Posted by Jeff Howe, 10:35p.m., Aug. 31
The National Football League has suspended Patriots safety Rodney Harrison without pay for the first four games of the season for violating the league policy on performance enhancing substances. Harrison's suspension begins immediately, and he is eligible to return to the Patriots' active roster on Tuesday, Oct. 2, following the team's Oct. 1 game against the Bengals.
Harrison spoke to the media via a conference call earlier, and admitted using a banned substance.
"I want to make it clear that not once did I ever use steroids," Harrison said. "I did admit to the commissioner that I did in fact use a banned substance. My purpose was never to gain a competitive edge. Rather my use was solely for the purpose of accelerating the healing process of injuries I sustained while playing football. I have not made excuses, nor will I make excuses. I made a mistake, and I am very sorry for that. I understand that I am a role model from high school to college to young kids. I do not condone my business, my behavior. I am very, very embarrassed by it. I am disappointed in myself."
According to a report on ESPN.com, the substance in question was human growth hormone.
The Patriots open on the road against the Jets on Sept. 9. They play at home against the Chargers on Sept. 16, and the Bills on Sept. 23, before visiting the Bengals on Monday Night Football. Harrison will return in Week 5, when the Patriots host the Browns.
In the meantime, the Eugene Wilson, James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather should see the brunt of the time playing safety.
Posted by Jeff Howe, 10:40 a.m., Aug. 8
The media didn't get into the bubble until about 9:40 a.m., and got
to stick around for about 35 minutes. Practice was very uneventful with
most of the first team believed to have been sent out of the Field
House before we arrived.
The only quarterback in attendance was Matt Gutierrez, who got a taste of the life of Tom Brady when he was swarmed by reporters after the session. Rather than going through the players who were not in attendance, here are the handful who were: Tom Malone, C.J. Jones, Danny Baugher, Gutierrez, Chris Dunlap, Bam Childress, Kelvin Kight, Willie Andrews, Mel Mitchell, Brandon Meriweather, Mike Richardson, Dante Wesley, Larry Anam, Gemara Williams, Quinton Smith, Garrett Mills, Corey Mays, Kyle Bissinger, Oscar Lua, Justin Rogers, Kenny Smith, Mike Elgin, Brian Barthelmes, Rashad Moore, Corey Hilliard, Gene Mruczkowski, Zach West, Clint Oldenburg, Matt Kranchick and Le Kevin Smith.
By our count, the only player in that group whose jersey you can buy in the Patriots Pro Shop is that of Meriweather's.
Childress revealed his nickname came from watching The Flintstones when he was younger, and the name has stuck since he was about 8 or 9.
Wesley entertained the media for nearly 15 minutes following
practice. Check back in the Metro sports section for more on him later.
Posted by Jeff Howe, 9:00 a.m., Aug. 8
With the rain this morning, practice has been moved inside the
Dana-Farber Field House and is closed to the public. Media access does
not begin until 9:15 a.m., and we'll have more updates coming later.
Here's the complete transcript of Stanley Morgan's Q&A with the
media this afternoon, held shortly after it was announced that Morgan
had been elected to the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Q: Could you talk about the other two guys who were in the ballot process with you [Ben Coates and Ron Burton]?
SM: For a lot of the fans out there to vote on one particular guy, I
think Ben Coates is one of the top tight ends in the league. I never
really had a chance to see Ron Burton play, but I have heard a lot of
good things about him from some guys that actually played with him. So
I knew there were three great prospects there and to be nominated and
win over those two, my hat goes off to the fans.
Q: Comment on your relationship with Steve Grogan and how that got going.
SM: Steve has probably been my biggest fan and of course I always been
his biggest fan. Steve and I developed a relationship when I first got
here in 1977. That relationship has gotten stronger and stronger as we
played together. We’ve done events together and over the past year
just being able to get back together and talk about old times, that
friendship just renews itself. So I really owe all of this to Steve
because he was one of the main people that was really pushing for this
to happen.
Q: You look at all of the success the Patriots have had in recent
years and yet your teams were pretty darn good in there own right. Did
you feel at any point that people might lose touch of how good your
teams were and is this kind of a nice thing to know that through
electing you they haven’t forgotten?
SM: Well it really is. When you go out and you come back and you win
three Super Bowls, it’s a big accomplishment. We had great teams back
when I was playing, but it was just like there was a little something
that was missing and you just can’t put your hand on it to what it was,
but to see these guys play today is an amazing thing in itself. But to
really see the fans say, “Hey, we remember that the Patriots had a
pretty decent team in the 70s and the 80s, that just brings a smile to
my face.”
Q: Comment on the 100-yard games you had in your career. What went into a 100-yard game?
SM: (Laughs) Well I think what helped with that was I was able to get
deep. Steve [Grogan] was able to throw the ball and we made a few long
ball catches. I think to get 100 yards you have to have at least one of
those a game. [Get] at least one over 50 yards and you have a shot.
Things just worked out good for me.
Q: One thing I remember about those days is often times you would
start a game with a long bomb and it was always a great hook up. It was
the kind of thing to get your opponents on there heels. How important
was it to get that first one in pretty early in the game?
SM: That is a great asset for an offense, if they can get out there and
you can hit that homerun ball in one of the first plays, you have the
defense playing on their heels. And that worked out great for us
because we had teams [whose] secondary and back up would go into the
zone coverage and they would let us have the underneath catches. That
really worked out good for us and now we can take the football and run
it back in the backfield with the name of Sam “Bam” [Cunningham], you
give it to him and let him run.
Q: You are both a Tennessee guy and former Patriots guy, who is your preference: [Tom] Brady or [Peyton] Manning?
SM: (Laughs) Me being in New England, I have to go with Tom Brady. He
has proven himself over and over again. He is a great quarterback. He
knows how to win the big games. You just have to look at it from that
standpoint. Peyton is a great quarterback [too]. This past year he was
been able to get over the hump, which has always been against New
England. I think you have to put Brady at the top because Brady has
done it time and time again.
Q: Any other members of your team that you would like to have join you in the Patriots Hall of Fame in the near future?
SM: There are some great guys that I think that would be there and one
is Raymond Clayborn, who was one of the top defensive backs we had at
the time, along with Mike Haynes, who is already in. Ray would be a
great one. There are a handful of them that you can go in and pick out
and say, “Look, these guys were there. They knew their job and knew
what they were doing.” They deserve to have an opportunity.
Q: When nominations were put in, Steve Grogan put your name in for
nomination. He then immediately said, “Motion to close nominations.”
SM: (Laughs) Well, I really appreciate that. Just to be nominated is
an honor in itself. I felt really honored when I got the call that I
was being nominated from Stacey [James], and I was just hoping the fans
remembered who I was, and [would] go back and look at my stats from
what I did. I just left it in the fans’ hands.
Posted by Christopher Price, 3:40 p.m., Aug. 3
Thanks to the Patriots' PR staff, here's the complete transcript of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels Q&A with the media today at Gillette Stadium:
Q: How has it been working with this offense with all of the new faces and how have you been able to pull it together?JM: I think early in training camp this year is really no different than others because we have a lot of guys here. Some of them are newer than others obviously, but just trying to get everybody to learn the system, I think, is the big key early in camp and then kind of figuring out, as we go through the next few weeks here and into the preseason, how it’s all going to fit together eventually and who is going to be where and how flexible guys are. We’re trying to make sure that we move people around enough to figure out if they can play multiple roles on offense. With the receiver group, obviously, that’s going to be key for us because there's going to be four or five of them at the game and they're going to be able to move around in different positions and back one another up and work well together. We have depth at that position, so that's obviously something that's going to be important.
Q: With some of the new guys that you have here, is there a
balancing act you guys do between tailoring the system to your talent
versus tailoring the talent to your system?
JM: I think there is some of that. I also think that our system was
built and really the foundation of the system that I've learned from
Charlie [Weis] and Bill [Belichick], those things are always built in
anyway. There's always a chance to throw the ball down the field. I
know people are talking about long speed and so on and so forth, but
we've had fast players here before and when those opportunities present
themselves whether they be this year or in prior years, we’re obviously
willing to take advantage of them. We hope to be able to attack the
deep part of the field, the intermediate part of the field and the
short part of the field with all those guys.
Q: So it wouldn't change the system, but it might affect the play calling?
JM: Yes, it could. More than anything, we’re going to run our system
and try to fit those guys where we think that they best go to make the
plays the most productive that we can make them.
Q: You still have quite a few people who catch passes on the PUP
list. How do you keep them up to speed this deep into training camp?
JM: Well, they're in all the meetings, obviously. They see the film
just like all the players are that are out on the field do. We try to
keep them sharp with tests or quizzes and making sure that everybody is
on the same page. We expect those players to be at the same learning
level, maybe not out on the field, but the same mental level as the
guys that are actually practicing. We put a lot of pressure on them to
make sure that's the case. I think, like you said, those players are
doing that and we want to continue to push them to do that so that when
they're ready to play physically, that mentally they’re not behind.
Q: Did having them here in the spring camps help?
JM: Yes. I think the more you have them, the earlier you have them
during the course of the calendar year, the better off you're going to
be. We got a lot of work in the spring and that’s really where those
new players really learned the system and got a foundation and we can
kind of work from there in training camp. That’s really where they
kind of got going and started to understand what we wanted from them.
Q: Do you as a coordinator get excited over having new toys and the type of new toys that you have?
JM: I think what we are excited most about is trying to find out
exactly how to use who we have because a lot of pieces are a little bit
different this year, but we still have a lot of players from the past,
the Ben Watsons and [Jabar] Gaffney and [Reche] Caldwell and Kevin
Faulk and those kinds of players that are going to still play big roles
in the offense. Those new guys are going to kind of integrate in there
and it's exciting to find out ultimately what the final product is
going to be once we get to the regular season.
Q: Is it a challenge for you?
JM: Yes, I would say it was a challenge last year, maybe it's a
different challenge when you change people because you're trying to get
familiar with their skill set and what they can do for you, but I think
that it's one that you're excited about, like you said, you're excited
about that challenge because you think that ultimately the product is
going to be pretty good.
Q: I know there's a trend around the league with younger head
coaches. Is that something that maybe gets you thinking a little bit,
if you are ready? I'm sure that's the ultimate goal you have, right?
JM: I don't know. The only thing I'm really concerned about is trying
to improve myself at this spot here that I have now. I wouldn’t think
about anything else. This is the most important thing for me right
now. I love what I do. I love my job here and the rest will take care
of itself eventually whatever that may be. If that's in the cards,
then great. If it's not, then I'm going to do the best job I can here.
Q: Obviously, you’re also the quarterback’s coach here. With Matt
Cassel, how far do you go in his development whether the next step is
playing in a regular season game? How far do you push that in practice?
JM: I think this is an important time of the year for Matt and the
other players that are competitive backup players. You have to really
push them and try to put them in as many game like conditions and
situations as you can, whether that's in situational practices that we
may have, drills that we may be running or even in the preseason games,
which obviously he’ll play as much as we can get him in there during
the preseason and try to simulate some of what he may see if he had to
play, obviously, in the regular season. We’re pushing him everyday.
He pushes himself. He works extremely hard and hopefully if that time
ever came, that he would be ready to go in there and we'd have
confidence that he would know what to do and be able to perform.
Q: Has Randy [Moss] been what you expected? How would you characterize that?
JM: I don't really think I had certain expectations. I kind of had an
open mind about what he was going to be like and I think he's come in
and he's very competitive. He's very smart. I think that football is
really important to him and he's worked extremely hard. He's learning
the system well and he's versatile. He's doing a lot of the things
that we hoped for from a lot of our players. He's given us some
flexibility and hopefully that will translate into being able to make a
lot of plays on the field.
Q: How do you feel you've gotten better as a coordinator over the last two years?
JM: I think that's just the natural progression. You get more
comfortable each year, each practice, each season. I would say that
I'm just more comfortable in this role than I've ever been and I would
continue to get more comfortable in it and hopefully get better at it
too.
Q: I know that you're always looking to improve all areas of the
offense. If you were to pinpoint one area when you look back at ’06
where you felt like ‘This needs to get better,’ what would that be?
JM: I would say it's probably one of the similar things that we would
talk about right now, which is consistency. There were times where we
were very effective doing a lot of things last year and it's probably
the same thing that I would tell you right now. We had stretches of
good plays and then we had some negative plays and we’re talking a lot
about that right now, being more consistent across the board, whether
it's doing your job or effort and just knowing what to do and being
able to move the ball and be productive. I think that consistency is a
big part of what we’re stressing and what we’re trying to get across to
the team and the offense in particular right now.
Q: How much of an adjustment has it been for you from a coaching
standpoint with Brian [Daboll] leaving? How is it going with Nick
[Caserio], who I assume is taking over some of those responsibilities?
JM: Brian and I worked well together. Nick, obviously, he’s a new
position coach, but he’s been here for a number of years. It's not the
first time that he's worked with the offense, so he's very familiar
with the system in itself, the language that we use and the
terminology. He's helped out on game days throughout his entire career
here in New England. I don't know that it's a huge transition there
because it's not like we’re two new guys that don't know each other,
that don't have a past and I'm trying to teach him everything, because
like I said, he had a foundation that he could come in and understand
what we were doing pretty quickly and we work well together. Nick and I
have a relationship from the past. We went to college together and
know one other. It works fine. The transition has been smooth and I
expect it to be that way going forward.
Q: Can you talk about your relationship with Tom [Brady] and how it's grown over the past few years?
JM: Obviously when I came over to offense in 2004, I had been on
defense and didn't really have…I knew him, he knew me, obviously we
were acquaintances, but didn't have much of a personal relationship. I
would say that now getting to know him and working with him, this being
the fourth year that I will do it, we’ve just grown together and we
understand one another. We communicate very well and I have a lot of
respect for him in what he does for our offense and the way he plays
and hopefully he shares that same respect. I think that the
communication between the two of us is strong and that’s the biggest
part of our relationship between a coach and a quarterback and I think
that's where he and I really get along well.
Q: What are your impressions of Tom here so far in camp?
JM: He came in ready to go. Obviously I wouldn't expect anything
less. He's been prepared. He's practiced, I would say, pretty well.
He's obviously our leader on offense and he’s shown that so far in
training camp. I would anticipate that that's the way it’s going to be
going forward, and so would he, and we’re looking forward to the season.
Q: As you became a coordinator over the last three years, do you
think your experience from the defensive side of the ball helped you?
JM: I do. I think understanding the game from the other side of the
ball when you're coaching offense, I think that gives you some insight
as to what they may be trying to do to stop teams during the course of
the week when you're studying film. You try to take those things that
you can pick out and pick up on what they're doing and try to use them
against them on Sundays. I would say that me coming from defense to
offense, I think that that really kind of an enables me to look at it
from maybe a different perspective than maybe some other people that
have been on offense or the offensive side of the ball their whole
career.
Posted by Christopher Price, 12:02 a.m., Aug. 3
Here's the transcript of Bill Belichick's Q&A with the media this morning at Gillette Stadium.
BB: It was pretty much a special teams practice this morning. We
worked on all of those phases of the game at a good tempo with the
officials out there. We all know how important the kicking game is.
It's hard to simulate it in practice the way it happens in the game.
It's still, I think, one of the fastest parts of the game and one of
the biggest transitions for players from the practice field to the game
field, especially young players. Anyway, I thought that was good work
for us and then this afternoon we’ll come back and do some more
teamwork and situation work similar to what we did yesterday here. As
we get close to the end of the week, we’re getting a little bit closer
to the point of being able to put all of the situations, put everything
together and go out there and handle them, which we’ll need to do a
week from tomorrow.
Q: Was there some thought to putting the practice out in the stadium?
BB: We'll be in the stadium next week. I think it's good for the
kickers, it just closes everything in a little bit and spatially makes
it more the way it really is. But, yes, we’ll get to that. We
could’ve it inside.
Q: When you’re evaluating that, is it tough to evaluate guys on how they will be able to play special teams?
BB: I think practice is an indicator. Again, there’s not too many
situations where a player goes out and you just can't do anything in
practice and then all of a sudden in the game he just lights it up and
is the star of the game. There aren't too many situations where a
player really executes well in practice and then goes out there and
can't do anything in the game. That’s usually not the case. I
understand some players practice better than they play and other
players play a little better than they practice, but I think that's in
moderation. I don't think you go from here to here. I don't see that
very often.
Q: Even special teams-wise?
BB: Yeah, well again, you’re working the same things out there.
You don’t do the open field tackling like you do in the game, but the
protection, the leverage, the body position, being able to play in
space and to play with some explosiveness in an open space area. If he
can’t do it in practice, it’s pretty unlikely to think that all of a
sudden it’s going to come together out there in a game situation and
vice versa.
Q: How’s Randy [Moss]?
BB: Randy is good.
Q: Will we see him later today?
BB: I don’t know. He’s day-to-day.
Q: Are Randy and Tom [Brady] past the getting to know you stage so that
maybe an absence for a day or two won’t set their chemistry back?
BB: I don’t know. I think a day of practice is a day of practice.
Q: Can you talk about the development of Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork?
BB: I think both of those players have improved, they were good
when they got here, don't get me wrong, but I think they've both
improved a lot since they've been here and they're great players to
work with. They really are. I think there’s an interesting contrast
there between Vince who really played a one gap system in Miami and had
to change from their defensive front and their techniques and their
system to what we do, whereas Ty really played in a system at A&M
very similar to ours. He played nose his junior year and then he
played left end his senior year and his techniques down there were very
similar to what we teach and the position and so forth. I think both
players, in Vince’s case, have really adapted to our scheme and is an
excellent technique player, a very smart player. Ty has improved
tremendously in his pass rush and his overall instinctiveness and is
able to recognize things – draws and screens and deceptive plays and
different blocking combinations and things like that extremely well.
He's worked very hard at it and that's paid off. I think both of those
players, obviously drafted high, and were good players coming out of
college, but I think they've improved significantly since they've been
here and they both work very hard at it. They're very professional.
They're great to coach.
Q: How has Wes Welker worked himself into the offense so far?
BB: Good. I think that Wes has had a good camp. He's been here for
the offseason program, worked hard, he’s one of our offseason award
winners. He had a really productive spring. Good spring camps. He’s
followed that up with a good start this week in training camp. Again,
things are little different, like they are for any player coming into a
new system, but he's worked hard and he's a smart kid. He’s very
instinctive. He has good skill and I think he's coming along.
Q: What role does he have on the team?
BB: We haven’t really defined those yet. Right now, we’re just
trying to get everybody to work on some of the basic things and then
when we start getting into game planning and specifics, that will come
later.
Q: When you have a guy like Randy who is new to the system, how do
balance needing to get him the reps so he can become comfortable with
the offense versus easing up his workload a little bit?
BB: I think you just take it as it comes. If there's a problem,
then you deal with it. If it's not a problem, then you don't. I think
we take everybody's physical conditioning into account when we set up
our practices and that includes everybody. Then, if there’s a problem
along the way, then you deal with it. It’s no different than any other
player.
Q: Do you see this then affecting how you use him going forward?
BB: See what affecting what?
Q: The fact that he had an injury yesterday. Would that alter that?
BB: I don't know. I don't know. Right now, I'm worried about this
afternoon. The players that are out there this afternoon are going to
practice. We’ll make up tomorrow's practice schedule tonight. We’ll
deal with where the team is and what to do with an individual player
based on what the medical people think and where we are. Tomorrow it
is way too far out for me.
Q: Are you surprised at how at how quickly Logan Mankins has become maybe one of the best in the league at his position?
BB: I think that Logan, as we’ve talked about with some other
players, Logan had a really good background playing left tackle in
college. That's a hard position to play, from a pass protection
standpoint, and from a running game standpoint as well. He had really
good coaching from Pat [Hill] at Fresno. Has gotten really good
coaching here from Dante [Scarnecchia]. He’s a smart guy who works
hard. He's physically strong and in good condition. Again, he's a
player that was at a high level coming out of college and he's worked
hard and continued to improve both in the offseason in his strength,
his quickness and his techniques and in season in his game preparation
and things like that. To me, that's what you would expect from a
younger player who is gaining physically and gaining mentally the
experience in this league and in our system to be able to apply that
going forward and they should improve at that point and he has.
Q: He looks like one of the more consistent players on the team at all the positions.
BB: He does a good job. Yes, Logan does a good job.
Q: Is that one of his strengths?
BB: Yes. You see that in his personality. He's pretty much the
same guy everyday. He's not an emotional roller coaster. He is not an
up-and-down guy. You pretty much know what you’re going to get from
him in the first period of practice and the last period of practice, on
a Wednesday practice, on a Saturday practice, on a Sunday game, he's
consistent. Yes, that's one of the strengths.
Q: Will there be a discernable difference in the offense this year with
guys like [Corey] Dillon and [Daniel] Graham being gone? Will people
notice a chance?
BB: Will they notice it? There are always changes every year. I
don’t want to sit here and say there aren't any changes, but I mean
fundamentally, I think if you asked players on our team are there a lot
of new plays, they probably would say no. It's things they've heard
before, things they've done before, maybe if there's a little something
modified, the integrity of the play is still the same, maybe it's from
a little different formation or maybe it has a little different wrinkle
to it, maybe seven or eight guys are still doing the same thing as they
did last year on that play. Are there some changes? Sure. I’m sure
there will be some. Are there things that are the same? I would say
most of it are things that we taught last year. Now, from game to game
that might change. You've seen us in some formations in one game and
not using them the next game and using something else and stuff like
that. How that would apply on a game to game basis, I couldn't tell
you at this point.
Q: Are the changes because of the new players and players with different skill sets?
BB: Again, I think at this point in the season, you install your
system and have everybody learn it and then on a week-to-week basis,
you decide what the best way to attack a particular opponent. Part of
your game planning decisions revolve around your scheme and your system
and part of them revolve around your personnel and creating mismatches
or trying to defend mismatches that you think might be in their favor.
That’s the same way it is every week, but I don't think you want to go
into a game too many times saying, ‘Well we've never done this before.
We've never done that before, so let’s try this stuff, let’s try that
stuff.’ I don't think that's really where you want to be. You want to
have a broad base and say, ‘Okay, we can do this. We can do that. We
know how to do this and that’s what we need against this team,’ and
then the next week, it may be those same things, it may be something
different. That's what we try to do. We try to have a broad stroke so
that we have a good background in different phases of our system. Some
weeks, those have more application, one might have more application or
no application. Then, next week, it might be a critical part of the
game. That's what a 16-game schedule in the National Football League
is. You have to be able to handle different schemes, different
players, different player strengths and weaknesses, different
situations. You just can't do one thing in this league or I don't
think you’ll go very far.
Q: I’m sure you can understand the fan interest in Randy’s condition. Us as the media, what should we be telling them?
BB: Whatever you want.
Q: I would just prefer for it to be more accurate.
BB: My crystal ball is no clearer than yours is.
Posted by Jeff Howe, 11:30 a.m., Aug. 2
A couple notes from Bill Belichick's recently completed press conference:
The Patriots will practice inside Gillette Stadium at some point next week before their first preseason game at Tampa Bay Aug. 10.
When asked about the injured Randy Moss, Belichick responded, "Randy's good." When asked if Moss would be on the field for this afternoon's practice session, Belichick responded, "I don't know, day-to-day."
Tomorrow morning's practice has been rescheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. It was originally set for 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Posted by Christopher Price, 11:22 a.m., Aug. 2
Here's the complete Q&A we did with veteran running back Kevin
Faulk at the end of this morning's practice session at Gillette Stadium.
Does training camp ever get old?
You just know what you have to do. My motto is: ‘You sign up for it, that’s what you have to do.’ It’s your job.
How do you foresee the look of the running game changing with Laurence Maroney as the lead back instead of Corey Dillon?
I don’t foresee it changing much. Coach always loves the big back. He
has Sammy in there. Laurence has the explosiveness. We’re just going to
go with what’s called and do what we have to do and execute our job,
and that’s about it.
How do you see your role changing, if at all?
Your role changes only if you make it change. I come in each year with
the same attitude, no matter what my role is, I’m ready to do it. I
have to be ready to do it. If you want to be successful, you have to be
ready and know your role on this team.
How do the new guys look?
Basically, it takes time. They have to come in and know the offense.
You have to know the offense. If you don’t know our offense, you’re not
going to be able to play. If you don’t know our defense, you’re not
going to be able to play. You just have to go out there every day and
see it against our defense full speed.
How are you doing? Are you where you want to be right now, physically?
You’re never where you want to be at the start of training camp. You
think you are, but once it starts, you always have to work your way
into it and get better each and every day and focus on the next
practice, not worry about what’s going to happen two weeks from now or
next week. Worry about the next practice.
If young guys come to you looking for advice on how to survive training camp, what do you tell them?
You have to know that you’re going to be tired. You have to know that
you’re going to be sore and tired and doing things, but at the same
time, you have to fight through it. You control your own mindset — if
you think you’re tired, you’re going to be tired. You just have to
fight through it and get through it and everything will take care of
itself from there.
You are one of the few guys on this team that predates Bill
Belichick. Are you ever amazed at the length of the NFL career you’ve
had?
Of course I’m amazed, but at the same time, I try not to think about
the future. I just think about day-to-day, year-to-year, how to survive
this year … how I’m going to survive this day. There’s never ‘What am I
going to do four or five years from now?’
Has your approach to training camp changed over the years?
It has to change a little bit, for the simple fact that every time you
come in, each time you come in, they’re trying to bring someone else in
to not necessarily take your job, but to compete for your job. Being
that you’re not getting any younger, you have to be ready for that. You
just never know what type of atmosphere you’re going to be in. You have
to be ready to compete each and every year.
The Patriots practiced again this morning in the hot and humid
Foxborough air. Randy Moss was not present after injuring his hamstring
during yesterday's session.
Also missing from practice were Chad Jackson, Donte Stallworth, Eddie Jackson, Rashad Baker, Sammy Morris, Garrett Mills, Kyle Bissinger, Troy Brown, David Thomas, Kyle Brady, Richard Seymour and Chad Brown. Laurence Maroney, Eric Alexander and Junior Seau were all once again wearing red no-contact jerseys.
Chad Jackson and Troy Brown were spotted working out on the practice
fields with assistant strength and conditioning coach Don Davis. They
were running sprints, short routes and catching passes.
Jabar Gaffney Q&A
Posted by Christopher Price, 11:26 a.m., July 31
Here's a quick Q&A we did with Patriots' wide receiver Jabar
Gaffney shortly after the end of the morning practice session today at
Gillette Stadium.
Can you talk about the talent at wide receiver and the competition for the jobs?
There’s a lot of talent. A lot of talent. There are a lot of guys here
who, at one time or another, have been starters around the league,
battling to try and make the team and make a good receiving corps.
What is it like going through a battle like that? You’re all friends and teammates, but you’re all trying to one up each other.
All together, we’re trying to work together to become a great receiving
corps. Also, all of us are trying to be part of that receiving corps.
It makes sure you have to step your game up and elevate your game to
the next level to try and make your team better.
How do you think you’re doing in that competition?
I’m working. Working. Taking it day by day.
On the offseason acquisitions…
Every week, it seemed like we were signing some new guy. Everywhere
I’ve been, I’ve always been around a bunch of new receivers, so it’s
nothing new to me. I love competition. It can only make me step my game
up and become a better receiver.
More on the offseason acquisitions...
Every team I’ve been to, there’s been a competition at the wide
receiver spot, so it can only help in the long run. It helps you become
a better player individually, and it helps the team.
Posted by Christopher Price, 7:47 p.m., July 30
The Patriots have just released a statement from Bill Belichick about the passing of Bill Walsh:
"One of the greatest challenges of my career was coaching defense
against Bill Walsh. He turned San Francisco’s offense into the best in
the league. Beyond being a great offensive coach, Bill mastered running
an entire pro football organization. He figured out everything from the
big picture down to the smallest detail and documented it in his book,
'Finding The Winning Edge,' which was groundbreaking. It remains easily
the most comprehensive and best modern day football book and is
required reading for every coach. On a personal level, I am very
fortunate to have developed a close friendship with Bill and my deepest
condolences are with his family on this sad day."
Posted by Christopher Price, 6:42 p.m., July 30
The Patriots just announced that Chad Scott will miss the season
because of a knee injury. Here's the released issued moments ago by the
team.
The New England Patriots placed veteran defensive back Chad Scott on
the reserve/injured list today. Scott will miss the 2007 season with a
knee injury.
Scott, 32, is a veteran of 10 NFL seasons and has played in 108 games
with 97 starts for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1997-2004) and Patriots
(2005-06). The 6-foot-1-inch, 205-pound defensive back has recorded 459
career tackles (403 solo), 21 interceptions for 400 yards and four
touchdowns, 92 passes defensed, one forced fumble, two fumble
recoveries and 14 special teams tackles. He has also played in 10
career playoff games with five starts.
Since joining the Patriots as a free agent on April 26, 2005, Scott has
played in 17 regular-season games with nine starts. Last season, Scott
played in 14 regular-season contests with nine starts and totaled 44
tackles (37 solo), two interceptions, five passes defensed and a
career-high seven special teams stops. In 2005, his first season with
New England, Scott played in three of the season’s first four games
before being placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury on Oct.
12, 2005.
The Suitland, Md. native spent the first eight years of his career with
the Steelers after being drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round (24th
overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft. During his time with the Steelers,
Scott started 88 of 91 games while recording 19 interceptions.
Posted by Christopher Price, 2:51 p.m., July 29
Here's the complete transcript from Tom Brady's Q&A session with
the media after this morning's practice at Gillette Stadium.
Q: How’s it going for you so far out there?
TB: Some good, some bad. I think everybody would like us to be a little
further along right now, but we’re trying to incorporate a lot of new
things and trying to build an identity for this team, this offense. I
think the team works hard, which is encouraging, so if we just string a
bunch of good practices together, I think in a few weeks when we’re
ready to play, it will turn out pretty good.
Q: How excited are you to throw to these new targets?
TB: I’m excited. I think every year there’s always excitement. I think
the thing you realize is there’s a lot of work to be done. You bring in
a guy like Wes [Welker] and Kelley [Washington] and Randy [Moss],
obviously, and Donté [Stallworth], and they have their own type of
skill set and we’ve got to just find a way to incorporate them. They’re
doing well. I think the best thing is, I don’t know if you guys can see
it, but in the run drills they’re blocking just as hard for the running
backs as they are in those pass plays when they’re going out. There’s
guys that are clearing out, running through the middle of the field and
running as hard as they can so they can clear room for a teammate. It’s
a very unselfish group, and I think that’s what makes a great receiver
group and it’s only going to help our offense.
Q: How do you like hooking up with Randy [Moss]?
TB: I think he’s doing great. He’s in great shape. He does a lot of
great things out here. He’s a very, very smart football player, one of
those guys who can see things out on the field and react without you
really having to tell him and he’s very much like a quarterback in that
sense. It’s been good thus far, I’d like to hit him a few more times -
I think I missed him a few times - but for the most part we’re making
some improvements.
Q: [Randy Moss] mentioned on Friday that it was very important to
connect off the field with you as well. Do you feel that way with all
of your receivers right now, trying to get to know them on the field
and off the field to build that connection?
TB: Of course, of course. That’s a big part of it, you have to
build trust with one another. It’s just like any relationship, it takes
time to build and grow. I’m most concerned with what happens on the
field, but I beat him in poker yesterday so I’m happy about that.
Q: Has breaking in all the receivers last year helped you this year
with another new staff, learning some things you learned last year and
incorporating new targets?
TB: I think every year is a little bit different. No doubt, we had
to do that last year as well. It was tough last year because a lot of
the stuff happened at the very end, with a guy like Doug Gabriel and
Jabar [Gaffney] coming in midway through the year, Reche [Caldwell]
switching positions, but I think we have learned a lot in that sense
and I think we realize that the offense changes and it evolves and the
type of things we did last year are going to change to kind of what
works for us this year. It’s exciting, it’s exciting for all of us to
be out here, and I know everyone’s excited to be back to work and you
have some structure to your day. There’s nothing more fun than coming
out here and throwing the football around. It’s been good.
Q: What about Ben Watson, it seems like a lot of people forget about him.
TB: Not me. I don’t care what anyone else says, I’m not forgetting
about him. He made some nice plays out there today, made some nice
catches on the scout team. He’s doing great. Ben [Watson] has a great
attitude, a great work ethic and I think another year in the offense
for him too is going to benefit all of us.
Q: How amazed are you, seeing some of the fans out here, going over there and getting a standing ovation?
TB: When we run out in practice and when we run laps [because] we’re
getting in trouble, we get cheered for that, so I don’t know if they
know why we’re running. I don’t think they’d be cheering us if they did.
Q: This isn’t your first look at these guys. You’ve had mini camp
and you’ve had passing camp workouts, but can you tell things from
those that you can’t tell here, or vice versa?
TB: It’s different when you put the pads on. When you go against a
team in full pads and you can run some play action fakes – we hit a
flea flicker yesterday on Rodney – it doesn’t matter until you put the
pads on, because you don’t play football in your shorts and it’s just
different. It’s a different game, and I think the players who are very
mentally tough who can deal with the heat and the conditions and the
length of the practices and how often we’re out here, I mean those are
the guys who really excel.
Q: How comfortable are you throwing into double coverage with Randy Moss downfield?
TB: It continues to identify itself. I tried it on Eugene [Wilson] here
late on the last throw I had of the day. There are some advantages if
you can get it on the right players but at the same time you’d rather
find a one-on-one, especially when you’ve got guys like Wes [Welker],
who really gets open on one-on-one, Kevin Faulk, Jabar [Gaffney], Reche
[Caldwell], those guys can get open on one-on-one. My job is to send
everybody out, identify the coverage and then pick the guy who’s going
to be the most open, so I hope I’m not firing into double coverage a
whole lot. Not a lot of good things come from that.
Q: You’ve got rookies coming through training camp. If they’re looking for advice, what do you tell them?
TB: To be seen and not heard. The best advice I think I give those guys
is to be quiet and follow the veteran leaders on the team. Whatever you
see a guy like Rodney Harrison doing or Tedy [Bruschi] or [Mike]
Vrabel, just follow what those guys do and you’ll be just fine. You can
tell them, but a lot of time with young guys, Coach [Bill] Belichick
says, “You don’t know how little you know,” so that about sums it up.
Q: One of Randy’s [Moss] strengths is being able to go up and
get the ball down the field. How much have you been working on that and
is that unique when you think back to your time here, to have that
weapon to go to?
TB: One of Randy’s [Moss] strengths is that he tracks the ball in the
air very well. You guys see it, everything looks effortless down the
field and I think he judges the height of the ball a lot like a center
fielder, you can see the ball and you can always judge it. He does a
great job with that, he knows when to put his hands out, knows not to
do it too early because that really triggers the defensive back to put
his hands up, so that’s a big strength of his game. I hope I can throw
it as far as he can run.
Q: How much of an adjustment is that for you, executing that particular type of throw?
TB: It’s something you’ve got to work on. We’ve had routes that I’ve
run here for seven years and you’re very comfortable doing it, but
there’s certain things we haven’t done in seven years so you try to get
up to speed as best you can, putting the ball down the field where he
can really stretch out and run after it. That’s a big part of it.
Q: Have you talked to Asante [Samuel] at all? Called him?
TB: I haven’t talked to [Asante Samuel]. If it’s any hotter in Florida,
then I hope he’s getting good work in. I hope he shows up. We all know
it’s really none of our control.
Q: When do you gain confidence and a comfortable level with some of
these wide receivers that are brand new, that you’re not familiar with?
When do you think that’s going to happen? September? Game time?
Preseason?
TB: It’s a process. I think sometimes it happens sooner rather than
later. It all depends on how much work you put in, how competitive the
drills are, how well you do in the preseason games, what you realize,
what you learn from each other. I’d like to think we’re going to pick
it up pretty quick, though. Like I said, if we keep working hard, if we
keep coming out here, concentrating and putting maximum effort out
here, then it comes fast. I hope it doesn’t take until the first game
of the year. I hope after 30 or 40 practices we have a pretty good idea
of what I think we’re all capable of.
Q: Tom, you turned 30 this summer and you have a baby on the way, in
any way do you feel that this is a new phase of your life or your
career, or is it still the same?
TB: I still feel like I’m 22, so I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I
think each year is a little different, and I think I’m at a point in my
career where I know what it takes to prepare myself, and I’ve tried
just about everything at this point, so you eliminate a lot of stuff
you did in the past and you can really hone in and be efficient in how
to prepare for games and just to maximize your time. One thing I’m
doing that’s a little bit different is I’m really monitoring my throws
in the preseason. Before I’d come out and I’d throw 100 balls a day,
and after awhile you throw 100 balls every practice, and its 200 balls
a day in two a days and you go, “God, after four days why is my arm
sore?” Well, because you think about what major league baseball
pitchers do, throw 100 pitches and take five days off, so we’re
throwing a lot out here, and I think just try to understand how much
I’m throwing and the type of throws we’re making, it’s all part of the
process. Everybody has to get ready differently. The receivers have to
run a lot, quarterbacks have to throw a lot, [the offensive and
defensive] line has to just be mentally tough and kind of endure out
here, but it’s a process for everybody.
Q: You say every year is different. Would you agree that this year is significantly different, given that you’re having a child?
TB: I don’t know. I haven’t had a child yet, so I’ll tell you when it happens.
Q: Have you thought about guys like Lebron James, Tiger Woods, Jeff Gordon that had their kids and did really well this year?
TB: Well I hope that’s a good omen. I hope that doesn’t determine
whether I’m having a good year or not. As a team, we’ve got to come out
here and make it a great year. Coach [Bill] Belichick always says,
“You’ve got to earn it.” Part of the process of earning it is coming
out here in camp and working hard, sweating a lot, and coming out the
next practice and working just as hard.
Q: Tom, once you become a father, do you plan on taking any time off, will you be able to do that?
TB: I don’t know, ask Coach [Bill] Belichick on that one.
Q: The way that the season ended last year, you’re an intense
competitor, how much did losing at Indianapolis really drive you right
now?
TB: I think you learn from situations like that. I hope we all learned
very valuable lessons in that game and at the same time, that’s what’s
happened in the past. You’ve got to learn from the mistakes, but you
can’t dwell on them. You have to use those as motivation, and I think
you have a very motivated football team here. If we stay motivated and
we continue to come out, work hard, listen to our coaches, be unselfish
and do our own job it’s going to be a successful year.
Posted by Christopher Price, 2:38 p.m., July 29
Here's the complete transcript of this morning's Q&A that Bill Belichick had with the media at Gillette Stadium:
BB: What do you have going today? We’re good. We’re back to two-a-days today.
Q: How is Tom Brady looking so far over the first few days of camp with getting on the same page with the new receivers?
BB: I think we had a productive spring. We have a long way to go, but
it's good to pick it up out here and get the pads on and give a little
more jam on the receivers and have to work through the timing, the
re-route situation a little bit. They're working hard at it. It's
better today than it was yesterday and hopefully it'll be better
tomorrow.
Q: How much of an adjustment process has it been for Tom this year in particular with the type of weapons he has this year?
BB: I think there's a little bit of that every year. You always have a
couple of new people in some phase of your team that…you have to start
the timing all over with everyone, but there are certain players that
you haven't worked with before. That's the case with a few guys this
year. It’s just going to take a little bit of time and effort on
everybody’s part. Every receiver has his own set of skills. No two
are really are like even though you run the same pattern. Each one is
a little bit unique in terms of their body build or their quickness or
their speed or their mechanics in the route and techniques. There's a
little bit with everybody. You try to get them to do it all the same,
but it's not exactly the same.
Q: How important is it for these guys to work that much in a passing camp in the spring?
BB: It definitely helps because in the passing camps, and the offseason
program, you can, a lot of times, take one route and just work on that
route for an entire day and go through all the nuances of it - inside
technique, outside technique, press coverage, off coverage, red area,
all of the things that would make it a little bit different even though
it's the same play, whereas in training camp, it’s harder to do that.
You put in half a dozen, 10 plays at night, well you just can't spend
all day on one route. You have a number of things that you have to
cover to get in the overall scheme and playbook and that it’s at the
rate you have it being installed. You don't have that luxury, but in
the offseason a lot of times you can just take one route, take a slant
route or take an out route or take an in-cut and just go through all of
the different things that could happen – man, zone, different
techniques, different rolled up coverage, off coverage, all of that and
take two or three reps at it and then move on to the next situation.
By the end of the week, you knock out five routes against everything
that could happen on those routes and it's a good, slow progression way
of learning if you have the time, if you can afford the time to do it.
Q: When you look at the way [Ryan] O'Callaghan and [Nick] Kaczur
play the right tackle position, do you see similarities there or are
there differences really in what their strengths are?
BB: Both. I think there are some similarities. They are both of a
similar body frame. Nick is a little bit taller, maybe a little bit
longer and maybe Ryan is a little bit thicker. They're both strong.
They both can anchor in the passing game. They can get some movement
in the running game. They both have some quickness. Nick also has
played the left side. Ryan really hasn't done that. He's more of a
right tackle only. I think there are some differences, but they're
both smart guys. They work hard. They're tough. They're strong.
They don't get pushed back in the pocket very often and so they play
pretty firmly on the line of scrimmage.
Q: What has been your experience with monitoring the quarterback’s
throws? Is that something that you believe in and is that commonplace
around the league?
BB: I think each individual player is a little bit different in their
work schedule. Some guys can just take more of a workload than others
depending on their physical limitations or something that you need to
monitor and then other guys don't have that. That really depends on
player to player. I think the big thing is that we want to be
conscious of how much we’re throwing, but then also how they're
feeling. We try to stagger that so we’re not going out there and
throwing hard everyday, day after day. But there are times when we
have to go out there and throw a lot and then there are other times
where we back it down, emphasize the running game, you know goal line,
short yardage, things like that, where they either don’t throw at all,
and if they don't throw at all they probably don't even have to warm up
that day or if they don't throw very much they’re not throwing long.
We have three quarterbacks in camp, so that definitely means that both
Matts have to throw a little more, but that's good because they
probably need to be throwing. We've taken some of the throws away from
Tom and pushed them to Cassel, especially in team settings.
Q: Is Laurence Maroney going to continue to return kickoffs this year?
BB: All of our players work in the kicking game, in some phase of it,
and that’s what he does. [Wes] Welker did it. Everybody pretty much
does it. We'll decide how to do that and as we get into the season,
maybe it's a game by game basis, or maybe it isn't, but in the meantime
in training camp, I think it’s important that you train everybody to do
the things that they could be doing and then at a later point in time
you decide how much you want a person to do those particular jobs and
how many of them you want them to do. Sometimes you get into
situations during the season where you have to add the workload to
somebody based on your depth and that's something that we want to be
prepared for now and not wait until the middle of the season, ‘Uh-oh,
you're going to have to go play over here today,’ or, ‘You're going to
have to go play over there this week,’ that's really not the time you
want to spring it on them.
Q: How much do you and the coaching staff rely on the veterans to help out the rookies?
BB: I think that there's a certain amount of interaction and
communication between all of the different groups on the team – rookies
[to] rookies, veterans [to] veterans, veterans [to] rookies, but right
now in training camp I think everybody pretty much has a full plate.
It doesn't matter who the player is, they have a lot to work on
themselves, a lot to learn, a lot to get ready for. We are installing
a lot of plays at night and so is the other side of the ball, so those
multiples add up and there's a lot of preparation. I think right now
the focus for each individual player is to get himself ready to go,
prepare, study, practice, take care of his body, get treatment, do all
of the things that he can to prepare himself for the season. I think
it's hard for guys to start worrying about everybody else. We all have
to take care of our own job do our own thing. That being said, there's
certainly some communication and interaction throughout the team, but I
think everyone's focus really needs to be individually and what each
one of us has to do to get ready for the season because that's a
full-time job right there for all of us.
Q: The crowd seemed to interact with the team today. Have your ever experienced anything like that before?
BB: I didn't really pay that much attention to it to be honest with you.
Q: Is there anything that stands out to you with the team that is much better than it was last year?
BB: No, I don't think so. We have such a long way to go. We've only
had a handful of practices and we haven't really gotten into the grind
of camp, we’re just kind of getting started. We'll see how we do here
as we get through this week - Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and we start
stringing those double-digit practices together and see how we’re
holding up mentally and how we’re executing when things get tough and
when we’re tired and we have a lot of things to think about and when
there starts to be a little bit of a drag in training camp, we'll see
how it all goes then. The first day or two, you can always go out
there and look good for a day or a player or a position or a couple of
plays, it can always look good for a short period of time, or look bad
for a short period of time. But I think the test is how consistent we
can be and how well we sustain it and how we do when things start to
pile up and get tougher, and they’ll get a lot tougher than they are
now. I think that's the time where you really want to evaluate how you
doing, not after you've only been out here three days.
Q: Is it easier for a veteran coaching staff to figure out whether
it’s just bad for a couple of days because they can see the bigger
picture?
BB: I think sometimes you have a little more patience with some of
those things, just because it's not right now doesn't mean it's going
to be right in a couple of days. You hope it will, and you try to
correct it, but that doesn't necessarily mean that everything is just
going to fall into place. It just doesn't happen like that. We have
to work to make it happen and we've all got to go out there and be able
to execute and do our jobs to make it happen. Just because somebody
else did it or we did it some other year, that doesn't really mean
anything.
Q: Is it nice that you returned both of your coordinators this year?
BB: Yes, it’s good, all of the people that are back on the team –
players, coaches, people in the administration, scouting and so forth,
it’s good to continue to work with those people and you have a little
bit of a background and the history and that's good. It's also good to
add some fresh faces, some new blood and that can be invigorating too.
I think we kind of have a mix of that every year. It never stays the
same and it never all changes. There's elements of both and I think
that's something that we’re all used to and it's a positive. Josh
[McDaniels] and Dean [Pees], I have a lot of respect for both of those
guys. They do a good job. They're smart. They have a good
understanding and put the team first. They do a good job of teaching
what we're trying to do, as does Brad [Seely] who is really a
coordinator too in the special teams area. I have a lot of confidence
in those guys. They do a good job.
Q: What goes into the decision for players to wear the red non-contact jersey?
BB: His physical condition.
Q: Is it a coaching decision at all?
BB: No. I'm not a doctor and the doctors don't call plays.
Q: Do you think Tom Brady is getting better and in what ways?
BB: I think that Tom has improved every year. Tom works on the little
things, he works on the big things too, but he works on the little
things and he'll take areas of his game that he feels like he can
improve in or we've identified that we want to work harder on or change
or modify or whatever it is and he'll put extra time and work into
those areas and they will improve because he's a smart guy and he works
hard and he'll make things get better. It might take a little while,
but he'll work to get them better. He's doing that constantly and I
think that's why he is the player that he is, because he doesn't take
anything for granted. He needs to re-establish the big things, but at
the same time he works on the little things, the small things, the
finer points, all areas of preparation and every once in a while one of
those comes up and he's able to take advantage of it and make plays
that without that kind of preparation he probably wouldn't be able to
make.
Q: Brandon Meriweather talked about how tough the mental aspect of
training camp is. Is there work that you guys put in in between the
morning and afternoon practices, maybe a place where guys can go and
talk about the mental aspect of training camp and working so long, so
many hours a day?
BB: As far as working and all of that, that's what all of the other 31
teams are doing, so I don’t think it’s any big deal. They can go to
any other camp and they're practicing and they’re meeting and they’re
tired too. I'm not worried too much about that. But we meet before
every practice. When we practice twice a day, like we are today, then
we meet in the afternoon. Tomorrow we’ll practice in the afternoon, so
we’ll meet in the morning and we’ll meet at night. So there's always a
meeting before the practice so, first of all, we can correct the
mistakes that happened in the previous practice and then take the
second half of the meeting, roughly, and talk about the new things that
are going in and try to prepare the team for new situations that we’re
going to cover so they understand those. Then we go out and we walk
through those so that everybody can spatially and visually see what
we’re trying to do and then we go out there and run it and after that
practice we have a meeting, go back and watch it on film and correct it
and move on to something else. We kind of follow that progression all
the way through camp until we get into more of a regular season
schedule, which is like a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday preparation for a
Sunday game, regardless of when the game is, that shifts forward or
back. That's a little bit of a different routine for us, but right now
we’re not in that. We’re in a meeting-practice-meeting-practice
routine.
Posted by Christopher Price, 11:38 a.m., July 29
Here's the complete transcript of Brandon Meriweather's Q&A with
the New England media immediately following this morning's practice at
Gillette Stadium.
Your second day of practice — how did it go for you?
It went all right. I can get a lot better. A lot lot better, actually.
I’m not performing how I want to perform. I still have the playbook to
learn. I expect my chemistry with the team to build, so I have a lot to
do.
Are you glad your contract is worked out?
Oh, yeah. I’m extremely happy about that. That was my main focus, the whole offseason, to get my contract done.
How important was it to get it done and make sure you are here pretty much on time?
Very important to me. I felt like the more days you miss, the farther
behind you are, and I didn’t want to be far behind, being that I’m a
rookie.
Were you nervous, when you missed the first day of camp, that it wasn’t
going to get done, or were you pretty confident that you were going to
be here?
I was pretty confident. I talked to my agent and I told him that no
matter what, I can’t miss too many days, and he understood that.
You were working both safety and cornerback?
Right now, I’m doing whatever the coach asks me to. If he wants to put me wherever, I’ll go wherever.
Is there one position more comfortable than the other?
Right now, I’m just having fun with all of them. Every spot, I just
have fun with it. I’m really not trying to focus on what’s better and
what’s more comfortable. I think this is a professional team, and they
know exactly what they’re doing.
What’s been the biggest adjustment for you coming from Miami to New England?
The mental part is probably the biggest adjustment from Miami to New England.
I’m assuming Rodney [Harrison] has talked to you and given you some words of advice as to how to handle all of this.
That’s Rodney. He’s just like my big brother – more like my Dad.
[laughter] He’s great. He’s great. He’s awesome. He and the rest of the
DB’s, the d-linemen and linebackers … the team in general is just
great. It’s a great establishment.
What do they tell you as to how to handle it?
They just tell me to be myself. Stay in the playbook, that’s what they
say, most of all. I think that’s the most important advice, anyway.
How impressed are you with the speed of the game in the NFL?
Very. Very very impressed. Everything is more technique. There are not as many mistakes as they’re made in college.
Are you saying Rodney is old enough to be your Dad?
No. [laughter] I’m not saying he’s old enough to be my Dad. I’m just saying he’s been in the league 14 years…
Are you looking forward to your first big hit?
To be honest with you, I’m really just looking forward to the next
practice. I’m not thinking about the hitting and the NFL. I’m just
thinking about the next practice and learning my playbook.
Brandon, what’s been the biggest surprise so far?
The biggest surprise so far is probably how much mental and studying you have to do to be any good in this game.
Is Belichick’s system tougher than any class at Miami?
Belichick’s system is Belichick’s system. You can’t really compare
them. Belichick is different from everybody. That’s not a comparison
I’m willing to make.
Posted by Christopher Price, 2:55 p.m., July 27
Courtesy of the Patriots' PR staff, here's the complete Q&A Randy Moss had with reporters after this morning's practice session at Gillette Stadium:
Q: How was the first day out there in pads?RM: It felt weird, but it felt good just getting back into the swing
of things and really putting the armor on and just getting used to the
field. It is summertime and it’s a little hot, but that’s something
that we have to get used to.
Q: How much have you and Tom Brady accomplished already in terms of building chemistry?
RM: I think that in order for us to have the chemistry on the field, we
first have to build a relationship off the field. That’s one thing that
we’re trying to do. I’m not trying to step on his toes and he’s not
trying to step on mine. It’s just a mutual friendship and we have an
understanding and we have high respect for one another. Like I said, we
have to start a relationship off the field in order for it to work on
the field. We’re starting that.
Q: How are you learning the system so far?
RM: I’m really liking it. When I went to Oakland and then came here to
New England, it was just more of trying to learn the plays and getting
back to classroom work, meaning studying at night, opening up books,
taking notes and things like that. I’ve been taking notes and studying
since minicamp and I don’t intend to stop now. It’s just putting me
into bed a little earlier and putting me into my book a little earlier
too.
Q: You went deep a few times today. That must have felt pretty good.
RM: That’s just part of football. As coach says, everybody has a
position and I’m here to get open and to catch the ball. I’m just
trying to do what I can to contribute to the team.
Q: Tom Brady’s favorite receiver is the one who’s open. How does
that help the entire receiving corps go through their routes and be
prepared?
RM: I just think that makes everybody work a little harder because Tom
distributes the ball to everyone. Who doesn’t want the ball? I think
that just makes us as a whole unit – all of the skill positions – work
a little harder. As you can see we have a lot of skill positions out
here that are very loaded. Coach is going to put 11 [players] on the
field and we’re just going to try to execute.
Q: Are you happy if your impact is getting somebody else open because the defense is paying attention to you?
RM: I’ve done that my whole career. If you’re asking me whether I mind being a decoy, [the answer is] no.
Q: Does it take you off your feet all of this here at camp with the electricity and the expectations?
RM: No. I just see the excitement and that’s what makes me happy. Just
seeing the excitement of the fans, players and coaches … You can see
how family-oriented this organization is, including the fans. Like I
said in minicamp, I’m glad to be here and I’m happy to get it started.
It’s something that I hope will pay off at the end of the year.
Q: Were there this many fans in Oakland or in Minnesota for the first day of training camp?
RM: Well, football is America’s sport and there are fans all around the
whole world, not just in our country. I know the Patriots are going to
bring them out. I’m happy to see them.
Q: Can you hear the fans cheering for you?
RM: You can. You all even heard it. That’s just something that you try
to block out because you have a job to do. It does feel good to hear
the cheers and the kids screaming. That’s really who drives our sport,
it’s the children. It is exciting and it’s good to feel the love, but
at the same time we have a job to do and we need to concentrate and
focus on what we have to do on the field.
Q: Do you think it’s really important to bust out at this time, right now? Is this time of the year very important?
RM: I think that training camp is really where you get the feel of
football. Sunday, really, is easy because you work so hard during the
week and prepare yourself and study film and things like that. That’s
the hard thing about playing football in the National Football League –
[working hard] throughout the week. Sunday it becomes easy. Training
camp is when it starts, with the heat, putting the pads on, getting out
of meetings at 9:00, being at curfew at 11:00. That’s the hard thing
about football, is getting all of the little things done early in
football season.
Q: When do you anticipate things really clicking with Brady? September maybe?
RM: We don’t really have to click as individuals. I think we have to
click as a whole unit. You have 11 players on the field and if one of
those 11 lets down, then anything can happen. It’s not just me and Tom
who need to be on the same page. We need 11 guys on offense, 11 on
defense and 11 on special teams and everybody needs to contribute.
Everybody has a job to do. Hopefully we can all do that.
Q: Randy, everybody knows that you put some things aside to come to
the offseason program. Do you see that work paying off now when you put
the pads on?
RM: Of course. I’ve always done offseason workouts with every
organization [I’ve played for]. I really don’t know why it was a big
issue here. I planned to come in here and work and get myself in shape
and in condition to go through training camp and the regular season.
I’m not doing anything that I normally don’t do any other year.
Q: What about besides getting in shape?
RM: I haven’t done anything that I normally don’t do. Everything is the
same. I’m just glad to be here and going out there and catching balls.
Q: How is this camp different from others you’ve been through?
RM: I think that just coming in and working right away. We had minicamp
and we had time to prepare for what we’re going to go through in
training camp. We had to report yesterday. We had our test and then
come right back the next day and get into pads. I’m not used to that
with the teams that I was with before. Just being in pads and knowing
that we can run around and hit a little bit and feel the physicalness
of football, it feels good to be right into the pads and not wait three
or four days to get in them.
Q: How was that test?
RM: The test was okay. It wasn’t bad. It kind of hurt, don’t get me wrong, but…
Q: [Interrupts] Was it something you haven’t done before?
RM: Every team has a test, but here it’s everything. If you touch the
grass wrong you’ve got to go back. It’s just something, every
organization hopefully has some kind of conditioning test so players
don’t drop or fall off early in training camp. It’s up to us to get
ourselves to get ready to come into training camp and the coaches and
the organization want to see if we’re ready.
Posted by Jeff Howe, 12:20 p.m., July 27
Morning practice was pretty routine. Randy Moss earned large cheers from the crowd, including his first trot onto the practice field when he wasn't yet wearing his jersey (No. 81, by the way). A few minutes into the session, Tom Brady walked towards the crowd clapping his hands, which drew the largest ovation of the day.
The Patriots list the normal capacity crowd (before expansion, if the Patriots deem necessary) at 5,000, and there appeared to be about that in attendance. There is a huge, huge party foul given to the fan wearing Tom Brady's away Michigan jersey with the No. 12. If you plan on customizing your throwback jersey, do a bit of homework first. Brady, of course, rocked the No. 10 in his days at the Big House.
Several newcomers, including Randy Moss and Wes Welker, said after practice this was the best crowd they had ever seen for a training camp.
Updating a previous report, Eric Alexander was in attendance at practice, but he was wearing a red, no-contact jersey. Laurence Maroney also said he feels as though he is at full strength and could take hits at practice if he were wearing a blue or white jersey. You can read a portion of Maroney's media Q&A below.
Also, read today's Metro coverage, which features five things to look for during training camp.
Posted by Christopher Price, 12:15 p.m., July 27
Here's a quick portion of the Q&A running back Laurence Maroney held with the media as he came off the field from this morning's practice session.
How healthy are you?I feel good. I feel real good.
What’s with the red jersey?
Ask Coach Belichick.
Is this really your first, extensive, on-field work, Laurence?
No, not really, you know, I’ve been working out this offseason.
How’s your second camp going?
It’s just the beginning. I really can’t tell you how it’s going. It’s
just the first practice. Ask me in about a week or so, and I’ll give
you a better answer.
Right now, the red jersey says you can’t take a hit.
I can’t, or they don’t want me to?
They don’t want you to. So you could go if you had to?
Yeah.
There’s been a lot of talk about Tom and the new receivers that have come to town…
I can’t speak on that because I’m not Tom or one of the new receivers. I can just tell you about myself.
And that’s what I want to ask you. Do you feel like in this type of
environment with all those wide receivers and the talent on the outside
that this opens up new opportunities for you?
I don’t really know. All I really know is that I’m just going to come in here and work hard and do my part.
How is it being in your second year and you don’t have to ask for things?
I still do. They say I have four games until my rookie season is really over with, so to them, I’m still a rookie.
Do you still have to carry veterans’ stuff?
No, no, noooo. Corey is gone.
Is it weird not having Corey here?
It is. It is. I’ve still got great backs here to talk to if I ever need
help or ask questions. I still have Kevin, Heath, or other guys who
have been around a long time. I still have good backs to learn from.
How close are you to being 100 percent?
I don’t know. You’ll have to ask [Jim Whalen, head trainer] about that. The trainers know better than I do.
Do you think you’re ahead of schedule or right on schedule?
I think I’m right on schedule. I haven’t missed a beat.
Laurence, what’s one specific area you want to improve on this year?
I have to say route running, catching the ball coming out of the
backfield, because everybody has seen I can run the ball and I can
stick my nose in there and block. I just have to work on my
pass-catching to take my game to the next level.
You averaged about 12 to 13 carries a game last year. How many do you want to average this year?
I really don’t know. All I know is that I want to get a victory, a W,
at the end of the day, if they need me to carry 10, 8, 20, I’ll be on
call.
Laurence, in college you shared time. Last year, you shared time.
This year, it looks like you’ll be doing more than that. Is that
something you welcome? Or do you like having those breaks?
It’s a good thing. It keeps the wear and tear off my body, and keeps
fresh legs in the game at all times, so sharing the load is no big deal
for me.
If a rookie comes to you asking what to expect from a Belichick training camp, what do you tell them?
Wooo hoooo. [laughter] Man, just be prepared, because it’ll be a tough
one. It was fun for me last year, but it will be a rough one because
it’s your first camp, and you’re not used to it and you won’t know what
to expect, so it’ll be a little tough and a little hard, but you just
have to fight through it.
How much more comfortable are you this year than last year?
Now I know what to say. This is my second one, so I know what to
expect. I’ve been through it. Everything isn’t new for me. I didn’t get
all the media hype at Minnesota, so last year was a little fresh. You
were all in my face asking questions, and I got a little nervous. Now,
I’m a little more comfortable, and I’ll have fun with it.
Posted by Jeff Howe, 10:15 a.m., July 27
Contrary to previous reports, the Patriots did not receive their Super Bowl XLII rings this morning. Instead, they officially opened their 2007 training camp this morning at 8:45. Noticeably absent were Asante Samuel (refusing to sign the franchise contract for $7.79 million) and rookie Brandon Meriweather, who is now an official holdout.
Other notable players absent from the morning practice were Donte Stallworth, Eric Alexander, Kareem Brown and Mike Wright. Richard Seymour, Troy Brown and Chad Jackson are all on the physically unable to perform list and cannot practice until they are removed from that list.
Laurence Maroney, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, was wearing a red, no-contact jersey. Junior Seau was also donning red. Sammy Morris, who was wearing the red uni during last month's minicamp, was in a regular jersey today.
More updates will be coming soon.
Posted by Jeff Howe at 7:53 PM, July 25th
With Patriots’ training camp just around the corner, here are a few numbers to consider.
87 — The number of players on the Patriots roster heading into
camp. They must cut down to75 by Aug. 28, and 53 by Sept. 1. They can
sign eight practice squad players on Sept. 2.
12 — The number of players on the Patriots roster who were first-round draft picks.
26 — The number of players on the roster who the Patriots selected in the last four drafts.
26 — The average age of the players on the Patriots roster.
5 — The number of players on the Patriots roster from both LSU and the University of Miami, the most of any school.
32 — The number of consecutive seasons Bill Belichick has coached in the NFL, the longest streak in the league.
