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Passing thoughts
The Patriots’ four-day passing camp continues through Thursday and former New England quarterback Jim Miller (2004) touched on why the camp is an integral part of the team’s offseason program.
“Right now, with the new slew of wide receivers Tom Brady has in there, this is an important time to lay the foundation for the year, getting those guys up to speed in the offense so they can come back stronger when training camp begins,” said Miller, who following an 11-year NFL career is now serving as an insightful co-host on Sirius NFL Radio.
“Really, what you are hitting on in a passing camp is how the routes are run against certain coverages. So, for example, let’s say you’re working against a cover-2 zone defense. Tom Brady might be working with Randy Moss and telling him, ‘hey, don’t bother coming across the middle on this route, I’d rather you sit in the hole between the [strongside] linebacker and corner, in front of the safety. That’s where I’m expecting you against this coverage.’
“On the next snap, they might be working against a cover-2 shell but with man coverage [instead of zone]. In that case, Brady would be working with Moss telling him ‘OK, I want you to run through the hole on this one.’
“That’s really one of the big parts of a passing camp, getting the nuances of how routes can change against certain coverages, and having Tom communicating to the receivers.”
Miller said another part of the passing camp is making sure everyone is on the same page at the line of scrimmage.
“A lot of people think you go up to the line of scrimmage and say ‘down, set, hut!’ but there is a lot more to it, and everything a quarterback says is critical -- whether it’s hand signals, or a verbal audible. A play can change from the huddle to the line of scrimmage, and when that happens, everyone’s thought process needs to change and all 11 guys need to be on the same page.
“That’s another part that can be worked on in the passing camp, all the sight adjustments, what to do against certain blitzes, setting protections [for the offensive line]. A lot of it deals with the cadence [of the quarterback].
“So for the Patriots, I’d look at the passing camp as a building block, another aspect that solidifies the foundation as you go into training camp and a season. I would think it’s a little more intense on the Patriots’ side. Tom Brady takes extreme pride in this. He knows the hard work starts now.”
