2017 Training Camp - Day 1 (7/27/17)

[maineman209]

The biggest thing I came away with from the first TC practice is that I am officially worried about Kony Ealy. He walked off the OTAs and has been MIA ever since. Hope he didn't injure himself. He is a roster bubble candidate as it stands so any additional lost day makes it just more unlikely that he will get through cuts.

Apart from that, nice to see the team working again. Can't wait to see where we are after a full week.

Well, they haven't put him on active/PUP yet - though they still could since he hasn't practiced yet. If it's not a physical issue, that could be bad.

 

[patchick]

I'm not going to get too excited about July no-pad-time. But I am not convinced "there is no room for Carr".

Agreed, and he's definitely no Bam Childress. 6'1" 202, the top receiver in the Big 10, Biletnikoff finalist...Carr is a legitimate prospect. Plus as a former walk-on, you know he has the determination and work ethic. (And come to think of it, being an unrecruited walk-on at Northwestern means he must have some serious book smarts, too.)

 

[luuked]

That's a leap of imagination.

What about it is a leap of imagination ?

Ealy is living off a first round selection and one impressive performance against the Broncos. Unless a change of scenery can magically fix whatever it was that made him a bust he is nothing more than a JAG. In fact, as long as he can't practice - which he hasn't since he exited OTAs early - he is not even a JAG.

 

[AtomicDawg]

Some Howe bombs.

 

[patchick]

Gotcha. I do hope we see a lot of the two-back shotgun set with Lewis and White on the field at the same time. We saw a lot of that down the stretch last season, though I don't recall seeing a lot of it in the playoffs.

Then there's Burkhead. On paper, this team is absurdly stacked with pass-catching RBs.

 

[AtomicDawg]

After posting a million things so far . . . I just took the time to realize that I'm posing about real football in a TC thread! Wow, I'm so f-ing stoked!

I know right??!! When I wrote the title to the thread this morning I had to do a double take to realize it was true. Sure enough it was! Football is here.

 

[Don Calhoun]

I realize this is 'old news' but I thought it was a good time to reiterate that the Pats are 17-0 in all games that Dion Lewis has been on the active roster.

 

[RobertWeathers]

When healthy, Lewis has been a productive player for the Pats and very exciting to watch.

However, he's merely another player on a short term contract with a small dead-money cap hit. He's just another potential piece in the 53-man roster puzzle for 2017. Whether or not he's on the active 53 at the start of the regular season is up to the coaches.

Since I can't possibly know what they see or think of Lewis, or how their perceptions of him vis-a-vis his roster competition may change during the course of Camp and pre-season games, or how the coaches intend to configure the 2017 offense, or how they may foresee it changing over the course of the season from game-to-game, I'm not going to assume that Lewis is a "lock."

WRT Lewis having "shown more" than James White since the start of the 2015 season, the fact that White now has a longer term contract with a significant dead-money cap hit and Lewis doesn't might be considered evidence to the contrary.

If you think that's "cloudy judgement", so be it.

I listed what some of the fans on this board and talking heads have said.

You are stating what the coaches or the FO would consider in evaluating the player which in turn would lead to being cut or a trade which is how they evaluate and quantify the player's value.

 

[Clonamery]

What about it is a leap of imagination ?

Ealy is living off a first round selection and one impressive performance against the Broncos. Unless a change of scenery can magically fix whatever it was that made him a bust he is nothing more than a JAG. In fact, as long as he can't practice - which he hasn't since he exited OTAs early - he is not even a JAG.

Fine. It's just a leap. In two weeks I might definitely agree with your assessment if he can't get on the field. Right now it has as much strength as some saying a great day by an ufda on the first day of camp equals the next Malcolm Butler. That's all.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

It's like Christmas and Brady gets to play with our new toys

 

[maineman209]

What about it is a leap of imagination ?

Ealy is living off a first round selection and one impressive performance against the Broncos. Unless a change of scenery can magically fix whatever it was that made him a bust he is nothing more than a JAG. In fact, as long as he can't practice - which he hasn't since he exited OTAs early - he is not even a JAG.

Ealy was selected at #60 in 2014.

Sheard was selected at #37 in 2011.

Ealy's regular season stats during his last two seasons with Carolina are comparable to Sheard's stats during his two seasons with the Pats:

Ealy: 5 PD ... 5 FF ... 10 sacks ... 64 total tackles
Sheard: 6 PD ... 4 FF ... 13 sacks ... 70 total tackles

Pretty close on snaps counts, too.

Both seem to me to have been pretty solid 2nd round picks. JAG is kinda stretching it.

 

[Jackson 2]

I don't think so. Not as a region or a sports area. NE is just better. Although the week of the SB ATL kind of did play into the "cheaters/Boston is racist" memes.

They did and I think it was all they really had "to hang their hat on", so to speak. It was weak, but it was all they really had and I think they knew that.

 

[luuked]

Ealy was selected at #60 in 2014.

Sheard was selected at #37 in 2011.

Ealy's regular season stats during his last two seasons with Carolina are comparable to Sheard's stats during his two seasons with the Pats:

Ealy: 5 PD ... 5 FF ... 10 sacks ... 64 total tackles
Sheard: 6 PD ... 4 FF ... 13 sacks ... 70 total tackles

Pretty close on snaps counts, too.

Both seem to me to have been pretty solid 2nd round picks. JAG is kinda stretching it.

The difference being that Sheard had people signing him in two rounds of FA whereas Ealy was let go early by the team that drafted him just so they could move up 8 spots in the draft.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have an issue with Ealy at all. In fact, I am more than intrigued by what Ealy might be able to do. However, he needs reps and coaching to overcome whatever limited him for years in Carolina. The more camp time he misses the more unlikely it is that he will be able to flip that switch.

 

[maineman209]

I listed what some of the fans on this board and talking heads have said.

You are stating what the coaches or the FO would consider in evaluating the player which in turn would lead to being cut or a trade which is how they evaluate and quantify the player's value.

I've also cited Lewis' injury history, White's improvement and his consistency as a pass-protector, and the substantial competition from other talented pass-catching RBs in this camp (including Foster, who I've been following since his junior season) as reasons that Lewis could be vulnerable, rather than a lock.

It's difficult to think that I wasn't included in your group of people with "cloudy judgement".

 

[AtomicDawg]

@BobDigital you asked about Gilmore. Here's Howe's take.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Can't count out Danny Amendola, every time someone does he just proves you wrong in the biggest games at just the right moment.

Baltimore 14pointsx2 game and both superbowls stick out like nobodies business.

I really want them to find a spot for Carr though, if they can get him to practice squad at the least, I consider that a big win for wr corps.

Malcolm Mitchell looks like where he left off on the last game of the NFL season. Another one of the many SB heroes. Those hands

 

[AtomicDawg]

"Tony, this is Brady's last season in New England."
"Yes yes, I totally agree Mike."

 

[RobertWeathers]

I've also cited Lewis' injury history, White's improvement and his consistency as a pass-protector, and the substantial competition from other talented pass-catching RBs in this camp (including Foster, who I've been following since his junior season) as reasons that Lewis could be vulnerable, rather than a lock.

It's difficult to think that I wasn't included in your group of people with "cloudy judgement".

That is not cloudy. Those are legitimate reasons he would be traded. I stated those in another post.

None of those should influence the evaluation of Dion Lewis as a player and that is what some are doing.

So be lucky....in my eyes you are not included in that cloudy bunch.

 

[RobertWeathers]

@BobDigital you asked about Gilmore. Here's Howe's take.

I always thought Vince Wilfork, Ted Washington and Alan Branch blocked out the sun.

 

[ViperGTS]