Notes from 07/31 morning session

[Christopher_Price]

Some practice notes from the recently concluded morning session today at Gillette Stadium: BRADY BACK: After a days’ absence, quarterback Tom Brady was back on the field with the rest of the signal-callers, and handled his usual reps with the starting offense through most of the morning practice. WET MORNING: The rookies were treated to a soaking [...]

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[patchick]

Another day, another sign that Matt Slater is your new KR!

 

[ScottieC]

Thanks for the notes!!!!!!

 

[bbabin]

Another day, another sign that Matt Slater is your new KR!

Yes, I'm starting to get excited about Slater. It seems like everything we've heard has been positive. It will also be nice to not see Hobbs (our best CB) or Maroney (out best (?) RB) out there returning kicks.

 

[Christopher_Price]

Another day, another sign that Matt Slater is your new KR!

I'd love to hear Mrs. B's take on Slater's performance--she was also in attendance this morning--but he did look really good today.

 

[JSn]

Yes, I'm starting to get excited about Slater. It seems like everything we've heard has been positive. It will also be nice to not see Hobbs (our best CB) or Maroney (out best (?) RB) out there returning kicks.

Seriously, we're getting so stocked up at RB I'm starting to feel like the Buc's and their QB stockpile a couple months back, haha.

Maroney - All around
Morris - D-stuffer
Jordan - Grill Smasher
Faulk - Can't Faulkin' cover the guy
Evans - All Around (good season coming, mark my words)
Eckel - Traded for a some high-end toilet paper.

 

[signbabybrady]

Another day, another sign that Matt Slater is your new KR!

Yeah I don't think there is much doubt about that.

Add in his two way play and you have an extremely versatile player.

The Troy Brown redux (no guarentees he will every be quite the starter he was but he is on route)

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

"The rookies were treated to a soaking at the start of practice, an annual tradition. In the drill, assistant coach Pepper Johnson rolled a football, and the rookies were forced to go chase it while they were squirted with a hose by linebacker Tedy Bruschi."

There it is folks, independent confirmation that Bruschi "hates his team mates".

 

[Rob0729]

Good stuff!

I am surprised that Tank Williams is still getting so much time at ILB. Not that he is actually playing there for most of his reps, but that he and not Mayo or Hobson are lining up with the first team at that position. I still can't see Williams as a starter in that position, but I guess I could be wrong. I guess it could be because they want to ease either Mayo or Hobson into the starting role by letting them get a grasp of the playbook while giving Williams a heavy rotation the first week of camp and then transistioning him out.

 

[BradyManny]

Good stuff!

I am surprised that Tank Williams is still getting so much time at ILB. Not that he is actually playing there for most of his reps, but that he and not Mayo or Hobson are lining up with the first team at that position. I still can't see Williams as a starter in that position, but I guess I could be wrong. I guess it could be because they want to ease either Mayo or Hobson into the starting role by letting them get a grasp of the playbook while giving Williams a heavy rotation the first week of camp and then transistioning him out.

I started a thread on the topic and got some interesting replies. Check it out for some thoughts on the Tank issue.

 

[Rob0729]

I started a thread on the topic and got some interesting replies. Check it out for some thoughts on the Tank issue.

Thanks. I did see that thread and did reply a whikle back, but I have to admit I haven't checked back recently in that thread. I guess I have gotten swept up in anti-Casale mania.

 

[Urgent]

Yeah I don't think there is much doubt about that.

Add in his two way play and you have an extremely versatile player.

The Troy Brown redux (no guarentees he will every be quite the starter he was but he is on route)

For goodness sakes.
That's embarrassing.
Again with the Troy Brown comparisons.

If Slater catches 10% of the passes Brown did in a season it will be amazing.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

Another day, another sign that Matt Slater is your new KR!

I was at this mornings practice and basically it was Slater, CJ, and I I think CJ Jones taking kickoff duty. Maybe Slater will be a surprise, but we need to remember Hobbs and Welker(punting) aren't practicing. Also Maroney might get duty again since they have a wealth of RB's. The kickoffs are hard to read because it's not full speed and full contact. Lamont Jordan is alot thicker than Morris and I could see him being very productive, he had a nice spin in the gola line drill to get in the endzone where he was stopped but spun in the tackle and got in.

In the rb blocking drills I thought Heath Evan was the better of the blockers.

I also noticed James Sanders wasn't in attendance unless I missed him.

On the goal line 11 on 11 Ty Warren busted through the line and had a great tackle on the rb(not a full tackle)

Crable definitely stands out with his length, hopefully he produces.

my biggest comments are on CJ. He got alot of snap with the first unit but it seems like Brady doesn't look for him alot and I think this is for many reasons.
Brady's got chemistry with Moss as his favorite recv'r. But I also noticed early in the practice CJ seemed confused on his lineups at times, lining up in the wrong place. He also doesn't seem to separate from his cb even with one on one coverage. He doesn't seem to or try to use his body either. The kid appears to have the tools and is chiseled whe he took his pads off at the end with underarmor underneath. I feel bad for him a bit because I think his confidence has to be shaky. Hopefully he can overcome it. Maybe they're throwing too much of the playbook at him still?

I believe Gaffney is firmly entrenched as the #2 recv'r(outside recv'r) with Welker in the slot.

 

[signbabybrady]

For goodness sakes.
That's embarrassing.
Again with the Troy Brown comparisons.

If Slater catches 10% of the passes Brown did in a season it will be amazing.

That is why I included this

(no guarentees he will every be quite the starter he was but he is on route)

All I meant was the redux of his versatility and no guarentess he will be the same kind of starter.

and even if I was going that far what is the problem with comparing someone who could play iron man football to another guy who recently did play iron man.

 

[BradyManny]

Thanks. I did see that thread and did reply a whikle back, but I have to admit I haven't checked back recently in that thread. I guess I have gotten swept up in anti-Casale mania.

Yeah, that'd make two of us...I've been neglecting other threads as well...

 

[old 55]

This is kind of a tangent, but someone referenced the RBs and there has been a great deal of talk of Slater's Special Team skills.

I think we keep all of the RB's except Evans. Here's my thought process:
Evans strength is Special Teams play. We have upgraded our special teams play with some of the new faces like Slater and Aiken and can replace what Evans does on ST.
I would rather keep Eckels because he is younger than Evans and more likely to be grabbed by another team if we release him.

Felger has said that he thinks we keep either Morris or Jordan. I don't agree. I think BB would rather have a deeper RB roster after losing Morris last year. Keep in mind, Faulk isn't young and Maroney has had injury issues.

I think we keep two TE - Watson & Thomas and use an OL for multiple TE sets or power run blocking.

At QB, we keep Brady & O'Connell and 1 of the 2 others.

Thoughts?

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

Another day, another sign that Matt Slater is your new KR!

This is kind of a tangent, but someone referenced the RBs and there has been a great deal of talk of Slater's Special Team skills.

I think we keep all of the RB's except Evans. Here's my thought process:
Evans strength is Special Teams play. We have upgraded our special teams play with some of the new faces like Slater and Aiken and can replace what Evans does on ST.
I would rather keep Eckels because he is younger than Evans and more likely to be grabbed by another team if we release him.

Felger has said that he thinks we keep either Morris or Jordan. I don't agree. I think BB would rather have a deeper RB roster after losing Morris last year. Keep in mind, Faulk isn't young and Maroney has had injury issues.

I think we keep two TE - Watson & Thomas and use an OL for multiple TE sets or power run blocking.

At QB, we keep Brady & O'Connell and 1 of the 2 others.

Thoughts?

After seeing Evans this morning and in the past I think he is a very good blocker and you need to keep him. If you run the I-formation who else is going to block for the rb's?

Dave Thomas is unreliable. So really you have one TE unless he quickly proves otherwise.

 

[Mack Herron]

For goodness sakes.
That's embarrassing.
Again with the Troy Brown comparisons.

If Slater catches 10% of the passes Brown did in a season it will be amazing.

Troy Brown had mediocre speed and was cut several times before sticking around to become a great returner and, still later, one of the team's all-time leading receivers. If Slater sticks, he will be ahead of Troy....