Pats Training Camp on SiriusXM NFL Radio -- Monday 7/28

Miller: Intrigued to hear Brady talk about leadership and trying to relate to young receivers... We know that Brett Favre almost had a separate locker room in his later years.

Kirwin: Watched Brady react to Thompkins dropping easy catch on a perfect play that would have been a 40 yard gain. Patted him on the helmet, encouraging....

My comment: I thought Brady got a little Marino like last year yellin' and stuff. So this is good to hear.

Players to watch:

Miller: Receiving corps. How Gronk comes back. Thompkins and Dobson, combined for 900 yards last year. Edelman. Amendola. Now add LaFell.

Kirwin: Keep eye on rookies. Bryan Stork is gonna be playing sooner or later. Won't get to Garrapolo. Won't get to Flemming. Easley will have to contribute: Stork and Easley.

Calls starting.

Great notes, HWC. Thanks and keep 'em coming.

(The return of the no-huddle is my big hope for the new season.)

First caller. Steeler fan. Doesn't like Patriots, but ball-washing Brady...

Kirwin: How many QBs win every sprint in practice?

Miller: Everyone says last year was a down year for Brady. I think it was one of his best seasons. He thru for 4000 yards and made the AFC championship.

Miller: He's not slowing down.

Kirwin: I watched a sluggo drill. He thru it 45 yards without even trying...

Miller: Thompkins reminds me of Troy Brown. He's a worker bee. He can play some football and be productive.

Kirwin: To think what he did last year. Lost his top five receivers, not one receiver, his top five from the prior year in receptions, and threw for over 4000 yards. The great ones get young receivers ready to go.

Caller: How are they going to get pressure on the QB

Miller: We haven't even talked about the addtion of Will Smith, yet....

hwc said:

Kirwin: I watched a sluggo drill. He thru it 45 yards without even trying...

Click to expand...

I bet it was down the seam. Brady loves those sluggo seam routes.

That is an amazing admission for Belichick to make about Mallett. "... he's ready. Ahead of where Cassell was when he took over."

But it illuminates a lot of Patriot F.O. doings.

Mallett is a valuable commodity and needed for a genuine Super Bowl team, especially with a 37 year old starter. It was not that other teams didn't offer enough. It was that Belichick did not want to entertain offers for a trade for him, at all.

The question arises will the Patriots try to resign him next off season?

Ninko Interview. Yadda yadda. You guys know the Pats players' generic answers. Keep moving, nothing to see with this one. Kirwin did comment on how Ninko plays all over the field, a true joker. LB and DE.

Chandler Jones up now.

Kirwin: You look bigger.

Jones: My weight is lower than my rookie year. 260 vs 266, but I'm more muscular.

Kirwin: About that play... you just blew up a Tackle (won't mention any names) on a pass rush.

Jones: Before I've been more of reactive rusher. Today, I sold the outside move, then went inside...

Kirwin: Money in the bank when you had to play all those backups on the Dline last year. Now they are experienced NFL players.

Kirwin: Easley is going to be a factor as a 1 technique. Put Easley in for Wilfork, with Will Smith. Chandler Jones, and Ninko on the outside.

Kirwin: My first line on passing downs would be Wilfork (I'll rest him on some running downs), Smith, Jones, and Ninkovitch.

Belichick up next.

Belichick interview starts with some Ty Law ball washing.

Kirwin: What about Revis..

Belichick: Hard working guy. Professional. Real smart. Feel for the game. Instinctive. (yadda yadda)

Kirwin: Watching Browner. I thought I was watching Perry Williams.

Belichick: Good feel. Good anticipation. He's tall. Very physical.

Miller: Thompkins?

Belichick: All of our 2nd year players are way ahead of where they were last year. Thompkins and Boyce much better.

Kirwin: Looked like depth on the Dline.

Belichick: You are right. The opportunity for some of the young guys last year gave them a lot of experience We'll see how it goes...

Kirwin: Half line drills?

Belichick: Less chance of a big pile of bodies. Good for working on fundamentals and techniques.

Miller: James White is sneaky good. Early indications on White, Stork, Easley?

Belichick: White does a good job in running, passing, blitz pickup. He has the ability to compete on all three downs. O line, all seem to be competitive. We'll just grind it out and see how it goes.

Kirwin: Gronk?

Belichick: Rob always works really hard. He's improving every day.

Miller: How is it to be part of so many camps?

Belichick: Spring is team building. Free agency. Draft process. A quarter of team is new. Starting at basic level. All the work you do is getting ready to practice in pads. Great period of camp for the team. We should improve a lot as a team this week.

Kirwin: Last year you were missing top five receivers. Ahead of last year?

Belichick: I would say that we are definitely way ahead of last year in the passing game. Adding LaFell has been positive. More experience for the young guys. Amendola and Edleman. Way ahead of last year.

Belichick: Pushing hard because we don't get a lot of practices now. Four more before we head to Washington. Trying to make the most of the time we have. It's the same situation for everyone.

AzPatsFan said:

That is an amazing admission for Belichick to make about Mallett. "... he's ready. Ahead of where Cassell was when he took over."

Click to expand...

That was Kirwin and Miller making that comment. Not Belichick. Miller was the backup QB on the Pat's 2004 Superbowl team, so he's got an informed opinion watching Mallet.

Kirwin: Long calisthenics. They don't mess around. No "joking and smokin". Nobody half-assing it.

Kirwin: Nobody just standing around watching during special teams drills. You are either drilling special teams or something else.

Kirwin: Drills. Lots of fundamentals. Better than some places we go. Safeties not just learning to read the play, but to do things to fool the QB.

Caller (huge pats fan). Jamie Collins? Julian Edleman?

Kirwin: Edelman. So he doesn't get 110 catches? So what? He's gonna get 80 to 90. Looks fantastic in practice.

Miller: Edleman and Amendola. Edleman is quicker. More sudden. Faster than people give him credit for.

Kirwin: Collins pass rush skills from a college team that didn't win a game. He's the reason they said good bye to Spikes.

Kirwin: Who are the 3 QB in his division? They are all young. Probably doesn't have to rush them to confuse them, just coverage would do it. But, why not rush them. They'll use jokers to confuse the QB. They'll call it "blitzing" on TV, but it will really just be 4 man rush.

Kirwin: If they break down your protection, those QBs will have a bad time.

Kirwin: Belichick will save a lot of stuff in his back pocket for playing Manning and the top QBs.

Kirwin: if Edelman can get his catches forcing the d to double up on Edelman, Brady has the arm strength to go downfield. I think we'll see shots....

pissed i dont get this station on my XM subscription

Devin McCourtey interview:

Devin: Relying on the CBs to do their job. Let's me focus a little more on the QB.

Devin: I try to do a lot of offseason training at CB because all the footwork and stuff helps with safety. Focusing on communication is important for safety.

Miller: How was training in Arizona.

Devin: I had already planned on going out there from Adrian Wilson. Bunch of guys from different teams. Good joking around having fun, working out together. Better communication....

Kirwin: Last year ended bad. This year seems upbeat. Guys back. Browner knocking guys out of bounds. Real enthusiasm.

Devin: Started in spring with Vince, Mayo coming back.

MIller: When do you break out the green shoes?

Devin: You'll have to ask the Reeve about those shoes.

Kirwin: If Vince put 'em on, he'd look fast!

Miller: Looks like you are making it be known you'll be a ball hawking defense.

Devin: It's not about big hits. It's about knocking balls down, interceptions. We want to start now with the attitude that ball is mine.

Kirwin: Garrapolo?

Devin: I haven't been on the field against him yet, but from watching film it looks like he's doing a good job of correcting mistakes.

Kirwin: You aren't going to see many guys with an arm like Mallet

Devin: Whew, he can really sling the ball. Just the sound it makes. Only guys like Rothlisberger and Flacco have arms like that.

Miller: on Patricia?

Devin: Matty P's one goal is to go out there and winning today. Wants to see defense win every drill. He's on us every day. Hard nose.

Kirwin: I love half-line scrimmage. Everyone knows where it's going. That darn James White is explosive.

Devin: I've seem some of his cuts on film. This is a great place to be if you want to show you can play football.

Miller: Brandon LaFell? Thompkins?

Devin: KT is one of the hardest working guys on the team. All off-season you see him putting in the work. B LaFell, a veteran guy, but still young. He's made plays in the league. He'll bring a little veteran presence.

Shane Vareen interview:

Vareen: Lot of hittin'. Lot of bangin'. Real football.

Kirwin: Love the team period. Loud music, but unlike other teams, you guys turn it down between plays so Belichick can yell at you.

Miller: on hitting. Defense is contesting everything.

Vareen: competition out there is higher than it has been in a while.

Kirwin: We can reveal what we see out there, but I'll say this. I think they are expanding your role out there. Maybe put an 80 jersey on you out there....

Vareen: uhmmm (yadda yadda)

Kirwin: Level of excitement that is pretty cool. Rumor is that the defense has the momentuum.

Vareen: You must have been talking to a defensive player....

Miller: One on one oklamoma drills. Seemed full go out there today..

Vareen: A lot of pride. We like to challenge each other....

Kirwin: off season. not a lot of work, but you don't seem to be behind.

Vareen: off season is a time to work on stuff you need to improve. We've got a lot of guys back so we're probably a little ahead of last year.

Vareen: working on pass blocking. Running, Catching. Need to improve.

Kirwin: Mallett. A human jugs machine. Tell me about Garappolo.

Vareen: I think Jimmy G has a lot of upside.

Kirwin: If he's already Jimmy G, he's doing great!

Kirwin: Have you taken any laps? Lot of laps out there.

Riddley joins:

Riddley: Coach Fears starting to show us a little more love (joking)

Kirwin: Hand out some sunglasses when you walk in with those shoes. You and Revis...

Riddley: the shoes just help me get through the long days. Belichick hasn't said anything about the shoes....

Riddley: focused on small things. Diet. Coach still has me in fat camp. Trying to avoid the small mistakes. minimize mistakes.

Kirwin: You've had some fumbling, everyone knows about it.

Riddley: The fumbles man. They are sickening. On the sideline, I was sick. What do you expect the coach to do. I had to take a seat. As a man, I had to decide that I needed to make some changes if I wanted to be on the field.

Miller: And other teams... they start swatting at the ball. What did you have to do.

Riddley: I think it was more mental for me. More energy on keeping my elbow tucked in. The ball north/south, in the right position.

Miller: You guys are always doing gauntlet drill....

Riddley: You have to take it from the drills to the game field. Level of concentration has to be higher. Keeping the ball high and tight.

Kirwin: Subtle youth movement for a few years, but now there's a veteran presence wtih you guys.

Riddley: Now, myself, and Vareen, and Bolden are the veterans in the RB room. It's a blessing for my time. Can't help but learn the right way to do things around here. Trying to be a leader to the young guys.

That's it for me. Pete Carrol coming up and I need to get cranking on my workout. Single leg deadlifts are calling my name. I'll listen to the rest of the hour and catch up later if there's anything good.

HWC for the win!

Many thanks hwc. Great reca[. I only heard the Ninko bland BB speak interview and Kirwin climaxing all over C Jones, watching him tool the OTs & expecting 15 sacks and Honolulu. Apparently from his performance and his statements about lighter weight and more muscle, Jones took gymrat's advice.

Closing out the four hours:

Miller: Based on what I've seen here at Patriots camp and knowing what the division schedule looks like, I'd say that this team can sleepwalk to 12-4.

Kirwin: Yep. I'll go 12-4, too.

They both agreed this team has a legitimate shot to be one of the teams in final game of the year.

hwc said:

Closing out the four hours:

Miller: Based on what I've seen here at Patriots camp and knowing what the division schedule looks like, I'd say that this team can sleepwalk to 12-4.

Kirwin: Yep. I'll go 12-4, too.

They both agreed this team has a legitimate shot to be one of the teams in final game of the year.

Click to expand...

It's early yet, but I think the AFC can already be broken down largely into tiers:

Elite

Patriots
Broncos

Next level

Bengals
Colts

What if?

Ravens (QB, S. Smith, RBs)
Chiefs (QB, DBs)
Steelers (OL, LBs)
Jets (QB, DBs)
Chargers (QB, DF7)

Need some real improvements

Dolphins
Houston

Wait until next year (again)

Bills
Browns
Titans
Jaguars
Raiders