Francis Not Spotted at Tuesday's 1/8 Practice; Ninkovich Looking Good Tho'

[shmessy]

DE Francis not spotted at practice - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

 

[Uncle Rico]

Excellent news on Ninko.

Pats have been lucky as far as not having many guys IRed, but they sure have been beaten up all year. Would be nice to have OLine, Gronk, AHern, CH Jones, Talib, Dennard, Spikes and others all benefit from this bye week and be relatively healthy and ready to kick butt.

 

[PatsFan2]

None issue lets just hope Justin Francis picks up here he left off sacking the opposing QB and weaking Hovoc. What a UDFA find, whovever in the Patriot brass find these guys...please keep it up.

 

[JMC00]

What a UDFA find, whovever in the Patriot brass find these guys...please keep it up.

Well Francis was obviously Belichick's find.

Played at Rutgers, friends with his kid. Francis and Belichick's kid had been friends since their sophomore year at Rutgers.

 

[Kontradiction]

None issue lets just hope Justin Francis picks up here he left off sacking the opposing QB and weaking Hovoc. What a UDFA find, whovever in the Patriot brass find these guys...please keep it up.

Very solid against the pass though his technique against the run still needs to improve. I'm hoping that Ninkovich can go this weekend, so this is great news.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Gotta think Ninko wouldn't be talking if he wasn't playing.

Rob Ninkovich took time to heal during Patriots' bye week - Extra Points - Boston.com

 

[The Brandon Five]

I got concerned when I saw this headline, but then I read the details...hmm.

Patriots work out DL Armstead - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

Armstead went undrafted in the 2012 NFL draft and later signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. He led the Argonauts in sacks this past season and was named a CFL all-star. Armstead was released by Toronto on Friday, reportedly to pursue NFL opportunities.

Listed by the CFL at 6-foot-5, 298 pounds, Armstead reportedly drew interest from the Patriots prior to last April's draft, and could be on their radar for a spot on their offseason roster. NFL rules prohibit teams from signing players from CFL rosters within the same season, so Armstead cannot join the Patriots for the playoffs.

Looks to have a good motor, and moves damn quick for a 6-5 300 lb man. Not sure how good the OL play is in the CFL, but some good stuff here.
Armond Armstead 2012 CFL All-Star Highlight Video - YouTube

 

[LloydBraun]

I got concerned when I saw this headline, but then I read the details...hmm.

Patriots work out DL Armstead - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston


Looks to have a good motor, and moves damn quick for a 6-5 300 lb man. Not sure how good the OL play is in the CFL, but some good stuff here.
Armond Armstead 2012 CFL All-Star Highlight Video - YouTube

He had a heart attack as a 20 yr old and it hurt his draft status. It was allegedly a reaction o painkillers. This could be a nice move for depth in 2013. A futures contract will likely be his, from some team, soon. The Argos let him out of his deal a yr early.

 

[shmessy]

He had a heart attack as a 20 yr old and it hurt his draft status. It was allegedly a reaction o painkillers. This could be a nice move for depth in 2013. A futures contract will likely be his, from some team, soon. The Argos let him out of his deal a yr early.

I googled about his heart attack and found this:

Football Teams Use Painkiller Despite Risks - YouTube

Very scary for the kid - who seems like a well spoken young man. Good news is it isn't a congenital heart thing - - it really was the use of a certain painkiller that the more lax NCAA doesn't even track, but that the NFL does. Go figure, the NCAA takes less care of the students than the NFL does or even horse racing officials do for horses.

 

[kateean2]

Pats have been lucky as far as not having many guys IRed, but they sure have been beaten up all year.

 

[DarrylS]

I always thought that after a superbowl we had a lot of players put on IR, but once again humbled as despite what I think, all assumptions need to be based on what I know..

Wonder what happened to Francis, today will be clearer..

 

[kkpat]

Well Francis was obviously Belichick's find.

Played at Rutgers, friends with his kid. Francis and Belichick's kid had been friends since their sophomore year at Rutgers.

WOW! Francis knew how to pick his friends... Long term planning. I wish my high school kid gets that kind of vision... lol