JustWinBrady's In-stadium notes

[JustWinBrady]

here are some of my quick hits from last night.

- hanson continues to struggle with his punting. he's getting worse with each practice. he is reminding me of walter in his last year. just awful.

- watson continues to drop passes in the end-zone. WTF.

- merriweather still has hands of stone dropping an easy interception

- wilhite came out grabbing the back of his leg, i believe it was crapping not a hammy.

- i thought the young CB crew did a pretty good job with the speedy and shifty welker. although welker had his moments the CBs stuck with him pretty well.

- they are not keeping 4 qbs on the roster, so something must happen. either cassel is let go or traded or connell (sp) gets injured somehow and is red-shirted (IR'd).

- aiken continues to be productive and consistent. both on offense and STs.

- A. Thomas is quietly becoming a leader of this "d". Its good to see him challenging brady every practice.

- Slater runs & hits the holes hard on kick-off returns. He should be a pleasant surprise.

- Alexander is making his case to stick with the team while vetrone is taking advantage of every opportunity given to him. vetrone is like the swiss army knife of the team. i believe he is on the outside looking in.

- im not a big fan of izzo at this point in his career and taking a roster spot for just a pure ST'er, but by all appearances he seems to be having a good camp.

- brady has had better camps as he has been off a bit but he is the last person to worry about regarding his effort and preparation.

 

[PatsFan2]

Definitely nothing new there on both "stone hands" Watson and Merriweather. Hey Eugene Wilson played FS for us for almost four years, that makes you think that anybody can play that position. I have said it before and will say it again...people are going to love the older Marcus Pollard. He's going to make us all say Watson who? As far as i am concerned Watson is just an average player...looks like Tarzan plays like Jane.:snob:

 

[BelichickFan]

- wilhite came out grabbing the back of his leg, i believe it was crapping not a hammy.

That must have been embarrassing to do in public - unless you meant cramping

- aiken continues to be productive and consistent. both on offense and STs.

The #4 and #5 WR are very interesting with Jackson, Washington, Aiken and Jones competing for the two or more likely three (including ST) spots. Aiken and Jones both seem to have flashed some as WR in camp - haven't heard much from Washington.

 

[BelichickFan]

Definitely nothing new there on both "stone hands" Watson and Merriweather.

From what I've read from camp, Meriweather's hands are better this year. Not great but better. Hopefully he can go from stone hands to average hands this year. Watson certainly isn't stone hands. Maybe his hands are no better than average but they aren't stone.

 

[JoePats]

I hope it wasn't "crapping" in Wilhite's case. There will be much bigger stages.

Not sure what to make of Hanson. But in reality just because there isn't another punter in camp doesn't mean he is safe.

 

[DefenseRules]

Not sure what to make of Hanson. But in reality just because there isn't another punter in camp doesn't mean he is safe.

This is one of the most baffling developments in camp, IMO. The coaches obviously see something they like in him.

 

[Crowpointer]

This is one of the most baffling developments in camp, IMO. The coaches obviously see something they like in him.

Maybe a situation that Pioli/BB is watching
"It will be worth keeping an eye on Washington where rookie Durrant Brooks (last year's Ray Guy Award winner from Georgia Tech) is trying to unseat veteran Derrick Frost. Brooks was rated as the top punter in this year's draft, and was a sixth-round pick, so he is likely to win the job, but if he is released, he would be a good guy to snag. The No. 2 punter in most draft rankings" http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2008/08/05/plenty-of-punters-are-looking-for-work/

 

[patsox23]

here are some of my quick hits from last night.

- hanson continues to struggle with his punting. he's getting worse with each practice. he is reminding me of walter in his last year. just awful.

- merriweather still has hands of stone dropping an easy interception.

Out of curiosity...I have heard, over and over and over, that Hanson is booming his punts and looking "fantastic" and "better than ever" from people who've been to every practice. What constitutes "continues to struggle?"

Meriweather "still has hands of stone" because he dropped one easy INT? Did he drop several? A few? MORE than one?

Thanks for letting me know.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Out of curiosity...I have heard, over and over and over, that Hanson is booming his punts and looking "fantastic" and "better than ever" from people who've been to every practice. What constitutes "continues to struggle?"

I dunno, when I saw him last Tuesday he was very inconsistent. Booms one 45 yds with good hang time followed by a couple of limp 30 yd punts. And those were NOT coffin corner attempts. All this with no 'real' punt rush.

 

[signbabybrady]

- merriweather still has hands of stone dropping an easy interception

I was there last night and I recall that Merriweather's near INT was broken up by Moss slaming him to the turf. I would not have called it an easy INT.

 

[patsox23]

My issue with the thread is that it seems bent on shoring up old conventional wisdoms, based on superficial connections - i.e., Meriweather had terrible hands last year so ONE DROP means he hasn't improved at all, despite numerous reports (in every paper, blog and radio show) to the contrary.

 

[signbabybrady]

My issue with the thread is that it seems bent on shoring up old conventional wisdoms, based on superficial connections - i.e., Meriweather had terrible hands last year so ONE DROP means he hasn't improved at all, despite numerous reports (in every paper, blog and radio show) to the contrary.

Thats why when I post camp notes I say what I saw and leave the conclusions to discuss. I might throw out an opinion every once in a while but more concerns/fears or praise than set evaluations.

and as I said about that Merriweather dropped INT I thought Moss made a nice play to break it up. The fact is unless we are talking about different plays that was a good play from Meriweather.

 

[Bostonian1962]

Maybe a situation that Pioli/BB is watching
"It will be worth keeping an eye on Washington where rookie Durrant Brooks (last year's Ray Guy Award winner from Georgia Tech) is trying to unseat veteran Derrick Frost. Brooks was rated as the top punter in this year's draft, and was a sixth-round pick, so he is likely to win the job, but if he is released, he would be a good guy to snag. The No. 2 punter in most draft rankings" http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2008/08/05/plenty-of-punters-are-looking-for-work/

I would love to know the real reason a punter like Mike Dragosavich (big leg) is cut, and this clown is kept. Is it the time Drago takes to get rid of the ball? Can Drago not put the ball down inside the 20? Perhaps our current punter has some nice "Bellichick w/ Goat" photos?

 

[Metaphors]

Thats why when I post camp notes I say what I saw and leave the conclusions to discuss. I might throw out an opinion every once in a while but more concerns/fears or praise than set evaluations.

Which is actually much appreciated. One of the hardest things about reading all these camp reports is filter out the "hater" talk from the objective observations. Particularly with the rookie class. I've read lots of folks make definitive conclusions (positive and negative) about all the rooks before they have even played a single pre-season game.

Keeping the evaluations/conclusions out of the report (as you do) lends credibility to the observations.

 

[PatsFan37]

Which is actually much appreciated. One of the hardest things about reading all these camp reports is filter out the "hater" talk from the objective observations. Particularly with the rookie class. I've read lots of folks make definitive conclusions (positive and negative) about all the rooks before they have even played a single pre-season game.

Keeping the evaluations/conclusions out of the report (as you do) lends credibility to the observations.

You're right about that. While some of the reports have terrific and interesting detail, some of the judgments are, how do I say this, a little fishy. Especially when they consign a talented rookie to failure after a few practices, when you know the guy is making the team and has the rest of the season and all of the following offseason to improve. Crable comes to mind.

 

[JustWinBrady]

Out of curiosity...I have heard, over and over and over, that Hanson is booming his punts and looking "fantastic" and "better than ever" from people who've been to every practice. What constitutes "continues to struggle?"

Meriweather "still has hands of stone" because he dropped one easy INT? Did he drop several? A few? MORE than one?

Thanks for letting me know.

I can only go on what I see and give my observations, if hanson looks great to people who attend every practice, well that their opinion. I see hanson differently.

because i work full-time, i don't get to go to every practice, but the 3 practices i have been to hanson has been extemely inconsistent. he'll hit a couple of good ones then shank a couple. punting is all about consistency and hanson hasn't shown that to me.

just curious, how has hanson looked to you during training camp this year?

- meriweather could have had at least 3 or 4 picks last year that were thrown right in his hands and dropped every one of them. he ended up with zero (0) interceptions for the year. the camps i've been to i've yet to see the results of his off-season with the jugs machine. what i see from him this training camp is the same stuggle he had last year in catching a ball. i may be mistaken, but i don't believe he has had one int this training camp. he has certainly gotten better and i see a very confident player in his reads and getting to the ball. for his size, i think he one of the best hitters on the team, i like how he goes after it.

just curious, how has meriweather looked to you during training camp this year?

 

[signbabybrady]

I can only go on what I see and give my observations, if hanson looks great to people who attend every practice, well that their opinion. I see hanson differently.

because i work full-time, i don't get to go to every practice, but the 3 practices i have been to hanson has been extemely inconsistent. he'll hit a couple of good ones then shank a couple. punting is all about consistency and hanson hasn't shown that to me.

just curious, how has hanson looked to you during training camp this year?

- meriweather could have had at least 3 or 4 picks last year that were thrown right in his hands and dropped every one of them. he ended up with zero (0) interceptions for the year. the camps i've been to i've yet to see the results of his off-season with the jugs machine. what i see from him this training camp is the same stuggle he had last year in catching a ball. i may be mistaken, but i don't believe he has had one int this training camp. he has certainly gotten better and i see a very confident player in his reads and getting to the ball. for his size, i think he one of the best hitters on the team, i like how he goes after it.

just curious, how has meriweather looked to you during training camp this year?

Just Win,

Are we talking about the same Merriweather play?

As I noted in this thread I was at the in stadium practice and recall Moss breaking up Meriweathers attempt at the pick and I certainly would not call it an easy one for that reason. So are we speaking of the same play?



Also Note: Merriweather has had at least one INT this camp.

 

[signbabybrady]

Which is actually much appreciated. One of the hardest things about reading all these camp reports is filter out the "hater" talk from the objective observations. Particularly with the rookie class. I've read lots of folks make definitive conclusions (positive and negative) about all the rooks before they have even played a single pre-season game.

Keeping the evaluations/conclusions out of the report (as you do) lends credibility to the observations.

I must admit I have made a pretty Definitive conclusion about Slater though. This kid just seems to be special. I am going to state this as fact because that is how strong my opinion is. Slater will make this team, Slater will be active, Slater will be our return man, and Slater will at least score one TD.

 

[JustWinBrady]

Just Win,

Are we talking about the same Merriweather play?

As I noted in this thread I was at the in stadium practice and recall Moss breaking up Meriweathers attempt at the pick and I certainly would not call it an easy one for that reason. So are we speaking of the same play?

Also Note: Merriweather has had at least one INT this camp.

yes it appears we are. the play was right in-front of me. this is what i saw. brady lofted up a pass, a jumpball pass as it was intended for moss. imo, it was brady's worst pass of the night. meriweather was playing centerfield and has a perfect opportunity to catch the overthrown ball. it was his ball to catch. his timing on his jump was good and he had the ball in his hands for a second. moss never even attempted to catch the ball, it was meriweathers ball to bring down. as moss was running by he reached for meriweather and just pulled him down and the ball came loose before meriweather hit the ground. anyways, i thought it was play meriweather should of made and he didn't. imo, most DBs would have come down with that ball. again, this is one man's opinion. thats it. i don't understand why some posters (not yourself) are so critical with posters giving observations from training camp. i really like meriweather as a player, but imo, he has the worst hands of any defensive back on the team. he showed it last year and ive seen it continue in training camp. i hope he proves me wrong.

 

[Metaphors]

I must admit I have made a pretty Definitive conclusion about Slater though. This kid just seems to be special. I am going to state this as fact because that is how strong my opinion is. Slater will make this team, Slater will be active, Slater will be our return man, and Slater will at least score one TD.

Nobody's perfect.

I don't have much of an issue with what you are saying about Slater. All the available evidence (draft position, trade-up, opportunities in camp) and observations seem to support you. Except for the TD prediction, you really aren't going out too far on a limb.

Like patsox said earlier, people can tend to use observations to support notions that are already ingrained in their skulls. There is lots of conventional wisdom around on Maroney, Meriweather, CJack, Hobbs, Kaczur, etc. You could easily take any camp session and find something to reinforce your preconceived notions about these players (while conveniently glossing over observations that don't fit).

That being said, I'll take all this great information (warts and all) over the blurbs you get from the mainstream media.