Business really booming at punter
FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots will have a three-way competition at punter for the second year in a row, as they signed rookie free agent Mike Dragosavich yesterday.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 212-pound Dragosavich arrived Thursday for a tryout, and the Patriots were impressed with what they saw in minicamp, as the North Dakota State product nearly took out some light fixtures in the Dana-Farber Field House with his skyscraping punts.
"Mike is pretty athletic. He is a tall guy, so he is long and can generate some pretty good leg speed," said coach Bill Belichick, who compared Dragosavich to former Giants punter Dave Jennings.
Dragosavich will challenge incumbent Chris Hanson and veteran free agent signee Scott Player. He spent considerable time working on holding for field goals in this rookie minicamp, a job the Patriots generally prefer is handled by the punter rather than a quarterback.
The personable Dragosavich left quite a mark at Division 1-AA North Dakota State, both for his punting and humorous ad-lib dance during a basketball game that has made the rounds on YouTube.
In addition to Dragosavich, the Patriots also signed tight end Tyson DeVree of Colorado.
Tale of the tape
Quarterback Kevin O'Connell, one of the team's third-round draft choices, finished yesterday's practice by having himself filmed by a member of the team's video crew so he can watch some of the finer points of his game. With offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels keeping a close eye on him, O'Connell worked on his three-step and five-step drops, as well as his grip on the ball.
O'Connell said he never experienced such intensive coaching, which the Patriots do regularly with specialists like quarterbacks, punters, kickers, and snappers.
O'Connell noted that he spent a lot of time in the shotgun at San Diego State, so playing more under center will be an adjustment.
Slater's slate
After splitting time between receiver and safety Friday, fifth-round draft choice Matthew Slater worked extensively at safety yesterday morning. Belichick indicated that Slater will continue to work at both spots, which is a manageable workload. "He is not being asked to do everything that everybody would do," Belichick said. "Some of it is situational." . . . O'Connell on meeting Tom Brady for the first time: "He went out of his way to say hello to me. As a young guy, being around here the first couple of days, that just shows what kind of leader he is. He sets the bar high." . . . Rookie free agent Jonathan Stupar, a tight end from Virginia, has displayed nice hands and concentration when making catches across the middle in recent practices.
