Coming into focus

Through early days of camp, Patriots fixate on different things

 The first week of an NFL training camp means different things to different players.

While the focus of this year’s Patriots team is making sure everything builds to a head for the Sept. 7 opener against the Chiefs, through the first week of training camp, players are often fixated on individual improvement instead of teamwide success.

So while they’re keeping team goals in mind, rookies like linebacker Jerod Mayo are just trying to keep their head above water. Fringe players like wide receiver C.J. Jones are trying to make enough of an imprint on the coaches to land a spot on the active roster. And established veterans like running back Kevin Faulk are focused on getting back in football shape in anticipation of another NFL season.

“The focus is on a lot of different things,” said Faulk, in the first week of his 10th training camp. “You haven’t been at game speed for five or six months, and you just want to come out here and be consistent and do what you have normally been able to do.”

“If it’s a run game, we’re working on the run game and how to execute the run game,” quarterback Tom Brady said of the focus through the first days of camp. “If it’s a conditioning drill, we’re working on our conditioning. Quickness drill, throwing the ball … whatever coach asks us to do, that’s what we’re going to focus on and try to do our best at it.”

As a team, the first five days of camp have been focused on fundamentals. Coach Bill Belichick said that he’s gone “old-school” in his approach this year, choosing to keep the team in pads almost exclusively.

“I’ve kind of gone back to the old school way like in 2000 and 2001, where it was a lot of time on fundamentals and individual techniques in pads,” he said. “All the things you can practice with pads, especially in a running game in the early part of camp.”

Working in full pads in steamy July conditions — and the constant repetition that’s inherent in any training camp — isn’t always popular with players, but it’s part of building a base that will hopefully pay off later in the season.
“I think that overall our team understands that there are certain things that we have to do to prepare for the season,” Belichick said. “We all have to do our thing and have confidence in the other people doing their jobs.

Just try to do what’s best for the team.”