Source: Jamie Pacheco

This morning, Steve and I made the trek out to Gillette Stadium to take in some training camp and check out the 2010 New England Patriots. One thing I want to say about going to camp if you’ve never been: It’s not a fan entertainment event. If you’re not interested in the inner workings of what prepares a football team for the season, then do not go. It is a practice session, meaning there is time for stretching and warming up, along with just some fundamentals drills. They are not there for your entertainment! I do not want to hear, “Is this all they do?” from one more person! However, I find training camp very entertaining because I love seeing the team come together, but I’m not saying it’s a snooze fest either. The 11-0n11 match-ups are very fun to watch, along with some other position vs. position drills. That being said, here’s some observations and notes that were jotted down during practice:

• Sammy Morris, who was not in pads yesterday, joined the team for the full practice in pads today. However, there were some more missing players than there were yesterday: Darnell Jenkins, Matthew Slater who was hurt in yesterday’s afternoon session along with Bret Lockett, RB Thomas Clayton, Ron Brace, and of course Derrick Burgess and Logan Mankins.
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  Source: Jamie Pacheco

  Wes Welker jogged onto the field at the beginning of practice to a large ovation from the crowd and stretched with the team before working exclusively with the rehab staff. He was not in pads but only had a small brace on his knee.

• Terrence Wheatley held onto the receiver he was facing quite a bit during 1-on-1 WR vs. DB drills. Not very good technique, especially with today’s offense-friendly rules.
• Rookie QB Zac Robinson was not very accurate at all this morning, overthrowing and under-throwing receivers. He also fumbled a snap.
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  Source: Jamie Pacheco

  It was interesting to watch Bill Belichick work with the team. It’s easy to see why he’s the best in the business. He roamed around from showing techniques in the WR’s vs. DB’s drill to working with linebackers, special teams, and the offense.

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  Source: Jamie Pacheco

  Randy Moss makes playing receiver look like the easiest job in the world. Everything he does seems effortless and he looked great today. He could also be seen giving pointers to Julian Edelman in between reps.

• Brandon Tate looks good at WR. At one point, Tom Brady under-threw a ball that Tate had to spin around and grab near the ground, which he did very impressively.
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  Source: Jamie Pacheco

  Zoltan Mesko had an inconsistent morning punting. He shanked quite a few while booming others. After his first shank that went about 20 yards, I overheard Belichick yelling, “Do you want me to punt? A 20-yard punt? Even I can handle that!”

• Pierre Woods is getting opportunities at OLB with the starting unit. The spot opposite Tully Banta-Cain seems wide open.
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  Source: Jamie Pacheco

  The hit of the day was delivered by ILB Tyrone McKenzie on Laurence Maroney. During the 11-on-11 drill at the goal  line, McKenzie shot the gap that Maroney hit and delivered a perfect tackle that made a sound loud enough to draw “Ooh’s” and “Aaahh’s” from the crowd.

• One interesting note: during mini-camps, Linebackers Coach Matt Patricia called the defensive plays. Today, Bill Belichick was giving the plays to the defense during 11-on-11 drills.

source: Yardbarker.com

The New England Patriots opened training camp today in Foxborough at Gillette Stadium and the theme is clear: these aren’t your older brother’s Patriots. Gone from the team’s facility are the pictures of the heroes of the past decade; Troy Brown, Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi, etc. are all off of the empty walls in the locker room and throughout the stadium. It’s time for these new Patriots to form their own identity. With 24 players drafted the last two drafts, the team’s youth movement is in full effect.

Young players are being expected to step up in key areas. Darius Butler is expected to start at left corner; Sebastian Vollmer is the starter at right tackle; Pat Chung is challenging for the starting job at strong safety; two-thirds of the tight end group are rookies; rookie Brandon Spikes and Tyrone McKenzie are battling for reps next to Jerod Mayo at inside linebacker, and who knows what the hell is going on at outside linebacker opposite Tully Banta-Cain. After Shawn Crable was released yesterday, Steve reported earlier today that Derrick Burgess is not at camp and is considering retirement. That leaves Rob Ninkovich, who got plenty of reps with the starting unit today, Pierre Woods, and rookie Jermaine Cunningham as the players most likely to fill in that OLB spot. Aside from the positions mentioned, it’s highly possible that a young player, maybe Brandon Tate or Taylor Price, impress during camp and start opposite Randy Moss at wide receiver. Perhaps one of the younger guards, like Rich Ohrnberger or Ryan Wendell, do a better job at filling in for Logan Mankins at left guard than Nick Kaczur and wrestle the starting job away.

Those are just a few of the many storylines unfolding during the Pats’ 51st training camp. Steve and I will be at the morning session tomorrow to take it all in, and there will be a post up tomorrow afternoon after we return. Here are some of the highlights from today’s two sessions:

• The red-zone, which was a sore spot on both offense and defense last season, was a focus in both the morning afternoon sessions. In the morning, the defense got the upper hand. After an incomplete pass from Tom Brady to Brandon Tate, the defense stuffed Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris twice on consecutive downs. In the afternoon, the offense got the better of the defense. Both rookie tight ends, first Rob Gronkowski and then Aaron Hernandez, caught touchdown passes from Brady.
• Speaking of the rookie TE’s, they continue to impress. Hernandez, in particular, looks like he will be a pass-catching machine. he is being lined up at multiple spots and is showing he knows how to get open. Gronkowski is using his power blocking and his height (6′6″) getting open against defenders, such as he did in the end zone to catch a TD pass.
• Tom Brady was NOT wearing the bulky knee brace he wore all last season after returning from his ACL surgery. He instead was wearing a black sleeve on his knee. If he continues to do this will be interesting to see. Just the fact that he did not have it on for practice is a positive sign that he’s improved from where he was last season, which is EXCELLENT news for Pats fans.
• So far, Mike Wright looks like he has the inside track to start at right defensive end. Last season, that spot was manned by Jarvis Green while he was healthy after the team traded Richard Seymour right before the start of the regular season.
• While Darius Butler has the initial edge to start at left corner, rookie first-rounder Devin McCourty did get some reps at that spot with the starting unit.

Not on the field for either sessions were WR Wes Welker, DL Ron Brace, WR Darnell Jenkins, the maybe-retiring Derrick Burgess, and the unsigned Logan Mankins.

Myself and fellow author Jaime are headed to morning session training camp tomorrow.  Here are some issues and areas to think about and improve on to move up from 9th spot in the first ESPN power rankings of the year.

1.  Linebacker – Once the most terrifying position of the Pats defense, this years linebacking core is starting to get very thin.  As Jaime reported yesterday, the Pats cut OLB Shawn Crable who played sparingly in his two years.  Now, it is reported by ESPN that Derrick Burgess, who has yet to come to camp, is considering retirement.  If this does happen, the Pats will be paper thin at linebacker with only Tully Banta-Cain and Pierre Woods as notable players at the OLB position.  Might as well DE to list also since the Pats had no pass rush last year and have not made much of an improvement on that front.

2.  Runningback - We know that the Pats are going to score a ton of points throwing the ball, and i love the addition of Tory Holt opposite Randy Moss on the field.  Plus, mighty mouse himself Wes Welker will somehow remarkably be able to play this season.  Question is, who is going to run the ball?  Personally, i love Laurence Maroney but, for some reason, he has always been in coach Belichick’s dog house.  Do not blame the fumbles either.  Last year Maroney fumbled the ball four times and lost 3; meanwhile Adrian Peterson fumbled seven times and lost six.  Yet, every time Maroney lost the ball, he got yanked out of the game.  Give the kid a chance, let him build some confidence, and he will be fine.  Maybe even a sleeper fanatsy pick of mine.

3. Offensive Line – Stephen Neal, Logan Mankins, Matt Light, and Dan Koppen all had subpar seasons.  Now, Mankins is holding out for more money and has said some pretty bad things about the Pats front office.  This means Nick Kazur is sliding over and Sebastion Vollmer (who was a beast last year) is playing RT.  Everyone else is one year older and the Pats are thin with any OL reserves. On the plus side, Stephen Neal has the distinction of beating Brick Lesnar in wrestling.

Obviously, there are many other areas that may need improvement.  But these three address the areas that the Pats success has thrived on for years.  Score points, rush the quarterback and, most importantly, keep Brady of his back.

The Patriots signed the last of their draft picks today when they inked first-round corner Devin McCourty to a 5-year contract worth $13.2 million. All 12 of the Pats’ draft picks will be in camp and on time to learn and hopefully contribute to the team’s success this season. McCourty will be competing with last year’s second-round pick, Darius Butler, for the starting cornerback spot opposite Leigh Bodden. At worst, McCourty will likely be the team’s nickel corner and will also contribute on special teams, as most rookies are expected to do. Butler has more natural athletic ability and a year in the system to his advantage, while McCourty is more of a complete corner, one who can contribute against the run. Butler vs. McCourty will be one of the key battles to focus on in training camp.

Yesterday, it was reported that OLB Shawn Crable was among two other players who were placed on the active/PUP list. Apparently, the Patriots have had enough of the third-round pick who has never played in an NFL game since he was drafted in 2008, as he was cut today. A league source told the Boston Globe that Crable was hurt again, which was why he was placed on the PUP list. After finishing his first two seasons on IR, the Pats made sure he didn’t make it a third. After not contributing during his first two seasons, the hope was that he could add something to a lackluster linebacking corps. His release leaves an already thin position a little thinner.

At OLB, the Pats now have Tully Banta-Cain, second-round pick Jermaine Cunningham, Derrick Burgess, Pierre Woods, Rob Ninkovich, and free agent signing Marques Murrell. Unless Cunningham steps onto the field and plays at an elite level or Derrick Burgess is more effective after spending a year in the Patriots’ system, this group is very thin and does not have a true starter among them. Banta-Cain is a good 3rd down pass rusher but has not proven he can be a three-down linebacker. The rest of the group has little-to-no starting experience at OLB. If there’s a surprise veteran cut or a trade possibility, the Patriots should jump at any quality opportunity that presents itself. Outside linebacker is unquestionably the weakest position on the team, and it’s too important to ignore. If the team has playoff aspirations, this position needs to solidified.

The ride for the AFC BEast is over, as the team fell to the AFC West team in the fan voting. Therefore, the AFC West moves on to the championship to face the NFC North, who triumphed over the NFC East in their semifinal match-up. To vote for the winner of the best of the West vs. the best of the North, go here. Personally, I think it’s the NFC North hands-down, but I’ve been wrong before. At the time of this post, the AFC West was in the lead in the fan voting.

Earlier today, the New England Patriots placed three players on the active/PUP list: WR Wes Welker, OLB Shawn Crable, and DL Kade Weston. The active/PUP list is different than the reserve/PUP list in that players can come off the active list at any time whereas a player on the reserve list must wait until after Week 6 to begin practicing with the team. While there was tons of optimism that Welker would hit the field Day One of training camp Thursday, it looks like Bill Belichick will play it safe with Wes and further evaluate his recovery from ACL surgery. It’s still possible that Welker could be removed from the list before Thursday, but he will liekly remain on the list for a week or two before hitting the field.

As for Weston and Crable, there is no news on those two players. It’s possible that one or both are hurt or did not pass the conditioning test. Weston is a rookie who is likely more of a practice squad candidate at this point until we can see what he can do on an NFL field. Crable, who was drafted in the 3rd round in 2008, has yet to play a game in a Patriots uniform and his presence on this list is troubling. With the need for pass-rushing outside linebackers, Crable certainly has value if he can show some of the talent that made him a third-round pick. We’ve been waiting for him to contribute, only to be teased and see him placed on IR. I guess if you’re a “cup is half full” kind of person, at least he’s not on the reserve/PUP list or IR (yet).

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Steve Goozey to Musket Fire to contribute his insight on the Patriots. If you haven’t seen his first post where he discusses the ongoing Tom Brady saga, check it out by clicking here.

All right fellow Pats fans, you can stop preparing for the apocalypse and stop ordering your Brian Hoyer jerseys, Tom Brady has reported to training camp; despite not having any contract extension.  As ESPN has reported, Brady and the Pats are “close” to getting a new deal done.  The question remains however, how much?  Should Brady be the highest paid player in the NFL?”  Arguments can be made both for and against each side with Brady himself saying, just 3 months ago, that NFL player are “way overpaid”.  Does Brady, who is making $6 million this year, deserve more money that Manning, who is making $16 million this year?  On paper, yes.  Brady has had an amazing career for someone who was never even thought about on draft day.  Brady has played above expectations, especially since nothing at all was expected of him; winning 3 super bowls in the process.  Manning, on the other hand, has lived up to his expectations as well; including a super bowl.  Honestly, its 1 and 1-A with these two, depending on what part of the country you are from.  Brady has more hardware and should make more money.  Sadly, it is never all that black and white.  Manning still eats, sleeps, and drinks football.  He is arguably the best game preparation quarterback in the NFL.  As much as it pains me to say it, Brady has more important things than football to worry about in life; with a wife and two kids.  The bottom line is, it does not matter how much me makes.  Not to me and probably not to Tom Brady.  He has never been the “give me the money” type of guy and we all know about the pay cut he took to get Randy Moss on the team.  Regardless of how much money he makes, Brady will do what he does, lead the Pats to playoffs and, come January, we will all forget this mini crisis.

Created by Jamie Pacheco with NFL logos

After toppling the AFC south, the AFC BEast faces a tough test against the AFC West all-star team. You can vote for who you think would win if the two teams played a real game by going here. While the West looks tough, they have a key weakness: safety. The AFC West is starting Eric Berry, a rookie, at strong safety. While Berry has tons of potential, let’s face it; he hasn’t played a single NFL down. Randy Moss and Brandon Marshall together would wreak havoc on that secondary. But I digress.

You can also vote for the winner of the NFC match-up, where the NFC North takes on the NFC East by going here. The winners of the two semifinal games will meet to determine which division is the best in the NFL Smackdown Super Bowl. Let’s send Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Logan Mankins, Stephen Neal, Vince Wilfork, and Stephen Gostkowski and their AFC East compadres to the Super Bowl!

The Patriots have wrapped up the contracts of two of their second-round picks this weekend. First, they signed DE/OLB Jermaine Cunningham, the 53rd overall pick from Florida State to a 4-year deal. Cunningham figures to compete for playing time at OLB and was drafted with the hope that he could help fill the need of a pass rusher for the Pats’ defense. The Patriots then came to terms with TE Rob Gronkowski, the 42nd overall pick out of Arizona. Gronkowski is an inline blocking tight end who can also serve as an effective pass catcher. Gronkowski is a good all-around TE who makes up one-third of the Pats’ revamped TE corps, along with 4th-round pick Aaron Hernandez and free agent Alge Crumpler.

That means that unless there is movement tonight or early tomorrow morning, first-round pick CB Devin McCourty and second-round pick ILB Brandon Spikes will not report to rookie reporting day Monday. While it’s not an ideal situation, the real deadline for the deals to get done is Thursday when the rest of the team reports to training camp. Indications are that both will have deals done before July 29 and there will be no rookie holdouts.

Source: Yardbarker.com

According to Gresh and Zolak on The Sports Hub 98.5, wide receiver Wes Welker will fully participate in training camp next week with his teammates. If this report is accurate, it will be a huge morale boost to the team to have its “Mighty Mite” back so soon after major surgery. When Welker first tore his ACL, talk of his return ranged from midway through the season to 2011. It is amazing that it is even a possibility that he will participate in training camp. I would imagine that he will be held back some, and likely not do much during preseason games. However, his readiness for Week 1 against the Bengals is no longer a question. Hear that Marvin Lewis?

Welker’s surprising strides were first seen in mini-camps when he shocked the world by participating in agility drills with his fellow wide receivers. If you missed it, it was covered here, as well as my call for caution after Thomas Davis re-injured his ACL during the Panthers’ mini-camp. Welker’s presence now means that a receiver who would have made the team to provide depth during Welker’s absence will instead be cut. Could it be David Patten? Tory Holt? One of the young receivers? The competition for roster spots at wide receiver just got tighter.