FOXBOROUGH – Observations after watching the Patriots’ morning rookie minicamp practice on the upper fields behind Gillette Stadium, and listening to interviews afterwards:
1) Scouts in the house. As has been the case in recent years, members of the Patriots’ scouting staff have been present for this minicamp. It is often discussed how the most effective teams have a strong link between their coaching and scouting staffs – the scouts need to know what the coaches are looking for, and the coaches need to clearly communicate that to the scouts – and this seemed to be an example of that link coming to life.
2) Belichick sees progress. In an on-field interview, Belichick was asked if he’s seen a difference from Day 1 to Day 2. He said that was absolutely the case, and then took it one step further, saying he saw progress from the first practice Friday to the second practice that day.
3) Following up on Julian Edelman. The seventh-round draft choice from Kent State, who is making the transition from quarterback to “athlete”, is fun to watch from a quickness and change-of-direction standpoint. In one-on-one “tackling” drills, in which a ballcarrier runs from one end and a would-be tackler tries to touch the ballcarrier down, Edelman got the best of safety Patrick Chung with a quick cut before racing past him. Edelman’s hands remain a work in progress when he’s playing receiver, and he slipped on the playing field while trying to make one cut. He also took some handoffs as a running back.
4) Bill O’Brien taking charge. Quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien, who appears to be filling the role of departed offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels but without the title, took charge in a couple of drills. In 7 on 7 drills, he held what might have been a play-call sheet in his hands.
5) Brian Hoyer and on-time deliveries. Quarterback Brian Hoyer connected on a few nice comeback and down-field throws, with one of his best deliveries coming along the right sideline to a tryout receiver, with cornerback Darius Butler in coverage. The coverage was pretty tight, and Hoyer still delivered it on time (as the receiver was coming out of the cut) and accurately. Asked about Hoyer’s arm strength after practice, Belichick said he felt it was good.
6) Dean Pees on the back end. When the Patriots broke down into specific position groups, defensive coordinator Dean Pees stayed with the defensive backs. Veteran Dom Capers coached that spot last year, and Josh Boyer is in his first year in that role. Pees seemed to spend more time with the linebackers last year.
7) Darius Butler jumps the route. Like Julian Edelman, it is entertaining to watch cornerback Darius Butler and his change-of-direction skills. He seems to get in and out of his breaks smoothly and decisively. On one play during one-on-one drills, he jumped a route and undercut a tryout receiver to intercept a Brian Hoyer pass.
8) Belichick leans on Ernie Adams. Early on in the practice, Belichick and Ernie Adams stood side by side as they took a closer look at the team’s skill position players on offense, and later the team’s linemen. It looked like they were evaluating some of the tryout players before deciding whether to sign them to contracts.
9) Tough to get a read on the big guys. These types of practices make it difficult to get a read on linemen, as they primarily stayed with their position coaches and focused mostly on technique work. Belichick was asked what he is looking for when he sees the offensive linemen practice, and his answer reflected the basics of this camp. “Feet, hand placement, leverage. It’s not live, but you get a little measure of their power and explosion. Hip roll. How well they bend their knees. Change of directions.”
10) Humor from Belichick. Gillette Stadium is hosting the Dalai Lama today, and as reporters gathered around a smiling Belichick, he cracked: “Maybe we’ll get some words of wisdom from Dalai Lama – that would be a motivational speech like one we’ve never heard." Later, Belichick cracked that Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio, who was firing passes as a quarterback in practice, looked strong enough to compete for the No. 3 job.
11) One on one work for Jermail Porter with Dante Scarnecchia. Jermail Porter, the collegiate wrestler from Kent State who is playing football for the first time, was tutored one-on-one by offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia after the practice. Porter worked on the blocking sled.
Comment
Permalink
Email
with the exception of Mckenzie going down, it looks like things are progressing at least as expected.
Hi Mike,
Draft Day has come and gone and I am so excited, a fresh new crop of rookies!
Who do you think will have most impact on defense as well as offense during their rookie year? I think Patriots all year round.
I know the Pats are going to wear throwbacks but I was wondering will they be whites or reds? Maybe you have already addressed this question before?
Thanks Mike,
The Mighty Johnny Lobster www.lobsteroptimus.com albums
love the insight mike, your the best.....seems like BB is particuarly chummy this weekend
Mike, et. al, I haven't been able to find any description of this from the local papers, but it would be interesting to hear where the non-roster tryout players come from (in a general sense, not necessarily a bio on each) and how the Patriots identify them. If for some reason the Patriots don't want to reveal this, that would be interesting to know too. Thanks for giving us this blog, a true hardcore football resource on all things Patriots.
Hi Johnny Lobster. Among the rookies, I think Chung/Butler will have the biggest impact. Offensively, I don't expect much from a rookie, although I'll say Rich Ohrnberger, the center/guard, figuring he'd be a top option in the event of injuries. The throwbacks will be the 1963 red uniforms. IMissEllisHobbsIII, the tryout players come from a few different places. Some are undrafted prospects. Others have kicked around other clubs -- appearing in training camp -- but don't have an accrued season (e.g. Robert Ortiz, who was with the Patriots last summer). Hope that helps a bit.
--Mike
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
Patriots Twitter
ask reiss
Questions will be considered for Mike's mailbagbrowse this blog
by categoryINside Boston.com
possible acquisitions
at Westminster show