MORSE: Morse's Morsels From Patriots OTAs

Changes in the Scouting Department

News came out last week that Casey Belonga had been hired as an Area Scout replacing Taylor Redd. Belonga has been part of the Jacksonville Scouting department since 2014. He was in line to be promoted to Pro Scout this year in Jacksonville. Eliot Wolf is familiar with Belonga, as he was an Equipment Manager with Green Bay when Wolf was there.

In other news, Steve Cargile, the Patriots Pro Scouting Director, is not returning. Perhaps Cargile was disappointed that he was not given one of the interviews for the Executive Vice President of Player Personnel. This leaves an opportunity for someone with the organization to receive a promotion.

David Andrews’ New Contract

It appears that Andrews had one year tacked onto his contract with an opportunity to make up to $12M the next year. He had $8M guaranteed. Any veteran player that plays in the 1^st week of the season has his contract guaranteed for the season anyway. This rewards another veteran leader with the ability to play another year. Andrews is a straight-up guy who would come out and meet the press after every game and face the music. He is very well respected by the team.

Andrews has been rumored to have contemplated retirement after the last two seasons and he is getting up there in age (31). Last season he suffered a few injuries but started all 17 games. For his career he has played in 120 games and started 117 of those. This is a nice reward for a player that made the team as an Undrafted Free Agent and clawed his way into a reliable starter.

Under Bill Belichick, this type of contract would never happen. It shows the change in philosophy under the new regime of Jarod Mayo and Eliot Wolf.

Players Absent from OTA’s

The following player were absent from the OTA that was open to the local media

Davon Godchaux

Matt Judon

Anfernee Jennings

Jahlani Tavai

Cole Strange

Josh Uche

Zuri Henry

Veterans Godchaux, Judon and Tavai are in the last year of their contracts and may be holding out of the non-mandatory OTA’s because of their contract status. Tavai was at the OTA with a sleeve on his calf.

Strange is recovering from injury

It’s curious why Jennings and Uche are not there. Uche signed a one-year Free Agent contract to return to the Patriots.

Zuri Henry was signed as an Undrafted Free Agent. He also missed the last day of the recently concluded rookie camp.

Davante Parker Announces His Retirement

Parker announced his retirement even though he was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Are we still paying him after he signed that extension last season?

June 1^st Cuts are on the Horizon

I wonder if JuJu Smith-Shuster will be a casualty come June 1^st? Smith-Schuster took a shot at Albert Breer for his statement that Smith-Schuster’s knee was mush at the start of the pre-season last season.

Breer was right, as Smith-Schuster admitted that his knee was only at 60%. He claims to be 100% now. We will see him again at the May 28^th OTA, which is open to the media. The bottom line is the Patriots signed him to that contract last year despite the questions surrounding his knee health.

1^st Team Offensive Line at OTAs

Chukwuma Okorafor LT

Sidy Sow LG

David Andrews C

Nick Leverett RG

Mike Onwenu RT

Cole Strange is Month-to-Month

Jerod Mayo when asked about Strange’s recovery stated that it was month-to-month. That is not encouraging. Ian Rappaport reported that Strange will not be ready to start the season and could be out till the middle of the season. Greg Bedard reported that Strange was at the OTA practice standing on the sideline, not in pads.

Sidy Sow Received High Praise from PFF

Pro Football Focus is the only site I know that grades all the players. Sow was the top-rated rookie guard in the league. He also had a 71.3 Run Blocking grade that was good for 14^th amongst all guards in the league. Overall, he was ranked 27^th. Strange was ranked 26^th.

If you have followed my draft coverage over the last few years, you would have seen that I was high on unheralded D III prospect Quinn Meinerz. I had a major argument with Patriots.com writer Evan Lazar about Meinerz. Lazar stated that Meinerz was only a Center. Yes, Meinerz had never played Center but showed that he could at the Senior Bowl. PFF ranked Meinerz as the #3 guard in the league this past season. If they had drafted Meinerz they wouldn’t have had the Offensive Line problems they have today. The Patriots wouldn’t have had to use a 1^st round pick on Cole Strange and would have had a backup Center should Andrews retire.

Most Impressive WR the 1^st Day

This was a practice that featured short passes and run at ¾ speed. So really no Patriots receiver elevated themselves. It was noted that Kayshon Boutte made a very good deep catch and laid out for another grab. Boutte is the forgotten man in the receiver competition because of his off-field legal issues. A pending legal case that alleges Boutte heavily bet online as an underage bettor. The alias account believed to be used by Boutte placed more than 8,900 wagers, with at least 17 bets on NCAA football games — including at least six involving LSU, according to police. Most people have written him off, but he is out there competing.

Mayo wants to be down to 3 QBs heading into Training Camp

Jerod Mayo stated that his plan is to narrow the competition for the starting quarterback job down to three players by the start of training camp, via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. When asked about that comment ahead of Monday’s first OTA practice, the Patriots head coach didn’t confirm the plan, but indicated that the team could part ways with a quarterback ahead of training camp.

Is this a case of Mayo shooting off his mouth in the moment of his press conference and regretting what he said? What does this mean? Jacoby Brisset and Drake Maye are locks. This will become a competition between Bailey Zappe, whom the team cut at the cutdown date last season and rookie 6th round pick Joe Milton. Is Zappe really in on the competition for the starting QB?

Would this really be a competition between three QBs for the starting position? I don’t see it and would think that Brissett gets the majority of reps and Maye getting the bulk of the remainder. The Patriots know who Bailey Zappe is and would probably be the backup should Brissett goes down. Maye is just not ready. His footwork and long delivery need work through lots of repetitions. It must become second nature where muscle memory takes over. We will see in Pre-season games the progress he has made.

Milton has a cannon for an arm, and nobody disputes that. However, he just doesn’t have the touch in the short game. He was 1-4 in competitive 11 on 11. The OTA stressed short passes and he wasn’t able to unleash his deep passes.

Like this article?
Support Mark and buy him a coffee.

About Mark Morse

Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.

View all posts by Mark Morse