Mike Reiss catches up with Jerod Mayo to talk about coaching changes this year, with Patrick Graham promoted from assistant to linebackers coach and Matt Patricia moving from linebacker to safeties coach.
Graham, a former defensive lineman at Yale (Class of 2001), has earned praise from head coach Bill Belichick. In March, Belichick said: "I think he’s really a good young coach. I’m glad he’s on our staff. He’s done a terrific job for us."
With promising young linebackers on the Patriots' roster such as Jermaine Cunningham, Brandon Spikes and others, Graham's work in developing them figures to be important to the team's long-term success. It seems like a lot to put on a young coach.
Yet in catching up with linebacker and captain Jerod Mayo this week, he thinks it will be a smooth transition because Graham "kind of helped out with the linebackers last year" and "I think we have guys in the linebacker room willing to work."
Mayo also doesn't expect Graham to be alone in the role. "You know that Coach Belichick will still be in the [linebacker] room," he said.
For the second straight year, Belichick is expected to lead the defense, which doesn't have an official coordinator. It looks like a significant amount of his defensive workload will be focused on the linebackers.
Ian Rapoport talks with Matt Light about his "Matt Light and Peter King Lockout Breakfast: Inside the CBA, Free Agency, and the 2011 NFL Draft."
"I’ve just had an unbelievable amount of requests to talk about the issues," Light told the Herald yesterday, "to answer questions when I’m out with my kids at dinner. People are concerned, they’re curious, they want to know what the issues are, what’s happened. So, I took that cue and said, ‘Let’s have some fun putting an event together and invite people who want to come and find out more of what’s happening."
On Tuesday, April 26 Light, King — Sports Illustrated’s lead NFL reporter — and a few other notables including Pats guard Logan Mankins and former teammate Russ Hochstein will host 100 guests at the Liberty Hotel. The group will discuss the lockout, free agency, the draft and anything else that comes to mind during the 7:30-9:30 a.m. breakfast. Admission is $250 will proceeds going to the Matt Light Foundation.
With some time on his hands, Light has been able to delve deeply into the labor issues. While Light, the Patriots player representative, said it’s good to have both sides back at the table, he wasn’t overflowing with optimism.
"That’s just given the fact that we went through the mediation process last time, and it didn’t get us anywhere," Light said. "But I think this process will be a little bit different. Hopefully it’ll be a little more serious. It would be nice to know that they have people showing up on the owners’ side that can actually make decisions on behalf of the group and really tackle the issues at hand."
TEAM TALK
- Inside the Draft room - 4/13/11: Brian Lowe gives a global perspective of the 2011 Draft. (1 hour program).
- Draft Prospect Review - 4/13/11: Breaking down the top Defensive Lineman. (18.52 min. program)
LOCAL LINKS
- Bill Reynolds says that Brady's greatest gift is his confidence and a core belief in himself.
- Ian Rapoport posts some final thoughts on Tom Brady and ESPN's "The Brady 6".
- Ian Rapoport offers some leftover tidbits from BenJarvus Green-Ellis's boxing experience and some cool pics too.
- Ian Rapoport posts some pictures of Vince Wilfork training on his own.
- Mike Reiss focuses on the draft picks available at the outside linebacker position for the Patriots, beyond the first round.
- Christopher Price looks at who was the best second-round pick in Patriots history.
- Shalise Manza Young answers readers' questions about the Patriots and NFL.
- Mike Reiss reports on a Scouts Inc. piece where Todd McShay goes through a first-round mock draft with two scouts. Patriots select DE Adrian Clayborn (Iowa) at 17 and RB Mark Ingram (Alabama) at 28.
- Tom E. Curran profiles potential Patriots draftees: DE J.J. Watt (Wisconsin).
- Shalise Manza Young scouts the draft: OLB Justin Houston (Georgia).
- Jeff Howe says the Patriots could develop Tyron Smith (USC) as a long-term answer at tackle.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Brady's perceived slap against insurance salesmen makes waves.
- Jim Corbett (USA Today) The draft's dealmaker: Bill Belichick has a boatload of picks.
- Joe Fortenbaugh (Nat'l Football Post) Want to hang out with Tom Brady during the draft?
- Brian Billick (Fox Sports) NFL lockout hurts coaches' planning.
- Don Banks (SI) 2011 NFL Mock Draft 5.0. Patriots select DE J.J. Watt (Wisconsin) at 17 and trade their 28th pick to the Vikings (who take QB Jake Locker).
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) ESPN will take a cast of less than thousands to Radio City.
- Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballWeekly) Steve Jordan will feel mixed emotions when son shakes Roger Goodell's hand.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Gruden gives Locker a 'QB Camp' once-over.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Bucs' return to England not expected to be the first step toward a move.
- Pat Kirwan (NFL.com) Deep O-Line talent pool still might not satisfy teams' needs.
- Russ Lande (Sporting News) NFL draft analysis: Defensive ends.
- Nolan Nawrocki (Pro Football Weekly) Drafting on 'buzz' often leads to mistakes.
- Michael Lombardi (NFL.com) Draft do-overs: Feeling prepared to rewrite 'one of my least favorite' drafts.
- Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Arresting developments: Already 12 in 2011 for the NFL.
LABOR LUNACY
- Albert Breer (NFL.com) Judge, NFL counsel convene for 5-hour pre-mediation session.
- Andrew Brandt (Nat'l Football Post) Courtroom football: mediation phase.
- Albert Breer (NFL.com) Judge meets with NFL counsel; mediation to start Thursday.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Only four of 32 owners at mediation.
- Jason Cole (Yahoo! Sports) NFL owners warned not to take mediation lightly.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) League needs to quit obsessing over federal oversight of CBA.
- Wire Report (CBS Sports) NFL's rookie pitch: divert $300M from first-rounders.
- Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballTalk) NFL's rookie wage proposal includes eliminating holdouts.
- Mike Freeman (CBS Sports) Could draftees wear NFLPA hats on stage?
- Jon Saraceno (USA Today) What's the 'risk' for NFL, players if no agreement is reached?