Mike Reiss gets Devin McCourty's thoughts on rookie CB Ras-I Dowling.
"When I first walked up to him, I heard he was big, but he was like 6-2, maybe 200 , 205 pounds. He looks like a specimen," McCourty answered. "I think when guys get drafted, everyone looks at their physical tools and what they might be able to do on the field right away, but just talking to him, I'm trying to explain the defense and as I'm saying a sentence, he's just finishing it. It seems like he has a lot of football knowledge. I think that's important when you come in to the New England defense; if you have some football knowledge that you can put together with what Coach Belichick teaches us, I think it can go a long way."
"We have some receivers in our league now that are huge, just in our division last year, playing against Braylon Edwards and Brandon Marshall," he said. "When you line up at the size he has, he can step up and go toe for toe with those guys physically, and he has good speed so he can run with them too."
Ian Rapoport caught up with Lawyer Milloy who was back in New England helping to run the McCourty/Milloy Football Camp at Merrimack College.
"The first thing I had to get adapted to was the accents," said Milloy, who returned to help run the McCourty/Milloy Football Camp that began yesterday for 350 kids at Merrimack. "I saw somebody at the airport who recognized me. He was like, ‘Law-yah!’ I didn’t respond to him at first. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s how they say my name out here.’"
"Boston’s changed a lot," Milloy said. "When I was here, the Big Dig was still going on. . . . When you go home after you haven’t been there for a while, everything is different. The houses might’ve looked bigger back then, now they look small. I’m just familiarizing myself with Boston again."
"Not really [bittersweet coming back]," he said, "because this is not a football deal. It’s about helping the community."
TEAM TALK
- Patriots Today - Vrabel calls it a career (1.54 min. video)
- Robert Kraft issues a statement on Mike Vrabel.
LOCAL LINKS
- Tom E. Curran lauds the football career of Mike Vrabel, the brilliant, irreverent, productive and underrated smart-ass LB for the Patriots.
- Chris Gasper says Mike Vrabel epitomized what it meant to be a Patriot during the Belichick-Brady era.
- Tedy Bruschi offers his congratulations and shares some fond memories of his good friend and former teammate, Mike Vrabel.
- Ian Rapoport writes Mike Vrabel goes out a winner.
- Mike Reiss projects Mike Vrabel's eligibility for induction to the Patriots Hall of Fame.
- Mike Rodak films Mike Reiss interviewing Devin McCourty from McCourty's football camp at Merrimack College. (5.58 min. video)
- WEEI highlights Chris Mortensen's guest appearance on the Mut & Merloni show yesterday.
- Mike Petraglia tells us why there's reason to think it's do or die this week on the labor front.
- Mike Reiss shares a few thoughts as momentum builds toward an agreement between owners and players.
- ESPNBoston introduces fans to Area Scout DuJuan Daniels, with the Patriots since 2006.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballTalk) Upon his retirement, an ode to Mike Vrabel's career.
- Devin McCourty & Lawyer Milloy and members of the New England Patriots are participating at Sports International's summer Football Camp.
- John Clayton (ESPN) Salary cap plan could pose issues, especially for certain teams.
- Luis DeLoureiro (Cold Hard Football Facts) Monday Morning Waterboy: big bucket of knowledge.
- Mike Pereira (Fox Sports) NFL replay under review. (5.17 min. video)
- Steve Wyche (NFL.com) Teams expect players to return as soon as lockout is lifted.
LABOR LUNACY
- Daniel Kaplan (SportsBusiness Journal) Class-action push brings new threat to NFL schedule.
- Andrew Brandt (Nat'l Football Post) Courtroom football returns, with a twist: True to word, a decision both sides dislike.
- Clark Judge (CBS Sports) Deal likely sealed by July 21 with sides worn down.
- AP Report (Fox Sports) Lawyers in NFL labor dispute meet.
- Sal Paolantonio (ESPN) Players, owners facing tight squeeze.
- Mike Freeman (CBS Sports) A deal remains close but...
- Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) NFL player: Don't believe the hype.
- Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballTalk) NFL player says deal is not close, tells Roger Goodell to "drop his nuts".
- Albert Breer (NFL.com) Rookie salary system a major discussion point as talks roll on.
- John Clayton (ESPN) Rookie pay a stumbling block. Length of contracts and escalator clauses for top picks are at issue.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) On rookie wage scale, league, players don't seem to be squabbling over much.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) A simple solution to the rookie scale stalemate.
- Albert Breer (NFL.com) Lawyers try to set table for key labor figures as talks continue.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Players, owners return to talks on Wednesday.
- Adam Schefter (ESPN) Hope builds for labor peace. (3.35 min. video)