New England Patriots Links 8/17/10 - Wilfork Airs It All Out; Patriots In Atlanta
by Marima on Aug 17, 2010 8:40 AM EDT
in New England Patriots News
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Shalise Manza Young provides some quick hits from camp session No. 25.
The best moment of the day -- and quite possibly the best moment of training camp -- came when the offense and defense switched sides for some 7-on-7 red zone work with Vince Wilfork at quarterback.
Wilfork went 1 for 4, his completion going to Patrick Chung, who was covered by Sam Aiken on the right side of the end zone. On the next play, three defensive backs lined up trips right, and Wilfork's fade was too high and too deep for Darius Butler. That particular throw was pretty ugly. Butler dropped a slant on the next snap.
"He really made some good reads out there, although he didn't have a rush, so he sat out there for a good 10 seconds trying to get rid of the ball," Wes Welker said, unsurprised by Wilfork's mobility. "He's an athlete; don't let the size fool you."
Wilfork's impressive morning wasn't finished: when the team went back to "normal" and did some 11-on-11 work, he nearly picked off a Tom Brady screen pass over the middle. Wilfork seemed to come out of nowhere, and got both hands on the ball but couldn't hang onto it. He danced around in excitement, with Brandon Meriweather hopping on his back at one point.
Vince Wilfork appeared as a guest on WEEI's Dale and Holley show Monday.
As a group, are you happy with this young group of players that has come in, especially on the defensive side of the ball?
I’m very happy and I think that they’re starting to see guys that have been around the game for a while, either around the league or been a New England Patriot. They start to see how we handle ourselves and how we go to work day in and day out. That’s one thing that has gotten better. Like I said, we haven’t had any complaints. We come in to work. Not once have I heard anybody complain about full-pads and that’s good stuff. I think everyone is working toward one goal to win and be a better football team. A tough, smart football team. Bill said it from day one that’s what he wants. I think we’re doing everything in our willpower to be that type of team. I think the young guys are starting to look at guys, you don’t have to say much, they just look and see how we work and they just pick up. They’ve been doing a hell of a job so we’re going to need everybody to step up and will ballgames. Take it one game at a time, take it week by week and we’ll be where we want. We’ve got to grind and we all understand that.
TEAM TALK
- Game Preview: Patriots travel to Atlanta. Broadcast info, series history, team connections and more.
- Paul Perillo highlights the brief 7-on-7 period at practice in which the offense and defense switched sides.
- Andy Hart offers his practice 25 observations.
- Patriots Today - Final day of camp in Foxboro. (3.13 min. video)
- Locker Room Uncut - Thoughts from Welker, others before Atlanta. (4.17 min. video)
LOCAL LINKS
- Mike Reiss talks about Vince Wilfork airing it out at quarterback.
- Ian Rapoport praises the athleticism of Vince Wilfork, even at 6-foot-2, 325 lbs.
- Tom E. Curran recaps the last Training Camp of 2010 in Foxboro.
- WEEI provides some highlights from Bill Belichick's appearance on 'The Big Show' yesterday.
- Monique Walker offers some highlights from Nick Caserio's Monday press conference.
- Mike Reiss discusses what to expect in Atlanta, where the Patriots will have two joint practices before their second preseason game Thursday night. (51 second video)
- Albert Breer notes Bill Belichcik and Falcons head coach Mike Smith will square off their music playlists against each other (3 songs each) to open practice this morning.
- Albert Breer reports Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff expects today's joint practices to be productive "if we can focus on improvement on both sides, and not worry about who’s the baddest dude out there.’’
- Ian Rapoport notes Nick Caserio spoke about Torry Holt, Ron Brace and the trip to Atlanta.
- Mike Reiss reports the Patriots already are facing a rash of injuries, but that's life in the NFL.
- Mike Reiss notes three players did not finish Sunday's practice because of injuries, Tully Banta-Cain, Thomas Williams and Darnell Jenkins.
- Shalise Manza Young reports the Patriots have made sure to focus on one of their larger flaws form the 2009 season: performance inside the 20-yard line.
- Ian Rapoport notes Wes Welker just wants to play.
- Karen Guregian says Kevin Faulk is still the man in the clutch.
- DJ Bean reports Brian Hoyer says "The best thing about being the backup for Tom Brady is learning from Tom Brady, in my opinion the best in the league."
- Karen Guregian describes how backup QB Brian Hoyer has Tom Brady over a barrel.
- Mike Petraglia talks about how Richard Seymour sold Gerard Warren on the Patriots.
- Karen Guregian sees a renewed commitment from Terrence Wheatley that uncovers what made him so attractive to the Patriots in the first place.
- Jeff Howe sees Rob Gronkowski taking over as the Patriots No. 1 tight end target.
- Christopher Price reports Aaron Hernandez is never far from Brady's side, learning the finer points such as little moves on routes, how to change stuff up and the importance of getting open.
- Mike Reiss offers a 'welcome back' to the tight end position to a prominent place in New England's offense.
- Ian Rapoport notes Mike Wright is vying for a starting job on the line next to Vince Wilfork.
- Karen Guregian says Derrick Burgess might have been on the field physically yesterday, but not mentally.
- Steve Buckley thinks humble BenJarvus Green-Ellis is one hungry back.
- Sports Tonight - Holley, Tanguay and Gasper discuss what Randy Moss will bring to the team this year. (2.16 min. video) Why is everyone so negative?
- Shalise Manza Young reports Aaron Schobel says he's done.
- Kirk Minihane argues that Tony Dungy is picking the wrong fight.
- Albert Breer's Training Camp Tour: Dolphins.
- Shalise Manza Young Patriots Notebook: Welker unsure if he'll play before opener; Brady had a business-like tone as he discussed his contract on WEEI; The best moment of yesterday's practice came when the offense and defense switched sides for 7-on-7 red zone work; List of the walking wounded.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Tim Graham (ESPN) How'd they look? AFC East camp musings.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Fellow sackmaster says 'Schobel wore out'.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Giants top Jets in preseason opener. Eli gets popped pretty good. (6.45 min. video)
- Dave Goldberg (NFL Fanhouse) AFC Title race could be determined by how teams handle holdouts. (Technically, Mankins isn't a holdout because he hasn't signed a contract).
- Vito Stellino (Florida Times-Union) When Colts lose, don't blame Peyton Manning.
- Greg Gabriel (Nat'l Football Post) Weekend postgame thoughts.
- Mike Pereira (Fox Sports) Memo to Jeff Triplett: Turn of the microphone when you are done making your announcements. The on/off switch is there for a reason.
- Jonathan Comey (Cold Hard Football Facts) Brand new rankings for 2010. Pats 8th.
VIEW FROM ATLANTA
- D. Orlando Ledbetter (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Grimes, Owens will be tested by Randy Moss, Wes Welker.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Falcons get to see New England's 3-4 defense up close.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Falcons pass defense will face stiffer test against New England.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Falcons release depth chart for New England game.
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In the Paul Perillo piece, take a look at the picture....
The diminuitive one is playing CB and there’s no sign of a knee brace. Just sayin’.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Aug 17, 2010 11:00 AM EDT reply actions
Good pick-up
Where’s his mother? He should be wearing that brace every time he’s on the field.
Keep the faith!
no need for that
his ‘abusing’ girlfriend will have a talk w. him
Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
I love my ZX-6r Kawasaki.
I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life
Checking out Welker's legs?
There are man-crushes and then there are man-crushes…
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 17, 2010 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions
^ This
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Aug 17, 2010 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions
The youth movement has been amazing.
BB and staff have acquired an amazing core of young players throughout the line-up on both sides of the ball. Very impressive drafting!!!
This team MUST get the lead early and expand on it so the defense can face a more one dimensional opponent who is playing catch-up football. If the youth on defense can maximize their enthusiasm, speed, and quickness and play with more instinct and less concern, they will be dominant.
This is shaping up to be a classic Bellicheck defense
Bend at the edges, but no deep big plays. And deny the end-zone.
Bend at the edges – we are a little soft on the edges so will give up some yards on outside runs and short sideline passes.
No deep big plays – the fast, improved secondary (this started last year) prevents big plays downfield. The superior middle linebacking prevents the big breakaway runs up the middle and clogs passing lanes used to hit crossing patterns.
Deny the end zone – Wilfork, Mayo & Spikes should form a triangle that is wicked difficult to run for short yardage. This should result in greater goal line and 3rd/4th down efficiencies. And with all that talent in the secondary, we should be better at man coverage in the red-zone.
Games are won on the scoreboard. This defense may surrender soft mid-field yards, but should be tough to actually score on. Last year’s edition was good at that too (take away the last throwaway game against Houston and we were 3rd for points surrendered) but this year’s edition should be better at it.
Barring injuries, we should definitely be a top 5 defense for points scored against (FWIW – we ended up 8th last year overall because of the Houston game).
They still have to play within their positions
Ray Rice would have been stopped after five yards instead of going 81 for the TD in the playoff game if Merriwether hadn’t been out of position.
Yep. True that.
That was one hell of a bad day at the office.
Who’s hot: Alge Crumpler
From the Paul Perillo piece:
Who’s hot: Alge Crumpler – The veteran tight end has great hands and he’s had them on display throughout camp. He caught several passes during a goal line drill early in practice and was able to consistently get open. He may move as well as he once did, but if he gets his hands on it he generally catches it.
Alge has sort of been forgotten on these boards amid all the (rightfully) excited talk about Gronk and Dez. But we shouldn’t forget that Crumpler was a hell of a pass catching tight end with Michael Vick throwing to him. I’ve gotta think that he should be killer with Tom Brady throwing the ball.
That said, I’m looking forward most to watching him lay down his patented downfield blocks. He is massive yet nimble of foot and destroys linebackers, safeties and corners on edge running plays, screen plays and crossing patterns. He was a big factor on why Atlanta used to break away Vick and Dunn on so many big plays and were a leading rushing team each year.
Alge Crumpler has skills...
…but we haven’t seen whether he can be at the right place at the right time, have we?
Sometimes I hate being correct
From National Football Post:
Miami started its first three draft picks. First pick Jared Odrick was a starter at DE. He showed good instincts and reactions. He is strong at the point, uses his hands well and hustled in pursuit. Second-round pick Koa Misi started at outside linebacker. He is perfect for the 3-4 scheme. He has the size, strength, speed and quickness to become a quality pass rusher from his outside linebacker position. We saw flashes of that Saturday night. His pass drops were also good.
Oh man. Not that I’m complaining about McCourty and Cunningham, but I was trumpeting Misi and Odrick. The fact they went to a divisional rival and are instant starters and played fairly well… sad face.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Odrick didn't look that impressive to me...
Misi was good though.
Odrick was getting double teams SOMETIMES, but even when he was blocked by one guy, he really didn’t do much. At least nothing that really stood out to me.
I'm also a Raider Fan dammit!!! RAIDER NATION!!!!
Down with Big Brother!
Any rookie DE that troubles first-team OTs is doing pretty well
And he’s got those things you can’t teach – size, athleticism. If he isn’t being washed out in blocks already, he’s showing potential as a 3-4 DE.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 18, 2010 1:47 AM EDT up reply actions
I definitely think Belichick was waiting until next year's draft...
…for when there’s at LEAST 5 or 6 players that are better than Odrick and 5 or 6 players that are better than Misi. It’s tough to think we’re skipping a year, but I’d rather get the best players and getting Gronk was more important than getting Misi. And it would also be hard to justify getting Odrick after getting Brace in the 2nd round the year before.
But yeah, I don’t want Odrick and Misi to be the reason why we lose an game against each other.
by Richard Hill on Aug 18, 2010 6:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, if we are going to compare how our first picks did in their first preseason game
then I’m not ready to cry regrets, given those two long returns that McCourty gave us in the 3rd period. Over a hundred yards of field position on two plays. And I don’t recall hearing his number called for being burned in coverage.
Its way to early to lament picks. Give it a couple of years, at least, folks!
Agreed - 2011 looks like a GREAT draft for 3-4 defensive players
I’m happy with McCourty, but I’d love to know if Misi would’ve been taken over Cunningham by Hoodie if they’d both been available. He might be the guy I rue, especially since he’s healthy and playing at the moment, and Cunningham isn’t (the Crable disease!).
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 18, 2010 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions
if BB wanted oldrick or misi he would have drafted them
cunningham is more of bb type of linebacker.
BB and staff addressed multiple needs.
I like how the PATS draft was supplemented by the free agent acquisitions. The window of opportunity to get that elusive 4th Super Bowl closing quickly for a core group of PATS players like Moss, Light, Neal, Faulk, etc.
I think all three TE acquisitions were far more valueable than pursuing a 1st round OLB this year. Burgess, TBC, Cunningham, and the ILB group will more than make up for any one OLB acquisiton. G. Warren and Mike Wright offer far more impact this season than Odrick. Pryor and Brace are in year two. Damion Lewis brings more veteran savvy. The loss of Ty Warren is disappointing, very disappointing, but I think a sleeper like Deaderick will have us all smiling from ear to ear in short time. He’s huge; he’s a Saban product.
Tate and Price along with Edelman will make a huge impact allowing Moss and Welker to see more single coverage on their routes.
The PATS look superb. Not good. Not Very good, but Superb! We can still hope for Mankins to return, and that would be a huge boost to the offense.
Hoyer looks terrific. I want to see Hoyer playing in the 4th qtr when the PATS have the game(s) in hand. They need to save Brady from unnecessary abuse and potential hits when Hoyer is definitely capable of moving the chains.
plus
defense
if either deaderick OR brace play well, it will shore up that line
then cuningham will be icing on cake.
offense
they need depth at tackle
they need either kaczur to eventually get healthy or welch to eventually step it up
i don’t see any other solutions
Having three TEs will help the O-line
especially since they’re a little thin at Tackle. It might eat into the receiving stats of the TEs, but it’ll keep Brady upright. When the Pats had only Watson and Baker (and when they were both nicked up), they had some real issues with speed rushers. That extra option at TE will help.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 18, 2010 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions
yes
keeping brady healthy is more important than passing yardage
Especially since it only means he'll be throwing it to Moss or Welker or Edelman instead
It’s not like it’s exactly a downgrade to be throwing it to Moss instead of Gronkowski.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 18, 2010 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions
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