New England Patriots News 8-04, AFC East Notes
(PHOTO: Steve Balestrieri - PatsFans.com) 🕑 Read Time: 10 minutes
Posted Under: 2019 Patriots Training Camp
(PHOTO: Steve Balestrieri - PatsFans.com) 🕑 Read Time: 10 minutes
New England Patriots > Patriots Blog
(PHOTO: Steve Balestrieri - PatsFans.com) Good morning, here is your Sunday Patriots news 08-04 and AFC East notes this week.
Training Camp is in full swing and the Patriots are on the road today, heading to Canton, Ohio for a visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and then on to Detroit where they’ll begin three joint practices with the Lions before their preseason game with them on Thursday.
Check back with us frequently on PatsFans.com as we’ll continue to post training camp updates as well as breaking news.
Tom Brady – celebrated his 42nd birthday yesterday and the team was given the day off. In past years, the fans at training camp serenaded Brady with Happy Birthday but didn’t get the opportunity to do so this year. In his 20th training camp, he still is going strong and the competitive fire still burns bright for him.
Ty Law – was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last night. Some of his biggest moments came in the biggest games. No one can ever forget his playoff game against the Colts where he intercepted Peyton Manning three times or his pick-six of Kurt Warner in the Super Bowl XXXVI win over the Rams. Well deserved.
Ed Reed – was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last night. We all know the mad respect that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had on him as a player. Reed said this week that he’d love to coach again and …[This must make Ravens fans cringe], he said, “I would love for it to just be with the Patriots.”
Isaiah Wynn – is making slow but welcome progress as the team began easing him into team drills this Friday, the first such development in his return from an Achilles injury last year at this time. Perhaps he should have used deer antler spray?
Martez Ivey – The big 6’5, 315 lb offensive lineman from Florida was signed by the Patriots this week as the team waived Cole Croston. Despite 31 starts for a perennial powerhouse, Ivey’s footwork and hand placement were always an issue. He’s a longshot to make the roster but we’ve seen what Dante Scarnecchia can do
Josh Gordon Applies For Re-instatement:
Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon has applied to the NFL for reinstatement according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. Now the NFL must decide whether or not to reinstate Gordon and if he should be suspended for any further time.
The NFL suspended Gordon indefinitely late in the 2018 regular season for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement under the league’s drug policy. Gordon last played in the NFL in Week 15 of the 2018 season against the Steelers.
The Patriots, hopefull of a possible return by Gordon, placed a second-round tender on him this spring. In 11 games in 2018, Gordon caught 40 passes, for 720 yards and three touchdowns for the Patriots. Now we wait and see what comes out of Park Avenue.
With the first eight practices in Foxboro in the books, the Patriots move on to joint practices with the Lions this week. This is a big week for many of the players but for UDFA Jakobi Meyers it is another chance to shine.
And shine he has thru the early stages of training camp. The former QB now wide receiver would be on the 53-man roster if the cutdown was today. That’s why this week against the Lions in practices and then on Thursday in the first preseason game is so important. Bill Belichick spoke highly of the progress Meyers has made thus far.
“He’s a smart kid and he understands, and has versatility, understands the offense,” Belichick said. “Like any rookie, any young player, there’s a lot of things he needs to work on technique-wise — recognition, route adjustments — just a lot of fine points. He basically knows what to do, but there are a lot of subtleties and nuances that all receivers need to pick up — certainly in our offense — and he’s doing that.
“There’s more that we’ve had to get down, but he’s making progress there. Whether that comes from his quarterback background, or his experience, or his intelligence, or his learning, I’m not really sure. But that’s not really an issue. He’s a smart kid, and he learns well.”
His hard work and grasp of learning the offensive playbook have earned him more reps with the starting unit and QB Tom Brady and he’s been making the most of them. Late in practices, the Patriots go to their hurry-up or two-minute offense. And Brady has developed a bit of chemistry with the rookie, going in his direction three times in the past two sessions, completing all three passes.
Meyers made what many are calling the best play in camp so far on Thursday. Jarrett Stidham threw a jump ball to Meyers between two defenders. Meyers tipped the ball over the defender’s head to himself and hauled it in for a huge play.
Meyers’ versatility, he can play outside or in the slot is always a welcome asset to have in New England. He’s bigger than most slot receivers at 6’2, 202 and his quarterback’s background has definitely helped his development. He understands the route concepts of the plays from the QB’s perspective which is of tremendous help in knowing the adjustments the WRs must make in the Patriots intricate system. He’s not all the way there yet, but he’s making some serious strides.
On Friday, Brady threw to Meyers twice before he made his break, something that shows Brady already trusts him to be where he has to be when he has to be there. That level of trust isn’t easily earned from #12. Belichick was asked about his learning curve earlier this week.
“The more you learn, the more you know, the more you can understand about what you do, what the people around you do, what the defense is doing, what the people on the other side of the ball are doing,” Belichick said. “I mean, that’s all good. That’s all eventually going to work to your advantage, the more you can understand the big picture and all of it.
“It’s hard to get everything the first time around, sometimes the third, fourth time around you hear things, or you hear things said to the guy next to you, or maybe the defender that’s across from you. You hear the coach correcting him, and it just helps you learn more about the overall of your position, the area that you’re involved in.
“I think we have a lot of guys on our team that fall into that category, but understanding the big picture is certainly the goal, more than just memorizing an assignment. I mean, you have to know what to do, but the more you can understand the total concept of what’s going on, then really the easier it is to execute.”
Meyers developed quite a rapport with QB Ryan Finley at NC State catching 62 passes in his junior year and 92 passes last fall. It certainly seems like he’s on his way to carving out a role for himself in the Patriots offense with Brady. That’s why this week will be intriguing to watch how he does in Detroit.
One of the more intriguing developments over the last week of training camp has been the emergence of both Sony Michel and rookie Damien Harris in the passing game. Michel had a very good rookie season running the ball, followed by an outstanding playoff run where he gained over 330 yards and scored six touchdowns in three playoff games. James White has traditionally given the team outstanding production in the passing game.
What is intriguing is that with an increased role in the passing game, the Patriots would have four running backs who can be viable targets that opponents must account for [Rex Burkhead, currently dinged up is the fourth]. The team was putting both Michel and Harris in motion a lot more in the past few sessions, getting them a freer release.
With a new WR corps and without Julian Edelman for the first few weeks of training camp, this development gives Tom Brady more valuable weapons in the passing game. With four very good running backs, the Patriots can mix and match and create matchup nightmare scenarios for the opposing defenses.
Harris, a rookie from Alabama wasn’t asked to do a lot of receiving in college but has very good hands and is an excellent pass blocker. Michel only had 11 targets in his rookie season…that is about to change.
The Patriots signed former Bears and Saints WR Cameron Meredith this week after he was released with an injury designation from the Saints. The 6’3, 207 WR was signed by the Bears as an UDFA in 2015. His breakout season was 2016 when he caught 66 passes for 888 yards and four TDs. He missed all of 2017 with an injury and was with the Saints last year catching nine passes for 114 yards and a score in six games.
The Patriots aren’t rushing him back and plan to work on him strengthening his knee as well as improving flexibility before he’ll be put on the field. Therefore, they immediately placed him on PUP. He can be removed at any time if he’s deemed healthy enough.
Per Doug Kyed of NESN, If the Patriots don’t remove Meredith from the PUP list by the Aug. 31 cutdown date, then he would revert to regular-season PUP and no longer takes a spot on the Patriots’ roster. Meredith then could begin practicing after the Patriots’ sixth regular-season game. If he didn’t begin practicing within a five-week window, he would be shut down for the rest of the season. If Meredith begins practicing within that five-week window, the Patriots would have a 21-day window to activate him to the 53-man roster.
So, Meredith can either begin practicing in the next 27 days or the team will place him on PUP where he can get healthy and possibly provide mid-season help at the position. It was a low-risk, high reward signing.
The Patriots website have created a new podcast called “Patriots Off-Topic” which deals with the stories of the players and their interests off the field. Hosted by Patriots social media coordinators Angelique Fisk and Mackenzie Knoop, it is a different type of podcast and their first stab at it was breaking some new ground.
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy was their very first guest who spoke about being a father, starting his Van Noy Valor Foundation and being at the ESPYs. Van Noy who was adopted spoke about his wife’s father and brother who were both adopted and their work with foster kids.
It is slated to be a regular podcast on the team’s schedule this season. Give it a listen on the link.
When the Buffalo Bills signed slot receiver Cole Beasley, we’ve said quite a few times that Buffalo would try to carve out a role for him similar to what the Patriots do with Julian Edelman. Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll spent a few years here in New England and it seemed like a no-brainer.
Well, after more than a week of training camp, Beasley is just loving his time in upstate New York and especially the way he’s being used in the offense. And it doesn’t sound like he’s homesick for the Cowboys.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Beasley said, on the NFL Network. “I wanted more opportunities. I wanted more options. I wanted more freedom in my routes. And [Brian] Daboll has done a great job of giving me those things and it’s created a lot of opportunity for me here. He added, “It’s been a lot more fun playing out there with the guys.”
It sounds like Daboll is incorporating a lot of the same offensive plays that the Patriots run from Daboll’s comments.
“When you’re given the freedom that I am in this offense, you have to be very definitive in the way you run your routes and your breaks,” Beasley said, in the NFL segment. “I have some routes where I can go five different directions and make a decision at the top [of the route]. I just can’t go one way and then make a decision late to go someplace else or it’s going to be an interception.
“So there is a lot of pressure on me for that, but that’s exactly how I wanted it and that’s why I came here.”
“I’m just glad to be [Buffalo] where it’s 100 percent about ball and not a show or a brand,” Beasley said last month. “It’s purer here. I’m proud to be part of something like that.”
The Miami Dolphins lost a legend last week. Nick Buoniconti, an undersized, over-achieving linebacker passed away at the age of 78. Buoniconti began his career with the Boston Patriots. He was a six-time All-Star with the Patriots before moving on to Miami in 1969.
Buoniconti was an eight-time Pro Bowler and won two Super Bowl titles with the Dolphins in 1972, with the 17-0 team, and 1973. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. He was the leader of the Dolphins “No-Name Defense.” He played for Miami from 1969-1974, and then in 1976.
“Nick was the leader of our defense and another coach on the field,” said safety Dick Anderson. “You combine him with our defense coach, Bill Arnsparger, and you know why he always bragged that we made just 11 mental errors on defense during the entire perfect season of 1972. We just had to go where they told us to go and make the play.”
“Nick was special to me in every way. He was someone I greatly admired,” said Don Shula, Dolphins coach during his playing career.”… His groundbreaking work with The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis [after his son Marc was paralyzed playing football] has made a huge difference in the lives of so many people. I am thankful to have had Nick in my life. I will miss him.” RIP
The New York Jets agreed to terms with former Carolina Panther Ryan Kalil on a one-year deal worth up to $8.4 million on Thursday.
This is a big move as Kalil is a big upgrade over Jonathan Harrison. However, he did suffer a serious neck injury in 2017 and that could play a factor in his effectiveness down the road. But GM Joe Douglas has been working for nearly two months to get the veteran center to come out of retirement.
Kalil is a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro at the position. But serious injuries to his shoulder and neck led to a decline in his effectiveness. Kalil was on to his second career as a Hollywood producer [worked with Will Farrell for an NFL spoof], and felt that after a year, his body was healed up enough to give the NFL one more go around.
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“We have a lot of things that we need to work on, in every area of the team; everything. So I don’t think I feel good about anything right now. I don’t feel necessarily bad about it. We’ll see how it is. Start to find out when we’re in competitive situations in the next couple weeks. Might not really know where we are on some things until the middle of the season. I don’t know, we’ll see.” Bill Belichick on 8-1
“So, how was your week?”
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