innocent of all charges.
Troy Vincent States His Feelings (Facebook)
It will be interesting to see what the reaction of all parties involved, and the media, will be after analyzing the document. We’ll have our analyses on goallinegazette.com shortly. Meanwhile, here it is in it entirety.
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
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
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.
The New England Patriots are not known for paying money to players before they have to, especially with players who have had serious health issues throughout their career. That said, they are obviously convinced that their All-Pro tight end, Rob Gronkowski, is healthy and no risk as they advanced his bonus payment, which they weren’t required to do until after the season.
No one can stop Gronkowski, as the Colts learned on this TD reception
You may ask why, but if you do it’s obvious you didn’t watch what he did last year. He has become, without any doubt, the most feared TE in the game and, if he stays healthy, could well become the best to ever play the game. There really was no negative to moving the bonus date up. after all:
It keeps him happy…and keeping Gronkowski happy is…well, smart!
It doesn’t impact the salary cap
The move puts a positive spin on training camp and, for the moment, takes the spotlight away from legal issues (Duh)
Let the Party Bus roll as family and fans celebrate, Rob Gronkowski is signed, sealed & delivered for at least five more years!
Every New England Patriots fan can still remember THAT catch from Super Bowl 49.
I’m not talking about Malcolm Butler, I am referring to Jermaine Kearse. The Kearse catch took an improbable comeback story and nearly squashed it in the flukiest way possible. Why address a travesty that almost was? That Kearse catch is a perfect metaphor for every Pats fan’s 2015 offseason.
Jermaine Kearse caught a ball from Russell Wilson long after the Patriots assumed the play dead. It bobbled in the air, bounced off some limbs and seemed to place the Patriots in the losers column. After coming so close to sewing Super Bowl 49 up, New England now had to deal with this new unlikely circumstance.
Since 2007, all Patriots fans have heard from just about any fan of any NFL team was that the Patriots cheated, and that they were fans of “the Cheatriots.” The most commonly asked question seemed to be “Why haven’t you won since Spygate?” which bellowed from everyone who was quick to point out how the Patriots couldn’t get it done without cheating. The 2014-15 New England Patriots finally had an offense and defense that looked like it could get the job done. Despite a lackluster two and two start, the Pats abused the Bengals in week five and never looked back. The Patriots played exceptional football and gave hope to many that finally, the Patriots we’re ready to get their fourth ring.
After winning the AFC Championship, the Patriots were ready to squash their doubters and regain the respect of the league, then came the “Kearse catch” known as Deflategate. Suddenly, New England, who had spent the entire season showing everyone that Brady still had “it” and that they were ready to move forward from the tarnish of Spygate, had a new enemy. This enemy robbed New England fans of the offseason glory they dreamed about since their team had been flummoxed long ago with camera themed controversy.
To compound the lunacy of Deflategate, free agency was about to land a huge left hook to Patriots nation. Patriots fans were treated to the loss of their entire cornerback squad. The once lauded Darrelle Revis returned to the New York Jets, leaving Bellichick and company to quickly jettison Brandon Browner and not too long after Kyle Arrington. The loss of Revis cannot be understated as he is an exceptional athlete and possibly the best defensive back in the NFL. Browner and Arrington were complimentary pieces that no longer seemed to fit.
Things did not get better for Pats fans. Soon the Wells report was released, and it was followed by the most outrageous penalty in NFL history. In one fell swoop, the Patriots lost their 2016 first round draft pick, their 2017 fourth round draft pick, $1,000,000 and 4 time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady, for the first four games of the season.
As the new NFL season finally approaches, Pats fans are left with the same gnawing, aching feeling of thievery they received after Kearse made that clumsy catch. Patriots nation was so very close to the end of Spygate and all the negativity that came with it, only to have Deflategate bobble its way into the collective consciousness of the other 31 teams and their fan bases. Respect is bigger than any Super Bowl or any championship, it’s something that every team wants and every fan needs. The big question is, will the 2015-2016 season bring to Patriot fans the “Malcolm Butler interception” that they all crave?
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
Just as Judge Richard M. Berman was telling the National Football League Player’s Association and NFL to get together and try to solve their issues, the New England Patriots went on the offense. Tired of looking like they are the new “Evil Empire” and accepting the wishes of King Roger Goodell the team and owner decided it was time to take off the gloves and get into a back alley brawl.
To read all of Mr. Kraft’s rant just click on the highlighted text and we’ll whisk you to Patriots.com for it in it’s entirety.
That was a huge step for one of the most powerful owners in the NFL. In the past Kraft had been a loyal, team player and backed Goodell when others were calling for his ouster (re: Ray Rice initial suspension)
Friday the Patriots took another hunk out of the League Office’s hide with a solid uppercut, this time with a series of e-mails showing the league ignored their early pleas to close off the leaks within the NFL offices and publicly correct errors that purposely implied things that weren’t true (example: 11 of 12 footballs dramatically under-inflated).
The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to an expedited process that seeks a “final resolution” to the lawsuit before the start of the NFL season
Mike Kensil, the NFL’s VP of game operation, has been identified by various sources as the individual responsible for the leaks from the NFL office (Read Goallinegazette article from Bill Bodell)
To add to all the hype it has now been reported that Judge Berman’s hearing will be open to accredited media! That should be fun.
So, it’s turned into a 10 rounder and we’re just finishing round 5 with lots to come. Break out the beverage of your choice along with a snack or two, ’cause there’s still lots of blows to be thrown in this bare knuckles brawl.
So now you are caught up…until the next missive is launched. Punch and counter punch…punch and counter punch…etc…etc
By the way, did you notice I wrote this entire article without once mentioning Tom Brady…oops
News broke this morning that NFL Executive and former longtime Jets employee Mike Kensil was the reported main source for who leaked out false information to Chris Mortensen about 11 of the 12 Patriots footballs that were used in the AFC Championship against the Colts were two pounds under the legal limit the balls could be at.
Kensil is the same guy that told the Patriots equipment manager “we weighed the balls and you’re in big f***ing trouble.” If all this information is true it makes it out to look like the league is out to setup the Patriots, which some people already believed. Per reports, Kensil leaked out information to Mortensen who then reported the information which ended up being false and ended up starting this whole BS “DeflateGate” debacle were in now. Reporting false information like this was sure to make all the headlines and attempt to ruin the reputation of the Patriots and Tom Brady, which the league is trying to do it appears.
Setup the Patriots and make them look bad and then have no supporting evidence or actual evidence information to backup what is being reported, sounds smart NFL. The NFL has gone back and forth about things they have said and done and this is another example of the bias the NFL has shown against the Patriots and how they are in a way out to get the Patriots. The NFL and ESPN refused to let Chris Mortensen talk on WEEI about the information that was reported and this whole debacle that has occurred since. Mortensen has not confirmed that Kensil is the one who gave him the information regarding the footballs in the AFC Championship game. (Although several sources have speculated that Kensil was the leak) The league doesn’t want any information coming out from their side about how they were wrong or any talks behind closed doors that they have had to be known by the public but are fine leaking out anything they possibly can that can go against the Patriots in this case and make it look like they are doing so many things wrong. They want phone records from Brady, Jastremski and McNally and anything they can try to get to make it look like their reports and accusations are correct, but wont even let the man who they gave information to, who they let “report” what has turned into the biggest sports story of the year and most nonsense of all-time, to talk to other media outlets about the situation. To me it sounds like the NFL are the ones who have something to hide and not Brady or the NFLPA.
The Seahawks finally secured their star quarterback today. Russell Wilson signed a 4-year extension worth around $87 million, including $60 million guaranteed. Wilson will now be one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL based on annual salary, and along with Cam Newton, has the third most guaranteed money amongst current quarterback contracts.
Wilson is entering his fourth year in the National Football League. In his three years, he’s taken the Seahawks to the Divisional playoffs, a Super Bowl Championship, and came within one play of winning another Super Bowl. Wilson has won a total of 36 games in his three seasons, all as a starter, which are the most by any quarterback in his first three years in the Super Bowl era.
This has been a busy offseason for the Seahawks as they attempt to keep their young core together. They’ve already locked up Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Doug Baldwin. While Wilson was certainly their primary focus, linebacker Bobby Wagner is entering the last year of his rookie deal as well, and Kam Chancellor is holding out of camp, as he’s unhappy with his current deal. Pass rusher Michael Bennett has also said he’d like a new contract, despite signing a 4-year $28 million at the end of the 2013 season.
There’s one position in this league that is more valuable than any other, and that’s quarterback. A lot of people are bothered by the amount Russell Wilson is going to make compared to other quarterbacks in the league. It doesn’t matter. The Seahawks have to pay him. People need to get over the Super Bowl and the NFC Championship. Wilson played terribly in the NFC Championship. Everybody has a bad game, and he was still able to rally in the second half to pull off the miracle. In the Super Bowl, Wilson wasn’t exceptional, but he played fine, yet people get hung up on the interception that won the game for the Patriots. It wasn’t a bad throw. Malcolm Butler made a great play. Not every interception is the quarterback’s fault. Russell Wilson threw a pass that was in a good spot, but Butler knew what play was coming and jumped the route.
While people focus on those two games, let’s look at the rest of Wilson’s career, which is what the quarterback got paid for. He’s had a completion percentage over 63% every year as a pro. He’s thrown for over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns every year. After throwing 10 interceptions his rookie year, that number has gone down each year. Wilson is also a dynamic runner. He averaged over five yards a carry his first two seasons, and over seven yards a carry last season.
Will this contract make it more difficult for the Seahawks to resign those three key defensive players mentioned earlier? Of course. But Seattle should let Chancellor and Wagner pout. They can win games without a good linebacker, and with just one great safety instead of two. But they’re not going to win a lot of games with Tavaris Jackson at quarterback. A lot of fans and media members have labeled Wilson as an average quarterback who benefits from a great roster. He does have a great team around him. But anyone who acts like the Seahawks can put any clown at quarterback and win Super Bowls, think of this. The Buffalo Bills are very similar to the Seahawks. They have a tenacious defense, with Pro Bowlers all over the place. They have a solid running game, and better receivers than Seattle. But anyone who looks at the Bills as a Super Bowl contender with what they have at quarterback is delusional. The Seahawks, on the other hand, are a Super Bowl favorite every year. People don’t want to hear it, but Russell Wilson just got paid, and he absolutely deserves it.
(NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) in action against the on December 21, 2014 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Patriots defeated the Jets 17-16.
Jet’s defensive end Sheldon Richardson put in a great case for a 2015 Darwin award. Or maybe, instead of calling him an idiot, it’s more fitting to call him immature and irresponsible. The star defensive end was charged with resisting arrest, after a July 14 incident. Wait until you hear what the incident was.
Richardson was drag racing near his home in St. Louis. He was caught going 143 MPH, a fully loaded semi-automatic shotgun was found in his car, the car reportedly reeked of marijuana, and to top it all off, there was a 12-year old child in the car. Oh yeah, and this came twelve days after Richardson was slapped with a four-game PED suspension. The Jets found out about this the same way you and I did, by way of media reports on Thursday. Apparently, “just a speeding ticket,” was not the best way to tell the people who sign his paychecks.
Police say they saw two cars speeding at, “exceedingly high rates of speed,” and suspected a road race. Richardson sped away in his Bentley, out of the sight of police, and hid in the driveway of a random home, turning all of his lights out. The police spotted his brake lights, which had been left on.
Richardson will have to appear in court on October 27. Resisting arrest is a serious crime. It is a Class A misdemeanor in St. Charles County (where the incident occurred), and could be up to a $1,000 fine along with up to a year in prison.
Well-respected ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick had some harsh words for Richardson on Twitter, saying, “DUMB, unappreciative & taking NFL life for granted. Drag Racing. 140+MPH. Weed. 12 yr old kid in car. You deserve to be MORE than suspended.” Jet’s coach Todd Bowles was quoted as saying that the organization will help him, “get help for his problem…It’ll be a good lesson for him. I’m sure his parents are more disappointed than anybody, and he had to stand that. His actions will speak louder than his words going forward.”
The Jet’s first round pick, Leonard Williams, has already replaced Richardson on the first team. This certainly is one of the most troubling cases of the NFL offseason as training camp begins. The situation likely couldn’t have been worse for Richardson, as so many things were wrong with the picture. We’ve seen teams handle these things in different ways. The Patriots tend to cut anyone who steps out of line, regardless of their capabilities on the field. The Jets have chosen to support Richardson, but at the same time make him understand the seriousness of his actions. The NFL has yet to act on this, but it would make sense for Richardson to be given an indefinite suspension until his arraignment October 27. If Sheldon Richardson isn’t a part of the 2015 NFL season and is not a part of Madden 16, at least he’ll have a chance to be a part of GTA VI.
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