New England Patriots Links 8/11/09 - Wilhite Looking Like A Starter

Andy Hart notes Belichick's assessment of CB Jonathan Wilhite; prepping for the Eagles and more notes from Monday's practice.

"Jonathan, I thought, made a lot of strides last year from the beginning of the year to the end of the year and then he followed that up with a real strong offseason, offseason program, and spring camps and got off to a good start here in training camp," Belichick said. "Jonathan has really worked hard. He’s become a very dependable player for a young guy. He’s smart. He’s quiet, but he definitely understands not only what we’re doing, but concepts and offenses and how they play. He’s a versatile kid. He plays in the kicking game, can play outside, can play inside on the corner. So he’s got a good variety of skills and that’s always valuable when you can do different things with the same player. That helps him match up against different receivers, some fast receivers, some quick receivers, different guys that can run after the catch - he’s a good tackler. I think he does a lot of things well and he’s gotten better. It seems like every time he walks out on the field, it’s been very, very steady."

Shalise Manza Young reports that the Defense is moving closer to full strength.

Shawn Crable is concentrating most on his hands and getting off the ball, working on his hand placement to help him rush the passer. He knows he is behind the other young guns at his position — Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton, who were rookies last year, and Crable’s good friend and former Michigan teammate Pierre Woods is a likely starter — and isn’t afraid to receive guidance from his peers.

"They’ve played; they’ve done a lot of things, so I have to make my mark and play and try to add to what they’ve already done," he said. "I feel like they’ve got a lot of game experience — it’s like they’re vets and I’m a rookie, so I get to take a lot of criticism from them, get to ask a lot of questions of them, because they’ve played."

TRAINING CAMP OBSERVATIONS

• Erik Scalavino offers his assessment of the young DBs along with Monday afternoon practice notes.
• Mike Reiss gives us his 5 points from the afternoon full-pads practice, with players starting to prep for the Eagles.
• Christopher Price presents us with a few quick notes on Monday's p.m. session.
• Karen Guregian says her highlight from the afternoon was Terrence Wheatley intercepting a bomb thrown by Tom Brady intended for Greg Lewis in the endzone.
• Shalise Manza Young notes the D-Line trio of Seymour, Wilfork and Warren took the p.m. session off, but Crable was back.
• Mike Reiss notes that unlike last year, Brady hasn't taken any time off from Training Camp.
• Mark Farinella offers his Training Camp Audio Blog #9.  Listen to Benjamin Watson talk about his efforts to get back on the playing field, and Bill Belichick's philosophy of practicing under challenging conditions.  (5.42 min. audio/slideshow)
  

TEAM SHOTS

• Paul Perillo feels that the additions at tight end may put Ben Watson's future in New England in doubt.
• Andy Hart mentions that Michael Lombardi thinks the chances are high that the Patriots land Carter.
• Patriots Today: Burgess on the field; restocked defense.  (11.22 min. video)
  

LOCAL SHOTS

• Chris Gasper and Mike Reiss Patriots Notebook: Patriots host DE Vonnie Holliday; Rookie OL Rich Ohrnberger removed from PUP list; Shawn Springs absence has given Jonathan Wilhite a chance to shine; and more.
• Karen Guregian Patriots Notebook: No word on Tom Brady preseason plan; Greg Lewis called Derrick Burgess an animal; Jonathan Wilhite looks good; Belichick has been showing both 3-4 and 4-3 looks at camp; and more.
• Chris Gasper talks with Ben Watson about the tight competition at TE.
• Karen Guregian notes Ben Watson doesn't feel threatened by the new TEs brought in to camp.
• Jeff Howe reports Jonathan Wilhite promises to be a critical asset for Patriots secondary.
• Mark Farinella focuses on rookie Darius Butler, his adjustment to the NFL and competition at cornerback.
• Cameron Martin touches on the competition among long-snappers Nathan Hodel and Jake Ingram.
• Jon Scott has a piece about Brady's appearance on an Entourage episode Sunday night, and it includes a quick video clip (1.57 min.)

LONG SHOTS

• Alex Marvez (Fox Sports) Pats target ex-Dolphins DE Vonnie Holliday.
• Scott Kacsmar (Pro-Football reference) Quarterbacks and fourth-quarter comebacks Part I: Dan Marino and John Elway.
• Scott Kacsmar (Pro-Football reference) Quarterbacks and fourth-quarter comebacks Part II: creating aclear-cut definition of what a 4th quarter comeback is, what a game-winning drive is, and how other QBs have been tracked.