Friday Patriots Notebook 5/10: News and Notes
Patriots news as rookie mini camp gets underway at Gillette Stadium.
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Some news and notes on this Friday:
The New England Patriots rookies were back in Foxboro on Thursday as rookie minicamps kicked off. The rookies will get immersed with things as the club begins getting a sense of how these new players might fit, with the first public workout in front of the media scheduled for Saturday.
This weekend’s news should definitely be interesting. This will be the first glimpse provided to the media during this time of year, which in the past had been off-limits under previous head coach, Bill Belichick.
While the rookies will be the focus this weekend, many of the club’s veterans have been at the facility preparing for the upcoming season. Long-time center David Andrews spoke to the media on Thursday, and he certainly provides a unique perspective. Andrews actually played with Jerod Mayo during Mayo’s playing days, with the two seeing time together in the locker room back in 2015.
After what he said was a long year in 2023, he still loves the game and this offseason has been about making sure he still has the same drive to maintain his level of play.
“You guys miss me? I thought about y’all so much,” joked Andrews on Thursday. “It was a long year. A lot to take in, obviously a new change. I talked to my wife, and it’s not much about loving the game. I’ll be 65 years old and still loving the game. But it’s just making sure I can do all the things I need to do to prepare and be ready to go on Sunday.”
The veteran said after the season, he took some time away to see if he still had the same desire, and he’s ready for one more round.
“I took some time and got away and spent some time with my family, much needed, and that desire was still down in there to want to get up and go train, and do all the things I needed to do, and take care of myself,” said Andrews. “That was still there.”
“Obviously, with the changes and everything, getting to talk to Mayo, sit down with him, talk to him, I was very excited to be part of something new, a change, and hopefully trying to figure it out and start something and start something good. Being a part of that process was something I was excited about.”
Andrews admitted that between the massive coaching overhaul under his former teammate, along with the addition of rookie QB Drake Maye and the Patriots additional personnel changes, he called this opportunity essentially the chance to be a part of a new team, without having to leave the place he loves.
“It’s kind of like being a part of a new organization, but, not. It’s still home,” said Andrews. “But the new offense, I love football, I love the schematics of it, so getting to see another system and another side has been really fun for me, and challenging.”
“It’s kind of hard. I’ve got nine years of experience calling it in one system, offensively for the most part. So getting to see the new side of it has been really fun.”
Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar put together a nice read on 7th round pick Jaheim Bell, with the rookie potentially a player who could end up being a factor in New England’s offense.
Lazar reached out to Florida State tight deputy head coach and tight ends coach Chris Thomsen, with the FSU staffer telling him that the Patriots did their homework on Bell and he heard from them after the rookie was drafted.
“What I think he feels good about is that they did their homework on him,” Thomsen told Lazar. “They were the team that probably did the most homework on him. So I think he feels great.”
“I haven’t really had that before, honestly. Somebody calling after the draft and saying give me the ways this person learns. Give me the things that you learned about him. I thought that was pretty interesting,” Thomsen said. “It was pretty impressive that they were doing some follow-up. Give us a little bit of info to help us speed up the process. I really do think they’ve got a good role in mind.”
He’s definitely an interesting prospect. The 6’2″, 241-pound rookie is a player who played multiple roles in college, along with being someone they can move around and hopefully create some match-up issues.
He caught 39 passes for 503 yards and two touchdowns in 2023 and was also used heavily in the ground game the previous season. In 2022 he carried 73 times for 261 yards, along with three rushing touchdowns. He carried just 4 times last season, with the focus being more on the passing game.
Either way, he remains a player to watch in the coming months. Should he emerge in Alex Van Pelt’s revamped offense, it might be yet another player Maye can develop with, along with fellow rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in the years to come.
The Patriots still have some questions at cornerback heading into the season, and former defensive back Stephon Gilmore is a name that continues to be mentioned as a possible signing.
Gilmore, who quietly remains out there in free agency, told NFL Insider Josina Anderson that he’s still waiting on what he feels is “the right opportunity.” For now, he’s content watching his son, Sebastian, play the game he loves as he awaits his next opportunity.
“I’m still focused on playing, but it has to be the right opportunity,” he said. “I feel like it’s the age thing with some of these teams. If I was 28, I would already have been signed by now; at the same time, I know the value I still bring. If you watch the tape, I feel like I played well the last two years, and literally almost played every snap last year.”
“So I’m staying patient while watching my son, who’s a wide receiver and cornerback, lock people up on the field with his defensive back skills, too.”
The 33-year-old started all 17 games last season, but so far hasn’t signed with an NFL team heading into 2024. The Carolina Panthers were rumored to be a possible suitor, but to this point, nothing has materialized.
The veteran finished 2023 with a forced fumble and two interceptions last season, along with 13 pass deflections. The latter stat is the highest total since 2019, with Gilmore finishing that season with 20 passes defended along with six interceptions that season for the Patriots.
Whether or not a return to New England for one more run under new head coach Jerod Mayo remains to be seen. But for now, he’ll continue being patient while enjoying time at home, at least until opportunity eventually knocks.
Former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman had Drew Bledsoe on his Games with Names podcast this week, with the two re-living their experience during The Roast of Tom Brady from last Sunday night. Edelman said during the podcast that the tension was real after Robert Kraft arrived. “The tension in that room though… could cut f–king glass,” said Edelman, and Bledsoe agreed. “It was very real,” said the former QB. “Belichick’s kind of holding court, while as he’s in the middle of this story, Kraft walks in and you guys all go over to say ‘hi’ to Kraft. The last man standing, to hear him tell it, is my bro. He’s like, ‘Well, Bill’s telling this story, if I leave, then he’s telling the story to nobody because everybody is saying hi to Kraft.'” … As the club continues going through the process ahead of what is an assumed elevation of Eliot Wolf to their head of personnel, or whatever title he’s ultimately given, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk said on Tom Curran’s Patriots Podcast on Thursday that the Patriots would have had to have ownership – not Wolf – as the ones who had final say heading into the draft in order to not violate league rules. “They basically kicked the can through the draft on who was already there, and that’s fine as long as no one in any of those jobs was regarded as the chief football official in the organization,” said Florio. “Now the point I made today, Tom [Curran], you can’t have it both ways, if you’re the Patriots. Either, Eliot Wolf was in charge, and they violated the Rooney Rule by not doing the proper search before giving him final say, or final say rested with ownership. It’s one or the other. If what the league told Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald earlier this week, about the pre-draft, none of the titles changed, nobody was the top football person in the building pre-draft, then it can only be ownership.” … The Patriots appear to have flashed a new logo this morning after listing off the jersey numbers of their rookies on Twitter. It’s a blend of the Flying Elvis and the initials “NE”, so it’s certainly different. … NBC Boston’s Phil Perry said on Arbella Early Edition last night he believes that Chris Godwin could possibly be on New England’s radar if the Buccaneers are forced to deal him. “Even if he’s not a true number one, he’d be your number one if you’re the New England Patriots,” said Perry. He also believes the acquisition of Godwin could help Maye “become the best version of himself,” if New England was to acquire him.
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