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July 31, 2007
Day 5, 1st practice
FOXBOROUGH –- Here are five observations from this morning’s training camp practice:
1) Brady limited. Quarterback Tom Brady had a significantly reduced workload, giving way to Matt Cassel for the bulk of the practice. It looked to us like the running game was a significant part of the workout, which might have factored into the decision. When the team did throw, mostly in red-zone drills, Cassel looked sharp.
2) Maroney and one cut. The Patriots spent considerable time on the running game, and from the behind-the-end-zone angle in which members of the media watched, there was a terrific view of what could make Laurence Maroney a dangerous threat in this offense: his ability to make one decisive cut and explode through the hole. From the end-zone angle, you could see how the line’s zone blocking up front ultimately created a seam for Maroney, and the key was Maroney’s patience in waiting for that to happen. One area I will be anxious to see moving forward is how much the Patriots put their 3-wide package on the field and decide to hand off to Maroney, because I feel that puts one of the team’s top playmakers, Maroney, in the best position to make an impact.
3) Young linebackers. Second-year outside linebacker Pierre Woods and rookie inside linebacker Oscar Lua seemed to get some more repetitions, with veterans ahead of them taking a breather of sorts. Both also showed up on special teams coverage units. Woods is a hard worker. He was one of the first players on the field at practice, working on some of the finer points of the game with coaching assistant Kevin Bickers.
4) Offensive breakdowns. It seems as if the offense is experiencing too many breakdowns. For the second straight practice, the entire offense huddled up to regroup after tight end Matt Kranchick appeared to line up in the wrong spot. The Patriots hold themselves to high standards, for sure, and you get the sense the offense isn’t as far along as it wants to be.
5) Managing the contact and veterans. One point Bill Belichick made entering training camp is the importance of striking a balance, because not all players need the same things. For example, some players need a good bit of contact, others don’t. So it caught our eye that the team wasn’t in full pads this morning (of 7 practices, 4 have been in full pads), and players such as Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Randy Moss seemed to have a much lighter load than normal.
Posted By: mreiss | Time: 01:20:46 PM | E-mail | Link
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