WEEI.com: O'Connell ready to take another step forward

[Christopher_Price]

Hey all ... here's today's offering. As I said earlier, O'Connell and Fred Taylor were probably the two biggest stories at Wednesday's OTA's. I went with O'Connell -- I think it was a good choice. Let me know if you agree:

Christopher Price | O'Connell ready to take another step forward

Start following me on Twitter at twitter.com/capeleaguer.

 

[efin98]

Great quote from O'Connell, "The Sponge" part of his quote is gonna follow him around for a while

 

[jays52]

Great article as always, Chris. I am really enjoying your work lately. It's high availability, high quality content. Just makes me wonder what I'm going to do when "football season's over". Hay!!! Hunter S. reference!

Sorry. I have ingested lots of caffine. Us proposal writers deal with horrendous deadlines as well. Working towards the O'Connell story line, without delving into the Montana/Young references, have you been able to glean anything out of Bill about the difference in skill sets? I would be fascinated if you could get him into a detailed discussion on the different challenges different quarterback skill sets present. If you could get him into a monologue about defending a guy who is exceptional with reads, and rare sliding ability vs a guy who can roll out, run, and potentially cause breakdowns, I think it would be an incredible read.

Do you think it is feasible to get Bill into discussing such a topic?

 

[Feep50]

Great stuff, Mr. Price! I've been excited about K'O since he was drafted! Now that Matt Cassel has moved on to KC O'Connell can cement his place as primary BU to Tom Terrific.

This sentence fairly jumped of the page at me. "In addition, he totaled 1,312 yards on 396 carries and 19 rushing touchdowns."

Really looking forward to seeing what he can do in TC and pre-season games....

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I thought Shawn Crable's legs were the big story...but I'm glad you went in another direction...

BTW just for the record Miller and Vinny never actually backed Brady up, they were third stringers here. Although Flutie actually did (much to the chagrin of the anti-Flutieites). Unlike poor Gutierrez, whose briefly intense but equally fleeting love affair with the local media is obviously on the rocks...

I just hope KOC never does whatever it was Cassel did to so alienate the local scribes because I think the nationals (not to mention most of the armchair GM's in the fan base) take their early lead from you guys and the evisceration of MC heading into his 4th and final year here probably had as much of an impact on the perception of his value as anything. If you guys can avoid nitpicking KOC into Walmart status maybe BB can flip him for a first in 2011 without having to start and tag him to prove a point...

Do us all a favor and pass along to your peers the idea to nit pick on Hoyer and Edleman so Bill can rehab Gutierrez stock while those two fly under the radar to the PS for future development as part of the scout team...

Really looking forward to seeing what he can do in TC and pre-season games....

So am I. I just hope folks aren't expecting him to find a way to move the chains and win the pre season if and when the execution around him is in shambles because that's not what his coaches will be looking for from him in his second pre season... They'll be looking for him to show pocket presence and awareness, poise under pressure, and that he increasingly grasps the playbook and the pre and post snap reads so he can help them weed out the members of the supporting cast who aren't necessarily grasping it.

Working towards the O'Connell story line, without delving into the Montana/Young references, have you been able to glean anything out of Bill about the difference in skill sets? I would be fascinated if you could get him into a detailed discussion on the different challenges different quarterback skill sets present. If you could get him into a monologue about defending a guy who is exceptional with reads, and rare sliding ability vs a guy who can roll out, run, and potentially cause breakdowns, I think it would be an incredible read.

Guys who can tuck and run bring an added dimension to any offense PROVIDED they can run an established base offense and tucking and running isn't their default under pressure, perceived or actual. If you have to run a specific package to accommodate that player (as was the case with Rohan) then he's really not a potential starter, and not even a solid backup here. People here forget pretty quickly that Cassel looked a lot like KOC his rookie year. What got him ahead was he looked a lot more like TFB his second and third seasons. Gutierrez still just looked like the generic young guy with a strong arm and some wheels, who could make some plays as well as some mistakes in an effort to, and that will get you nowhere with this coaching staff after your rookie season (although apparently it impresses the hell out of a segment of the fan base and media).

This staff is looking for a QB who consistently makes good, quick decisions. Your first of which should be (as Flutie advised those who would follow him into the #2 slot here) to try and emulate Brady...

PS All mention of Montana Young should be restricted to the practice forum. Brady intends to play for another several seasons at least. KOC will be gone by if not before 2012. Hopefully for at least an early second...

 

[DaBruinz]

Have the Patriots been working on O'Connell's delivery? I ask because in the picture on Mike Reiss' page, O'Connell has the ball facing backwards as he is going to throw the ball. In the pictures of Brady, whenever he ****s his arm, the ball is facing forwards. That split second in which he has to turn the ball could be the difference between a sack and a TD..

Or is it just an optical delusion caused by the still frame?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

This is a breakdown of Brady's throwing mechanics with slo mo commentary by his former QB coach Martinez. At some point as he winds up his hand is facing backwards too - it has to - but he delivers the ball from a very different plane, his ear. KOC at least in that picture is looking like his release point would be a lot higher.

Breaking down Brady: A close look at the mechanics of the Pats' QB -- Boston Globe -- Boston.com

 

[Christopher_Price]

Wow. All great questions. Let me try and answer a few of them on a break from answering correspondence as President of the Matt Gutierrez Fan Club....

First off, O'Connell clearly has a different skill set than most backups who have come through Foxborough, with the possible exception of Flutie -- he's got wheels. He ran the 40 in 4.6, a ridiculous time for any quarterback. Mo, I agree that the formula for any backup to survive here is for them to emulate Brady. However, if Belichick and the Patriots have taught us anything, it's that they are flexible, which leads me to believe that if O'Connell was ever forced into a starting role, they would almost certainly find a way to utilize his speed. Good, quick decisions will always be the priority for New England Patriots quarterbacks, but they'd certainly find a way to get the most out of what is arguably O'Connell's biggest asset. I'm not saying they would break out the wishbone or a series of quarterback draws, but they would do something to use that speed to their advantage within the context of their overall offensive package.

Jays, As far as the different skill sets between O'Connell and Brady, that's a great question, and one worth pursuing with BB when training camp rolls around.

Realistic expectations for KOC in the preseason would be to move the chains on a consistent basis and execute. Poise and a knack for making pre-snap reads will be HUGE. And working with the No. 1 and No. 2 guys extensively in the preseason will be advantageous for him. (I don't expect Brady to make a preseason appearance, FWIW.) Can he make it work when the bullets start to fly? No one really knows right now. With his limited professional resume, even in the preseason, no one really knows what kind of quarterback he'll turn out to be. We'll know a lot more about him between now and the start of the regular season.

Bruinz, I noticed the same thing. I know they have worked with him on his delivery -- if you spend a few moments watching him before and after practice, you can clearly see Pats' assistants working with all the qb's on their deliveries. But when it comes to O'Connell, they aren't doing anything they haven't done with any of their other quarterbacks. I will, however, pay closer attention to that during next week's OTA session, and I'll report back to you. (If you don't hear from me, shoot me a PM and I'll let you know.)

All right--back to checking out Shawn Crable's legs.....

 

[TheBaronPatriot]

I'm curious if you guys thing OC is being groomed as Brady's replacement down the line?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I'm curious if you guys thing OC is being groomed as Brady's replacement down the line?

I'm not saying he is, or that it's even likely, but that possibility can't be excluded. After all, O'Connell is currently the only QB signed for 2011.

 

[AzPatsFan]

I thought Shawn Crable's legs were the big story...but I'm glad you went in another direction...

BTW just for the record Miller and Vinny never actually backed Brady up, they were third stringers here. Although Flutie actually did (much to the chagrin of the anti-Flutieites). Unlike poor Gutierrez, whose briefly intense but equally fleeting love affair with the local media is obviously on the rocks...

I just hope KOC never does whatever it was Cassel did to so alienate the local scribes because I think the nationals (not to mention most of the armchair GM's in the fan base) take their early lead from you guys and the evisceration of MC heading into his 4th and final year here probably had as much of an impact on the perception of his value as anything. If you guys can avoid nitpicking KOC into Walmart status maybe BB can flip him for a first in 2011 without having to start and tag him to prove a point...

Do us all a favor and pass along to your peers the idea to nit pick on Hoyer and Edleman so Bill can rehab Gutierrez stock while those two fly under the radar to the PS for future development as part of the scout team...



So am I. I just hope folks aren't expecting him to find a way to move the chains and win the pre season if and when the execution around him is in shambles because that's not what his coaches will be looking for from him in his second pre season... They'll be looking for him to show pocket presence and awareness, poise under pressure, and that he increasingly grasps the playbook and the pre and post snap reads so he can help them weed out the members of the supporting cast who aren't necessarily grasping it.


Guys who can tuck and run bring an added dimension to any offense PROVIDED they can run an established base offense and tucking and running isn't their default under pressure, perceived or actual. If you have to run a specific package to accommodate that player (as was the case with Rohan) then he's really not a potential starter, and not even a solid backup here. People here forget pretty quickly that Cassel looked a lot like KOC his rookie year. What got him ahead was he looked a lot more like TFB his second and third seasons. Gutierrez still just looked like the generic young guy with a strong arm and some wheels, who could make some plays as well as some mistakes in an effort to, and that will get you nowhere with this coaching staff after your rookie season (although apparently it impresses the hell out of a segment of the fan base and media).

This staff is looking for a QB who consistently makes good, quick decisions. Your first of which should be (as Flutie advised those who would follow him into the #2 slot here) to try and emulate Brady...

PS All mention of Montana Young should be restricted to the practice forum. Brady intends to play for another several seasons at least. KOC will be gone by if not before 2012. Hopefully for at least an early second...

MO,

Your description that I highlighted, was EXACTLY what I saw Belichick forcing Matt Cassel to do in in the last preseason. He purposely gave him no first string recieivers, and gave him a shamble of failing O-line tryouts; and wanted to test his P-O-I-S-E.

Your desription of Gutz's play was also exactly right on the money...

That's why I suspect Hoyer may join the crew of UDFAs to make this club, if Matt Gutierrez doesn't start to marture this preseason. Hoyer seems to me to be a POISED QB,with a n ability ot shuffel about, with a good, but not great arm. His max would be a guy like Brian Sipe; his low might be John Huard. He seems to have the talent to be a backup, or spot starter, in the right situation.

Few others were so discerning, including our resident paid writers, apparently.

 

[Feep50]

I'm curious if you guys thing OC is being groomed as Brady's replacement down the line?

One word: Definitely!

 

[MoLewisrocks]

One word: Definitely!

Two words, definitely not. It's too soon since Brady is only 31 and intends to play for at least another several seasons. KOC will either prove to be too valuable to retain (like Cassel) or not nearly good enough to carry (like a lot of guys) by 2012. He's being groomed to back Brady up for the next 2-3 seasons, just like Cassel was, and hopefully net BB a late 2nd OR BETTER in 2011-2012 when they might actually be looking for Brady's replacement - who is likely still dreaming about starting his first game in college.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Nice. It's good to hear that KO seems to be getting into the swing of things. I don't want to see him play in the regular season unless it's mopup duty, but it's good to know that he's getting more and more ready. Gotta like his size and mobility.

 

[Feep50]

Two words, definitely not. It's too soon since Brady is only 31 and intends to play for at least another several seasons. KOC will either prove to be too valuable to retain (like Cassel) or not nearly good enough to carry (like a lot of guys) by 2012. He's being groomed to back Brady up for the next 2-3 seasons, just like Cassel was, and hopefully net BB a late 2nd OR BETTER in 2011-2012 when they might actually be looking for Brady's replacement - who is likely still dreaming about starting his first game in college.

Agreed, but intending to play for several more years and actually accomplishing it might be two different things..... The only future I an certain about is the minute after the last one........