What I Saw at My First TC

[randomk1]

Damn i'm excited for Gronk. All reports have him dominating at camp.

 

[TriplecHamp]

Damn i'm excited for Gronk. All reports have him dominating at camp.

seriously, haven't heard a bad thing yet. Sounds like he put in plenty of work during the lockout.

 

[BritPat]

Very much appreciated from this side of the pond. Hearing a lot of good things about Yeatman and Ridley.

Not surprised at all about Gronk, he was one of the best TE's in the league last year as a rookie, and it's not a position that ever seems to suffer from the dreaded Sophomore slump. He and Hernandez will be a huge asset for the next few years.

 

[livinginthe past]

Thanks for the observations/ thoughts on both sides of the ball PnP!

Its great to get the take of a regular fan in the bleachers!

 

[DarrylS]

Re: Going to TC today...

If the kids want autographs and you sit up in the bleachers, be alert when it gets close to the end of practice. First time we went another fan gave us a heads up so we were watching and at first movement my son bolted down to the front row (Got Cassel). If we had waited to figure out what was going on we would have been lost.

They dont allow anyone up to the rail until they give the OK then its a jailbreak.

Also remind the children it is ok to push and shove the person in front of them..

 

[BlueThunder]

Re: Going to TC today...

Also remind the children it is ok to push and shove the person in front of them..

heh....and a hatpin also gets people out of the way

 

[patsinthesnow]

So has Ridley jumped Vereen on the depth chart? Vereen got to camp late and is getting knicked up.
Very impressed from what I saw from Ridley.

Another interesting RB is the DII Medlin. He got plenty of reps and showed good blitz pickup/vision. Curious to see what he has in preseason.

Morris sucks.

 

[patchick]

Very impressed from what I saw from Ridley.

The guy who amazed the crap out of me was #22, Stevan Ridley. Everyone around us agreed the dude stood out every time. He has great hands..plays VERY confident..hits the hole hard and runs with some authority. He's got the effortlessness I eluded to earlier. Really shined and one to keep an eye on.

OK, I'm seeing a trend here...In 2009, the most-maligned Patriots draft choice, the one most referred to as a "ridiculous reach," was Sebastian Vollmer. In 2010, it was Devin McCourty. In 2011, the honor went to Stevan Ridley. Bodes well for the rookie!

 

[PatsBoy12]

Thank you again for the report. Gronk, by all accounts, is just killing everyone, especially Guyton. I am very worried about him. If he isn't get beat badly by TE's, he's missing assignments or getting blown up by offensive linemen. I have not read ONE good thing about Guyton in any report.

To both professional writers and the average fan, those who seem to be consistently shining:

Gronkowski
Bodden
Chung
Price
Ridley
Welker
Edelman
Mayo
Moore

 

[patchick]

Thank you again for the report. Gronk, by all accounts, is just killing everyone, especially Guyton. I am very worried about him. If he isn't get beat badly by TE's, he's missing assignments or getting blown up by offensive linemen. I have not read ONE good thing about Guyton in any report.

Agreed on Guyton, but I'd add Dane Fletcher to the list of players getting good reviews. Fletcher seemed to have inched ahead of Guyton on the depth chart last season, perhaps we'll see more of that. Also, while Moore has apparently supplanted Ninkovich as a starting OLB/DE, Nink has been getting raves for his coverage skills. That's another safety net for Guyton's supposed role.

The player who's been worrying me most from camp reports is Meriweather. It's a real shame that Dowling is missing so many reps. Dowling's greatest strengths in college were exactly Meriweather's weaknesses: great field awareness and discipline, always in the right place at the right time, etc.

 

[Belichicknumber1]

Went to my first training camp with the wife and kids today.

I will provide some quick assessments, but have to mention in advance due to the fact that I was accompanied by wife and kids, I was not able to pay as much attention to things like formations and we HAD to leave about a half hour into the second session (3 hour practice today).

First off...no Haynesworth.

Got to see Mesko have a pretty average day, but he did a couple of boomers.

I have to say that the most intriguing thing about watching practice and watching players go through the same drills, you can glaringly see the differences in talent and effort. This was most
obvious in the passing game amongst the wide receivers.

Not as much regarding catching the ball, but things like running crisp routes and making quick breaks. most importantly how much effort you put into it.

In this regard, no one stood out more than Welker and Edelman. These guys ran full tilt...full time. The speed leaves you awestruck. Branch does not exhibit the suddenness of the other two, but there is a smoothness to his route running and he and the ball were at the someplace every time. Ochocinco seems to be a hybrid of the other styles....a long strider who runs very clean routes but has the suddenness on things likes quickly breaking to the sideline or on a buttonhook comeback. Taylor Price was steady, fast but did not have any WOW moments during my time there. I didn't
see any drops by the top 5 WRs in camp. The talent drop off in regards to speed, quickness and most importantly a lack smoothness is big when you get to the Farnham, Jenkins, Ross...etc. The great players make it all look easy...the others look like they labor to make anything happen.

Secondly...... Gronkowski......... is starting to look like the best player on the field. He is truly a man amongst boys and whoever covers him will suffer nothing but humiliation. Ask Big Bang Clock....he got burnt on a deep route badly. Merriweather made some effort on the play, but it really looked like a JV player facing off against a HOFer. His hands are all world...on a between the cones tacking drill.....he pushed away his would tackler like a gnat. The crowd laughed...but with undertones of disbelief. Truly a ridiculously talented player.

Hernandez made some nice grabs, dropped one and was overall steady. Smith and Yeatman are big dudes, nice blockers, both have goods hands....but are lumbering bodies.

The QBs all had a decent day. No one was overly amazing and in 11 on 11, all three would have gotten knocked on their butts a few times if the pass rushers had not held up before they released the ball. Overall....the accuracy of all 3 was very good.

I was eager to get to RBs. BJGE looks very strong and quick. Woodhead looked good especially in the passing game. The guy who amazed the crap out of me was #22, Stevan Ridley. Everyone around us agreed the dude stood out every time. He has great hands..plays VERY confident..hits the hole hard and runs with some authority. He's got the effortlessness I eluded to earlier. Really shined and one to keep an eye on. The new DIV II guy, Rich Medelin got lots of reps...and didn't look bad. Very steady. Sammy Morris on the other hand looks like he doesn't have much left in the tank.

Our jewel of the draft got ***** slapped on one of his first plays. Second to last to sign boy....got swam over and obliterated into the ground by Eric Moore. It was ugly. So ugly...Dante pulled him out and "had words with him".

Since that was the baseline for the O line...the rest of the day for them all was so so...with piss poor pass blocking and decent run blocking. Looks to me like they have a long way to go.

Wife calling.....defense next post.

Thanks you very much for the report. I like how you talked about the the undrafted free agents. Please keep us up to date on Medlin the man has some great vision. Thanks again.

 

[BradyToAmendola]

Happy Gronk is doing so well, but a tad worried about how our linebackers seem to get toasted in coverage all the time.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Happy Gronk is doing so well, but a tad worried about how our linebackers seem to get toasted in coverage all the time.

It is a bit discouraging, especially when it seems to always be Guyton because he's used primarily in the role of guarding the TE.

 

[randomk1]

Happy Gronk is doing so well, but a tad worried about how our linebackers seem to get toasted in coverage all the time.

Because Gronk is a freak of nature?

6'7 265..."can run like the wind",mauls like a mini-mankins,and has the hands to grab anything near his massive reach. And with Brady throwing?

I'd be worried if we heard constant reports of some of those other rookie TE's dominating our LBs.

 

[DaBruinz]

It is a bit discouraging, especially when it seems to always be Guyton because he's used primarily in the role of guarding the TE.

Guys, stop and think about what you are saying. On one hand, you are all excited and oozing because Gronkowsi is looking to be an ALL-PRO who is going to make people forget about the likes of Ben Coates and Russ Francis. On the other, you are complaining that the LBers are having troubles covering him?? Isn't that what you want from an ALL-PRO? How many other TEs out there are as good as Gronk??

Here are the TEs we have to worry about this year:
Antonio Gates - Another All-pro..Practice against Gronk should help with covering Gates
Randy McMichael - Not nearly the force he used to be with Miami
Anthony Fasano and Mickey Shuler of Miami - Neither are fantastic. Practicing against Gronk should help shut these two down
Shawn Nelson and David Martin of Buffalo - Shouldn't be a worry..
Kevin Boss in Oakland - With Oakland's Carousel at QB continuing, I don't see Boss being a huge factor since he'll be one of the ones the Pats gameplan to shut down.
Dustin Keller of the Jets - He beats us on one route. The seam route. The Pats can shut that down.
Jason Witten and Marcellus Bennett of Dallas - This tandem I worry about. Witten is a complete TE. What We all picture Gronk becoming (though Gronk is a better blocker already). Practicing against Gronk and Hernandez should help slow this tandem down.
Heath Miller of Pittsburgh - He doesn't scare me anymore. With no real back-up there, the Pats should be able to have a LB focus on him and hold him in check.
Tony Moeaki and Leonard Pope of KC - This tandem I worry about because they have a very good QB in Cassel and a very good WR Corps with Bowe, Urbane, Terrence Copper and Breaston. Not to mention rookie Jonathan Baldwin. (on a side note, the Chiefs have built up a very good receiving corps for Cassel.. Reminiscent of 2007 and the Pats.
Brent Celek and Donald Lee of Philly - Philly's WRs worry me more than Celek or Lee do. But both are capable receivers. However, the Pats LBs should be able to shut them down and force Vick to throw to Maclin, Jackson, Moss, Cooper, or Avant..
Dallas Clark and Jacob Tamme of Indy - This tandem would scare me more if Clark is healthy. Mainly because of Manning throwing them the ball. This is one of the match-ups that concerns me.
Chris Cooley and Mike Sellars of Washington - Sellars is an average all around TE. Great at nothing ok at everything. When you look up Cooley, you see the prototypical H-Back type player. Washington is rebuilding and Cooley is the key to shutting them down.
Denver TEs - The only 2 I know on that team are Dan Gronkowski and Donte Rosario. Dan is a blocking TE. He gets limited playing time and hasn't done much with it. Rosario is an import from the Panthers. I had him on a list during his draft year as a sleeper for the Pats.. He's a decent Pass Catcher for them and may be the safety valve for Orton. This team will be relying more on it's WRs than it's TEs in my honest opinion.

I don't mind the LBers having problems with Gronkowski. Or even with Hernandez. If they were having problems with Lee Smith or Will Yeatman blowing by them, then there'd be something to be concerned about..

 

[PatsBoy12]

Guys, stop and think about what you are saying. On one hand, you are all excited and oozing because Gronkowsi is looking to be an ALL-PRO who is going to make people forget about the likes of Ben Coates and Russ Francis. On the other, you are complaining that the LBers are having troubles covering him?? Isn't that what you want from an ALL-PRO? How many other TEs out there are as good as Gronk??

Here are the TEs we have to worry about this year:
Antonio Gates - Another All-pro..Practice against Gronk should help with covering Gates
Randy McMichael - Not nearly the force he used to be with Miami
Anthony Fasano and Mickey Shuler of Miami - Neither are fantastic. Practicing against Gronk should help shut these two down
Shawn Nelson and David Martin of Buffalo - Shouldn't be a worry..
Kevin Boss in Oakland - With Oakland's Carousel at QB continuing, I don't see Boss being a huge factor since he'll be one of the ones the Pats gameplan to shut down.
Dustin Keller of the Jets - He beats us on one route. The seam route. The Pats can shut that down.
Jason Witten and Marcellus Bennett of Dallas - This tandem I worry about. Witten is a complete TE. What We all picture Gronk becoming (though Gronk is a better blocker already). Practicing against Gronk and Hernandez should help slow this tandem down.
Heath Miller of Pittsburgh - He doesn't scare me anymore. With no real back-up there, the Pats should be able to have a LB focus on him and hold him in check.
Tony Moeaki and Leonard Pope of KC - This tandem I worry about because they have a very good QB in Cassel and a very good WR Corps with Bowe, Urbane, Terrence Copper and Breaston. Not to mention rookie Jonathan Baldwin. (on a side note, the Chiefs have built up a very good receiving corps for Cassel.. Reminiscent of 2007 and the Pats.
Brent Celek and Donald Lee of Philly - Philly's WRs worry me more than Celek or Lee do. But both are capable receivers. However, the Pats LBs should be able to shut them down and force Vick to throw to Maclin, Jackson, Moss, Cooper, or Avant..
Dallas Clark and Jacob Tamme of Indy - This tandem would scare me more if Clark is healthy. Mainly because of Manning throwing them the ball. This is one of the match-ups that concerns me.
Chris Cooley and Mike Sellars of Washington - Sellars is an average all around TE. Great at nothing ok at everything. When you look up Cooley, you see the prototypical H-Back type player. Washington is rebuilding and Cooley is the key to shutting them down.
Denver TEs - The only 2 I know on that team are Dan Gronkowski and Donte Rosario. Dan is a blocking TE. He gets limited playing time and hasn't done much with it. Rosario is an import from the Panthers. I had him on a list during his draft year as a sleeper for the Pats.. He's a decent Pass Catcher for them and may be the safety valve for Orton. This team will be relying more on it's WRs than it's TEs in my honest opinion.

I don't mind the LBers having problems with Gronkowski. Or even with Hernandez. If they were having problems with Lee Smith or Will Yeatman blowing by them, then there'd be something to be concerned about..

I'm aware of all of that. However, the reports about Guyton are not only related to covering Gronkowski. I've talked about this in another thread. I'm very happy Gronk is performing well.