New England Patriots thread (MOD WARNING - #4503)

eagle eye

From today's open practice.

So, with that backdrop, a few intentionally vague thoughts after watching practice:
There was a lot of teaching going on, which is what these OTAs are designed for. But it wasn’t only the coaches. Players were helping other players. Saw Vince Wilfork showing Jermaine Cunningham the finer points of leverage during a drill. Jerod Mayo was helping Dont’a Hightower. The safeties were doing a lot of talking amongst themselves.

The secondary seems to have a bunch of moving parts with different players playing in different groupings, though there appeared to be a solid core (which we can’t report).
Devin McCourty was at cornerback.
It seemed clear to me that CB Ras-I Dowling, who went on IR last year after hip surgery, is working his way back from the ground floor. He appeared to be lacking some reps and when he was on the field, he didn’t possess the same explosiveness that we saw early last season that got him immediately in the lineup. He appeared very stiff and lacked fluidity. On a couple of occasions he was easily beaten down the field. But it’s very, very early and he may need some easing back.
Another thing that really jumped out was the S Josh Barrett was noticeably slimmer, which is something that needed to happen. I thought Barrett was way too big last year — he almost looked like a linebacker — and that often showed up in his play when he had trouble changing direction. Maybe Barrett hasn’t lost weight, but it sure looked like he has changed his body — and for the better.
Dan Connolly was the top center, even missing both guards and one tackle. To me, that reinforces that it’s his job to lose against Dan Koppen — unless injuries prove such a problem closer to the season that the team is better off moving Connolly to guard to given them a “best five.”
None of the rookies just assumed a starting role. That’s no surprise at all. But Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower and Tavon Wilson appeared to not be far off from being in the mix.
Not much jumped out about Jones that we didn’t already know. He’s learning his way around this defense. Same with Jake Bequette.
Somewhat surprised Hightower ran solely with the linebackers. Figured he might get some DE work, but he could be working on different things in other practices.
LB Bobby Carpenter was on the field a lot.
Jonathan Fanene looked bigger than I guess I pictured. Patriots have some bulk inside with Wilfork, Kyle Love, Fanene, Brandon Deaderick, Gerard Warren, Myron Pryor, Marcus Harrison, Marcus Fortson and Ron Brace. A lot of competition there again in this camp, just like last year.
Josh McDaniels’s spin on the offense was noticeable and there was a lot of carryover from what he did in Denver. Probably didn’t help things that Aaron Hernandez was the only real tight end on the field (aside from UDFA Brad Herman, who was playing with a limp).
WR Chad Ochocinco seemed to pickup where he left off. Deion Branch had to tell him where to line up at one point, and then Ochocinco went offsides and had to run a lap.
WR Wes Welker had an uneven day catching the ball. (Hurry, somebody go write that he’s being distracted by contract talks! Kidding.) Did find it a little amusing that at one point Brady threw a pass to Welker in the seam that was reminiscent of the Super Bowl play. Brady threw it high — but slightly to the inside this time — and Welker snagged this one while leaving his feet.
WR Brandon Lloyd looks like he’s been living in his offense for a while — which he has in Denver and St. Louis — and a natural. He catches everything with ease. Can definitely see what scouts said -- not a burner but a long strider who can cover ground -- about him.
There were not many “wow” moments for anybody today. Not a whole lot stood out. There were on a few sessions of 7-on-7.
Ryan Mallett underthrew a ball and was picked off by Marquice Cole. Mallett didn’t look sharp. Brian Hoyer was on his game. Cole played a lot of gunner on punt team.
Brady seemed solid. Nothing outrageously good or bad. The one thing that stood out was his rapport with this group. With Jabar Gaffney and Donte’ Stalloworth returning, it had a “getting the band back together” feel. The WRs were having a lot of fun being around each other.
There was a lot of sub package defensive working happening. Don't know if that's an everyday thing, or just for today.

http://articles.boston.com/2012-05-24/sports/31840846_1_practice-report-comments-patriots/2

1. Second-year CB Ras-I Dowling, who was limited to two games in 2011, was a full participant after undergoing hip surgery. I watched him closely as he lined up across from WR Brandon Lloyd, and one thing you immediately notice is his size. This amateur scout also felt he was moving well, running stride for stride with the speedy Lloyd at one point.

2. Spent a lot of time watching the offensive line, and while noting it's very, very early, I was interested to see how the center position would be handled. Dan Connolly lined up there, followed by Dan Koppen. That's what was expected based on the contracts signed by each -- Connolly received a three-year deal with a $3.25 million signing bonus, while Koppen received a two-year deal with a $350,000 signing bonus-- but that's been Koppen's job since 2003. The Patriots usually like their backup linemen to have position versatility (e.g. center and guard) and Koppen has only played center, so his spot on the roster could be something to monitor in training camp.

3. With TEs Rob Gronkowski and Daniel Fells not taking part in the OTA, the position group was thin, so DE Alex Silvestro took some reps there. At one point in practice, he stood side by side with tight ends coach George Godsey, going over what was taking place in front of him. A possible position switch, or just filling in due to the absence of others? Another question to be answered in the weeks to come.

4. Some have wondered about WR Deion Branch's spot on the roster, given the number of receivers brought in. After watching today's OTA, my thought on that would be "not so fast." Still looks quick and Tom Brady was commending him at one point for a sharply run route. I could envision a scenario where having an outside receiver like Brandon Lloyd might help put Branch in better positions to maximize his skills, as he works some more on the inside.

5. Fun to watch WR Brandon Lloyd. Lining up on the outside, with his speed, it is easy to see that he can add a different dimension that this offense didn't have in 2011.

6. Didn't get to lock in too much on the young running backs -- Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley -- but from an eye-test perspective it looked like Vereen was in good condition and perhaps a bit bigger than he was in 2011.

7. Second-year offensive lineman Marcus Cannon has position flexibility -- either as a guard or tackle -- and I saw him primarily at right tackle in this session. He lined up in Sebastian Vollmer's spot.

8. With some of the top offensive linemen not present, a group including Sebastian Vollmer, Logan Mankins and Brian Waters, this was a good chance to watch some of the young linemen. Ryan Wendell lined up at right guard, in Waters' spot.

9. Veteran Robert Gallery lined up at left guard, in Logan Mankins' spot.

10. Owner Robert Kraft came out to watch the OTA toward the end.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4722750/cleaning-out-the-ota-notebook

Son Of A Vidic

Love this shot from Thursday's OTA. For the first time since 2008, The Holy Trinity (Brady, Belichick and McDaniels) are back together for the start of the season. Exciting times await us .

JaMarcus Hustle

^ The fact Bill and Josh aren't watching makes me think that wasn't even during drills, Tom just decided to throw a few shapes for the camera

Son Of A Vidic

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

^ The fact Bill and Josh aren't watching makes me think that wasn't even during drills, Tom just decided to throw a few shapes for the camera

I suspect he's trying to find Ocho, who is probably still running his route in the car park.

BaronVon

Very good.....

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/2fbed587d7/tom-brady-s-wicked-accent

JaMarcus Hustle

Anthony Gonzalez gone. 1 WR down, several hundred to go.

CoachTO

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

Anthony Gonzalez gone. 1 WR down, several hundred to go.

Not the same WR ever since injury. No surprise they offloaded him.

eagle eye

And hot on the heels of that comes this article

The New England Patriots announced the signings of unrestricted free agent OL Jamey Richard, rookie free agent TE Nick Melillo and seventh-round draft choice DB Alfonzo Dennard. In addition, the Patriots released WR Anthony Gonzalez.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced the signings of unrestricted free agent OL Jamey Richard, rookie free agent TE Nick Melillo and seventh-round draft choice DB Alfonzo Dennard. Terms of the contracts were not announced.

In addition, the Patriots released WR Anthony Gonzalez.

Richard, 27, is a veteran of four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts after joining the Colts as a seventh-round draft pick (236th overall) in 2008 out of the University of Buffalo. The 6-foot-5 inch, 295 pounder has played in 48 regular season games with 11 starts. He has also played in four postseason games, including Super Bowl XLIV when the Colts played the Saints. Richard has played center and guard during his career. Last season, he played in nine games as a reserve and on special teams.

Melillo, 23, is a rookie free agent from Kentucky. The 6-foot-2 inch, 226 pounder played in 32 games over the last three seasons for Kentucky after transferring from Lindenwood University. He played in 32 games and caught 23 passes for 240 yards with one touchdown during his Kentucky career.

Dennard, 22, was selected by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft with the 224th pick overall. The 5-10, 205-pound defensive back from Nebraska was named the 2011 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten after his senior season. Last season, Dennard started in all 10 games that he played and finished the year with 31 total tackles and six passes defensed. After playing in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2008, he moved into the starting lineup early in the year as a sophomore in 2009.

Gonzalez, 27, was signed by the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent from Indianapolis on March 17, 2012. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. In five seasons with the Colts, the 6-foot, 193-pound wide receiver started 12 of 40 games and had 99 career receptions for 1,307 yards and seven touchdowns.

http://www.patriots.com/news/article-1/Patriots-Sign-Three-Release-WR-Anthony-Gonzalez/5f989dfe-0b37-4134-becf-7332ba16c71b

JaMarcus Hustle

Jesus EE, I thought that was a list of other players cut. I saw Dennard's name and started to panic!

Son Of A Vidic

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

Jesus EE, I thought that was a list of other players cut. I saw Dennard's name and started to panic!

He's being arraigned tomorrow and has pleaded not guilty to the charge of third-degree assault of a police officer. I'm not an expert on the American judicial system, but I think once pleas are entered a preliminary hearing date is then set. Evidence is then heard - which may or may not proceed to a full trial???? Feel free to correct me there if I'm wrong.

Read this piece on Dennard a couple of days ago.....

The opening chapter of Alfonzo Dennard's NFL career was written before he even knew what team's jersey he would wear.

On April 21, just five days before the 2012 NFL draft, Dennard was arrested and charged with third-degree felony assault of a police officer after allegedly striking an officer outside of a bar in Lincoln, Neb.

Alfonzo Dennard was someone coach Bo Pelini used as an example of success during his time at Nebraska.
He was in the news for the wrong reasons leading up to one of the most important days of his life, and his draft stock plummeted. It wasn't until the final round, on the third day of the draft, that the New England Patriots selected the former Nebraska Cornhuskers cornerback.

While the NFL decision-makers clearly have their reservations about Dennard in light of his arrest, two coaches who know the 22-year-old well paint a different picture.

"That isn't who he is, that's never been who he is, and that's not going to be who he is in the future," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "And I put my reputation, and I put everything I stand for as a football coach behind that young man.

"He is a tremendous young man, and one who you want not only representing you as a football player, but the type of kid you want in your community, the type of kid you want representing your organization," Pelini continued.

"For four years, I didn't have a problem with that young man in any way. He did things exactly how we asked him to do them here, and the way we handle our kids, we don't make it easy on the kids in our program. We hold them to high standards every single day."

Dennard earned 2011 Big Ten defensive back of the year honors, and became a player that Pelini guided his underclassmen toward as an example of how to become successful.

"We had some young [defensive backs] on our football team last year, and he was kind of the veteran guy, and I told them all, 'You just follow what Alfonzo does and you'll be fine. You just follow his lead and you do as he does.' He prepares the right way. He handles himself on the field and off the field the right way."

Leading others is a role Dennard has embraced since his days as a high school star at Wilcox County High School in Rochelle, Ga.

His coach there, Mark Ledford, knew Dennard was a special athlete dating back to the eighth grade, when none of Dennard's classmates could knock him out in a game of dodge ball during physical education class.

By ninth grade, Dennard was playing an important role on the football team, and was a catalyst behind the program's rise to state prominence.

A year later, his teammates voted him a captain.

Ledford recalled a game early in his junior season when Dennard, who was a captain for the second year in a row, suggested that he allow a senior (who had not been voted a captain) to march out to the middle of the field for the pregame coin toss. The selfless act became a pregame fixture, Dennard offering his spot to a senior he believed was deserving.

It turns out Dennard, years later, is still making his mark back home. In early June, he will host a basketball tournament at his high school, during which proceeds will be raised to benefit local college-bound student-athletes.

The event has been in the works for nearly a year, and it stems from Dennard's desire to help out the community he grew up in, Ledford said.

Dennard was raised in a single-parent household in Wilcox County and has recently reconnected with his absent father, which Ledford describes as a "a great thing" and "something that Alfonzo has initiated because he wants his dad in his life."

Throughout his high school experience, Ledford -- whose team has won 10 or more games in five straight seasons, an accomplishment he said is due in large part to the contributions of Dennard's senior class -- served in an advisory role to the star of his team. He said that he learned part of being a successful coach is developing a relationship with his players, and that he would "do anything" for Dennard.

Ledford's son, now 12, began idolizing Dennard around the age of 6, and the two have maintained a relationship the coach describes as a brotherly dynamic. No matter the situation -- even before or after a big game -- Dennard replies to Ledford's son's text messages.

That personality and character was something that Pelini said Bill Belichick learned about during the predraft process, when he met with Dennard in Lincoln.

Both coaches believe that New England is the perfect fit for Dennard, with Pelini noting that the Nebraska football program shares many of the same values and beliefs that Belichick has instituted for the Patriots.

They both also acknowledged that Dennard put himself in a situation with his arrest that he should have never been in. His case remains ongoing (he is due to be arraigned on May 30), and Dennard will have to handle potential legal sanctions as a result of it.

But no matter the outcome, Ledford remains behind the player who has stayed true to his roots years after leaving Georgia.

"The kid has overcome every obstacle that has ever been in front of him, and I have full confidence that he will overcome this, because he always has," he said.

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/7953860/new-england-patriots-draft-pick-alfonzo-dennard-supporters

He seems like a real good kid, so what ever allegedly happened must have been way out of character. I don't doubt at all that he will repay the faith Belichick has put in him. His talent is beyond question and I think in time, he will develop into a dominant defensive presence. It's another reason why it's great to have a head coach like Belichick. When other teams ignored Dennard, perhaps judging him superficially. Belichick looks at the bigger picture with players, judging their true qualities like their character and leadership ect.

mikemac1

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

He's being arraigned tomorrow and has pleaded not guilty to the charge of third-degree assault of a police officer. I'm not an expert on the American judicial system, but I think once pleas are entered a preliminary hearing date is then set. Evidence is then heard - which may or may not proceed to a full trial????

From watching Series 1-5 of The Practice, you are correct :pac:

The preliminary hearing will determine probable cause and evidence will be listed and the methods used to get the evidence.

Issues with warrants for example can get it kicked out

Dennard punched a police officer so there will be no preliminary hearing here, he waived it.
To ask for it would be pointless and only piss off the court

Extremely unlikely this goes to trial, most cases never make it to court.
He'll plead out on something and take it over the summer.

Son Of A Vidic

I caught the Brady interview on WEEI Sports Radio yesterday. You can hear it here...http://audio.weei.com/a/57145365/tom-brady-on-super-bowl-loss-i-could-pick-a-lot-of-plays-in-that-game-i-could-have-done-better.htm

This is the Football related summary of it.

Thoughts on the intentional grounding play and missed pass to Wes Welker in the Super Bowl:

Brady: “Anytime you don’t do exactly what you hope to do you regret them and you lay in bed at night thinking about every play you could have done a little bit better on, so I can pick a lot of plays in that game that I wish I could have done a better job with.”

On moving past the Super Bowl loss to the Giants:

Brady: “I think that’s the fun part about starting the OTA process is you really start looking forward at that point, so for all of us you suffer a tough end to the season, and unless you win it all it’s a tough end to the season, but you’ve got those months in there where what you do is you think about the past and you think about what you can do better in your training, and once we start practicing it’s a different team. We’ve got a different group of guys, different mix of talents and we’ve got to see what we can put on the field. It’s been fun being back to work and seeing everybody together and getting on the field and running football plays because it really forces you to move forward. And I think everyone’s done that at this point.”

When was asked about incorporating new receivers into the offense.

“It’s different with different players. There’s a lot of things that go into being a good player, especially on our team. Coach [Bill] Belichick always tells us it’s not an easy program that he runs. Some guys come from other teams, and maybe they’re not really held as accountable on a daily basis, but Coach Belichick – if I throw an incompletion, I’m going to hear about it. I think guys come, maybe they’ve been in the league for a while, and they’re like ‘Why is he always yelling? Why is he so tough on us?’ He just tries to keep the pressure on us, because he feels that’s the way that he gets the most out of us.

I think that you can tell relatively early the way that a guy responds to that type of coaching, you can look in his eyes in the huddle and see how confident and comfortable he is in what you’re asking him to do. Sometimes you get in the huddle and I’m looking at the guy and he’s looking at me, and he’s got this expression on his face like, ‘Oh God, what’s the play? Am I going to know where to go? Am I going to know how to do it? Am I going to be able to do what the coaches are asking me to do?’ Some guys you know right away, some guys it takes a couple of months. Obviously it can’t take forever.

This is a performance-based business, if you’re not on the field performing and helping the team win, you’re not going to be around long, you can’t just think that you’re going to have two redshirt seasons and then you’re going to be the second string behind the fourth-year senior and then you’re going to get your chance to play. You’re going to have to establish your own role for yourself. If you don’t, you’re not going to be in this business very long.”


On getting accustomed to a new group of wide receivers:

Brady: “I’m very familiar with Jabar [Gaffney] and Donte [Stallworth] and Brandon [Llyod’s] going into a 10th year so he’s really a professional as well. He knows how to prepare himself, he’s been in our offense so he has at least familiarity with the things that we’re doing so it’s fun to work with him. We haven’t been out there long. We’ve got a ton of practices to go. Hopefully we make progress every day. Hopefully when we’re on the field we’re communicating and talking through stuff in the film room, talking through stuff on the game field of things that I see, things that I expect, things that he sees, that he expects, so ultimately this game’s about anticipation.

If you’re not on the same page as your receiver, running backs, or offensive linemen you can never anticipate, then you just react, and if you react, you’re always slow so I don’t need to be any more slow than I already am, so I figure out ways to anticipate better, that’s part of the process in the offseason, things that you see that you need to make improvements on. If you don’t, you fall behind. Everyone else is gaining ground; you’ve got to find ways to gain ground as well.”


On the passing of former teammate Junior Seau:

"Junior was a great man. He lived with emotion. If you were a teammate you saw his emotion every day and his love for life and his love for the game and his love for his teammates, which is probably why it surprised so many people. Obviously he was going through some things that were tough on him. I wish he could find ways to get help. Unfortunately, these things happen."

On Wes Welker’s possibility of getting a multi-year deal from the Patriots:

Brady: “Well, I wish there was an easy answer. I always support Wes but none of those decisions are up to me. These things end up working themselves out at some point. I don’t know how or when or who or why but sometimes I get emotionally involved in those situations and it doesn’t work out well for me so I just try to support him as a friend. We’re all in this business, and it’s a tough business and you always hope for the best. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I certainly love Wes, I’d love to have him here for as long as I’m playing, so none of those things are really up to me.”

Some good stuff there from the 'Divine one'.

eagle eye

FOXBOROUGH -- Far be it for any quarterback to crow over the crop of receivers that he has in the spring. But this is no ordinary group. Tom Brady has a decorated bunch whom he has plenty of history with, from the newly signed Jabar Gaffney and Donte' Stallworth, to veterans Deion Branch, Wes Welker, and Chad Ochocinco. With all of the receivers in place, it was an inevitable topic of discussion in Brady's first speaking session to the media Thursday afternoon.
"We've brought in quite a few guys. So hopefully the mix of guys that we had last year along with the new guys can create some different options for us," Brady said. "It's a very competitive position. All of our days at practice have been very competitive. But it'll help our defense out, it'll help our offense out. The more good players you have, the better team you're gonna be. It's only our sixth day of OTAs. Obviously we have a lot of work to do before the season starts. It's been a lot of fun being out there, seeing Dante' and Jabar who I've played with before. And I really loved playing with those guys. And obviously Wes, Deion, and Chad. We have a very competitive position."
Brady also opined on his appreciation for the spring practices, which he says he did not necessarily enjoy in his 20s.
"I appreciate it every day. I think that one thing that my injury taught me a few years ago was how fragile this game is," Brady said. "To be able to take the field every week is really a blessing. Maybe at 34, I feel a little differently in that sense. I love it just as much now as I ever have. I love being out here for the OTAs. Going on 25, I was probably [expletive] about the OTAs. But when you're 34, you're not. You're saying alright, let's see what kind of team we got. I really got nothing else going on in my life. So I try to come out here and do a good job for this team."

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2012/05/tom_brady_says_1.html?p1=Well_Sports_links


Lots of good stuff in that but I gotta highlight one line from that and post this.

Huh???

eagle eye

Today's OTAs. I love the batted ball by Nate Ebner. The guy is already becoming big talk amongst our female fans who have him up there with no.12 it seems. Hopefully he makes the team, ever since that rugby sevens video I just want this guy to become a big deal with the Patriots.

FOXBOROUGH – Some observations from today’s second off-season practice open to the media:

• Practice was again outside in beautiful weather. Players were in helmets and no pads, as per the rules in the CBA.
• The session was at a brisk pace again with much less competitive situations than the first practice, which feature more 7-on-7 situations. This time, there was only one 11-on-11 period near the end of practice for about 10 minutes and QB Tom Brady only took one rep.
• Not a whole lot of big changes as far as personnel except that Ryan Wendell and Robert Gallery flip-flopped to LG and RG, respectively.
• In the team period, QB Brian Hoyer was 7-of-9 with most of his completions going to Brandon Lloyd (three), Wes Welker (two) and Jabar Gaffney (two). QB Ryan Mallett was 2-of-6 but Stevan Ridley did drop a pass. Brady was 0-for-1 with his pass to Julian Edelman underthrown and batted away by Nate Ebner.
• There was nothing spectacular about any of the plays and the defense appeared to be working on blitz.
• The running backs continued a rotation and Ridley still appears to be the most explosive of the backs in my opinion, although Shane Vereen is certainly quick. Ridley had the only carry during 11-on-11 and he got on the linebackers very quickly.
• Lloyd again showed great route running in the drills, including a sluggo route (slant-and-go) that was to perfection. There is no wasted movement and he never takes a false step. Very precise.
• Gaffney continues to work in the slot but behind Welker. Donte Stallworth is an outside threat but he hasn’t stood out. Deion Branch continues to be unimpressive. The guy catches everything but his burst is diminishing.
• Aaron Hernandez appears to be playing heavier this season, which could help his durability if it’s good weight. He’s getting a lot of run with Gronkowski out and even DE Alex Silvestro is playing full-time at TE at this point.
• For the second-straight week, Rob Ninkovich worked only as a DE and Dont’a Hightower was solely a MLB. Not sure what if anything to make of Hightower only being inside so far. You figured coming from Nick Saban’s scheme that Hightower would be able to handle a lot fairly quickly, but to this point he’s only being played inside and not being allowed in space. He’s also behind Brandon Spikes and Dane Fletcher at this point at that spot. Maybe they’re just starting the rookie off slowly and will expand his role from here. Certainly plausible. Hightower appears to be a little heavy. Just expected little bit further along at this point compared to the other rookies, but he’s about on their same level.
• Nothing eye-opening about Chandler Jones to this point but he’s certainly where you figured him to be – working his way up at Elephant behind Trevor Scott. Chandler is long and athletic. It will be interesting to see how he grows from here and how fast.
• Jake Bequette is in the mix on the other side, but the guy who really has a little pop to his game – and, again, it’s only May in “underwear” (shirts and shorts) – is Rutgers DE Justin Francis, who was an undrafted free agent. If any of the rookies have opened any eyes in the earlier going, it’s Francis. He’ll be an interesting guy to watch moving forward.
• Got to watch rookie CB Alfonzo Dennard a little bit more today. What jumps out, in a negative way, is his body type. He is much shorter and squat than I figured. At the combine, he measured at 5-10 and 204 pounds, which seems heavy for an NFL CB (and prospects usually gain weight after the draft). Devin McCourty was 5-11 and 193, for example. Will be interesting to see if Dennard is viable at CB at the pros without changing his body a bit – if he can do that. Or maybe his body type could be OK in the slot or maybe he could convert to safety.
• McCourty continues to be at CB and had a couple very nice pass breakups. Still think the Patriots would like to play him at safety but at this point the talent is limited at CB so McCourty almost has to play there. Don’t know if that’s going to change.
• Ras-I Dowling was moving much better this week after being sluggish with his footwork last week. He could be working his way through something, possibly his hip surgery from last season.
• Kyle Arrington continues to show well, and Patrick Chung and Steve Gregory are working well together at safety. Second-round pick Tavon Wilson seems to be one of those guys that could come on during training camp and win a job. He has a good presence on the field.
• Nate Ebner was on the field for the first time today. Nothing stood out either way on him but it feels like, as we suspected, he’s going to have to make his mark on special teams.
• Patriots continued to work a lot on subpackages, including more dime in this practice.
• There was a lot of work on the running game offensively in this practice. A lot of pulling plays with the guards. Dan Connolly and Dan Koppen rotate more in this practice. OTs Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon both look they have added some much-needed strength in the offseason. Both look really well put together in their second seasons.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2012/05/open_ota_2_prac.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Offering some follow-up observations from Thursday's organized team activity:

Will Allen shifts to safety. Last week, veteran Will Allen saw action with the top sub package in defensive back drills, as a cornerback. This week, Ras-I Dowling took his spot on that unit, with Allen appearing to move to safety for the majority of drills. Allen spent time with safeties coach Brian Flores, who also had rookie Nate Ebner by his side, and wore a large white play-call wristband on his left arm. Ebner and Allen shadowed safeties Patrick Chung and Steve Gregory before jumping into the action themselves.

Ninkovich practices with d-line. Last season, linebacker Rob Ninkovich was part of the linebackers' stretching group, playing strong-side linebacker in the team's 4-3 base defense. On Thursday, Ninkovich went through practice with the defensive linemen, although it remains to be seen whether this means Ninkovich will see more of a role as a 4-3 defensive end, with the Patriots yet to extensively use their base defense in OTAs. If Ninkovich sees less of a role at linebacker, it may create an opportunity for Dont'a Hightower to receive playing time at the position.

Emphasis on sub packages. The 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 portions of practice continued to see a heavy emphasis on sub packages. Most lineups saw Jonathan Fanene and Brandon Deaderick as interior rushers. First-round pick Chandler Jones was also part of a unit where he lined up alongside Vince Wilfork. For the second straight week, third-year defensive end Jermaine Cunningham appeared to receive a heavy workload for 11-on-11 work, more than Trevor Scott, Ninkovich, or Jake Bequette.

Kickoff units get work. Special teams drills on Thursday consisted of the kickoff unit, with Danny Woodhead, Julian Edelman, and Devin McCourty the top returners, the same as last season. Notables on the top return team included rookie Nate Ebner and fullback Spencer Larsen. First-year kicker Chris Koepplin handled kickoff duties.

Silvestro remains at tight end. Defensive end Alex Silvestro, who practiced at tight end last week, remained at the position on Thursday. The team was without Rob Gronkowski and Daniel Fells for a second straight practice open to the media, but signed rookie free agent tight end Nick Melillo this week. Between Melillo, Silvestro, rookie Brad Herman, and Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots had four tight ends in practice on Thursday.

Shuffling offensive line. The same four players who missed last week's session -- Logan Mankins, Sebastian Vollmer, Brian Waters, and Marcus Zusevics -- remained out of action on Thursday. The interior of the top offensive line unit saw some shuffling in one running game drill, with Robert Gallery, Ryan Wendell, and Dan Connolly seeing time at guard, and Connolly and Dan Koppen splitting reps at center.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4723090/follow-up-thoughts-from-practice

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A week after seeing the Patriots working on the field for the first time as a full squad this offseason, media was once again granted access to Thursday’s organized team activity, which had a similar structure to previous session.

Here are a handful of observations from the practice, keeping in mind that there is still plenty of work to be done this offseason, and that the session was held in helmets and sweats, limiting the number of drills the team can conduct:

• The team appeared to focus more on two overall themes today than what we saw last week: the running game and up-tempo offense. The offensive line and running backs worked on inside runs during the individual drills portion of the practice, and the entire offense congregated shortly thereafter for about 10 minutes of running plays. At this point of the offseason, it’s difficult to simulate the running game without pads, but operating against a scout team defense (made up of reserve offensive players) using hand shields seemed to give the offense a solid look. Up-tempo offense has been a staple in New England for many seasons, and it should come as no surprise that the team worked on it today.
• Watching offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia work in concert is a unique experience. Both hold their players to high standards, and each is attentive to details. During a period focused on the running game (which was led by the two), the offense was forced to re-run multiple plays from the top after the coaches called for better execution. It would appear that both will be heavily involved in the leading the running game this season, and the pair already seems to have its working chemistry back after McDaniels’ departure from New England early in 2009.
• A couple of individual position drill notes: Eric Kettani, who is viewed by some as a fullback and a running back by others, took handoffs during an inside running game drill. That could be a suggestion that he’ll see some more reps at running back during the preseason. Also during individual drills, a pair of running backs -- Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen -- worked on routes with a quarterback. Woodhead is an established receiver out of the backfield, while Vereen may step into that role in his second season as a pro. He averaged nearly 25 catches per season in college.
• Not to make too much out of a single play, but receiver Donte' Stallworth had a drop on a perfect pass to his chest during an offensive routes on air period. Again, no player’s fate will be decided by one play, but with such a competitive receiving group, easy drops and impressive catches are likely to be closely monitored.
• Perhaps in an effort to get some younger and less experienced players involved, the Patriots offense led off a 7 on 7 and the team period with a number of players who project to be second stringers on the field -- including quarterback Brian Hoyer. Depth in the NFL is critically important, and the Patriots are likely counting on the development of many of their younger players this offseason.
• Sixth-round selection safety Nate Ebner was on the field today, a week after working with the Patriots medical staff while nursing a hamstring injury. Ebner was essentially only a special teams player in college, leading some to wonder how much of a defensive role he will adopt in the NFL. During a team drill period, Ebner opened his hips to the right side of the field and made a nice break on a deep throw, deflecting the pass intended for a streaking receiver.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4723100/more-observations-from-thursdays-ota

Son Of A Vidic

The Pats had their 6th OTA day today and the second one with media access. Here are some snippets from Andy Hart from PFW, the full report can be seen here....http://blog.patriots.com/2012/05/31/from-the-hart-ota-observations-2/

–Brian Waters, Logan Mankins (knee), Justin Francis, Sebastian Vollmer (back), Jeremy Ebert, Daniel Fells and Myron Pryor were not seen on the practice fields at all.

Matthew Slater, Joseph Addai, Tracy White and Rob Gronkowski worked with the team’s training staff. The group worked in the Dana Farber Fieldhouse early in practice and then did some running work on the practice field under the watchful eye of the medical/strength staff, including Joe Andruzzi. Addai practiced fully in last Thursday’s workout before being sidelined today. The other three have been with the medical staff for the first two weeks of OTA access.

–Nate Ebner took part in the practice after missing last Thursday’s workout and being limited in rookie mini-camp. Ebner, a special teams ace at Ohio State, actually had a pass defense of an underthrown Brian Hoyer deep ball intended for Brandon Lloyd.

–Speaking of Lloyd, he’s been rather impressive in his first two practices witnessed by the media. He seems pretty comfortable in his reps and doesn’t appear hesitant as to where to line up or what to do. He shows quick feet and very good hands. He hauled in a nice deep ball down the middle from Tom Brady in group work.

–The quarterbacks have performed to the expectations of their spot on the depth chart to this point in the spring, especially on Thursday. Brady had a very good practice, throwing the ball accurately and with a nice zip. Brian Hoyer was OK, although he still seems to have issues with arm strength at times. Ryan Mallett has struggled over the last two Thursdays. He takes way too long to get rid of the ball on nearly every one of his reps. When he does decide to unload it, dumping it off to a guy in the flat the ball is often off-target or behind the receiver. It’s too early in the process to make any long term evaluations but Mallett right now looks like another former strong-armed, decision-slow, off-target Patriots backup from the SEC named Rohan Davey. In an observation from afar on the grassy hill next to the practice fields it looks Mallett needs to work mightily on decision making, getting rid of the ball and accuracy.

–There were a few doses of fire and energy in the practice from both team leaders and coaches. Brady had a couple outbursts directed toward teammates and fine-tuning plays. Offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia – well known for his colorful language and creatively worded critiques – had plenty to say to his unit a couple times as well.

–There was plenty of work on the running game early in practice with the offense working against a scout team.

–The offensive line group taking many of the early reps in that group work included Nate Solder at left tackle, Dan Connolly at left guard, Dan Koppen at center, Robert Gallery at right guard and Marcus Cannon at right tackle. Keep in mind that three potential starters in Mankins, Waters and Vollmer were not in attendance.

–Though it was hard to see on the far practice field away from the media, it looked like Ras-I Dowling got some reps working out of the slot in some sub packages. For what it’s worth, I’ve seen Devin McCourty take his reps at cornerback and haven’t seen him working at safety.

–At least one aspect of the team seems to be in midseason form – the passing game to Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez. Both players caught a ton of balls on Thursday, especially Hernandez. The versatile tight end also showed his now-famous cutback moves after the catch.
–Saw a number of times when top pick Chandler Jones lined up on the right side as a stand-up pass rusher – a role Patriots fans hope to see him in early and often later this year.

–The workout concluded with the veteran players doing some conditioning running while younger guys got some extra “opportunity reps” on offense and defense.

Son Of A Vidic

Troy Brown won the vote and will be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame later this year. No offence to his competition, but there was only going to be one winner in that race. The official ceremony is on Saturday 15th Sept, the day before the first home game of the season.

Troy was the epitome of the Patriot Way, always putting his team and colleagues first. Whether on offense or defence, he put the V in versatility. So I'm delighted to see a great player and a Patriots legend getting his just reward.

Sools

Love the patriots

Phoenix Park

Gents, i'm in Boston when the [EMAIL="Cardinals@Patriots"]Cardinals @ Patriots[/EMAIL] game is on in September. I was thinking of biting the bullet and buying 2 tickets on Stubhub (pricey, but google tells me its pretty legit). Stubhub say they no longer have an issue with Irish credit cards, and i could print the tickets electronically.

Patriots ticket office tell me some tickets will go on sale in July, but chances of getting two are slim as its mostly season tickets now. Anyone think its worth holding off and trying in July or just overpay now and be "guaranteed" (i hope!) two tickets?. Generally about $145 for nosebleed tickets and $170 for anything remotely decent. Stubhub say they refund if tickets turn out to be dodgy..

Thanks for any thoughts guys. I don't mind overpaying a bit if i really have to i suppose, i've wanted to go to an NFL game in the States for ages, anytime i'm over in the US the city i'm staying in always seem to be playing away!

CoachTO

Phoenix Park wrote: »

Gents, i'm in Boston when the Cardinals @ Patriots game is on in September. I was thinking of biting the bullet and buying 2 tickets on Stubhub (pricey, but google tells me its pretty legit). Stubhub say they no longer have an issue with Irish credit cards, and i could print the tickets electronically.

Patriots ticket office tell me some tickets will go on sale in July, but chances of getting two are slim as its mostly season tickets now. Anyone think its worth holding off and trying in July or just overpay now and be "guaranteed" (i hope!) two tickets?. Generally about $145 for nosebleed tickets and $170 for anything remotely decent. Stubhub say they refund if tickets turn out to be dodgy..

Thanks for any thoughts guys. I don't mind overpaying a bit if i really have to i suppose, i've wanted to go to an NFL game in the States for ages, anytime i'm over in the US the city i'm staying in always seem to be playing away!

Hold off and try in July. I have gotten tickets on ticketmaster as has Hazys on here I think. Even if you hold off Stubhub wont get any dearer so you dont lose out by holding off ye know.

BigBadRob83

Phoenix Park wrote: »

Gents, i'm in Boston when the [EMAIL="Cardinals@Patriots"]Cardinals @ Patriots[/EMAIL] game is on in September. I was thinking of biting the bullet and buying 2 tickets on Stubhub (pricey, but google tells me its pretty legit). Stubhub say they no longer have an issue with Irish credit cards, and i could print the tickets electronically.

Patriots ticket office tell me some tickets will go on sale in July, but chances of getting two are slim as its mostly season tickets now. Anyone think its worth holding off and trying in July or just overpay now and be "guaranteed" (i hope!) two tickets?. Generally about $145 for nosebleed tickets and $170 for anything remotely decent. Stubhub say they refund if tickets turn out to be dodgy..

Thanks for any thoughts guys. I don't mind overpaying a bit if i really have to i suppose, i've wanted to go to an NFL game in the States for ages, anytime i'm over in the US the city i'm staying in always seem to be playing away!

Would grab them while you can tbh.

Re Stubhub - It's Got tickets last year on Stubhub for the Redskins-Pats game in Washington and all worked out perfectly. Still want to go to Foxboro though, my time in Boston was during the summer and left just before NFL pre-season started to missed out.

Enjoy!

Hazys

CoachTO wrote: »

Hold off and try in July. I have gotten tickets on ticketmaster as has Hazys on here I think. Even if you hold off Stubhub wont get any dearer so you dont lose out by holding off ye know.

+1 hold off till July where you have a decent chance of getting tickets.

If you dont get them in July then go to Stubhub, they wont get more expensive.

CoachTO

BigBadRob83 wrote: »

Would grab them while you can tbh.

Enjoy!

Why though? Stubhub will get no dearer or cheaper between now and after the tickets actually go on sale on ticketmaster. Makes sense to hang on for a month. You get them on Ticketmaster happy days if not you go back to your original idea of stubhub.

To give you an example I bought tickets on stubhub Christmas week for our game with the Fish on Christmas eve. Buddy let me down so scrambled for ticks got them for the same price on Stubhub as they were back in august.

CoachTO

Pats sign Bo Scaife and release Markell Carter and 2 others.

Phoenix Park

CoachTO wrote: »

Why though? Stubhub will get no dearer or cheaper between now and after the tickets actually go on sale on ticketmaster. Makes sense to hang on for a month. You get them on Ticketmaster happy days if not you go back to your original idea of stubhub.

To give you an example I bought tickets on stubhub Christmas week for our game with the Fish on Christmas eve. Buddy let me down so scrambled for ticks got them for the same price on Stubhub as they were back in august.

What i was concerned about was would everyone unsuccessful in trying for Ticketmaster tickets in July all swamp Stubhub and take the relative few that are on there? (about 780 tickets at the moment). In other words would there be loads of people with the same idea in mind, perhaps leaving only the really expensive ones on Stubhub after the regular Ticketmaster ones sell out?

CoachTO

Phoenix Park wrote: »

What i was concerned about was would everyone unsuccessful in trying for Ticketmaster tickets in July all swamp Stubhub and take the relative few that are on there? (about 780 tickets at the moment). In other words would there be loads of people with the same idea in mind, perhaps leaving only the really expensive ones on Stubhub after the regular Ticketmaster ones sell out?

Never happens to be honest. Most Pats fans in the US will try for tickets online and if they dont get them at cost price they dont bother looking again. Mainly Johnny Foreigners like us who use sites like stubhub or guys out of state coming in at last minute to grab tickets. Trust me when I say stubhub will have plenty of tickets right up to kick off for that game.

Funny story on that myself and few buddys in Sconnie went to a packers game and one of my mates mate flew in late to WI to hang out with us. He decided to use Stubhub the Friday before the game to chance his arm and ended up getting a seat on the side line 3 rows from the Packers bench. Turned out the Season ticket holder who owned the seat was sitting beside him and told him his son at the last minute couldnt make the game so he tried Stubhub to get money for it. Always season ticket holders trying to offload their tickets.

Son Of A Vidic

CoachTO wrote: »

Pats sign Bo Scaife and release Markell Carter and 2 others.

I have to say I'm disappointed to see Carter go. Carter was named the Patriots practice squad player of the week seven times last season. The Patriots also gave him a raise from $149,000 to $306,000, in order to keep him on the practice squad and stop him from joining another team. He put in a lot of work to make the roster and really looked liked he would do it this season. He was a pretty nice guy and had brought his sister (suffers from Lupus) to live with him so she could get specialist treatment. I really thought he was one for the future and so I'm kinda pissed to see him go.

CoachTO

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

I have to say I'm disappointed to see Carter go. Carter was named the Patriots practice squad player of the week seven times last season. The Patriots also gave him a raise from $149,000 to $306,000, in order to keep him on the practice squad and stop him from joining another team. He put in a lot of work to make the roster and really looked liked he would do it this season. He was a pretty nice guy and had brought his sister (suffers from Lupus) to live with him so she could get specialist treatment. I really thought he was one for the future and so I'm kinda pissed to see him go.

This is a very good breakdown of the what ifs:

Following up on the news that the Patriots have informed linebacker/defensive end Markell Carter he has been released, here are a few thoughts on the move:

1. Timing. The fact that Carter was cut at this juncture of this offseason could suggest that the team is preparing to make another move in the coming days. With Carter in tow, the Patriots were at a maximum capacity of 90 players on the active roster, and may have parted ways with the second-year player in order to create space for a pending addition.

2. Crowded front seven: As was mentioned by Mike Rodak last month, the Patriots' roster had more front seven players than any other in the NFL (at the time, at least), with 27. Inevitably, a number of players were going to have be let go by the team, and Carter is the first chip to fall.

3. Personnel mismatch? This one is a little trickier, because we really don’t know how the Patriots will operate defensively this season, although it appears that the team was dedicated to improving its athleticism along the defensive line, with additions including Chandler Jones, Jake Bequette, Jonathan Fanene, and Trevor Scott. Carter, who has beefed up to 275 pounds this offseason, may have been working towards a full-time shift to a down lineman, and although he is not a bad athlete, the team could feel he isn’t on the same level as some of the aforementioned players.

4. Development: Carter was signed to a reserve/future contract earlier this offseason after spending 2011 on the practice squad, and fits the mold of a developmental player. Although he’s still early into his NFL career, the team may not have seen the development in the 22-year old that it had hoped for.

Moves like these can take place for a variety of reasons, and it’s possible that none of the factors laid out above were involved in the decision. We have not been able to see much of Carter during OTA’s, as the on-field work is limited to non-contact drills.

The move may come as a surprise to some considering the fact that the Patriots invested heavily in Carter in December while he was a member of the practice squad, presumably to convince him to stay with the team in lieu of signing with an active roster elsewhere.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4723340/analysis-of-markell-carter-move


Have to say though surely hanging on to him until Sept at least would have been good to see how he develops but I do get the feeling there is something we are missing from this.

eagle eye

Looks like Andre Carter might be just about to sign. One Carter goes and another comes back. I'd be very happy if this transpires.

CoachTO

eagle eye wrote: »

Looks like Andre Carter might be just about to sign. One Carter goes and another comes back. I'd be very happy if this transpires.

Probably why Markell was released. Be good to see Andre back dude was phenomenal last season pre injury

CoachTO

Bye Bye Ocho

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter After unsuccessfully trying to trade WR Chad Ochocinco throughout the day Thursday, the Patriots are releasing him, per league source.