The Patriots are now off for more than 48 hours, a reward after eight straight days of practice, and 12 workouts over that time. Before we put the capper on the day, let’s clear out the logistical stuff with the practice schedule going into next week:
SUNDAY
Patriots Experience 3-5:30 p.m.
Practice 5-7 p.m.
MONDAY
Practice 8:45-10:45 p.m.
In-Stadium Practice 6:30-8:30 p.m. (season ticket holders only)
Alright, here you go:
MAKING THE SWITCH
NFL training camp’s no picnic. But in a way, fall camp at a college can be more physically draining, with a higher emphasis placed on wearing players down and seeing what they’re made of.
“At Miami, it’s 100 degrees and you’re basically running all day,” said Patriots first-round pick Brandon Meriweather. “Up here, it’s more mental and fundamental. You really can’t compare the two. … It’s a different type of conditioning. At Miami, it’s running conditioning. Here, it’s football conditioning.”
Another transition? Going from college kid scraping quarters out of the couch to, in the case of first-round picks, millionaire.
One thing Meriweather’s done to keep himself ground is hold on to a 1992 Toyota Camry, which carries a heavy dose of rust and 270,000 miles on it. Meriweather said he’s planning to ship the beater from Miami to Orlando, where he’ll have some work done on it to keep it running.
So with the old taken care of, there’s only one thing new that Meriweather’s got his eyes on: A house for his mother and grandmother in Florida.
“It means the world to me to be able to give back to the people who loved me and cherished me all my life,” he said.
BELICHICK VS. CARROLL
Oscar Lua follows Matt Cassel, Kevin Faulk and Tedy Bruschi to play for both Bill Belichick and his predecessor in Foxboro, USC coach Pete Carroll.
Speaking on the difference between the two, Lua pretty much affirmed public perception.
“Coach Belichick comes in and presents himself in a stern manner, and that’s what you expect from a coach,” said Lua. “That’s a traditional football coach, coming in with an iron fist, that’s football. I’m happy for it. … (Carroll) was more laid-back, he was more open. But like I said, that was a completely different situation. That’s college, to where now I’m in the NFL, it’s more of a business up here.”
As is the case with their personality, Carroll and Belichick have divergent defensive philosophies. And that’s especially true for a linebacker.
It’s more aggressive with offensive line, whereas in college, it was more shedding and getting to the runner,” said Lua, who took first-team reps yesterday. “It was tough for me to adjust at first, go downhill, take on a block, a gap responsibility. But that’s part of the program. Like I said, I’m just a rookie and as coach Belichick always presents it, it’s a transition from the way it was in college.”
REALLY OFFENSIVE
It’s easy to see the potential of the Patriot offense.
But Wes Welker isn’t buying it. Not yet, anyway. He says that with all the new pieces in place, the unit will need to come together as one before the major leap comes.
“I think any offense can do really well as long as they’re clicking,” said Welker. “And that’s where we got to get to, to where we’re clicking and moving on all cylinders. We got a long way to go, so we gotta keep working to get there.”
As for the way the Patriots will play, all parties claim that no major schematic shift is coming.
But one thing the Patriots staff has always excelled at is putting its players in position to succeed. So if, say, Randy Moss shows he can make the big play, this team’s history says it will take shots at it.
“They’re gonna put you in a position to do what you do best,” said Welker. “And you just gotta do what you do best to the best of your abilities. That’s all you can do.”
MENTORING MARONEY
Through his first year, Laurence Maroney leaned on his veteran backfield mate, Corey Dillon, for support in the transition to the pros.
Dillon’s gone. And Maroney doesn’t really need a mentor anymore anyway. But, he says, it’s nice to have a guy like Sammy Morris around if he needs a veteran ear.
“He fits right in,” Maroney said. “He’s come in, he’s like a brother, he’s a good back, I like the way he runs. I talk to him all the time, because he’s a veteran. I ask him questions. He’s fit in well.”
