Observations from the Last Two Patriots Practices and Morse’s Morsels
(PHOTO: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports) 🕑 Read Time: 8 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots News
(PHOTO: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports) 🕑 Read Time: 8 minutes
New England Patriots > Patriots Blog
(PHOTO: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports) Here are some of the observations from the last two practices.
8/2 Practice
8/3 Practice
Look for more on each player in Dussault’s article.
Morse’s Morsels
DeShaun Watson gets 6 Game Suspension
That punishment by arbitrator Judge Sue L. Robinson is inadequate at best. The point that the Grand Jury in Houston would not indict him was a huge factor. The irony here is that Tom Brady gets 4 games for nothing because Goodell is the judge, jury, and executioner. Stephen Ross gets more for tampering and Baltimore running back Ray Rice gets two games for striking his girlfriend in an elevator on camera. The NFL has to appeal this decision if only to save some face.
Describing the New Look Patriots Offense
This from Andrew Callahan, “Through almost 7 practices, the new #Patriots offense seems to borrow more specifically from Sean McVay than general Shanahan principles.
– Heavy outside zone
– Play-action boot passes off the outside zone
– Tight wide receiver splits
– Increasing amounts of jet motion
Greg Bedard stated the blocking is the issue. “They are having a very hard time getting on the same page, and they are allowing a ton of penetration. At one point, Ja’Whaun Bentley came in unblocked as Cole Strange allowed him to run through, which got the rookie a lot of coaching from Bill Belichick and assistant line coach Billy Yates. Some of it I think is personnel, the zone scheme calls for lighter more agile players (like Strange) so it’s a challenge for bigger guys like Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu, and David Andrews when he’s out there (he was very limited today). A lot of it has to do with a lack of attention to detail, which is paramount in this timing/rhythm-based blocking scheme. Not sure how much sense it makes having a line coach in Matt Patricia only paying attention to the line half time the time.”
In my opinion, a player like Michael Owenu may not be suited to playing this type of zone blocking scheme. It’s early and I hope that we see quick improvement being made on this.
LB Jahlani Tavai is Praised by Belichick
This tidbit from former local sportscaster Mike Giaradi “It is pretty clear that Bill Belichick looked at how his defense finished last year and decided that the biggest issue was at the LB level (Van Noy released/Hightower unsigned). Remains to be seen if they’ve found answers but this is a bold proclamation by the boss”.
Mike Reiss posted this tweet quoting Bill Belichick, on @SiriusXMNFL with @PatKirwan_NFL and @JimMiller_NFL, said of LB Jahlani Tavai: “I think he’ll be a big factor for us this year, on all four downs; not just defensively but also in the kicking game.” Of LB corps, he says: “I think we have good depth there.
Dolphins Forfeit Two High Draft Picks
The Dolphins and owner Stephen Ross were hit hard by the NFL for Tampering with Tom Brady while he was under contract to the Patriots. The Phins will lose their 2023 1st round selection as well as their 2024 3rd round pick. The team will be fined $1.5M and owner Stephen Ross will be suspended for 6 months and stripped from participating in any of the owners’ committees. The league determined that the Phins had tampered with Brady while he was playing for the Patriots in 2019. My question is where is the compensation to the Patriots?
A side note to this is that the league did not find any evidence of the Dolphins tanking or deliberately losing games. Part of Brian Flores lawsuit is that the owner asked him to lose games to better position the team in the draft. Flores wouldn’t do it (as the league has confirmed) but the Dolphins fired him anyway.
Why aren’t the Patriots entitled to compensation due to the damage that the tampering had done? I think the Patriots should get that 1st round pick Miami is forfeiting.
Patriots Third Highest Valued NFL Franchise
The Cowboys remain number one with a value of $7.64B and the LA Rams are a distant 2nd at $5.91M. The Patriots are third at $5.88M. Far cry from the days of the Billy Sullivan Patriots.
Patriots Announce three more additions to the camp roster
Jalen Elliott S Notre Dame – 6’1” slow (4.8 40) but quick (6.87 3 cone drill). Patriots Country by FanNation said this about Elliott on March 8, 2020 https://www.si.com/nfl/patriots/gm-report/scouting-profile-jalen-elliott “Jalen Elliott is a guy who has been widely ignored by the media through this draft process. Yet, Jim Nagy of the Senior Bowl (in which Elliott starred in), hinted that team scouts are giving him some attention leading into the draft.” Many didn’t think Elliott deserved the nod for a Senior Bowl
Brad Hawkins S Michigan – 6’1” 207 4.57 40, 7.10 3-cone drill are decent for a Strong Safety. Hawkins player 5 seasons at Ann Arbor with 178 tackles, 8 pass deflections two forced fumbles, and one recovery. He was voted third team All-Big Ten in 2021 and was a team captain. Atlanta signed him as a Priority Free Agent after the draft but cut him to add Eddie Goldman to the roster in July.
Nate Wieland LB Iowa/Grand View (NIAI) (reported by multiple sources) – Somewhere between 6’1” and 6’ 4” according to conflicting reports. From a report on the 2022 National Scouting Combine, “Weiland dominated at the linebacker position, as he had the highest combine numbers at each of the six combine drills. For someone who almost weighs 240 pounds and stands at just over 6’1”, his speed was extremely evident, as he would’ve not only weighed-in as the 5th heaviest linebacker, but he also would’ve run the fastest 40-yard dash (Note: Nick Bolton ran a 4.6 at the NFL Combine) and had the 7th highest vertical jump for inside linebackers at the 2021 NFL Combine. Even with the limited highlight film, our scouting staff was extremely impressed with Weiland’s suddenness, pursuit ability, and versatility seen through being able to play as an edge defender. During the position drills today, we’re looking forward to watching how Weiland performs with the linebacker drills and scouts are going to want to see if he can play with body control in space because he caught their attention yesterday”. This is not the 1st look the Patriots have had with Wieland, he was a rookie camp invitee but not offered a contract at that time. Grand View played for the NAIA National Championship last season and lost in the championship game.
The NFL is appealing the DeShaun Watson Ruling
No surprise here. They have until Thursday to appeal. This is a PR nightmare for the league as the pushback from the general public, men and women have been tremendous. According to Adam Schefter, the league is asking for an Indefinite Suspension and at least a year’s suspension. That is the same position they had going in. I believe this time they are asking for an extreme sentence, hoping to find somewhere in the middle so they can save face. Roger Goodell gets to determine who hears the appeal. What a joke!
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