New England Patriots Links 9/04/12 - Turning To Tennessee

Mike Reiss notes Bill Belichick can finally turn his attention to the Tennessee Titans.

"Today is really our first big full day on Tennessee, kind of like a normal Wednesday would be for us," he explained. "We'll try to catch up on all three phases of the game here. Tennessee is a well-balanced team. Very good. Well coached. They have a lot of young players on their team, but they also have a good sprinkling of veteran players that are very good [and] consistent. They do a lot of things well in all three areas, and we know it will be a great atmosphere down there, a lot of intensity down there, against a good football team. We'll start getting ready for it here, with things like the noise, to try to prepare our team the best we can for what we'll see on Sunday."

QB Jame Locker and his athleticism. "We did work on him coming out [of the draft in 2011], and I think he's pretty much the same player that we expected to see -- athletic, good arm, smart guy. He can certainly get the ball down the field and he's a hard guy to tackle. He's elusive."

Tough to replicate Johnson's speed. "Chris Johnson has tremendous speed. They have good backs all the way through, but Johnson's speed is unique. It's hard to replicate that. We need to do that, so when we see it in the game we're not surprised by it."

Pressure the Titans have generated along the d-line. "Certainly [Kamerion] Wimbley is an experienced guy and he gives them a good edge presence. They have a young defensive line and they get a lot of pressure from everywhere, really. [Karl] Klug gave them a lot of pressure inside last year [7 sacks]. They have good edge rushers. They have good inside rushers. They're athletic. They're quick. They don't stay blocked very long, whether it's the run or the pass. It's a very active defensive line. They have good depth. They roll those guys through. They play a couple groups in there, so whoever is active I'm sure we'll see most of them."

TEAM TALK

• Game Preview: New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans. Broadcast info, series history, team connections and more.
• Erik Scalavino shares some news and notes from Monday at Gillette. Second-year WR Greg Salas is playing catch-up.
• Patriots Today - Similarities for Salas in NE. (2.06 min. video)
• Patriots Today - It's a numbers game. (1.37 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Patriots eager to get rolling. (1.35 min. video)
• Player Interviews: Greg Salas (1.55 min.), Ryan Wendell (3.13 min.) and James Devlin (3.15 min.)

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss points out the Patriots are one of 13 teams with just two QBs this season. 18 teams carry 3 and the Dolphins have 4.
• Tim Britton dives into where New England appears most vulnerable in terms of depth.
• Field Yates notes Ryan Wendell is a front-runner to be the team's starting center, especially if Dan Connolly moves to right guard in place of Brian Waters.
• Mike Petraglia wonders if Ryan Wendell is ready to replace Dan Koppen at center.
• Mike Reiss notes the week ahead is going to be one big cram session for new Patriots receiver Greg Salas.
• Jeff Howe introduces us to Greg Salas, the DB turned WR, who can play the slot but also outside the numbers.
• Mark Farinella notes Greg Salas was disappointed his rookie season ended with an injury just as he was hitting a stride (22 of 27 catches in a four-game span).
• Tom E. Curran says it's time for Brian Waters to make a decision one way or the other.
• Danny Picard notes the Pats were able to scout OL Matt Tennant during joint practices with the Saints. They're hoping he can learn the system quickly.
• Christopher Price wonders if Chandler Jones could become the next Jason Pierre-Paul.
• Field Yates evaluates each player on the roster as it stands: Quarterbacks - Running Backs - Wide Receivers.
• ESPN Boston posts some pics of Robert Kraft's annual team barbecue Saturday at his home on Cape Cod.
• Jeff Howe Patriots Notebook: Ryan Wendell in line to fill the void at center after Dan Koppen was release on Friday; FB James Develin chose the Patriots practice squad after being released by the Bengals last week, and he couldn't be happier; Dont'a Hightower is now wearing No. 54; Mark Daniels reports Justin Francis says it's all about providing for his family now and not just about his dream of playing in the NFL.
• Gary Tanguay and Greg Bedard discuss the Patriots "ridiculously thin" O-Line. (1.56 min. video)
• Mike Reiss lets us know the CBS broadcast team for the Patriots' first game of the season against the Titans will be Jim Nantz and Phil Simms.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) Patriots field youngest roster in Bill Belichick era.
• Scott Kacsmar (Cold Hard Football Facts) Captain Comeback: Career records in the clutch for active QBs.
• Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com) Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers? NFL insiders answer 20 questions.
• Expert Panel (ESPN) NFL predictions for 2012.
• Michael Lombardi (NFL.com) Cowboys, Ravens will be better in 2012; Patriots, Steelers worse.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) PFT's 2012 season predictions. He's a hater.
• Pat Kirwan (CBS Sports) Week 1 look-ahead: Get ready for big returns, no-huddles and less blitzing.
• Staff Report (CSN Bay Area) 15 NFL starts who will disappoint in 2012. Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady included. Yeesh.
• Peter Schrager (Fox Sports) These 10 things will make or break the NFL in 2012.
• John Clayton (ESPN) The youth movement at quarterback has extended to backups; Mailbag.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Replacement ref making the jump from six-man football to the NFL.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Source: Gap between NFL, officials is as much as $70 million.

VIEW FROM TENNESSEE

• AP Report (News Channel 5, Nashville) Titans open vs. Pats. 1st meeting since 59-0 rout.
• Staff (Titansonline.com) Titans open regular season at home Sunday vs. Patriots. 'Undie Sunday'? Really?
• Teresa M. Walker (Titansonline.com) Titans try to build off preseason for Patriots.
• John Glennon (The Tennessean) Tennessee Titans bank on Kamerion Wimbley to lead sack surge.