Monday Patriots Notebook 7/29: Judon Situation Gets Interesting
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Some Patriots news and notes on this Monday:
With the news of Christian Barmore being diagnosed with blood clots that will potentially keep him out for the foreseeable future, New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo praised his staff on Monday for helping make the determination in Barmore seeking further medical attention.
“It was, we have these case managers who are responsible for, you know, a group of guys, and they did a great job under Jim [Whalen]’s leadership,” said Mayo during his pre-practice press conference. “[Staff Physical Therapist] Chris Dolan noticed something, and they investigated it. So kudos to those guys.”
Mayo didn’t have an exact timeline for when the issue initially appeared, but he was just glad that they caught it and credited Whalen, who one reporter said Barmore’s agent was concerned things could have been a lot worse had Whalen not spotted it.
“Jim Whalen, he’s a huge piece of the puzzle,” said Mayo. “I would also say he has a tremendous team behind him that, you know, they do the day-to-day things as well. So kudos to that whole entire staff.”
Mayo also went on to say that Barmore wasn’t in the hospital, and that he’s in good spirits as he continues recovering.
“I had a conversation with him. He’s in good spirits, and like I said before, he’s getting tremendous care, and his mom is up here, too. So anytime mom’s in the house, it’s a good day.”
He was also asked if either he or Barmore spoke with David Andrews, who had dealt with his own blood clot issue a while ago. Mayo said that fortunately, many of the same staff members are still on hand from when that happened, which he said was a positive.
“I remember when that whole thing happened,” said Mayo. “The same training staff, for the most part, that dealt with that are still here, and I have full confidence in those guys to help him out. I’m sure at some point in time, you got to remember this just happened not too long ago, so he’s still trying to digest what’s going on right now as well, and as well as his treatment plan.”
With Barmore being out for an undetermined amount of time heading into 2024, it seems like there might now be some additional urgency when it comes to the negotiations with Davon Godchaux, which was apparent on Monday.
According to multiple reports, Godchaux’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was at training camp on Monday and was spotted talking with Eliot Wolf and Robyn Glaser, which certainly raised some eyebrows. Reports said that Godchaux was present Monday but not initially wearing pads, with the veteran on the field in sweatpants while the rest of his teammates donned pads for the first time during this training camp.
Another thing that stood out was the fact that Mayo was seen with Matthew Judon, who also took the field not wearing pads and wearing sweatpants, with the two spotted having a lengthy conversation.
Judon had spent the early part of the morning playing pass with fans as he normally does before sitting on a stack of pads off to the side, watching his teammates. Following his conversation with Mayo, Judon left the field, which was also another surprising development.
However, things got interesting when Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston reports that Judon came back onto the field and was seen having what appeared to be an animated discussion with both Wolf and Matt Groh, with the linebacker gesturing with his hands while speaking with the two Patriots personnel decision-makers.
According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Judon, who had been wearing a red sweatshirt and sweats prior to his initial exit, had changed out of his initial workout clothes before he returned to the field wearing just a hat, t-shirt, and sandals and ultimately left the field and headed back toward the stadium after his discussion with Groh and Wolf.
It’s obviously unclear what was said, but the fact it took place was surprising, albeit the end result may not be good news for fans hoping for a positive resolution.
As for Godchaux, he was later spotted taking part in team drills, which could potentially mean things are headed in the right direction.
Offensive lineman Cole Strange continues to be present to take in the practices from the sidelines. He was spotted again on Monday wearing a sleeve on his left leg as he continues recovering from the knee injury that sidelined him last season. … David Andrews was absent on Monday, with Nick Leverett getting some action in his place. Mayo didn’t mention Andrews during his press conference prior to practice, so it’s unknown what that issue is. … Kendrick Bourne was also out on the field in a t-shirt to take in practice with his teammates. Mayo was asked about his status on Monday and didn’t have any additional details. “Bourne’s doing everything he can to get back on the field,” said Mayo. “When that is, I don’t know when he’s ready to go, we’ll put him out there.” … Things got a little heated down on the field. Patriots edge rusher Josh Uche was apparently thrown out of practice after throwing a punch at Chukwuma Okorafor, which came following a pass play by Jacoby Brissett. Okorafor stuck around, but Uche exited after seemingly losing his cool. … Antonio Gibson took part during Monday’s practice and had some nice moments, although Mayo said his situation remains “day-to-day” after coming off of the NFI list. “Yeah, he’s back. He’s practicing,” said Mayo. “And, you know, it’s a day-to-day thing with him on the field.” … Linebacker Oshane Ximines‘ name came up several times on Monday, with Ximines making some nice plays off the edge. He saw time with the top defense, which will make him someone to keep an eye on. … After having a false start penalty against them, Tyrone Wheatley, Okorafor, and Caedan Wallace were forced to run a lap on Monday. Mayo said that running laps would remain a thing, and that’s certainly been the case early on in camp. … Both Wallace (LT) and Okorafor (RT) remained at their respective positions on Monday and overall, it was a better performance by the offensive line. … Javon Baker made the play of the day, leaping up and making an unreal grab between both Alex Austin and Jaylinn Hawkins. The rookie continues to make noise early on after stringing together some good practices. … Tyquan Thornton made a big play of his own, hauling in a big grab from Jacoby Brissett that saw teammates run down the field to celebrate with him. … Antonio Mafi continued getting reps at center on Monday, with the second-year lineman still getting snaps despite seemingly having a shaky spring. … Mitchell Wilcox apparently had a rough outing, finishing Monday’s practice with several drops. … Drake Maye had a tough day. According to Mark Daniels, he started out 2-of-6 with an interception during the 7-on-7 portion and finished 1-of-5 during the 11-on-11s. Not a great outing for the rookie. … Fortunately for the Patriots, Brissett made up for it and he had a solid practice. He finished 6-of-7 during the 11-on-11s including a couple of nice throws to both Baker and Thornton, and was definitely in command on Monday.
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Got to love the loyalty of these guys. Gimme that money!
Baremore: well that isn’t good. If the pats have a weakness it’s in the ‘underbelly’ in not being big at DT. Guy is gone and actually could come back if healthy – he’s a free agent. Baremore likely out for 1/2 the season. The depth/rotational pieces are passing down guys like Keion White, Wise, Equale. Teams like Cincy in Sept will likely run right at that D with Mixon for 25 carries. You can quote last years run-D stats all you want, but the pats were not stout on 3rd/short last year, and every year is different due to injuries… Read more »