Warrick off the Market
6:46 PM Wed, Aug 31, 2005 | Permalink | Write the first
comment
Email this author | Email this entry |
 |
Projo Pats Blog |
August 2005 ArchivesAugust 31
The estimable Lenny P says: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2148248 Check in with you later if anything shakes out. T 
A couple of notes while waiting for The Battleship (Giants' 275-pound quarterback Jared Lorenzen) to dock in New England and out The Bachelor (Jesse Palmer) from the third quarterback spot on the Giants depth chart. There definitely has been interest expressed in both Peter Warrick and Peerless Price (released by the Bengals and Falcons respectively). A media source told me today that the Pats tried to swing a trade for Warrick last week. Given that they ultimately traded for a receiver with return skills (Andre Davis) it sounds plausible. It also sounds like the Bengals screwed up if they turned down a trade, given the fact they cut him soon after and got zip in return. As for Price, the Pats are kicking the tires on him as well. Calls are in to Warrick's agent (Drew Rosenhaus) and Price's (Tim MCGee) and also we're touching base with Rohan Davey's agent to see where Ro might go. Talk to you later, T
August 30
FOXBORO -- A few notes to wrap up the day including the cuts to get down to 71. Cut: Morton never got on the field. Poteat was facing an uphill battle in a deep secondary. Anderson - a young prospect with decent size - seemed to be a pretty good player but there are just sooo many receivers in camp it's not a surprise. Two guys who got cut elsewhere who caught the eye: former Bengals wide receiver Danny Farmer and former Patriots offensive lineman Grant Williams. Finally, Matt Light was presented with the Ron Burton Award tonight for his outstanding charitable work over the past year. No access tomorrow. If anything breaks, we'll add it. Otherwise, we're up to our eyeballs in Patriots Preview section stuff. Take care, T
FOXBORO - The Patriots haven't yet announced their cuts. They need to get down to 71 players by 4 p.m. today. We had it at 73, but the Patriots let us that it was actually two fewer than that. Not much cooking in Bill Belichick's press conference today news-wise. Defensive coordinator Eric Mangini spoke as well to the press for about 10 minutes. Asked about inside linebackers Chad Brown and Monty Beisel, Mangini said, "They're making progress but more importantly, the defense as a group is making progress," said Mangini."We're looking for consistent progress." ***** Locker room tidbits: Christian Fauria and Dan Klecko, who sit side-by-side along one of the walls, were laughing at the horde enveloping Chad Brown along the back wall of the locker room. Tight end Jed Weaver -- generally a quiet sort -- saw the two laughing and said jokingly to Klecko and Fauria: "Hey! People have a right to know." I generally haven't placed much stock in the whole "nameplate above the locker as proof of imminent return for absent players" notion. But given the fact that nameplates for every guy released yesterday have been peeled away and that of Roman Phifer, the team's erstwhile linebacker, is still there one wonders if there's anything to it. I've called Phifer a number of times since April and he hasn't returned calls.
August 29
FOXBORO - Linebacker Tedy Bruschi was seen for the first time since training camp opened July 29. The Pats passionate defensive leader, who's on the PUP list, walked from the Patriots weight room to his locker where he smiled and shook hands with a small handful of media types before checking out again. Bruschi said he wasn't up for addressing reporters today but his presence in the locker room was still good to see. Also, tackle Matt Light, out since last week, was in the locker room and told a media horde that he expected to be back to practice. T
FOXBORO - The Patriots have more cutting to do before the 4 p.m. deadline tomorrow. They must get down to 73 players because they have eight roster exemptions from NFL Europe. Cobbs -- like Davey and Reid -- was a fourth-round pick from Arkansas. He had 22 carries for the team last year, 15 in a blowout win over Cleveland. He's battled injury issues since getting to Foxboro. "There's other players ahead of Cedric. It certainly didn't help any. We drafted him at a point where a lot of players do contribute. He never really got on the field for a consistent amount of time. Whether that would have made any difference or not, I don't know. We were just running out of time. The emergence of first-year back Kory Chapman as a back both in Europe and in this training camp sealed Cobbs' fate. As for Reid, Belichick said simply there were other players ahead of him. The Patriots are currently heavy in the secondary.
As expected, the starters will see very limited time in the preseason finale Thursday against the Giants. "The players who didn't play as much against Green Bay will play more than the ones who did play quite a bit against Green Bay," said Belichick. ***** Here's a few leftover locker room tidbits from Friday's game against Green Bay that didn't find their way into stories. On the Patriots fairly stout run defense against the Pack, Belichick said after the game, "We still got some work to do. It was at least competitive. Some of the things we had trouble with in the first two weeks I think we executed a little bit better tonight. We’ll take a look at the film and try to confirm that but it looked like our fits were a little buit better in the front seven. Said inside linebacker Chad Brown: "It’s way to early to break my arm patting myself on the back. It was a step, a small step but it was a step in the right direction. Each time on the field, I get better at something. This was another day I got better at something. I also was exposed to things I need to work on. "There was progress certainly. I’m nowhere near where I want to be and I don’t think I’m where this team needs me to be. I will treat it as a step and try to figure out wat’s going on around here. Tight end Ben Watson looked very good Friday but it seems he and Tom Brady will need more live game-time to get exactly on the same page. Some of Brady's throws to Watson were a little behind the speedy, powerful tight end. "That comes with time," said Watson. "Tom’s a great quarterback and we’ll adjust. All the time I can get with him is a plus for me. I feel pretty good. I’ve been blessed to come back. "We still got lots to work on," said Watson. "We still have a ways to go until we’re ready for the first game. Every game I can play and part in is a plus for me. I was out for a whole year. Anytime out there gets me back in the flow of things."
FOXBORO - The Patriots cut ties with three players today including fourth-year quarterback Rohan Davey, Tom Brady's backup last year. Second-year players Dexter Reid and Cedric Cobbs were also given the toe. Both were fourth-round picks last year. Both players just weren't developing quickly enough to hold off the players they were in competition with. Davey's case was a bit different. The Patriots may have been able to swing a deal somewhere but they took Davey's need for a positive situation into account. "In the end, the way this worked out is best for everybody," said Patriots head coach at his morning press conference last hour. "He deserves and I'm sure will get a good opportunity. He's gonna be in the league, there's no question about that. Where that will be needs to be a little bit more of his selection (or with a team) that will want him (to compete). Some minimal type of trade (wouldn't have been advantageous enough for the Pats to compromise Davey)...he needs to get someplace and get a start where there's a little more opportunity than what will be here." (More to come)
August 26
GREEN BAY - Nick Kaczur gets the start at right tackle; Tom Ashworth replaces Matt Light at left tackle. Willie McGinest starts at outside linebacker on the left in place of Mike Vrabel. T
GREEN BAY - Forget what the monitor said, Mike Vrabel's out tonight. Also on the "not expected to play" list: Eugene Baker, Duane Starks, Chad Morton, Hank Poteat, Matt Light, Brandon Gorin, Bethel Johnson, Dan Klecko and Santonio Thomas.
GREEN BAY - Take this for what it's worth: in many NFL press boxes, they flash the starters on monitors before the game. Mike Vrabel and Rosey Colvin were listed as the left and right outside linebackers respectively. Also, Tom Ashworth is listed as the left tackle starter and rookie Nick Kaczur is listed as the right tackle. I still haven't seen Vrabel on the field. P.K. Sam and Cedric Cobbs are two guys who've missed time that are dressed. Same with Jed Weaver and David Terrell. T
GREEN BAY -- It's overcast and mid-70s here. The only was weather will be a factor tonight is if it rains and it looks like it may before the night's through. It'150 minutes before game time and right now Matt Cassel is throwing short routes to receivers Jason Anderson and Bam Childress. Veep of Player Personnel Scott Pioli and director of football research Ernie Adams are chatting it up while casually watching Cassel, Anderson and Childress. Christian Fauria is the only other Patriot to wander onto the field. We'll check back before kickoff with info on who's playing and who isn't (or at least who's warming up and who isn't). T
August 24
An article in the Dayton Daily News today quoted the father of Patriots tackle Matt Light as saying his son's injury was not serious. "The only thing I can tell you is that it's really not serious," Bill Light told the paper from Greenville, Ohio. "He'll probably miss a preseason game or something, but other than that, it's fine. The reason they don't release (injury information) is because that becomes an instant target." The Patriots will practice today and have a walkthrough tomorrow before traveling to Green Bay for Friday's game with the Packers. ***** Also, we're trying to track down whether or not the Patriots are interested in former Kansas City linebacker Mike Maslowski who was released. The 31-year-old Maslowski is a favorite of the Patriots who tried to sign him as a restricted free agent in 2002 (KC matched) and planned to pursue him in free agency the next year before Maslowski re-signed with Kansas City. I'm off from live coverage at the stadium today but will check in if anything "newsy" comes my way. T
August 23
In my blog entry this afternoon, I mentioned a back-and-forth Bill Belichick had with a reporter about comparing YPC and other rushing stats from this year's two preseason games to last year's stats. Belichick didn't specify which he was talking about, regular season stats or preseason stats, and said something about production being the same this year as last year. I wrongly assumed it was regular season stats he was referring to. The Pats were far better last year against the run during the season than they had been in the first two games of this preseason. But the preseason run defense stats last year were actually worse in YPC than this year (4.5 in 2004 to 4.1 this year). Sorry for the miscue. T
FOXBORO - Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Hartford Courant reporter Alan Greenberg had some interesting back and forth on the Patriots run defense so far this preseason. The exchange was prompted by questions from an ESPN reporter on the Pats inside linebackers Chad Brown and Monty Beisel. At issue was the perception that the Pats run defense is poor right now. "Do you have any idea what the average is now?" Belichick asked Greenberg. "In the exhibition season? I don't pay attention to the stats in the exhibition season," Greenberg answered. "I'm just trying to keep it in perspective for you," said Belichick. Just take a look at it." (The Pats allowed 98.3 yards per game on the ground last year, 3.8 per carry. This preseason, they've allowed 150 yards per game, 4.4 per carry). "I think I have perspective on it," said Greenberg. "Well, I'm not really understanding where you're coming from. You make it sound like last year our run defense was at one point and right now -- I think what you're trying to say -- is that it's at another point. And what I'm saying is that -- from a production standpoint -- it's really been about the same." "I'm not trying to say that," said Greenberg. "All I'm doing is saying if you're goign to have different people from other teams come in and you're going to plug them in at inside linebacker this year, I'm just saying, can you expect the same level....isn't it unreal to expect that as well as Monty and Chad can play that they're not going to be able to play to that level of performance." "I don't know but neither of those players has been around long enough to fully evaluate them." We'll examine the seeping hysteria surrounding the Pats run defense tomorrow. ***** Wide receivers David Terrell and P.K. Sam were both dressed for practice yesterday. Mike Vrabel and Bethel Johnson weren't seen; neither was left tackle Matt Light who was reportedly in a light cast Monday using crutches to get around. Tackle Tom Ashworth would be the likely candidate to move to the left side in place of Light. We'll check back in after practice tomorrow around 2 p.m. T
August 22
FOXBORO - A minor trade, a few player sightings and 15 minutes with the commissioner have been the news of the day so far in Foxboro. The Patriots swung a deal for disgruntled Browns receiver Andre Davis yesterday, sending an undisclosed draft pick for the 6-1, 195-pound, 4-year veteran. Davis has made 93 catches for 1,412 (a robust average of 15.2 yards per catch) over his career but he had only 16 catches last year (416 yards, 2 TDs). His most productive season was 2003 when he had 40 catches 576 yards and five scores. During his press conference today, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick noted that the team liked Davis in 2002 when he was coming out of Virginia Tech. Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel said a little more than a week ago that Davis has had, "an average camp," adding that he "started a little slowly. He wonders, 'Am I going to be here or not?' Then every little thing that happens, he starts to worry about." A few days later, he was given permission to seek a trade. He's got return skills, taking back 50 in his rookie year,, 38 as a second-year guy, averaging just over 21.1 so far. ***** Ty Warren, out for nearly two weeks after getting his foot rolled up on during a training camp practice, was back on the field yesterday and should go against the Packers. Bill Belichick said that David Terrell is close to returning. Same with Bethel Johnson. Mike Vrabel was seen walking through the locker room without a trace of a limp. He's been out since the preseason opener.
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was in Foxboro visiting the Pats training camp. He was wearing a Patriots golf shirt. Patriots owner Robert Kraft introduced Tagliabue and said the shirt was a gift from Raiders owner Al Davis. Tagliabue smiled awkwardly. He fielded questions on HGH and steroids, progress with the players on the new CBA, Kraft's impact as an owner and the death of 49ers lineman Thomas Herrion. ***** Nuggets: The team stripped the sod from the middle of the field and is laying new sod. ...Daniel Graham had some jazz floating out of the speakers in his locker... Asante Samuel and Willie McGinest had an extended dominoes game. ... Davis, cast aside in Cleveland, was beseiged by reporters as he headed to his locker today. He'll wear No. 18. ... First-year player Mike McGrew, who was wearing No. 18 before he was released recently, was in the Pats locker room yesterday with a cast on his hand. ...
August 21
If you want to see what kind of person 49ers offensive lineman Thomas Herrion was, read this story. Herrion died last night in the locker room after San Francisco's preseason game. http://www.nfleurope.com/teams/story/HAM/8382155
August 18
FOXBORO -- Ben Watson is dressed for tonight's game. For the scores of patient people on the Watson watch, this is good news. Watson hasn't played since the season opener last year when he blew out his knee. His participation in camp has been sporadic over the past week. But when he has been out there, the plentiful reasons the Pats took him in the first round -- speed, power, fluidity -- have been so obvious. On a side note, Tom Brady threw about a 50-yard pass to a post-running Troy Brown during warmups and Brown -- while in pursuit -- whacked into tight end Daniel Graham. Neither appeared to pleased but nobody was shaken up.
FOXBORO -- The following Patriots are not "expected" to play tonight: Dillon was in California for the birth of his daughter this week.
FOXBORO -- You could not order up a better night for preseason football. Couldn't do it. Dry, 75...mmm, mmm. It must feel like December to the Saints. We'll hit you back when they give us the inactives. Right now, the only Patriot on the field is long snapper Lonie Paxton. Meanwhile, here's a couple of literary notes regarding the Patriots. The accomplished writer David Halberstam has a book coming out on Belichick in September. I found a link to a picture of the cover on the KFFL Pats' message board. http://www.allthingsbillbelichick.com/ The site it brings you to is startlingly complete in its coverage of the Patriots coach. As for the book, I'll be interested to see if any significant new ground is broken. Halberstam's "Breaks of the Game" chronicling the 1978 Trail Blazers season was a seminal book on the NBA. I couldn't finish his book "Teammates" about Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr, Ted Williams and Dom Dimaggio. Also, check Amazon.com for Jim Donaldson's new book called Stadium Stories which ogles the bizarre lore of the Pats over the years. New England Patriots offensive lineman Matt Light will be hosting his The Celebrity Shoot-Out will feature contestants, including Patriots players, competing in the clay shooting competition. The entry fee, $1,000 per person or $3,000 per team, will go directly to the Light Foundation DIRECTIONS: From Providence: Take Rte. 146 North to the Rte. 116 South (Mall) Exit. Go to the fourth light and turn right on to Rte. 7 North. Go 5.3 miles and turn left onto Tarklin Rd. Go 2 miles to Addieville East Farm on the left.
August 16
FOXBORO -- The last practice of training camp is in progress. Among the players not participating are Randall Gay, Guss Scott, and Duane Starks. Santonio Thomas, Ty Warren, Mike Vrabel,Kevin Faulk, Brandon Gorin, David Terrell and Andre Torrey are also idle. Ray Ventrone got his hair cut. It doesn't look so good. There's a long piece of hair dangling from the back of his head. There's a thin stripe running across the top from ear to ear. And the hair over his ears is hanging down. Otherwise, it's shaved. The rest of the rookies are also sporting less than stellar hairstyles. Kooky training camp initiation rites. So far at 2 p.m., the defensive linemen have worked on scooping up bounding footballs, running backs and quarterbacks have done dummy running plays and Tom Brady is now in charge a 7-on-7 passing drill. More details to come. T
August 15
FOXBORO -- Even though his vertebrae may have gotten jumbled, Doug Flutie's spunk is intact. During yesterday morning's cool moist practice at Gillette, the 42-year-old got picked on a little dive pass intended for Benjamin Watson. Linebacker Don Davis headed for the sidelines and Flutie -- to his credit -- sprinted out to head him off before he got to the end zone. This left Davis with no other option than to discard Flutie, which he did with a big cuff of his right hand. Flutie fell backwards, rolled over and sprung to his feet. Davis scored. That was one highlight from a pretty entertaining practice. Quarterback Tom Brady had a quiet day throwing the ball but did take a few reps early in practice. Head coach Bill Belichick said that Brady's workload is not being managed to preserve his arm. He threw liberally on Sunday. A few other notes from the run-through: Monty Beisel practiced with a red "no contact" jersey on, an unusual outfit for a linebacker. Flutie hit Deion Branch with a beautifully thrown bomb over Larry Izzo. Ben Watson ran smoothly and without a trace of a problem in his second day back from missing a significant chunk of time. Running backs coach Ivan Fears, who was out with a medical issue for the first part of camp, was back for his second day. Corey Dillon, awaiting delivery of a baby, was not at practice. Decisiveness didn't mark Rohan Davey's practice. On three different occasions, he held the ball well past what would be prudent. Once, he got picked by Chad Scott on a bomb. He also got in a late downfield completion to Eugene Baker. Tyrone Poole had a nice rolling interception on the sidelines of a Matt Cassel pass. Kyle Eckel, Patrick Pass, Kory Chapman and Patrick Pass were the only running backs on duty. Also sitting were: Brandon Gorin (RT), Troy Brown (WR), Cedric James (WR), P.K. Sam (WR), David Terrell (WR), Cedric Cobbs (RB), Jed Weaver (TE), Chad Morton (KR), Bethel Johnson (WR), Ty Warren (DE), Santonio Thomas (DL), Tully Banta-Cain (LB), Andre Torrey (LB), Mike Vrabel (LB), Randall Gay (CB), Duane Starks (CB) and Rodney Harrison (S). T
August 12
CINCINNATI -- A number of Patriots weren't "expected" to play last night according to a pregame release. They were: David Terrell, P.K. Sam, Cedric James, Chad Morton, Cedric Cobbs, Andre Torrey, Ryan Claridge, Joel Jacobs, Tully Banta-Cain, Troy Brown, Bethel Johnson, Benjamin Watson, Santonio Thomas, Richard Seymour, Ty Warren and Mario Monds. Guys starting in place of guys not starting include: Rodney Bailey (for Warren), Jarvis Green (for Seymour), Willie McGinest (for Vrabel), Tyrone Poole (for Randall Gay), Tim Dwight (for Deion Branch) and Rohan Davey (for Brady). T
CINCINNATI -- Tom Brady clearly is nursing an arm situation. With an hour to go before the preseason opener, he hasn't yet thrown a pass. He did full-field sprints up the sidelines for about 15 minutes then came to the middle of the field. Taking a football from a member of the team's staff, he underhanded two throws to him. He then took several seven-step drops but never threw the ball. We will update in tomorrow's paper. T
CINCINNATI -- Tom Brady's been on the field at Paul Brown Stadium for nearly 20 minutes. He hasn't yet thrown a ball, lending credence to the belief he will not play in the team's preseason opener. Brady, wearing a gray Patriots t-shirt and blue shorts, did sprints and is now engaged in conversation. Rookie Matt Cassel was the first Patriots quarterback on the field. Doug Flutie and Rohan Davey followed. Stephen Neal, Matt Light and Dan Koppen were the first Patriots on the field. It's in the low 90s and hazy here and the misters are going full blast on the sidelines. T
CINCINNATI -- Tom Brady did make the trip to Cincinnati with the team for tonight's preseason opener . Brady barely threw at all in practices with the Patriots this week. There's no definitive word yet on whether he'll play. Sources indicated it's unlikely. I'll monitor pregame warmups and update Brady's situation along with other notes before kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Tom Curran
August 10
FOXBORO -- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had this to say about Friday's opponent in the preseason opener, the Cincinnati Bengals. "They have about as good a wide receiver group as there is in the league. These guys are otustanding. And they have two quarterbacks that make all the throws. Nobody moved the ball on us any better than they did." Cincy's wide receivers -- Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Kelley Washington and Peter Warrick -- often take the field together in four-wide sets meaning the Pats will be stretched in their secondary. Meanwhile, quarterback Carson Palmer (a sleeper Pro Bowl choice for me in the AFC) and Jon Kitna can both fling it. **** Belichick warned that we shouldn't get too excited over who plays when and next to whom on Friday. "I would always caution you not to read too much into (playing time and groupings) one way or another. That's not really where we're at right now." **** Belichick was effusive in his praise for veteran corner Chad Scott. Asked how Scott's been so far in camp, Belichick said, "Great. He's shown what a professional he is. He's been a pleasure to coach, he works hards, he's tough. He really understands things and has the ability to play multiple positions. Pittsburgh's defense is different from ours and there are things we're asking him to do he hasn't done before. He's been open minded and receptive to new ideas. I have a lot of respect for Chad Scott and the way he's handled himself since he entered this stadium. If you look up "true professional" Chad would be one of the pictures you'd see based on the experience I had around him in the last five or six months." **** A story in today's Boston Herald centered on a woman who was indignant because it was recommended to her she breastfeed in a restroom. The front-page account said, "Dorchester mother Patty Daidone-Hardy said she was told by Gillette Stadium officials on Monday that she could nurse her 3-month-old son in a restroom or other area away from the stands." Patriots spokesman Stacey James said yesterday he fielded Daidone-Hardy's initial call and that she asked "if there was a place for a woman to breastfeed." James, assuming from the the woman's question that she was seeking a more remote place to nurse her child than the stands, gave her other possible spots including family restrooms. He said that he never told her nursing in the stands was not an option. Talk to you later, T
August 9
FOXBORO -- The upside of all these NFL related media streams springing up everywhere? More opportunity for giggle-inducing player comments. This one came to us from the folks at Sirius Satellite Radio, Apparently, Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith was asked by Sirius radio host Shannon Sharpe about the dustup he had in the Super Bowl 38 with Pats corner Tyrone Poole. "I was hot. I was very hot," said Smith. "There's a lot of people I have respect for. Tyrone Poole, he's not (one of them). He's like Nike and I'm like Reebok. I don't talk to him. I got nothing to say to him." According to Smith, here's what happened. "In the Super Bowl, first play, he kinda jams me and busts my lip. So I said, 'Okay, you're trying to get physical.' Next play he comes and I stiff-arm him to the ground. So, it was a physical match. Then he started calling me names. He's a Christian and he wasn't cursing at me but he was just calling me some names that in my book was cussin' still. So I said, 'Look here, Dog. You're gonna shut up and I'm gonna make you shut up.' Smith accused Poole after the game of spitting on him. Poole acknowledged he verbally jousted with Smith but said that if the receiver got moist in the exchange it was because he sprayed when he spoke. He didn't spit on purpose. Either way, Smith pointed out that, 'I’m gonna whup his (bottom) on the field. That’s all I gotta say.' The Pats and Panthers meet in September in Carolina. **** The Patriots released the kid they brought in to replace tight end Andy Stokes. Tight end Matt Brandt got the gate yesterday morning. ***** The Pats have a pair of practices today. This morning they went in full regalia. Rodney Harrison sat out. Tom Brady had a compression sleeve on his right elbow and didn't throw much in the second hour of practice. Also on the sidelines were: tight end Ben Watson, wide receivers Bethel Johnson and P.K. Sam, Ty Warren, Ryan Claridge, Chad Morton, Tim Dwight and Andre Torrey. Mike Vrabel and Chad Brown got a lot of reps at inside linebacker as Bill Belichick and his staff keep working through different combinations to see which players complement each other at different spots. **** The team is now fully into game prep for the Bengals on Friday night. I'll have a story on Rohan Davey being at a career crossroads and a look at Cedric Cobbs development in the passing game for tomorrow. Unless something breaks later today, I'll hit you back tomorrow after Belichick's press conference. The boy has his first football practice in pads this afternoon. Over-under on times he says, "My head hurts" from the helmet? 14. Take care, T
August 8
FOXBORO – Willie McGinest was on the field for the first time in training camp yesterday afternoon. While his fellow New England Patriots were in shorts and pads, McGinest went in his football pants. Brady hit Troy Brown on a marvelous, 20-yard crossing pattern. Ellis Hobbs 3 was in coverage but it was the throw that beat him. Every time running back Corey Dillon gets the ball and busts through the line it seems Rodney Harrison insists on dogging him down the field pawing at the ball every step. It’s amusing. The patience running back Cedric Cobbs didn’t exhibit in getting to the hole and making a move last season seems to be there this season. At least in practice. His lateral quickness for a big back is terrific. Kevin Faulk stutter-stepped the ever-loving heck out of Mike Vrabel after turning wide on a sweep. On ice yesterday afternoon were Benjamin Watson, Chad Morton, Tully Banta-Cain, P.K. Sam, Santonio Thomas, Ryan Claridge, Andre Torrey and Tim Dwight. A lot of effort went into two tight end work, kickoff return, red zone 7-on-7 and a lot of work on off-tackle handoffs it seemed. The entire team went through arduous sprints at the end of practice going from 100 yards to 80 to 60 to 40 to 20. One bit of news, the team signed tight end Matt Blandt to fill the roster spot vacated by Andy Stokes. In tomorrow's Journal, I'll have reaction to the Ty Law signing and a look at the competition at tight end so far in camp.
FOXBORO -- Mr. Irrlevant was officially rendered irrelevant yesterday. Andy Stokes, the final pick of the 2005 draft was released by the Patriots yesterday. The 6-5 tight end from William Penn was in an uphill fight for a roster spot with the Pats given the team has four capable veteran tight ends in Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, Christian Fauria and Jed Weaver. The complexity of the Patriots offense was a little much for Stokes to handle as well. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick delivered the news on Stokes this morning at his 11:20 press conference. There was little "news" from the chat, but Belichick had this response when asked whether teams tried to pick on rookie corner Randall Gay last year. "You'd have to ask those teams whether they were picking on him. We gave up the second fewest points in the league, so I don't know." After being off since Friday, the Patriots practice once today (2:30) on the steamy practice fields at Gillette. We'll get some practice details up before 5 p.m. T
August 6
Hey, what's shakin', Sorry for the sabbatical since Thursday morning. I guess I'm still figuring out how to best juggle the balls I've tossed in the air. On Thursday (and all days really), the issue was spending time on the daily camp stories I'm generating for the paper -- a lead feature, notes and practice observations -- plus the advance gathering of information for weekend stories. Then comes the organization of those interviews and a "budget" for the next couple of days. That's one challenging aspect when you know you won't have access to players for a few days, you need to load up on interviews for future stories. Friday, with the Patriots and myself off for the first time in multiple days, I needed to hit golf balls, go to the gym, vacuum the pool, go to Chilihead in West Bridgewater, Mass (unbelievable BBQ), play pool badly at the Charlie Horse in WB for an hour or so (isn't it amazing how some nights you can bury everything you look at; other nights you play like Marty Feldman?) and then go to Brennan's Irish Pub (formerly The Blackthorne). Me and my two buddies played this game at the bar: pick a name (Dennis, for instance). Then name say, 12-sports related Dennises (preferably players in any sport). Go in order, everybody gets about a minute to spit something out. Bump it up for easier names: we had to get 30 Toms or Thomases for instance. David Toms, Gorman Thomas and Thomas (Hollywood) Henderson all made the cut. (I hit nice with a Tom Tolbert when we were bogged down around 23.) Unfortunately, instead of my work for Sunday done last night, I'm doing it now with a beautiful day raging outside. We live with the consequences of barbeque. **** Rich Cimini of Newsday was reporting that Ty Law is dangerously close to signing with the Jets. Immediate reaction on a personal level is that it's good. I like Law, like talking to him and will enjoy what he'll bring to the Jets-Pats matchups in terms of storylines. Football-wise? This isn't exactly going to alter the AFC East balance of power. Law -- if signed -- will obviously take one starting spot then Ray Mickens (tiny, 32 and missed last season), David Barrett (not impressive) and Derrick Strait (second year guy from Oklahoma, maybe a player) fight for the other. Here's an idea: don't throw at Law. Especially when he's back playing at full speed. While we're on the topic of Law, there's discussion out there (I think I heard ESPN discussing it) on whether Law is a Hall of Famer. I'd just say consider this: No cornerback in the league was better from the start of 1998 until his injury on Halloween 2003. Maybe Aeneas Williams was better at some point during that time. Same with Chris McAlister, Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain. But over the whole period, Law's been the best. He went to four Pro Bowls, won three Super Bowl rings and had the memorable pick TD against the Rams in SB 36. Plus he's absolutely killed St. Peyton (as Law said to me last year, "People talk about Peyton Manning this, Peyton Manning that...Peyton Manning's gonna put me in the Hall.") People chirp about Champ Bailey...what's he ever done? Law, in the mind of one who doesn't have a vote, is HOF material. **** If you didn't happen to see Friday's Matt Chatham story in the paper, there's a lot of very interesting information in it. Worth a read to see Beli's perspective on role players who feel the need to assume bigger jobs in the regular offense or defense. **** A friend on the Boston Sports Media Watch message board wondered the other day about quarterback evaluation after he went to Bills camp and saw J.P. Losman look decent then saw Losman get carved up by a writer after another practice. How do I view it? I feel you have to temper everything you see. For instance, if you happen to turn your head and see a quarterback short-hop three straight receivers, you should say so. But you also need to acknowledge there's a chance that QB was on fire while you were watching the linebackers on another field. If you see a few days of the same inefficiency, maybe you can be more definitive. But the games are always the best determinant. That's why I'm curious to see if Matt Cassell can take his impressive work in camp into a game against the Bengals this Friday. And it's also why I suspect Doug Flutie will play much better when the lights go on than he has so far in camp. **** I'll have a story tomorrow on the mental unflappability of Tom Brady and a collection of quotes (Ya don't say...) in tomorrow's Journal. Now I'll work on them. Take care, T
August 4
FOXBORO -- The Pats won't practice Saturday or Sunday so for those hoping to make a weekend pilgrimage to the home of the three-time world champions who've now won two consecutive Super Bowls and have constructed the first dynasty of the post-salary cap era, tough gazorks. And they may not practice tomorrow either. T
August 3
And he doesn't say much. After practice, Seymour and members of the defensive front stayed on the field to work through some additional alignments. When they broke up, Seymour and Patrick Pass left the field together. Seymour, seeing a crowd of about 60 reporters, photographers and cameramen waiting for him, smiled, took a Gatorade from a Patriots media relations member, stepped up a makeshift podium and spoke. "First off I'll sart by saying it's a blessing to be back. It was a rough road but it's a joy to be back. I definitely had the support from my teammates and a lot of fans gave me support. "I always remained focused. Myself and the organization in the statement (released yesterday articulated his feelings). I don't want to talk about negotiations publicly but it's definitely a joy to be back." Seymour wouldn't answer whether he got what he wanted from his holdout or say specifically what he was holding out for. T
FOXBORO - Richard Seymour was at practice yesterday afternoon. His hair cropped close, he stretched with Rodney Harrison. For what it's worth, Seymour didn't put his helmet on until 3:08. For whatever reason, he didn't hit the sled. He then stretched with trainer Jim Whelan. Then he came back, got in line and did a swim drill on a hanging heavy bag at 3:11. In case anyone's keeping track. As defensive coordinator Eric Mangini ran through some defensive instructions with the first teamers on the field, Seymour and Pepper Johnson talked. Quarterback Tom Brady wasn't dressed for practice yesterday. He wore sweats cut off to calf length a white t-shirt and a ball cap. It was his birthday and a collection of young girls sang the popular birthday song, "Happy Birthday," to him. Burly Logan Mankins also stood in the middle of a team circle after the team stretch and led the rookies in that same popular birthday number. Bill Belichick wore -- get this -- a hooded gray sweatshirt. He didn't even have the sleeves rolled up. Willie McGinest Chad Morton, Danny Graham, Santonio Thomas, Marquise Hill, P.K. Sam and Benjamin Watson were also not dressed in their football paraphernalia. The linebackers worked on pass coverage off the line trying to cover backs and tight ends. One cool play, Corey Dillon was well-covered by Chad Brown on a little 5-yard-out. Dillon turned it up a little and rookie Matt Cassell lofted a pretty pass just over Brown that Dillon tipped and hauled in. Tyrone Poole is full speed at corner. It's easy to forget what a talented cover guy he was for most of 2003. Defensive lineman Mike Wright appeared to get hit in the head with a 50-yard punt off the foot of punter Rhett Kopp. After it hit Wright, it appeared to bounce up off the crossbar then come down and hit him again. Tim Dwight said he has to knock some rust off in his pass-catching. He was right. Boston College coach Tom O'Brien was in attendance at the practice. The entire defense had to take a lap.
|