some observations

[rkarp1]

-if all goes according to plan, I will be at practice on Thursday. look forward to posting on what strikes me at practice

-the news on the Ravens practicing with full pads, which is against NFL rules, seems to have fallen on deaf ears around here? did it with the NFL? seems player safety is paramount, this should be a highly punished offense imo. your move Mr Goodell

-see that Easley's contract is guaranteed only if he is on the 53 mn roster each game. and then so, at the vet min. makes me feel his departure here was only 10% or less due to injury and 90% or more due to the player is a knuckle head. Fischer and BB have a good relationship and I am sure they spoke before the signing

-Rex drafting Lawson and then the news that he will most likely miss the season with surgery also went almost unnoticed here. gee, if BB drafted a guy in RD1 and he missed season 1, Babe would have a conniption

-I still think Freeney playing here could be a good situation for the right $$$. I still envision Grissom playing inside, and Rufus at OLB

-I am still not sure on McClellan. what is his role here? is it a sign that there is trouble with High or Collins signing? BB gave him a lot of money, and in BB we trust. see Ayers and Jon Casillas. but MOnty Beisal never worked out either.

-I am of the opinion a lot more players had surgery or are still recovering from injury than we know about. Kline's shoulder. Danny's ankle/knee. Edelman's foot. Blount's hip. Jackson's knees. Vollmer's ankle. will be interesting to note who was able to work out this off season and is ready to go day 1 in camp. also, recall last camp Branch reported quite out of shape

 

[jmt57]

-if all goes according to plan, I will be at practice on Thursday. look forward to posting on what strikes me at practice

Are you a credentialed member of the media? OTAs are closed to the public.

-the news on the Ravens practicing with full pads, which is against NFL rules, seems to have fallen on deaf ears around here? did it with the NFL? seems player safety is paramount, this should be a highly punished offense imo. your move Mr Goodell

I wouldn't say that the news fell on deaf ears; there was an 83-comment thread on the subject. However, after having witnessed so much hypocrisy (Jets' tampering, Atlanta and Indy's pumped in crowd noise, San Diego's stickum towels, Eagles contacting Wentz prior to draft, Colts practicing a player on IR, etc.) over the years in regards to 'integrity' and player safety, it reaches the point that I (and am sure many others) have almost given up any outrage over the double standard. At this point we're more focused on the fairness (or lack thereof) of framegate than anticipating much of anything to happen with a story that the mainstream sports media quickly buried.

-see that Easley's contract is guaranteed only if he is on the 53 mn roster each game. and then so, at the vet min. makes me feel his departure here was only 10% or less due to injury and 90% or more due to the player is a knuckle head. Fischer and BB have a good relationship and I am sure they spoke before the signing

Fisher and BB have a good relationship? Seriously?

-Rex drafting Lawson and then the news that he will most likely miss the season with surgery also went almost unnoticed here. gee, if BB drafted a guy in RD1 and he missed season 1, Babe would have a conniption

Who is Babe?

-I still think Freeney playing here could be a good situation for the right $$$. I still envision Grissom playing inside, and Rufus at OLB

I'm thinking that the Patriots will continue to be playing a nickel defense more often than any other formation. That puts Collins and Hightower on the field, with the other linebackers fighting for a roster spot as backups for an occasional breather and in case of injury. Freeney could be nice as a situational pass rusher, but he's so one-dimensional I'm not sure that he's a good fit.

-I am still not sure on McClellan. what is his role here? is it a sign that there is trouble with High or Collins signing? BB gave him a lot of money, and in BB we trust. see Ayers and Jon Casillas. but MOnty Beisal never worked out either.

I too wonder what McClellin's role will be. With $3,500,000 guaranteed it would be a surprise if he was cut or only play a handful of snaps.

-I am of the opinion a lot more players had surgery or are still recovering from injury than we know about. Kline's shoulder. Danny's ankle/knee. Edelman's foot. Blount's hip. Jackson's knees. Vollmer's ankle. will be interesting to note who was able to work out this off season and is ready to go day 1 in camp. also, recall last camp Branch reported quite out of shape

With a football season being so much longer than it used to be (21 weeks for regular and post-season, as opposed to 12 weeks plus one playoff game back when Vince Lombardi was racking up one championship after another), a player missing the first few games doesn't bother me like it used to. I would rather the team err on the side of caution and have a player ready for the playoffs than to rush him, and set the injury rehab clock back to zero.

 

[jah]

Unless we switch to a 3-4 or Rufus Johnson has Hightower-like athleticism, he's not a linebacker at 6'5", 270 lbs.

 

[WazzuWheatfarmer]

Unless we switch to a 3-4 or Rufus Johnson has Hightower-like athleticism, he's not a linebacker at 6'5", 270 lbs.

Rufus Johnson might be the most intriguing player to watch in training camp this year as far as I'm concerned. He's obviously got the size, he's shown glimpses of very good athleticism, and he's been in the system for over a year. I'm really interested to see what he can do this summer

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Unless we switch to a 3-4 or Rufus Johnson has Hightower-like athleticism, he's not a linebacker at 6'5", 270 lbs.

Can you guess which is which?

Player A:

40 Yrd Dash: 4.75
20 Yrd Dash: 2.70
10 Yrd Dash: 1.62
Vertical Jump: 34 1/2
Broad Jump: 10'02"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.56
3-Cone Drill: 7.43


Player B:

40 Yrd Dash:4.68
20 Yrd Dash:2.74
10 Yrd Dash:1.66
Vertical Jump:33
Broad Jump:09'09"
20 Yrd Shuttle:4.64
3-Cone Drill:7.55

 

[AzorianPats]

Can you guess which is which?

Player A:

40 Yrd Dash: 4.75
20 Yrd Dash: 2.70
10 Yrd Dash: 1.62
Vertical Jump: 34 1/2
Broad Jump: 10'02"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.56
3-Cone Drill: 7.43


Player B:

40 Yrd Dash:4.68
20 Yrd Dash:2.74
10 Yrd Dash:1.66
Vertical Jump:33
Broad Jump:09'09"
20 Yrd Shuttle:4.64
3-Cone Drill:7.55

A. Rufus Johnson
B Hightower

 

[AtomicDawg]

Who is Babe?

RKarp comes from the soon-to-be defunct Boston.com boards, and "Babe Parilli" is one of the members, so I am guessing that is who he is referring to. Why he would do that here, I've no clue on that matter.

 

[BobDigital]

Some Observations i found but not worth starting their own thread on.

#1 Gronk recently passed Ben Coates for most yardage by a Patriots TE all time. 5555 yards to 5471

#2 Gronk needs 2 TDs to tie and 3 to pass Stanley Morgan for all time Pats TD Leader @67

 

[Kontradiction]

Since when do BB and Jeff Fisher have a good relationship?

 

[archstanton543]

Who is Babe?

Parilli, I'm guessing..

 

[Danger Zone]

Since when do BB and Jeff Fisher have a good relationship?

Belichick: Good. Good.

 

[rkarp1]

Are you a credentialed member of the media? OTAs are closed to the public.

Yes, I have access

I wouldn't say that the news fell on deaf ears; there was an 83-comment thread on the subject. However, after having witnessed so much hypocrisy (Jets' tampering, Atlanta and Indy's pumped in crowd noise, San Diego's stickum towels, Eagles contacting Wentz prior to draft, Colts practicing a player on IR, etc.) over the years in regards to 'integrity' and player safety, it reaches the point that I (and am sure many others) have almost given up any outrage over the double standard. At this point we're more focused on the fairness (or lack thereof) of framegate than anticipating much of anything to happen with a story that the mainstream sports media quickly buried.


Fisher and BB have a good relationship? Seriously?

Yes, seriously


Who is Babe?

Babe is a poster from my old neighborhood that I believe is posting here under a different name. however, he will remain Babe to me


I'm thinking that the Patriots will continue to be playing a nickel defense more often than any other formation. That puts Collins and Hightower on the field, with the other linebackers fighting for a roster spot as backups for an occasional breather and in case of injury. Freeney could be nice as a situational pass rusher, but he's so one-dimensional I'm not sure that he's a good fit.

I think Freeney is a roster casualty with his most value on ST but that unit has been restocked pretty well


I too wonder what McClellin's role will be. With $3,500,000 guaranteed it would be a surprise if he was cut or only play a handful of snaps.


With a football season being so much longer than it used to be (21 weeks for regular and post-season, as opposed to 12 weeks plus one playoff game back when Vince Lombardi was racking up one championship after another), a player missing the first few games doesn't bother me like it used to. I would rather the team err on the side of caution and have a player ready for the playoffs than to rush him, and set the injury rehab clock back to zero.

 

[Tunescribe]

Belichick: Good. Good.

I was at that game, completely unprepared for snow (as were the Titans). I'll never forget Fisher's post-game presser: He didn't even seem angry over his team getting its butt kicked in; he just sort of verbally shrugged his shoulders. As long as he felt on track to an 8-8 season, it probably didn't matter much.

 

[ViperGTS]

RKarp comes from the soon-to-be defunct Boston.com boards, and "Babe Parilli" is one of the members, so I am guessing that is who he is referring to. Why he would do that here, I've no clue on that matter.

Karpie, Parilli and those guys are kind of what turned that board (along with whoever a Rusty is) into what it was. I looked from afar and the constant infighting and name calling was pretty sad. While there has been moments on this board, they are far and few between. Karpie supposedly works at Gillette in what occupation is unknown. He sometimes has what appears to be inside info, yet at other times has info that's so wrong it calls into question the former. I dunno. I suppose he can be felt put here, just wary of the inundation of those guys here. I like what we have here, warts and all.

 

[AtomicDawg]

Karpie, Parilli and those guys are kind of what turned that board (along with whoever a Rusty is) into what it was. I looked from afar and the constant infighting and name calling was pretty sad. While there has been moments on this board, they are far and few between. Karpie supposedly works at Gillette in what occupation is unknown. He sometimes has what appears to be inside info, yet at other times has info that's so wrong it calls into question the former. I dunno. I suppose he can be felt put here, just wary of the inundation of those guys here. I like what we have here, warts and all.

Yeah, I only had the gumption to start posting a few months ago but I've been a reader/lurker here for the better part of almost 5 years. This board is really well moderated and also the folks here know how to self-mediate better than any board I've been on. At BDC I would notice ****-throwing in almost every thread. It makes something like that unreadable. I'm glad that's only reserved for gameday threads here.

 

[signbabybrady]

Yeah, I only had the gumption to start posting a few months ago but I've been a reader/lurker here for the better part of almost 5 years. This board is really well moderated and also the folks here know how to self-mediate better than any board I've been on. At BDC I would notice ****-throwing in almost every thread. It makes something like that unreadable. I'm glad that's only reserved for gameday threads here.

Thanks to @Ian and his team of mods this is a great community.