Patriots’ OL Mankins Not In Foxboro
Posted on July 29, 2010
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To no one’s surprise, offensive lineman Logan Mankins is not in Foxboro.
When asked about Mankins this morning, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said during his press conference that, “All the players who are here are under contract, and Logan’s not under contract.”
Published reports have said that Mankins’ agent, Frank Baur, and New England haven’t spoken since he demanded publicly to be traded back on June 14th.
Belichick: LB Crable Could Return
Posted on July 29, 2010
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Patriots head coach Bill Belichick held his first press conference this morning, and talked about linebacker Shawn Crable, who the team released yesterday.
The release apparently happened because Crable wasn’t physically ready to go, with Belichick saying Crable simply wasn’t prepared to compete as camp was opening.
“We didn’t pass him on the physical, and just didn’t feel like he was ready to compete and participate right now,” said Belichick.
When asked by a reporter if his physical included the conditioning test Belichick said that was part of it – which could explain why they let him go if that was indeed the case.
“That’s all part of the physical. There’s a physical, and there’s being in condition – that’s all inclusive.”
Needless to say that may have confirmed what many of us thought, but the biggest surprise was the fact that Belichick didn’t rule out his return. It looks like he’s ready to give Crable another opportunity, although apparently he isn’t willing to to do it unless Crable is completely healthy.
“If Shawn physically is healthy, that he would have a good chance to compete on the field based on what we saw coming out of college, and the limited opportunities that we’ve seen to evaluate him in the last two years. But right now I just don’t think he’s there.”
Thursday Patriots Headlines – July 29th
Posted on July 29, 2010
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PATRIOTS TRAINING CAMP STARTS TODAY!
Here is a new daily video from the guys behind the PatsCast Podcast, who are now giving you a daily video report which will appear each day on the brand new front page at PatsFans.com, and also at their YouTube video channel:
Training camp kicks off today in Foxboro, with the first session beginning at 9:30am and running until 11:15am, while the afternoon session will run from 3:45pm until 5:30pm. Be sure to keep your eye on the team’s official website for any changes in times.
Jeff Howe of NESN.com points out that one of the best battles on the roster as Training camp kicks off involves the starting safety spot alongside Brandon Meriweather. Brandon McGowan and James Sanders are both in a battle for this starting spot, and it’s one fans may want to keep their eye on.
Howe also takes a look at some of the upcoming preseason opponents, one of which is the St. Louis Rams’ Stephen Jackson, along with Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Howe feels that the Saints game figures to be Wes Welker’s first chance to get some live reps, and says that when it occurs, it will serve as a major benchmark in his recovery from his knee injury.
Speaking of Welker our own Bob George takes a look at the fact that Welker’s return highlights the opening of today’s training camp, and looks at some of the issues the team faces heading into this season.
New PatsFans.com contributor Derek Havens looks at all of the changes the team has undergone this offseason, and points out a few things to expect in the coming weeks from some of the new rookies.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com tells fans what to expect in the coming weeks as he begins his coverage of training camp, with lots of great information on the way as usual.
Reiss also looks at how the team will likely manage Welker during training camp, as Belichick doesn’t want to risk any injuries that would cause his receiver an unnecessary setback.
Christopher Price of WEEI.com has his final edition of Rating the roster where he rates the roster from 1-82, and if you missed any of them you can find Edition 1 Here, Edition 2 Here, Edition 3 Here, Edition 4 Here, Edition 5 Here, Edition 6 Here, and today’s final installment here. It’s an interesting read, and he’s fully aware that there will be plenty of debate over it.
Jeff Howe of NESN.com looks at kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who he feels is one of the few special teams players with plenty of job security heading into training camp.
The Boston Globe has a good article on rookie Devin McCourty, who finally reached an agreement with the team just in time for the start of training camp. McCourty’s agent, Andy Simms, told the newspaper that McCourty’s number one goal was not to miss a single practice.
“From the moment he was drafted, he told the Patriots organization that it was his intention not to miss a single practice,’’ agent Andy Simms said. “That was the goal all along; that was paramount to him.’’
With the turnover on the coaching staff in recent years, the Boston Herald’s Ron Borges feels that Belichick and his crew no longer hold the picture of supremacy. This is an article that you definitely need to read, and then form your own opinion.
Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald looks at the Patriots’ redemption quest after the way last season ended finally beginning today in Foxboro. It’s a great overview and definitely a very good read.
Mark Farinella also has an overview of camp today over at the Attleboro Sun Chronicle. Farinella feels that fans can look for the likes of Vince Wilfork up front, Jerod Mayo in the middle and Brandon Meriweather in the secondary to step up on defense.
Jonathan Comey of SouthCoastToday.com also has an overview of today’s start of training camp, pointing out a lot of the intriguing stories that surrounds this year’s group.
Shawn Crable was released yesterday after two seasons on injured reserve, and Karen Guregian takes a look at the injury prone player. Crable was initially put on the active PUP list two days ago, but Belichick apparently finally decided it was time to move on.
Programming Note: With training camp opening up, there will now finally be more Patriots headlines available to fill this space, which means that going forward there won’t be any more OTHER NFL HEADLINES until the regular season begins. This may change, but in an effort to speed up the release of this post to before 7am (which after today is my goal going forward) that is the plan for now.
Patriots Cut LB Shawn Crable
Posted on July 28, 2010
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98.5 The Sports Hub reported a few minutes ago reported that the Patriots have apparently decided to cut their losses, and have released 3rd year linebacker Shawn Crable.
Yesterday Crable was placed on the active PUP list along with Wes Welker and Kade Weston – much to the surprise of every fan in New England (and outside of here for that matter). Welker and Weston we know were battling knee injuries, so the appearance of Crable’s name on that list more or less left most Patriots fans speechless. There was plenty of speculation of an injury or a failed condition test, and obviously at this point we still don’t know what the reason was.
Apparently whatever the issue was that caused Crable to be given that designation has caused head coach Bill Belichick to finally let him go, which is disappointing considering all the potential he had coming out of Michigan.
Most of us had hoped we’d finally see something for the former Wolverine standout. Now if we do, it appears he’ll be doing it elsewhere.
Looking At Brady & Manning’s Contract Issues
Posted on July 28, 2010
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Andrew Brandt of the National Football post has spent the last two days looking at the contract situations for both Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and New England’s Tom Brady, and discusses a variety of subjects that stand in the way of getting the two deals done.
Part I of this series looks at the two situations and their relationships with ownership and management, while Part II looks at the financial implications in place that are preventing the deals from getting done.
They’re both very insightful, so be sure to check them out.
Pats Not Shopping for a Mankins Replacement…Yet
Posted on July 28, 2010
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Christopher Price of WEEI tweeted a few minutes ago that the Patriots aren’t shopping for a guard to potentially replace current holdout Logan Mankins.
Price reported it a few minutes ago via Twitter:
For what I’m hearing around the league, #Patriots are not shopping for 1 of the available veteran guards like Chester Pitts.
Published reports have said that the Patriots and Mankins’ agent, Frank Baur, haven’t had any further discussions following Mankins public comments where expressed his desire to be traded back on June 14th. To this point he hasn’t signed his tender or agreed to the deal he was offered (said to be just under $7 million per year) – so he’s still in limbo. Apparently they’re not looking for a replacement, and it appears they’ll stay with who they’ve got on their roster when camp opens tomorrow.
In another Tweet Price gave his thoughts as to what this may mean:
Maybe sign of things cooling w Mankins-or more likely, a sign they like guys theyve got (Connolly/Kaczur) who’ll likely play LG in his place
Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald reported in an interview yesterday that it’s still possible the two sides could reach a deal, but for now Mankins is not expected to be in Foxboro tomorrow.
More Notes on McCourty’s Signing
Posted on July 28, 2010
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With Patriots first round pick Devin McCourty agreeing to terms on a 5-year deal on Wednesday, all of New England’s draft picks are now under contract as the team gets set to open training camp at Gillette Thursday.
McCourty as we know joins Dez Bryant as only the second first round pick to reach a deal, with the Patriots and Cowboys now more or less setting the market for the remaining draft choices. It’s interesting to note that every other draft choice that New England signed was for four years, while McCourty’s was for five – which was the same length as Bryant’s and fairly normal for guys taken in where they were in the 1st round.
According to Reiss the deal has a maximum value of $13.2 million, citing a league source, with the guarantees and bonuses totalling $7.825 million. Bryant got a five-year deal worth $11.8 million and includes $8.3 million guaranteed with a $1.95 million signing bonus. So while his total is lower, it appears he got more in guaranteed money.
One interesting point made by another fan on Twitter is the fact that with McCourty signing a 5-year deal, in the event we’re fortunate that he becomes the type of player that Darrelle Revis is, one would have to hope that the money he’s making in years four and five are enough to keep him happy. Obviously that’s a problem right now in New York, although one would have to believe that by then there may be big enough change in the new collective bargaining agreement where his salary will still be considered comensurate with the rest of the league.
For now it appears that things are looking good for the Patriots rookie, with his agent, Andy Simms, tweeting that he’ll be at the team’s practice facility today.
Wednesday Patriots Headlines – July 28th
Posted on July 28, 2010
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TRAINING CAMP COUNTDOWN: 1 day until Patriots training camp
Big news out of Foxboro this morning, with Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reporting that Patriots first round draft pick Devin McCourty finally came to terms on a contract. His agent, Andy Simms, confirmed the signing with Mike Reiss – with McCourty signing a 5-year deal with the team. This now puts all 12 draft picks under contract heading into tomorrow’s start of training camp.
Albert Breer of the Boston Globe takes a look at the fact the Patriots are being extra careful with wide receiver Wes Welker, with Belichick likely taking no chances on potentially losing him prior to the start of this season.
The Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian also takes a look at the fact that Welker’s taking it easy to start the year, which she felt Belichick made a “prudent” choice with his decision.
Glenn Farley has a story this morning on Punter Zoltan Mesko, who should give the Patriots a much needed boost in field position compared to the departed Chris Hanson.
Mark Farinella of the Attleboro Sun Times takes a look at Tom Brady’s contract situation and wonders, how much will be enough for Brady to reach a deal with New England.
Shalise Manza Young has more in today’s edition of the Boston Globe on Belichick’s decision to place Wes Welker and Shawn Crable on the active PUP list before start of training camp. Lost in the mix is the fact that rookie Kade Weston is on there, but Welker and Crable being the veterans are the reason why the two are obviously grabbing so much attention. Crable being on their caught the eye of every Patriots fan who is starting to lose faith in the former Michigan standout.
Michael Hurley of NESN.com confirms what all of us hoped this morning, and that’s the fact that New England never really pursued free agent receiver Terrell Owens. Owens signed with Cincinnati yesterday, making the week one matchup here in Foxboro just that much more interesting.
WEEI.com’s Jerry Thornton has an entertaining read, with his confessions of being a Patriots training camp o’ holic.
Former Oakland Raider safety Jack Tatum passed away at the age of 61 yesterday, and in a candid interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub former Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan had a hard time finding anything nice to say about the former Raider. For anyone who doesn’t know it was Tatum who delivered a blow to Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley during a 1978 exhibition game that left him paralyzed. Stingley passed away back on April 5, 2007.
“There’s not too many people that I can’t find something nice to say about when this kind of situation arises,” said Grogan in one part of the interview. “Unfortunately, Jack Tatum is one guy I can’t find anything nice to say about. It bothers me that I feel that way, but, to never apologize to Darryl, to try to make money off the whole situation, never show any regret or remorse … this is a man that wasn’t a good person.”
It’s an interesting interview to say the least, and one you definitely should take a moment to listen to.
In case you missed it, Belichick is taking an interesting step this season with all the new players coming in. According to wide receiver Troy Brown, the Patriots head coach is stripping out all the “Glory Days” images of past New England players who helped the team win three championships, with Brown telling Tom Curran of Comcast Sports New England that he wants these new guys to find their own identity.
OTHER NFL HEADLINES:
The New York Post has an article on Derrelle Revis, who they feel the Jets owe a new contract and shouldn’t have been wasting time making a phone call to inquire on Terrell Owens prior to him signing in Cincinnati.
Michael Hurley takes a look at SI’s Power Rankings and feels that the Jets have no business being in the number one spot.
Out in Oakland former Patriot Richard Seymour made some friends by riding the rookie bus with his new teammates, which is something the Sacramento Bee is calling a “classy move” by the veteran defensive lineman.
That’s it for this morning. Hope everyone has a good day and we’ll have more later on.
Patriots Sign Devin McCourty
Posted on July 28, 2010
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Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reported on Wednesday that the Patriots have finally reached a deal with first round draft pick Devin McCourty.
His agent, Andy Simms, confirmed the signing with Reiss – with McCourty agreeing to a 5-year deal with the team. This now puts all 12 draft picks under contract heading into tomorrow’s start of training camp.
According to Reiss the deal has a maximum value of $13.2 million, citing a league source. The guarantees and bonuses total $7.825 million.
McCourty is just the second first-round draft choice to agree to a contract – with only Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant being the other. Considering the fact that after New England signed linebacker Brandon Spikes yesterday – Spikes became just the 11th second round pick to sign, with New England accounting for three of those picks.
Needless to say it’s a fantastic job by the front office for getting these deals done, and it sets everything up quite well for tomorrow’s opening of training camp at Gillette Stadium.
TO Signs in Cincinnati…Which Means….
Posted on July 27, 2010
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It was reported this evening that wide receiver Terrell Owens has landed with Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco out in Cincinnati, which now turns up the intensity for the Patriots week one match-up against the Bengals on September 12th in Foxboro.
Owens, who had recently said he was interested in playing for the Patriots, for the most part had received little to no interest this offseason from any NFL team. However as Peter King pointed out earlier today in his Tuesday edition of Monday morning quarterback, after visiting the Bengals and not consumating a deal a couple of weeks ago – it may have been a guy like quarterback Carson Palmer who knows their window of opportunity may be closing, and may have pushed the issue just a bit in hopes of having another weapon to throw to.
How he’ll affect their matchup with New England this season is tough to say. Looking back, Owens didn’t exactly play a big factor in either of the two games against the Bills last season. In their first meeting he caught just two passes for 46-yards, although one of them was a 27-yard reception in an exciting 25-24 win for the Patriots to kick off the season in Foxboro. While in their second meeting he caught two more passes for just 20-yards in a 17-10 win by New England out in Buffalo.
We’ve seen the talking back and forth between Ochocinco and Leigh Bodden on Twitter, but adding Owens to the mix will likely make the personnel matchups a little tougher for the Patriots. How they’ll take him out of the game is simply one more question that we’ll get to look forward to seeing, and one more reason to get a little more excited for the start of the 2010 season.
Needless to say, week one just got a little more interesting.