Daily news threads with relevant news, stories, video, or additional content around the team. Feel free to contribute anything interesting you come across as well, which will hopefully make these helpful for people to keep up with what's going on with the team by having all the news in one place.
Tuesday Patriots Notebook 5/21: News and Notes
Ian Logue
If the New England Patriots have any intention of possibly moving on from Bailey Zappe, they didn't make that apparent on Monday.
The left tackle spot seems to be Chukwuma Okorafor’s to lose, as he held the top spot, while rookie Caedan Wallace was behind Vederian Lowe on the depth chart as he begins working on transitioning from the right tackle spot he played in college.
The position the fans and media are focused almost exclusively on is quarterback, and I certainly understand why. But to me Left Tackle is 1B to the QB in terms of how it will impact the 2024 performance of this team. If this is another case of just throwing multiple **** against the wall and waiting to see what sticks, then we're in for another long season. Crossing your fingers and hoping someone miraculously emerges is not a plan; it's just wishful thinking.
The left tackle spot seems to be Chukwuma Okorafor’s to lose, as he held the top spot, while rookie Caedan Wallace was behind Vederian Lowe on the depth chart as he begins working on transitioning from the right tackle spot he played in college.
The position the fans and media are focused almost exclusively on is quarterback, and I certainly understand why. But to me Left Tackle is 1B to the QB in terms of how it will impact the 2024 performance of this team. If this is another case of just throwing multiple **** against the wall and waiting to see what sticks, then we're in for another long season. Crossing your fingers and hoping someone miraculously emerges is not a plan; it's just wishful thinking.
Okorafor said, “I played right my whole time in Pitt. It’s obviously new. I’m trying to learn left as of now. I’m just trying to learn a whole new playbook. I’m trying to learn a whole new city, a whole new town. So, everything is kind of new to me now but I’m blessed.”
Not much of that instills a sense of comfort and positivity from him except the 'blessed' part.
BTW guys do you really think that the OTA's was the first time these LT candidates have taken a stance with their left eye foot back.
The Wallace has probably been working on it every day since he got drafted here. And Okafor has likely been been doing the same the day after he signed.
They KNEW they going to get an opportunity to be a LT weeks ago and probably have done a few thousand reps working on it BEFORE OTAs. and will do several thousand more before Minichamp and camp even opens
People are making it seem like it's some kind of impossibility to go from the right to left side. It isn't IF you work at it. At this level these are all elite athletes remember.
Today in Patriots History A couple of draft busts
Happy 47th birthday to Adrian Klemm Born May 21, 1977 in Inglewood, CA Patriot OL, 2000-2004; uniform #70 Pats 2nd round (46th overall) selection of the 2000 draft, from Hawaii
Q: Who was the first player drafted by GM/HC Bill Belichick?
A: Adrian Klemm
Klemm began his rookie season on PUP, then was able to play five games (with four starts). After spending the entire 2001 season on IR, he did play in every 2002 game - as a backup, with three starts. In 2003 Klemm played in three games, then two in '04 before going on IR. Four seasons, 26 games with ten starts. After that it was one season with the Packers, and his pro football career was over.
The collection of three super bowl rings was put to good use though. Klemm used that as a talking point after being hired by June Jones as a coach at SMU, and he became one of the nation's top college recruiters. Klemm moved on to UCLA with similar recruiting success, though it should be pointed out that his tactics resulted in an NCAA infraction - and his offensive line that was one of the team's biggest weaknesses.
Klemm said, “The Super Bowl rings definitely open some doors. The kids don’t always know, but the coaches who follow football know my background. It shouldn’t be like this, but what I say carries more weight. They perceive me to know a little more. It’s an advantage when I recruit.”
Klemm stayed with the Steelers through 2021; the following year he was the associate head coach, run game coordinator and offensive line coach for the University of Oregon. He was hired as the Pats offensive line coach in 2023 after having interviewed for the job of offensive coordinator. His time with the Steelers and Patriots both ended badly, which is going to make it difficult for him to find another offensive line coach position in the NFL.
Happy 43rd birthday to Guss Scott Born May 21, 1981 in Jacksonville, FL Patriot safety, 2004-2006; uniform #29 Pats 3rd round (95th overall) selection of the 2004 draft, from Florida
Guss Scott suffered a knee injury as a rookie in a 2004 preseason game against the Bengals. Perhaps that was the root cause of what was a very inauspicious pro football career. After spending all of of '04 on IR, the former Gator was on the field for just five games with two starts in '05, after Rodney Harrison went on IR.
The Patriots released Scott as part of final roster cuts on September 2, 2006. That season Scott played in five games with the Texans, and also spent time on the practice squads of the Jets and Dolphins. The Pats re-signed Scott to their own practice squad on December 12, then released him again a week later. He played in 11 NFL games (six with the Patriots, and collected a ring from Super Bowl 39.
Scott, 23, was originally drafted by the Patriots in the third round (95th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft after earning all-conference honors as a senior at Florida. The 5-foot-10-inch, 205-pound defender sustained a knee injury during the preseason his rookie year and was placed on injured reserve on Aug. 30, 2004. He appeared in the first five games of the 2005 season for the Patriots, his last two as a starter, before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2005 season.
In his final appearance, he started at safety in Atlanta and finished the game tied with a team-leading seven solo tackles, including a drive stopping hit on Alge Crumpler on a third-and-two play in the third quarter of a Patriots 31-28 victory. He was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 19, 2005 after totaling 19 tackles, including 16 solos, and five special teams stops in five games.
Scott, 24, was drafted by the Patriots in the third round (95th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-10-inch, 205-pound safety has played in 10 career games with two starts and has recorded 30 career tackles (23 solo). As a rookie in 2004, Scott missed the entire season due to a knee injury. Last season, the Florida product played in five games with two starts for the Patriots, recording 19 tackles (16 solo) before being placed on injured reserve on Oct. 19, 2005.
Scott was with New England for its 2006 training camp, but was released on Sept. 2, 2006 and signed with the Houston Texans the following day. He played in five of the first 10 games of the 2006 season for Houston, recording 11 tackles (7 solo), before being released on Nov. 21. He was signed by the New York Jets on Nov. 23, but was released on Nov. 29 and did not appear in a game for New York.
Announcer's nightmare:
- Happy birthday to **** Folk (May 21, 1915), a fullback from the late thirties. Apologies for not googling his name, I don't want to know where the links that may follow would lead.
"New England Patriots signed Tony Sidor, tight end, Timothy Golden, linebacker and Michael Bush, wide receiver"
Golden left training camp after three days, then was re-signed on April 26, 1982. A DE at Florida, he beat out Bill Matthews and Bob Golic for a roster spot as a LB and played in 40 games from 1982-84, primarily on special teams. Golden finished his NFL career with the Eagles.
May 21, 1982:
The Patriots sign free agent LB Mike Woods, who had played for the Baltimore Colts from 1979-1981. The back and knee problems he suffered through in '81 would turn out to be the least of Woods' problems. He would never play for the Patriots: a few days after signing with the Pats he would be shot and paralyzed in a robbery gone bad, when he went to pick up his father from a late night poker game. Woods was paralyzed; the 17-year old gunman was convicted of not only that crime, but also unrelated rape charges.
Professional Football Player. He played at the linebacker position for three seasons (1979 to 1981) in the National Football League with the Baltimore Colts. Born Michael Jay Woods, he attended Benedictine High School in Cleveland. After transferring from Ellsworth Community College in Iowa and...
Michael Jay Woods 1954-2009 Survivors: Wife, Milyn McDowell Woods; children, Shaun Woods of University Heights, Anissa Hamilton of Euclid, Pasia Woods of Richmond Heights and Royce Woods of Richmond Heights; seven grandchildren; a great-grandson; and a sister Funeral: 11...
A man in Ohio has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder 27 years after he fired a gunshot that investigators say caused a former NFL player's kidney-infection death this year.
www.espn.ph
May 21, 1983:
Patriots sign eighth round draft pick CB Ronnie Lippett. The Miami Hurricane had a much better career than the '83 first round pick, Tony Eason. When he retired Lippett ranked sixth all time in Pats history with 24 interceptions (10th now).
Lippett started three years at the University of Miami under coach Howard Schnellenberger. When he was a senior Ronnie attended a Dolphins camp at St. Thomas University, where they were practicing against the Saints. He and his teammates were unexpectedly asked to leave.
"They were allowing us to come over and watch, and that's what we did. We were standing on the sidelines and (then-Head Coach) Don Shula was having a bad day or something. He started telling us to get off the field and yelling at us. So we left and from that point on I wanted to be drafted by a team that would play against the Dolphins. I hated them after that."
"It's not as easy to pick on one man as it used to be," said Shula after Ronnie's first meeting with the Dolphins, a 34-24 loss at Miami. "But we'd obviously rather throw to Lippett's side than Clayborn's."
It wasn't always that way, however. Of his 24 career interceptions, 7 came from the hands of Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.
"When we played against those guys, you had [wide receiver] Mark Clayton who would talk so much. He and I got into a verbal altercation that ended up spilling out onto the field," said Lippett, a hint of the old tenacity in his voice. "You don't want it to spill over to the point where you'll get a 15-yard penalty, but you do want to be jacked up to the point where you can use that adrenaline to help you run a little faster and hit a little harder."
Lippett's good friend and fellow Patriots alumni Fred Marion was also his teammate at the University of Miami. That's where the two defensive backs met Clayton.
"We were playing against (Louisville) and I had two interceptions in the game, one for a touchdown. Fred intercepted another ball and Clayton made the tackle. Clayton went and kicked Fred in the head," he said emphatically. "[Marion] had a concussion so bad he was walking around the dorm with a teddy bear one night. Ever since then we were trying to find a way to get at him. Then when he ended up being on the Dolphins, that was another reason for us to hate the Dolphins."
While the University of Miami in the 1980s was sometimes called “Quarterback U,” its defense was known for its speed and its intensity. And a major part of that was because of the play of Ronnie Lippett. [...]
FOXBORO — Junior Seau has a cast wrapped in black tape on his right forearm, the same arm he had raised to salute cheering fans minutes after he broke it.
www.capecodtimes.com
May 21, 2010:
New England signs former Seattle QB Mike Teel and waives QB Jeff Rowe and TE Robbie Agnone.
Agnone didn't have much of a shot at the roster after the Pats signed veteran TE Alge Crumpler, and drafted rookies Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Rowe was in a similar situation, with Tom Brady firmly entrenched as the starter, a second year QB they liked and trusted (Brian Hoyer), plus 7th round draft pick on QB Zac Robinson.
Teel was a star at Bill Belichick's favorite college, Rutgers. He also had a stronger arm than Rowe and seemed to have an outside shot at the #3 spot, or strong possibility for the practice squad. Instead he lasted exactly three weeks before also being waived.
New England has four of seven draft picks under contract.
www.boston.com
The Patriots and sixth-round pick Nate Ebner have reached a contract agreement, the team has announced.
Ebner, a defensive back out of Ohio State, is a former rugby player who walked on for the Buckeyes and didn’t really have designs on a possible shot at the NFL until a standout pro day.
He gained a measure of notoriety after the Patriots made him the 197th pick in this year’s draft, since he played less than a handful of snaps on defense his final season at Ohio State (he was very good on special teams). But film of him on the rugby pitch sporting a full beard on YouTube helped endear him to fans.
New England also announced that Wes Welker has signed his franchise tender, which was first reported last Tuesday and confirmed by Welker himself.
Offensive tackle Jared Veldheer has told the Patriots he plans to retire and has been placed on the reserved/retired list by the team.
www.espn.com
Veteran offensive tackle Jared Veldheer, who had signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots on May 13, was placed on the reserved/retired list Tuesday after informing the team that he intended to retire.
The 31-year-old Veldheer had participated in the Patriots' voluntary organized team activity on Monday, according to video posted on the club's official website. He had been expected to provide experienced depth behind projected starting left tackle Isaiah Wynn, who is attempting to return from a torn Achilles.
He entered the NFL as a third-round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders out of Division II Hillsdale College, playing for Oakland (2010-2013), the Arizona Cardinals (2014-2017) and Denver Broncos (2018).
Veldheer, who was acquired by the Broncos in March of 2018, was a steadying influence for a Denver offensive line beset by injuries and lineup changes during the 2018 season. He started 12 games at right tackle for the Broncos, but he also didn't escape the team's rash of injuries. The 10-year veteran left one game with a concussion and missed four games with a knee injury.
The Patriots have a notable history of signing late-career veterans who might be seeking a final chance to win their first Super Bowl ring, and the team's hope was that Veldheer would fall into that category. The club had a need at the position after Trent Brown (Raiders) and LaAdrian Waddle (Bills) departed in free agency.
Veldheer could have provided insurance behind Wynn, the Patriots' top 2018 draft pick, in addition to being an option at right tackle in the event of an injury to starter Marcus Cannon.
The Patriots selected West Virginia offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste late in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft, and he is among a handful of younger players who will compete for a role as a swing tackle. That group also includes former practice-squad player Cole Croston (Iowa), Dan Skipper (Arkansas), Cedrick Lang (Texas-El Paso) and Tyree St. Louis (Miami).
Patriots receiver Julian Edelman, a three-time Super Bowl champ and the MVP of Super Bowl LIII, has signed a two-year extension that is worth up to $19 million in "new" money, a source told ESPN.
www.espn.com
The Patriots are giving Julian Edelman the two things every college graduate wants: money and job security.
According to an NFL Media report, Edelman, the MVP of Super Bowl LIII and a newly minted graduate of Kent State, will soon sign a two-year contract extension that includes a nice bump in pay.
According to multiple reports, the deal, which runs through 2021, includes an $8 million signing bonus and $12 million guaranteed.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)The Patriots signed veteran safety Adrian Colbert and running back Tyler Gaffney on Friday, bringing them to the maximum of 90 players on their roster in advance of the start …
www.fox16.com
The Patriots signed veteran safety Adrian Colbert and running back Tyler Gaffney on Friday, bringing them to the maximum of 90 players on their roster in advance of the start of their offseason training program next week.
Colbert, 27, joins his fourth NFL team since being drafted by the 49ers in 2017. He spent last season where he played for New York Giants coach and former longtime New England assistant Joe Judge, appearing in six games with a pair of starts. He made 21 appearances (12 starts) with San Francisco in 2017 and 2018 and spent 2019 in Miami, playing for former Patriots defensive assistant Brian Flores.
Colbert adds more depth to a secondary that lost safety Patrick Chung to retirement and didn’t re-sign cornerback Jason McCourty.
Gaffney, 30, is returning to New England after spending three seasons with the Patriots from 2014 to 2017 after being claimed off waivers from Carolina. The former Stanford standout never appeared in a regular-season game, but earned two Super Bowl rings with the Patriots during the 2014 and 2016 seasons.
He most recently spent time on the 49ers’ practice squad last season after announcing his retirement from the NFL in 2018. He also played three years of minor league baseball in 2011, 2012 and 2018.
