--- THE OFFICIAL NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS THREAD --- OFFSEASON THREAD

[DeadsetAce]

Anyone have a list of the UDFAs we signed? I'm hearing good things about Harvey Langi and DJ Killings, but LB and DB seem like areas where depth still need to be addressed.

BB really made it a point to load up on the DL.

Josh Augusta, DT, Missouri (source)
Adam Butler, DT, Vanderbilt (source)
Austin Carr, WR, Northwestern (source)
Cole Croston, OL, Iowa (source)
LeShun Daniels, RB, Iowa (source)
D.J. Dean, CB, Arkansas (source)
Cody Hollister, WR, Arkansas (source)
Jacob Hollister, TE, Wyoming (source)
David Jones, DB, Richmond (source)
D.J. Killings, CB, Central Florida (source)
Jason King, OL, Purdue (source)
Harvey Langi, LB, BYU (source)
Kenny Moore, CB, Valdosta State (source)
Max Rich, OL, Harvard (source)
Dwayne Thomas, DB, LSU (source)
Jason Thompson, S, Utah (source)
Damarius Travis, S, Minnesota (source)
Corey Vereen, DE, Tennessee (source)

 

[ggarvinxx3]

GOAT

 

[green rhino123]

G.O.A.T. Edition

 

[da hen]

let's go for Six

 

[DeadsetAce]

so let's see....targets for Thomas:

WRs:
Edelman
Hogan
Amendola
Mitchell
Cooks
Hawkins
Slater
Carr

TEs:
Gronk
Allen

RBs:
White
Burkhead
Lewis
Foster
Gillislee



all guys that can catch the ball.....and clearly we'll have to cut/PS one or two of them at least




wow

 

[7th Chamber]

I honestly can't wait to see that Brady and Gronk connection again

 

[green rhino123]

Forgot to post this earlier after I picked up the most recent...


View media item 2461470




They need to get 6 to even it out for me!

 

[da hen]

^^^ dope as hell, take this rep sir.

 

[7th Chamber]

We byke

Gronk looking like Gronk.

Brady looking like Brady.

 

[7th Chamber]

 

[DeadsetAce]

cut this fool before he costs us a game. srs.


that time of year

 

[DeadsetAce]

new poll!!!

 

[7th Chamber]

My main concern is definitely LB depth. We didn't do much outside of signing David Harris and while I like what he offers, I would have liked to have seen another signing maybe. Harris is up there in age, but I feel like he'll contribute in stopping the run and he's a sure tackler.

I love Hightower, but injury is a slight concern and if he goes down, that group suffers. Otherwise, I'd expect him and Nink to be the vets that lead this group.

Van Noy, McClellin, Freeny and Elandon Roberts are the ones that will determine how good the depth is at this position though. Individually, those players don't really excite me except for maybe Roberts, but I feel like they made plays in spots which created turnovers or got stops last season.

I'm optimistic about this group, especially with Hightower re-signing and solidifying his place as the heart of this defense and I'm excited to see how they gel this season.

 

[DeadsetAce]

i'm with you there, man. one injury to Hightower (which let's be real, is likely) or Harris...and we're looking THIN AF there. maybe we roll with a 4-2-5 type of defense which we Bill has used before. just feels like this year, it'd be even more so.

 

[DeadsetAce]

 

[DeadsetAce]

FOXBOROUGH — The pads were on! I wouldn’t say this was the most physical or competitive training camp practice we’ve ever seen, but the intensity did take another step on a very cool day.

And away we go, with a huge assist from Chris Price…

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Harmon suffers knee injury: During a goal-line drill, Duron Harmon landed awkwardly on his right foot and immediately grabbed his knee. The good news is that he left under his own power and did not leave the field. He stood and watched the duration of practice.

Brady was blazing: Tom Brady took the field with a determined look on his face, and applied that on the field as he largely ripped through his reps, which were again limited. Jimmy Garoppolo got most of the first-team work again. (Guessing it’s largely a maintenance thing. Long ways to go, and he will be 40 next week.) Brady was 20-of-23 overall in team drills with an interception that was picked off by safety Jordan Richards. Specifically, he was 4-of-5 in 11-on-11 drills, including a completion on a trick play that involved Julian Edelman. At one point, if you combined his 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work, Brady had a double-digit streak of consecutive completions, a run that was broken up by the Richards’ interception.

Gillislee shows physicality: RB Mike Gillislee had a few goal-line carries and on two of them, he met force at the line and still made it into the end zone. For a team without a prototypical big, physical back, this was a good sign.

TAKING ATTENDANCE

Reserve/injured list: DL Corey Vereen.
Physically unable to perform list: LB Dont’a Hightower, DT Alan Branch.
Red non-contact jerseys: Just the quarterbacks, as usual.
Returned to field: LS Joe Cardona.
Returned, but worked on the side: WR Danny Amendola, WR Malcolm Mitchell.
Not seen on the field: LB Rob Ninkovich, WR Cody Hollister (upper body injury).
New injuries: S Duron Harmon (right leg), RB Brandon Bolden (unknown).
Visitor: Celtics coach Brad Stevens, pictured below with Josh McDaniels and Nick Caserio.

DRESS CODE

Full pads.

TOP PLAYS

• Edelman made a great snag of a sharp Brady pass that was just over the top of great coverage from LB Kyle Van Noy.
• Gronkowski had a touchdown from Brady on a lofted pass into the end zone, but Richards knocked it away before Gronkowski could bring the ball into his chest.
• Mike Gillislee took the type of hit you could hear on another field, but didn’t flinch and scored a goal-line touchdown.
• Brady had two — he and Brandin Cooks hooked up on a bomb over CB Justin Coleman, and executed a trick play that resulted in a big completion to Julian Edelman.

THREE UP

OL Ted Karras: Was outstanding in one-on-ones and team drills. Right now he’s playing backup center to David Andrews, but if Karras keeps this up, don’t think it’s out of the question that he could make center a competitive position. He’s a lot bigger than Andrews, and that may be worth looking at for the coaches.

RT Marcus Cannon: Looked very sharp in one-on-ones, and has been steady on the outside in team drills.

WR Brandin Cooks. Cooks has next-level speed he flashed on the touchdown grab from Brady over Coleman, one that went roughly 30 yards and drew a big cheer from the crowd. It was the sweetest connection of the first three days for Brady, and capped off a stretch where the quarterback went 10-for-12 on 7-on-7s.

THREE DOWN

OT Cam Fleming: Did not show well in one-on-ones. He was beaten by speed and power.

DE Kony Ealy: Was admonished by coaches for doing the wrong thing on one play, and was beaten twice by Marcus Cannon in one-on-ones.

TE Rob Gronkowski: Nothing to be alarmed about, but usually when the pads go on, Gronk takes it to another level. Really, it was just an average day for him. On the first snaps of the first two blocking drills, Gronkowski ended up on the ground, which is highly unusual. And after Richards knocked a touchdown away from him, the tight end jogged back to the sidelines a little gingerly.

ONE-ON-ONE REPORT

Offensive line (win-loss-draw)
Marcus Cannon, 2-0-0
Cole Croston, 2-0-0
Joe Thuney, 1-0-1
Nate Solder, 1-0-1
Ted Karras, 1-0-1
Jason King, 0-0-2
Tony Garcia, 0-0-2
Shaq Mason, 1-1
LaAdrian Waddle, 1-1
James Ferentz, 1-1
Conor McDermott, 0-1-1
Jamil Douglas, 0-2
Max Rich, 0-2
David Andrews, 0-2 (2 decisive losses)
Cameron Fleming, 0-2 (2 decisive losses)

Defensive line (win-loss-draw)
Darius Kilgo, 2-0
Malcolm Brown, 1-0-1
Derek Rivers, 1-0-1
Josh Augusta, 0-0-2
Caleb Kidder, 0-0-2
Lawrence Guy, 2-1-0
Deatrich Wise, 2-2 (decisive win)
Vincent Valentine, 1-1 (decisive win)
Geneo Grissom, 1-1
Adam Butler, 1-1
Trey Flowers, 0-1-1
Woodrow Hamilton, 0-1-1
Kony Ealy, 1-2 (decisive win)

• Andrews had a tough time with the bull rushes from Valentine, and then Brown.
• Fleming put up little resistance to both Wise and Ealy.
• King and Augusta had one really good battle where neither could move the other.
• Cannon’s technique was terrific.
• Solder did well to counter the spin moves by Flowers. Those were a big problem for Solder in the Super Bowl against Dwight Freeney.
• Overall, nobody really popped among the edge rushers.

QB REPORT

In addition to Brady’s 20-for-23 line, Garoppolo went 13-of-18 with an interception — he was 4-of-6 in 11-on-11s. (Garoppolo was the first quarterback on what appeared to be red zone drills, getting the call ahead of Brady.) Jacoby Brissett was 13-of-16 overall and 3-of-4 in 11-on-11s. In 7-on-7 work, Brissett had one of his passes dropped by Devin Lucien. Brissett has shown a nice chemistry with Austin Carr — that’ll be a combination to look for in the second half of preseason games this summer.

QUICK HITS

• With Hightower’s continued absence, David Harris is rapidly getting himself acclimated and getting a lot of time with the starters.
• Defensive line rotation, from left to right: Geneo Grissom, Lawrence Guy, Malcolm Brown, Trey Flowers; Derek Rivers, Darius Kilgo, Vincent Valentine, Kony Ealy; Deatrich Wise, Adam Butler, Josh Augusta, Caleb Kidder.
• Offensive line, beyond the starters: Fleming, Cole Croston, Karras, Jamil Douglas, LaAdrian Waddle; Antonio Garcia, James Ferentz, Jason King, Max Rich, Conor McDermott.
• Patriots didn’t use much regular nickel today. Mostly big nickel, with a safety for a linebacker. So we didn’t get a good look at who might have the edge at third corner. Jonathan Jones has been there so far, but Eric Rowe has been charging hard.
• RG Shaq Mason stood out for his technique in team drills. He seems to have made some improvements in the offseason.
• Wise had a great inside move to pressure the QB in red-zone work.
• Would think that, given Fleming’s continued struggles, that his spot could be in jeopardy with the arrival of third-round pick Antonio Garcia. However, Garcia looks very light and might not be strong enough for NFL play. But he certainly looks the part athletically.
• Karras put Ealy on the ground during a pass play. But Ealy recovered to team with Van Noy to stop Rex Burkhead on the goal line.

SCHEDULE

Sunday: Practice, 9:15-11:30 a.m.
Monday: TBA.
Tuesday: TBA.

 

[DeadsetAce]

Rob Ninkovich has retired

doing what's right for his family and his body. he gave us a ton over the past 7 years or so. always will be appreciated

 

[DeadsetAce]

and now LB depth is an issue...even before our first injury hits

 

[DeadsetAce]

Mike Gillislee running with a purpose so far. all early reviews on him are positive

 

[7th Chamber]

Nink!!! What a great player and I'm glad that he got the exit he deserves.

 

[7th Chamber]

and now LB depth is an issue...even before our first injury hits

Someone had mentioned Dwight Freeny since Nink had been kind of a pass rushing DE. Either way, we need to address the front 7 or see how some of these rookies pan out.

 

[getback]

Copped over the weekend via Concepts:

 

[DeadsetAce]

some of these stories are hilarious:

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...ies-never-heard-nfl-2017-new-england-patriots

 

[green rhino123]

The New England Patriots had a bunch of GOATS at practice today and held a petting zoo for the kids
to honor Thomas Brady's 40th birthday. :For real.

 

[DeadsetAce]