Consensus Players' Report Card - So Far

[Pats67]

Not at all. Belichick gets a hoot out of so called media professionals who feel they are equipped to do this in season. I bet he'd be on the floor over the concept of collated impressions message board grading. LOL

We don't know what these guys are being asked to do, or with whom, or to what end. Gaffney has looked like Tom's #2 go to guy - in the absence of Stallworth. If he weren't absent we'd likely be hearing that Gaffney should be cut. If Moss misses time this week, old bug eyes may start making Gaffney look like chopped liver. Cassel has been unimpressive with the second team but looked pretty sharp with the first team in a lone half day appearance with that unit...go figure.

Belichick and Brady seem to be smiling as we approach the end of week 1 of TC. In my book that's an A- overall camp grade, which is the only grade that matters. This is about teaching and timing and getting or staying on the field. If I were grading on a curve the loss of Scott coupled with the continued absence of Asante, and now Randy's tweeked hammy coupled with the continued absence of Stallworth might knock that down to a B, but the depth that exists and the liklihood all but Scott will be back sooner rather than later would bump that back up to a solid B++. This time last year camp was probably charitably a C-.

It's funny but one of the things that 3 Lombardi's has brought us is a football media and fanbase of hypercritical nitpickers.

Frankly, I question any six-day camp grade that doesn't factor in regular practice field time lost due to threatening skies. It seems to me there ought to be a curve or something. And that's before we even get to humidity and dew point average. I would have hoped to see a little better modeling of the six-day camp grading pro forma, considering how critical the six-day camp grade is to the team's overall success.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Frankly, I question any six-day camp grade that doesn't factor in regular practice field time lost due to threatening skies. It seems to me there ought to be a curve or something. And that's before we even get to humidity and dew point average. I would have hoped to see a little better modeling of the six-day camp grading pro forma, considering how critical the six-day camp grade is to the team's overall success.

....

 

[PromisedLand]

They can get a lap for a false start. Not a big deal . . . neither is not running it hard.

How is a false start not a big deal? It's one of the pre-snap penalties which irk your namesake so much, and it can kill a drive faster than you can say "false start".

 

[mgteich]

You think that a false start in a Training Camp practice is a big deal? You are headed for many disappointments.

How is a false start not a big deal? It's one of the pre-snap penalties which irk your namesake so much, and it can kill a drive faster than you can say "false start".

 

[psychoPat]

Box O Rocks wrote (in red):
A ... consistently outstanding
Moss
Hobbs
Welker
Gaffney
Woods
Andrews -- I'd rate both in the B-C area. -- I'm surprised. If you have the time, why?
Adalius

B ... drawing favorable notice
Evans -- I'd move Heath up. - - Your privilege
Lua
Morris -- I'd move Sammy down, I'm reading mixed reviews.
Gutierrez
Izzo
Warren
Baugher
Wilfork
Washington
Mankins

C ... about as-expected or as-before
Tom Brady
Bruschi
Wright
O’Callaghan
Moore
Faulk -- Consistently making big plays may be what we expect, but he grades out an A for quality. -- Then there are those big fumbles.
Miller
Green

D ... more bad press than good
Caldwell -- Cold, most of the negative comes from the reports of others who are shining brightly, I'd move him up a grade. -- Right. Already promoted.
Malone
Light
Kareem
Cassel
Anam

F ... worst on the field -- Perhaps not meeting expectations would be better, I could easily see two as Ds and James a C - our expectations may be skewed... -- Are you awarding any F's, Box?
Kranchick
James
Williams

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Box O Rocks wrote (in red):
A ... consistently outstanding
Moss
Hobbs
Welker
Gaffney
Woods
Andrews -- I'd rate both in the B-C area. -- I'm surprised. If you have the time, why?
Adalius

F ... worst on the field -- Perhaps not meeting expectations would be better, I could easily see two as Ds and James a C - our expectations may be skewed... -- Are you awarding any F's, Box?
Kranchick
James
Williams

I'll make some time for you my friend. Woods is getting positive reviews, and he was reported to have taken some first team reps, all a plus. Unfortunately, his kudos from the blitz pick-up drill came working against Matt Kranchick - a converted WR. Breer reported on Woods also working against Ben Watson and not doing as well: http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/patriots/?p=1346 The same for Willie Andrews, he's been consitently good during the Special Teams portion, and made some plays at S - off Matt Gutierrez. Both look to make the team if they continue their performance from the first 9 TC sessions, but neither truly qualifies for an outstanding the way Gaffney, for example, might.

Faulk's fumbles are part of his history, as are his many third down conversions and big plays. That gives us certain expectations coming into camp. Yet none of the write-ups mention a fumble, they all glow talking about his blitz pick-ups, receiving, and general leadership. If Tom Brady rates a C, presumably for being a little rusty coming to camp, Faulk rates at least a B for being sharp from day one.

I suggested an "F" might be better named 'doesn't meet expectations:'

Speaking for myself, I knew Matt Kranchick was a converted WR who kicked around with Pit and the NYG. I had hoped his blocking might have developed, but I wasn't banking on it. I did expect a former WR to be able to catch the ball. To date, he catches the ball okay, has gotten chewed out for lining up wrong a couple times, and struggled in blitz pick-up drills. I've read nothing about his in-line blocking. I expect a new guy who probably had limited reps as a 2nd or 3rd string TE in mini/passing camps to line up wrong a couple times, I expect him to struggle a lot in blitz pick-up, it's not like his two previous teams were strong in that area from the TE spot. I just can't grade him a "F"ailure at this point in camp.

Tory James has had one bad review that I can recall, weighed against several positive notes and a couple screw-ups. Certainly not an "F."

Gemara Williams is classified as a second year player for spending last season on IR. He's essentially a rookie, from Buffalo, who was an NCAA leader in passes defensed his senior year. Not the highest competition level for him, but the kid has some ball awareness. Now he's in camp working against Randy Moss and Co. How in the devil can I call his performance to date a failure? You might note he got kudos today for showing some moves in the return game. I also read where some writers tried to tone down any harshness over trouble covering Moss who has 8" on him.

Based on your grading system, I don't see any "F" yet, not even P Tom Malone who is doing the same thing I saw him doing in NFLE. Low expectations in some case, or no expectations. Take a kid like Lua; there was all sorts of excitement about him coming into camp. Folks are getting giggly over his being used to call the defensive plays. But the kid is a 7th round pick who plays ILB where the defensive plays are called anyway. If you read about his play in camp, or look at the Erdoboy photos, you see a kid who has a lot to learn. I hope some of our young linebackers come on strong, but I'm not getting worked up until I see them in preseason.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Less than a week into camp, but we’ve had an ample supply of those first-hand camp reports and impressions
that we’ve been hungering for all these arid months.
Thought i’d try my hand at collating what i recall that
the credentialed bloggers and our own SeanBruschi, Mrs.B,
Pats1, and Pats726 have been saying about various guys.

It’s not what i think of these players. It’s my impression of what observers at camp have said –
usually multiple reports and by different posters.
Most players have gone largely unmentioned in those reports.

This thread can be improved by those who go to camp either corroborating or correcting
the players’ performance ratings... or by anyone who thinks i’ve (unwittingly) distorted the consensus
of what we’ve all been reading here – avidly and appreciatively. Here goes:

A ... consistently outstanding
Moss
Hobbs
Welker
Gaffney
Woods
Andrews
Adalius

B ... drawing favorable notice
Evans
Lua
Morris
Gutierrez
Izzo
Warren
Baugher
Wilfork
Washington
Mankins

C ... about as-expected or as-before
Tom Brady
Bruschi
Wright
O’Callaghan
Moore
Faulk
Miller
Green

D ... more bad press than good
Caldwell
Malone
Light
Kareem
Cassel
Anam

F ... worst on the field
Kranchick
James
Williams

I think people ought to look at the depth chart. Moss is having a good camp. Caldwell plays behind him, so doesn't get as many chances, while they try to create a Brady-Moss rapport. Still with the fewer throws, Caldwell has caught some nice passes.
Gaffney is listed behind Stallworth. Stallworth has not played a down, so Jabbar is getting all the throws to that side of the field. Good for him that he is catching them, but let's not get carried away.

I don't think there has been any real criticism of Matt Light. If anything his backup is getting few opportunities.
Meanwhile Kaczur and O'C are battling for the other tackle position. IMHO, O'C is a RT; he is ONLY a RT, and would be terrible disaster at LT. Kaczur can do both and has proved it, but I think over time his best position is at Guard and Left Guard to boot. I think Kaczur is better than Hochstein or Yates, but not better than either Logan; or as tough & quick as the champion wrestler, Steve Neal.

I think that Britt could be a good RT, and also a good LT. Maybe not quite as good a RT as O'C; but probably better than Kaczur. I suspect that he is also better as a LT than Kaczur too. In short, I suspect that Britt is getting shafted because of his LT potential; he is just too valuable as a LT, even as a reserve, to waste at RT; and too tall for a Guard.
There is an old saw that teams draft LTs. The rejects then play all the other positions. In the later portions of the draft, the Teams also draft smart, leadership type Guards, and turn them into Centers.


With respect to Tory James. He has been a pro bowler and is a big guy with long arms, good hands, ball skills and lot of INTs on his resume. But there is no question he has lost a step.
Have y' all forgotten how BB handled a similar situation a few years earlier? He rotated the secondary coverage D in the direction of the big Corner back, with a Safety on top, deep. Then he let the ball hawk without speed, "control gamble" on lots of big play INTs. How quickly y'all forget the game of a fellow who "couldn't play", named O.T.I.S.? Later BB, did it again with a more talented but slowing CB, named Ty Law.

 

[Kdo5]

I havent heard much bad about Caldwell, only that Gaffney is doing really good and is in the lead for a roster spot.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I think that Britt could be a good RT, and also a good LT. Maybe not quite as good a RT as O'C; but probably better than Kaczur. I suspect that he is also better as a LT than Kaczur too. In short, I suspect that Britt is getting shafted because of his LT potential; he is just too valuable as a LT, even as a reserve, to waste at RT; and too tall for a Guard.

An enjoyable post, thoughtful, though I will admit to thinking a bit differently about Wesly Britt. Scarnecchia seems to use RT to develop his reserve LT. We saw that with Ashworth and also Kaczur. As you noted Kaczur has proven he is an adequate LT, which makes him a slightly better choice for pass protection on the right side. Britt is getting his reps at LT, which if recent history holds means he's still the third choice behind Kaczur and O'Callaghan, or in the case for LT, third behind Light and Kaczur.

 

[BelichickFan]

You think that a false start in a Training Camp practice is a big deal? You are headed for many disappointments.

Right, a false start in the 4th quarter of a big game is a big deal; a false start in the first week of training camp isn't . . . and it doesn't mean the player is having a bad camp.

 

[Pats726]

Box O Rocks wrote (in red):
A ... consistently outstanding
Moss
Hobbs
Welker
Gaffney
Woods
Andrews -- I'd rate both in the B-C area. -- I'm surprised. If you have the time, why?
Adalius

B ... drawing favorable notice
Evans -- I'd move Heath up. - - Your privilege
Lua
Morris -- I'd move Sammy down, I'm reading mixed reviews.
Gutierrez
Izzo
Warren
Baugher
Wilfork
Washington
Mankins

C ... about as-expected or as-before
Tom Brady
Bruschi
Wright
O’Callaghan
Moore
Faulk -- Consistently making big plays may be what we expect, but he grades out an A for quality. -- Then there are those big fumbles.
Miller
Green

D ... more bad press than good
Caldwell -- Cold, most of the negative comes from the reports of others who are shining brightly, I'd move him up a grade. -- Right. Already promoted.
Malone
Light
Kareem
Cassel
Anam

F ... worst on the field -- Perhaps not meeting expectations would be better, I could easily see two as Ds and James a C - our expectations may be skewed... -- Are you awarding any F's, Box?
Kranchick
James
Williams

I don't think it matters whether one awards a player an F a D or a C...it's more a relative situation position wise..and the lower rated players by the team will be cut..whether they are any of those designations...OR if by some weird situation, they are all B!! It's like there are scaled grades where some have to be cut no matter what. AND it gets real hard comparing a 4th tight end to a 10th LB or DB or??? THAT is where cuts will be extremely hard.

 

[PromisedLand]

You think that a false start in a Training Camp practice is a big deal? You are headed for many disappointments.

??? Are you related to Alan Iverson? "We talking about practice!"

The point is that training camp is for training. If BB just laughed and said a false start in training camp is no big deal, his players would take that muscle memory into the season where the false starts ARE a big deal. That's the reason guys have to take a lap for a false start.

edit: Having said that, I can admit that in the context in which BF said they were no big deal, he is right in the sense that there could be more worrisome reason that guys have to take a lap. But the original topic in which this came was who was hot, who was not, and having to take two laps for false starts is certainly not hot.