2016 Training Camp -Much Needed Relief

edmunddantes

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So why not show at least a minor degree of respect to those employed to promote the sport for free?
It’s not all that much fun for the folks doing the job of promoting the sport for free to be on the wrong end of that treatment, and it surely makes everyone in the team’s press room afraid of saying anything that would make him or her become the next reporter who provokes an eye roll, a head shake, a verbal rebuke, and then a zealous round of digital applause from fans of the team and/or those jockeying for access to a coach who wants to keep all of them tiptoeing on eggshells.
Who knew all these reporters were working for free?
 

CantKeepmedown

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"He simply doesn’t have the temperament to survive as a head coach if he were anything another than one of the best head coaches in NFL history."

I've read this quote a few times and can't believe that Florio actually printed that. Amazing.
 

Stitch01

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Lol Florio. No, he wasn't dealing with a dumb question, he was dealing with someone asking a dumb question that he had already answered twice for a third time. I mean what the fuck, this wasn't one of these "man BB doesn't tell us anything so Im annoyed" type situations. He said "Brady is the starter when he comes back". Twice.
 

lexrageorge

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Lol Florio. No, he wasn't dealing with a dumb question, he was dealing with someone asking a dumb question that he had already answered twice for a third time. I mean what the fuck, this wasn't one of these "man BB doesn't tell us anything so Im annoyed" type situations. He said "Brady is the starter when he comes back". Twice.
I would add that not only was it a dumb question, it was probably one of the top 3 dumbest questions that Belichick had been asked over his coaching career. The fact that the reporter asked it a 3rd time means he was doing nothing more than just trolling for a reaction.
 

dcmissle

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It's worse than that.

They WANT a QB controversy, some of them, and they are pissed at answer they got at the outset. So they push for a different answer, or for a sliver of space between the first and subsequent answers. Then they jump all over that space. If they can't get any space, they continue pushing and then say, *see what an asshole he is.*

In this business, for every Tom Curran, there are 9 assholes, and then another 10 who are basically clueless.
 

BigSoxFan

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This guy fits right in:

Mike Reiss ‏@MikeReiss 10m10 minutes ago


TE Martellus Bennett asked if it's challenging to develop chemistry w/ 2 new QBs. His answer: "I've dated 2 girls at the same time before."

tweet by Reiss: "TE Martellus Bennett asked if it's challenging to develop chemistry w/ 2 new QBs. His answer: "I've dated 2 girls at the same time before."
I think I'm getting irrationally excited for the Martellus Bennett era.
 

RedOctober3829

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Hmm lets see. On one hand you have the greatest QB in nfl history who's still at the top of his game. On the other is someone who hasn't started a game ever in the league.

I don't care if G goes for 450 and 3 TDs all 4 games he's not starting Week 5.

People are dumber than I thought.
 
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dcmissle

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We should hope for that for obvious reasons. But also because it would generate the apotheosis of stupid.

Borges probably has a column ready to go; title -- "Double Standard!"

Felger and Mazz would lead the charge on the air.
 

shoosh77

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Is there a site or number to call to find out if practice is on? Considering going tomorrow with my 10 year old but it is a 2 hour drive.
 

Norm loves Vera

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Oh boy..
Christopher Price ‏@cpriceNFL 2m2 minutes ago


Pats OL Johnathan Cooper taking from the field by a cart. Right foot/ankle injury.

Tweet by C Price: "Pats OL Johnathan Cooper taking from the field by a cart. Right foot/ankle injury."

Edit: Update by Rap
Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 2m2 minutes ago


#Patriots OL Jonathan Cooper, who was carted off today, is battling a plantar fascia issue, sources say. Not structural with his ankle.

OL Jonathan Cooper, who was carted off today, is battling a plantar fascia issue, sources say. Not structural with his ankle.
 
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Super Nomario

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Is there a site or number to call to find out if practice is on? Considering going tomorrow with my 10 year old but it is a 2 hour drive.
Per Patriots.com:

RAIN POLICY
When the Patriots are forced to practice indoors due to inclement weather or poor field conditions, those practices will be closed to the public. For that reason, we stress the importance that fans and media visit www.patriots.com/trainingcamp or call the training camp hotline at 508-549-0001 prior to every practice for up-to-the-minute changes in the daily practice schedule.
 

BaseballJones

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Breer tweeted that he thinks Mitchell looked really good in the first two practices. Man if him, Hogan, and Dobson all pan out this offense will be ridiculous.
It all comes down to the offensive line. If they do a good job, the Pats should average nearly 40 points a game. If they don't, it's going to be a struggle.
 

Super Nomario

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Was at camp today. My thoughts:
  • Yeah, Gronk is awesome
  • I saw the Hogan injury, though it looked to me more like a hammy. He didn't seem to be in a ton of pain, hopefully it's minor
  • D.J. Foster was out there today. He looked really good. Much too quick for LBs to cover
  • Brady and Jimmy G were accurate. Brissett was a little more scattershot with his ball placement
  • Dobson was killing it today. He beat Ryan, he beat Butler, he was getting open consistently and catching the ball solidly
  • Liked what I saw of Mitchell, too - he was getting wide open
  • DeAndre Carter was the other receiving standout with several long catches
  • A.J. Derby is a good athlete for his size, made some plays receiving
  • The OL was beating the DL in run-blocking drills, pretty consistently it seemed
  • Top OL unit appeared to be Solder - Thuney - Andrews - Karras - Cannon
  • Cyrus Jones looked really good in returns, as did V'Angelo Bentley. Carter and Chris Harper also got work there
  • Brock Vereen made a couple nice plays, and he also got some work in with the CBs
 

RedOctober3829

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Pat Kirwan loves Malcolm Mitchell and Joe Thuney. Says WR and OL are deep. Thinks Keshawn Martin will be a surprise trade/cut. Says Blount and Lewis looked really good yesterday. Donald Brown will be a key backup so he thinks a FB won't make the roster. He thinks BB will go 12 personnel and go no-huddle with Jimmy G.

Defensively, he thinks they will be really creative. they really like Coleman in the slot. Says secondary is really deep. Cyrus Jones won't take long to get on the field. Wants Richards and or Harmon to challenge Chung for PT. says they can play so multiple but things will really fall off if DH or JC gets hurt. Kirwan wonders who offenses will set protection to. Miller thinks this is a top 5 defense. They think BB will kick the ball 1 yard deep in the end zone and dare teams to run kickoffs out.

They like the Pats as AFC favorites.
 

E5 Yaz

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Mike Reiss ESPN New England Patriots reporter
Tom Brady shocks those in attendance by showing up to Kevin Faulk's Patriots Hall of Fame induction in a Faulk jersey.
 

Super Nomario

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One thing I'm interested in is the backup C position. If Andrews wins the starting job, I think Stork sticks as a backup, because he can play C, G, or even tackle in a pinch (as he did last year). If Stork wins the starting job, Andrews is a poor fit as a backup because he's a C only. But the Pats need a real backup C because Stork has missed 12 games in two years. Can Kline (or Mason, or Karras, etc.) fill in for a couple games if Stork gets hurt? That might be a big edge in a tough interior OL competition.
 

( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)

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Anyone else surprised they haven't brought in a 4th QB yet? No one seems to really think they are going to go with Brissett as the number 2 for the first 4 weeks. There are guys out there that have at least taken a snap in an NFL game before; TJ Yates, Matt Flynn, Ryan Lindley, etc.... I suppose those guys might be holding out for an injury elsewhere and a chance to sign on to a backup role for the season (look at Dallas, their #2 Kellen Moore just broke his ankle). But at some point won't the Pats need to get a guy into the building to install some of the offense?
 

Shelterdog

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Anyone else surprised they haven't brought in a 4th QB yet? No one seems to really think they are going to go with Brissett as the number 2 for the first 4 weeks. There are guys out there that have at least taken a snap in an NFL game before; TJ Yates, Matt Flynn, Ryan Lindley, etc.... I suppose those guys might be holding out for an injury elsewhere and a chance to sign on to a backup role for the season (look at Dallas, their #2 Kellen Moore just broke his ankle). But at some point won't the Pats need to get a guy into the building to install some of the offense?
The fact that they haven't brought in a Matt Flynn tells me they absolutely do think they're going to go with Brissett as the number 2 for the first 4 weeks. (Conceivably because vet salaries are guaranteed if you're on the week 1 roster you go with Brissett as your game 1 backup and then bring in TJ Yates for games 2-4).

BB seems to have been consistently pretty happy with having young backup QBs with in-system experience as opposed to using cap space on veteran players who aren't experienced in the system. Until he shows otherwise I'd just assume that he's willing to rely on two highish draft picks who've been with the team for a while as his QBs until #12 comes back.
 

Super Nomario

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The fact that they haven't brought in a Matt Flynn tells me they absolutely do think they're going to go with Brissett as the number 2 for the first 4 weeks. (Conceivably because vet salaries are guaranteed if you're on the week 1 roster you go with Brissett as your game 1 backup and then bring in TJ Yates for games 2-4).
Another option is to bring in a Yates / Flynn type, cut him at the final cutdown, and then bring him back early in the season when he's not guaranteed. That sounds cheesy but they've done it before, IIRC. If they bring a QB in cold in Week 2, he's going to be behind in prep.

BB seems to have been consistently pretty happy with having young backup QBs with in-system experience as opposed to using cap space on veteran players who aren't experienced in the system. Until he shows otherwise I'd just assume that he's willing to rely on two highish draft picks who've been with the team for a while as his QBs until #12 comes back.
I agree. Another thought I have is that Brady isn't going to be there at practice, either, to make sure everything is in line, but maybe they want Garoppolo to treat this as "his team" for those four weeks rather than bring in an example vet.
 

soxfan121

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No one seems to really think they are going to go with Brissett as the number 2 for the first 4 weeks.
Who is no one? I would like to make fun of them, and it would be helpful to be able to read what they think. TIA.

I was recently reminded of the Chris Simms in 2008 story - Belichick decided not to sign a "veteran" backup after Brady's knee injury, instead opting to boost Cassel's confidence by making him "the man" without someone (who didn't know the offense) peeking over his shoulder.
 

Shelterdog

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Another option is to bring in a Yates / Flynn type, cut him at the final cutdown, and then bring him back early in the season when he's not guaranteed. That sounds cheesy but they've done it before, IIRC. If they bring a QB in cold in Week 2, he's going to be behind in prep.
I was thinking of that as well--but if they were going to you'd think they would have already done so.
 

( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)

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Interesting points. Going with just Jimmy G and Brissett for four weeks would also let them hang on to another player at another position. There are likely going to be some touch cuts at some of the deep positions like Safety and DE. By the time Brady returns and the roster exemption is gone there will probably be players moving to IR, so roster spots won't be as big of a crunch. The risk of having Brissett as the #2 for 4 weeks is likely less then I think it is. They could also bring in a vet mid-week if Garappolo got hurt during a game. So really the only risk is that Garappolo gets hurt early in a game or in a game where they are losing or close in the 4th quarter. That seems like a decent risk to take.
 

RedOctober3829

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Everything players, coaches, and media members have said about Brissett indicates satisfaction with him. Chris Hogan was on SiriusXM and said he throws the best deep ball of any of the QBs in camp and that he's picked up the offense very well. Obviously, he's still a work in progress but guys like Mike Reiss says he looks like he is the real deal and was worthy of the 3rd round pick. That's why I don't think they are bringing in anyone else. Also, they want to use the roster spot on another position such as WR, TE, or DL.
 

Super Nomario

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I was thinking of that as well--but if they were going to you'd think they would have already done so.
Agreed 100%. I'm thinking that there are only so many practice reps to go around and, for different reasons, they need each of Brady / Garoppolo / Brissett to get plenty of work. A fourth QB would detract from that.

There's a reasonable chance that someone like Cassel, Hoyer, or Mallett who has system experience gets cut by someone else, and if worse comes to worse Ryan Lindley is still out there - he was in camp last year. Plan A is clearly going to be JG / JB for weeks 1-4.
 

RedOctober3829

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Good things keep floating in on Joe Thuney. Kirwin loved him as he described in his podcast and Belichick can't say enough about him when asked. I am pleasantly surprised that he has had a seamless transition so far but when the real bullets start flying we'll get a better view.

Kevin Duffy ‏@KevinRDuffy 44m44 minutes ago
Rookie G Joe Thuney stood out in 1-on-1s, handling Malcom Brown and Terrance Knighton in consecutive reps.

Next week's joint practices with New Orleans can't come soon enough. I am really, really excited about the depth of the roster as a whole. BB describing multiple position groups(TE, WR, S) as the best groups he's had since he's been in NE is giving me a Gronk in my pants.
 

RedOctober3829

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Some notes from Jeff Howe from today's practice that I found important.

--Jonathan Jones is rising on the cornerback depth chart and could potentially steal the fifth job from Darryl Roberts. Jones was one of the pleasant surprises of the offseason workout program.

--Brady was somewhat sporadic during practice, which included at least three renditions of “happy birthday” from the crowd, but he closed it down by completing 8 of 9 in the two-minute offense. His final five throws were completions to Martellus Bennett, who hadn’t caught a pass in team drills prior to that spurt.

The last throw was interesting, as Brady was lined up in the shotgun, read the defense and walked over to Bennett in the left slot to give him some last-second instructions. Bennett then beat Devin McCourty for a touchdown on a corner route.

--Mitchell has really quick hands, and they’re also the size of oven mitts. It’s easy to see who is catching the ball when Mitchell is on the receiving end in traffic because of a certain smoothness to his style.

--Shaq Mason participated in team drills for the first time in training camp. Mason worked as the right guard on the second unit, working behind today’s starter Josh Kline. Though Cooper has missed three consecutive practices, Mason and Kline have reinforced the position as two of the Patriots’ best linemen from 2015 are back in the mix following offseason surgeries.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/patriots/the_blitz/2016/08/practice_observations_tom_brady_martellus_bennett_heat_up_shaq
 

Shelterdog

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It's a godsend that they have David Andrews. With Thuney's ability to play center, is it a realistic possibility that with all these concussions that Stork could end up being a surprise cut or put on IR?
I don't want to freak out because of the word concussion, but Stork has missed 11/32 regular season games, he missed a lot of time in his first training camp, and he's missing this training camp; that's not a great record of durability at a postiion (and with coaches) who put a particular premium on durability.

If the Pats are concerned about Stork's ability to stay on the field that makes the Thuney pick make a lot more sense; an interior oline of Thuney/Mason/Jackson or Cooper/Kline/Andrews is actually about the right number of interior offensive linemen at the right positions only cutting one guy.
 

RedOctober3829

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I don't want to freak out because of the word concussion, but Stork has missed 11/32 regular season games, he missed a lot of time in his first training camp, and he's missing this training camp; that's not a great record of durability at a postiion (and with coaches) who put a particular premium on durability.

If the Pats are concerned about Stork's ability to stay on the field that makes the Thuney pick make a lot more sense; an interior oline of Thuney/Mason/Jackson or Cooper/Kline/Andrews is actually about the right number of interior offensive linemen at the right positions only cutting one guy.
Mark Daniels ‏@MarkDanielsPJ 16s17 seconds ago
Karras was playing at right guard today opposite of Joe Thuney. Josh Kline got more reps at center.
 

EL Jeffe

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Ugh, that's a shame for Stork and it seems to be getting into Mike Wright territory for him. I really hope he strongly considers retirement if that report is true.