***THE OFFICIAL 2014 New England Patriots training camp thread***

Sounds like Zach Moore had a good night:

Rookie defensive end Zach Moore (6-foot-6, 275 pounds) showed his potential with an impressive speed rush under the arms of rookie Cameron Fleming. He then followed it up with a powerful push to beat second-year offensive lineman Chris Barker while lining up on the other side.

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Zach Moore brought the pressure throughout practice

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http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...4765596/observations-from-patriots-camp-day-9

BB rested the starters in front of the crowd tonight, classic.

Jimmy continues to look lost. My draft binky is definitely a project.

Malcolm Butler made some plays. Nothing else really noticeable as it was a light practice filled with mostly 3rd stringers.

Kraft put on some glittery patriots shoes from Ty Law and they danced.

patsinthesnow said:

Boyce is not a "talented" WR. He did practically nothing last year during camp or the regular season, and is fighting himself to try to justify keeping a 6th WR. He continues to receive 2nd/3rd team snaps at camp.

Talent does not equal measurables. Mark Harrison had the measurables of T.O and the talent of camp fodder. Stephen Houston has the measurables of AP and so far the talent of camp fodder.

Just based off college production and competition, I wouldn't be surprised if Gallon is a better WR than Boyce when he returns.

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Although I'm nowhere near giving up on Boyce at this early stage of his career, I can't disagree with you. It's been frustrating to not be able to get a sense of what this kid can do. In fact, it's frustrating what's happening to the receiving corp in general. We were ALL hoping that the second year leap was coming for the whole group. That has not been the case with Boyce in-and-out and Dobson unable to participate in any offseason programs thus far.

OT: Paul George just suffered one of the more gruesome injuries I've seen in a while.

patsinthesnow said:

BB rested the starters in front of the crowd tonight, classic.

Jimmy continues to look lost. My draft binky is definitely a project.

Malcolm Butler made some plays. Nothing else really noticeable as it was a light practice filled with mostly 3rd stringers.

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I had a pretty long discussion about this kid today at work. I'll start by saying I'm nowhere near the ledge right now. The kid has not played a single meaningful NFL snap thus far. He's got nothing but time on his hands to sit and watch one of the greatest of all time do his work. Hopefully, the light bulb will turn on in time and things will fall into place. Maybe McDaniels sticks around another year or two even if the Pats win a SB and the poachers come sniffin' around.

With all that said, however, damn kid!!! Can you put together one solid practice?! Just one! He's thrown a pick in EVERY practice. I don't even think Mallett has been that putrid in the past and it certainly sounds like he's been playing with something to prove, though he isn't burning things up either. I guess I just don't understand how you can't put together one practice where you go out and prove you weren't a reach in the second round. Maybe prove that all those analysts hyping you up weren't wrong. Go and prove that you can play this game.

That's my rant. I'm admittedly a bit emotional because I just watched Paul George potentially lose his season on a freak play in a scrimmage.

One thing to point out is that his stats at EIU improved from year to year:

Fr 14 TD/13 INT (6.2%)
So 20/14 (4.0%)
Jr 31/15 (2.8%)
Sr 53/9 (1.6%)

Quick takes, based solely upon tonight:

Edelman had the dropsies

Jones is lousy in the open areas. If you're not throwing to a specific spot in the red zone, or lobbing it up in the end zone, avoid throwing to him at all.

Garoppolo doesn't belong in the league.

Bequette doesn't belong in the league.

Anderson needs to do a better job getting synced up with his opponent on passing downs.

Boyce should be a very, very distant 6th on the depth chart, if he's even that high.

Butler and Hawkins showed well at times.

LaFell was fielding punts, and looked fine overall.

Slater was holding onto the ball.

Van Hooser was not.

D.J. Williams did nothing to impress.

Just got back in...stopped at Twin Oaks for the monster lobster salad plate. Mr Tunescribe is one helluva a fine gentleman, a class act and the perfect foil to MY nonstop chattering.

First things first....I watched all the offensive drills and sets. Boyce was on the field, participated in the stretching, the individual drills at 3/4's speed it looked like and sat out the 7 on 7's and 11 on 11's.Mallett and Garropollo handled all the plays in the sets. Boyce had a black brace on his right knee, not a full knee brace but one of those soft wrap types. Essentially he was just there for the most part, but he LOOKS OK and was running without a limp, so we;ll see Sunday in the scrimmage down in Washington, if he hits the field.

I just read the previous posts and the remarks about Edelman dropping passes and the other "they looked bad" take. Meh...don't believe the hysteria. Tonight was essentially a show for the season ticket holders and a celebration of Ty's induction. Harrison was there looking sharp in a grey suit and pink shirt, Lawyer looked like he could still step on the field and Krafty Bob hobnobbed all night with the players.

Players that jumped out to ME...

Justin Jones...he's long and lean. It's early but he looks far better than Sudfeld did last season. I'll be a bit shocked if he doesn't make it on what I've seen so far...but really, it's still a team in its infancy practice wise..

Brandon LaFell...didn't see too much of him last week but got a number of good looks at his work tonight. Showed good hands, crisp cuts and sure routes. I'm on board now. He's sticking, unless he falls off the planet in scrimmages.

Vollmer, Solder and Mankins. All healthy, all grinding it out and all monsters. I swear Mankins looks like he's three feet THICK...good Lord , he's a fire hydrant. The other two dwarf everybody else...except of course Mr. Hollywood Showtime , focus of everyone's attention and his fellow TE Jones.

Justin Green, Travis Hawkins, Malcolm Butler...they cover pretty well. I'll bet one out of the three sticks. I like Butler's overall skills for some reason.

Two incidents stick out in a negative way to me...Chung covering a one on one drill and holding from the snap to the point that he tackled the receiver. That drew a lot of catcalls. Then Garropollo overthrows a deep sideline route and Ty Law makes the INT, dressed in his red blazer. Of course Law milked it for the crowd with a nifty two step and bow but c'mon, if that wasn't a planned throw then Garrop has a real lot of work to do..he looked way better than he did my last visit but that ain't saying much.

Oh yeah, one more thing...Brandon Browner has Crable legs. I spotted him on the sideline and Tunes took a look through his binocs...this guy has TOOTHPICKS below his knees. He must have prodigious thighs to generate the power he shows because, man, from the knees down...MIA.

PatsBoy12 said:

I had a pretty long discussion about this kid today at work. I'll start by saying I'm nowhere near the ledge right now. The kid has not played a single meaningful NFL snap thus far. He's got nothing but time on his hands to sit and watch one of the greatest of all time do his work. Hopefully, the light bulb will turn on in time and things will fall into place. Maybe McDaniels sticks around another year or two even if the Pats win a SB and the poachers come sniffin' around.

With all that said, however, damn kid!!! Can you put together one solid practice?! Just one! He's thrown a pick in EVERY practice. I don't even think Mallett has been that putrid in the past and it certainly sounds like he's been playing with something to prove, though he isn't burning things up either. I guess I just don't understand how you can't put together one practice where you go out and prove you weren't a reach in the second round. Maybe prove that all those analysts hyping you up weren't wrong. Go and prove that you can play this game.

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It might be worth remembering that Garoppolo has been lining up with other rookies and anonymous free agents who also are fishing in the dark. Unlike a player such as Tebow he appears to have the right mechanics and a good release. For him right now it's all mental processing and timing. He'll be on the final 53 regardless of how his preseason goes but won't be suiting up.

Oh, and it was pretty funny to watch how the rook was ignored by Brady and Mallett last night. They kept a healthy distance from him even during warmups.

If Garropollo looks this confused next year, I'll be more concerned, but for this year, he gets a pass from me. I had no expectations of him lighting it up on TC his first year. I expected the struggles.

Anyone who thought otherwise was/is just being unrealistic

Last night was kind of a rip off, with all the starters and most of the key subs sitting out any meaningful work. Still it seemed to satisfy most of the 20,000 fans who had to fight through RT 1s traffic to watch this meaningless drivel.

Highlights for me was hanginsg with FlyboyPatfan, his lovely wife and PWP. All knowledgeable fans who added to my football acumen. It was also fun watching Bob Kraft shmooze with Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, and Rodney, etc. Oh yeah, I shouldn't forget, if you are ever at the CBS Scene, be sure to try the Kobe beef sliders....really excellent.

Again, thanks to Bernie and Phil for making what could have been a wasted evening into a really pleasant event.

AzorianPats said:

If Garropollo looks this confused next year, I'll be more concerned, but for this year, he gets a pass from me. I had no expectations of him lighting it up on TC his first year. I expected the struggles.

Anyone who thought otherwise was/is just being unrealistic

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After 3 hours on 495 in traffic I watched the practice & JAG does not look good out there but it's way too early to draw conclusions. The ONLY 1st yr QB I ever saw look good in FIRST pre-season camp was Drew Bledsoe. The Hammah's performance gives me comfort should his services as a backup be needed. That said, in summer camp many pass attempts & completions would be sacks or possible picks because red-shirted QB throws often come after there would have been contact.

Jones at TE. Big guy. Dropped 2 balls over the middle, one bad drop though in traffic and the other would have been a highlight reel diving catch. Mallett kept targeting him and I saw him finally make a nice catch. A work in progress. Who knows?

Loved the "INT" by Law on the sidelines.

Bob Kraft was there with his granddaughter. Sorry, my bad, his GF.

patfanken said:

Again, thanks to Bernie and Phil for making what could have been a wasted evening into a really pleasant event.

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Maybe we should open a store together?

-phil

P.S. Thanks FlyboyPatfan for the ticket

BTW, something everyone local should remember for next year: stadium staff was outside the gates giving away tickets to anyone who didn't already have one.

Tunescribe said:

BTW, something everyone local should remember for next year: stadium staff was outside the gates giving away tickets to anyone who didn't already have one.

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I noticed that too they were also giving them away in the restaurants in Patriots place. I was given a ticket to it but it seemed if you wanted to get in it was easy to get a ticket.

patfanken said:

Last night was kind of a rip off, with all the starters and most of the key subs sitting out any meaningful work. Still it seemed to satisfy most of the 20,000 fans who had to fight through RT 1s traffic to watch this meaningless drivel.

Highlights for me was hanginsg with FlyboyPatfan, his lovely wife and PWP. All knowledgeable fans who added to my football acumen. It was also fun watching Bob Kraft shmooze with Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, and Rodney, etc. Oh yeah, I shouldn't forget, if you are ever at the CBS Scene, be sure to try the Kobe beef sliders....really excellent.

Again, thanks to Bernie and Phil for making what could have been a wasted evening into a really pleasant event.

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It was a pleasure to spend some time with you Ken and I enjoyed hearing a bit of your story. Thanks again for all the great posts!

-bv

PatsWickedPissah said:

After 3 hours on 495 in traffic I watched the practice & JAG does not look good out there but it's way too early to draw conclusions. The ONLY 1st yr QB I ever saw look good in FIRST pre-season camp was Drew Bledsoe. The Hammah's performance gives me comfort should his services as a backup be needed. That said, in summer camp many pass attempts & completions would be sacks or possible picks because red-shirted QB throws often come after there would have been contact.

Jones at TE. Big guy. Dropped 2 balls over the middle, one bad drop though in traffic and the other would have been a highlight reel diving catch. Mallett kept targeting him and I saw him finally make a nice catch. A work in progress. Who knows?

Loved the "INT" by Law on the sidelines.

Bob Kraft was there with his granddaughter. Sorry, my bad, his GF.

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Hey Phil, Good idea about the store. Lets do it! I trust your ride home was easier... hope to see you again sometime and chat more. Sorry I had my face buried in the camera most of the evening. I haven't looked yet at what I got, but I doubt it was worth it.

-bv

AzorianPats said:

If Garropollo looks this confused next year, I'll be more concerned, but for this year, he gets a pass from me. I had no expectations of him lighting it up on TC his first year. I expected the struggles.

Anyone who thought otherwise was/is just being unrealistic

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Tunescribe said:

It might be worth remembering that Garoppolo has been lining up with other rookies and anonymous free agents who also are fishing in the dark. Unlike a player such as Tebow he appears to have the right mechanics and a good release. For him right now it's all mental processing and timing. He'll be on the final 53 regardless of how his preseason goes but won't be suiting up.

Oh, and it was pretty funny to watch how the rook was ignored by Brady and Mallett last night. They kept a healthy distance from him even during warmups.

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I hear both of you and I'm not disagreeing entirely, as the first part of my post would suggest. But there has got to be some level of expectation considering he was drafted in the second round in the NFL. There's a difference between "lighting it up" and just plain playing at a high level, which by all accounts, he has simply not done to this point. You don't necessarily have to light it up for a practice to be considered a good one, something he has not accomplished thus far.

I'll say again that I am in no way giving up on the kid or labeling him a bust. However, I don't think I'm out of bounds for expecting to see a somewhat better product to this point. The team has had eight or nine practices (I actually can't remember exactly) in addition to the mini camps and the kid has not put together even one solid practice. They're not even doing any of the more complex things yet. They're still just working on mechanics and fundamentals. The real offensive intallation has likely not even begun yet. Preseason action is also right around the corner and one would think he is going to be seeing live action as early as next week. If you can't even put together a good practice, how will it work when you're out there against guys trying to prove to their coach that they belong in the league?

I think he'll be good. It will take time as you two have said. I just want to see the kid do some more positive things to build his confidence a bit.

The thing that worries me about Garrapalo is that he hasn't flashed the accuracy that we read about in his scouting report and his biggest selling point (imo). I don't mind if a rookie takes too long in the pocket or doesn't make read, but when he zeroes in on a receiver, I expect him to put the ball in the right place.

He's shown an okish arm, and a quick release, but so far his balls are simply not NFL accurate. That's really worrying, b/c you can't really coach accuracy.

Hael said:

That's really worrying, b/c you can't really coach accuracy.

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Yes you can. Accuracy is largely mechanics. Bad mechanics = bad accuracy.

I haven't seen any practices, I read one time it looked like he was throwing from a higher arm slot than in college, I don't know if it's true. But if it is he's working on a new arm slot and also working on his foot mechanics (read that he's been doing that with Josh to the side).