Some Patriots news on this Monday:
1) This morning will kick off the first padded practice for the team, which comes on the heels of a walkthrough on Friday and a little more intense of a session on Saturday.
So far, the Patriots have had solid attendance for the first four days of training camp, with the exception of the few players who started training camp on PUP and NFI. Linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who tweaked something Saturday and was tended to by trainers and left practice, will be a player to keep an eye on. He was on PUP to begin camp, but he had been participating prior to Saturday’s session.
Carlton Davis has yet to participate, as he’s still recovering from whatever ailment that saw him start camp on NFI. Vrabel talked about him on Friday, adding that the team is bringing him along slowly.
“Yeah, just maintenance and continue to kind of give him what he needs as part of a plan,” said Vrabel. “Again, that’s my job each and every day is to figure out what everybody’s going to do and how they’re going to contribute each day to us winning.”
Ja’Lynn Polk missed his fourth-straight session Saturday with what Mike Reiss of ESPN reported was “muscle tightness,” which remains concerning. The second-year wideout is up against a crowded receiver room, and he’s got his work cut out for him to try and make a push coming off a disappointing rookie campaign.
But aside from Tavai, the team has been in decent shape health-wise, with Vrabel holding a walkthrough on Friday to try and give guys’ bodies a breather after a couple of competitive days.
“It’s super important,” said Kyle Dugger of Vrabel on Friday’s walkthrough practice. “He’s helping us to take care of our bodies, trying to really allow us to stay healthy and things like that. So we got to take advantage of that and really be locked in mentally so that we don’t let anything fall through the cracks.”
With the contact now set to heat up, the hope is that the Patriots avoid any injuries in the coming days. Practice is currently scheduled for 10:30 am with temperatures expected to be in the 80s on what should be a hot, humid session for the players.
2) Linebacker Robert Spillane continues to make a strong impression so far, especially given some of the comments by the players over the weekend.
Dugger mentioned that the veteran has been a guy who has impressed him, noting the veteran’s attention to detail as he spoke to reporters recently.
“He’s really detail-oriented,” said Dugger. “Definitely always knowing what he’s doing. Very smart player, and that just helps everybody around him. So his intelligence is the first thing I notice, and I love playing with smart players, as everybody does.”
Christian Elliss also spoke highly of Spillane, noting that he’s a guy who he’s really enjoyed being around and someone who everyone has really rallied behind.
“Spills is awesome,” said Elliss. “Spills is fun. He’s very opinionated. He’s very driven. He’s very eccentric. He’s just a good guy to be around, and I can’t speak highly enough about him.”
“Every single time we talk about our pre-practice stuff, he’s out here, he’s like a golden retriever. He’s just high energy. He’s fun to be around. He’s just someone you love. He’s someone that, honestly, you play your heart out for. He’s someone that’s going to bring this defense together.”
Elliss added that Spillane has been a mentor to the guys in that room, and has been a valuable resource so far here in training camp.
“Yeah, and he’s extremely smart,” said Elliss. “That’s why I think a lot of people… People do know that, but it’s something I want to emphasize. It’s just his intelligence with the game, knowing schematics, knowing technique, knowing everything.”
“Even when I’m out there covering someone man-to-man, he’s giving me tidbits and the things that I can learn from them. I’m like, ‘You know what? I didn’t think about that, actually.’ So Spills is an awesome, awesome leader for this defense.”
3) Keion White remains an interesting guy, especially given the comments by Mike Vrabel last week.
Vrabel talked about the fact that the conversations the two have had have been pretty direct, with White simply being focused on football and not much else.
“I mean, Keion, there’s not a lot of fluff to him,” said Vrabel. “Our conversations are mostly… He wants to know football. He wants to talk football. That’s his profession. That’s his career. That’s his passion. So, we talk a lot of football, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know him.”
White ended up raising more than a few eyebrows with his comments Friday. Given the last two seasons, White appears to be in a wait-and-see type of situation with the new coaching staff, and his biggest focus is on whether or not Vrabel and his coaches can continue to help him grow as a player.
“Yeah. I mean, my biggest working relationship is whether we’re winning or losing,” said White. “So that’s big for me. And then you just go from there. So is he a good coach? And how can he make me better? And that’s the biggest relationship I have. Everything else will take care of itself, later down the road.”
White was asked by the media about his thoughts on Vrabel, with White being pretty conservative in his answer.
“I think he’s a pretty good coach,” said White.
When asked, why he felt that way, White responded, “Because he helps me get better.” He was also asked about Vrabel’s ‘there’s not a lot of fluff’ comments, and what the two have talked about in those conversations.
“Technique and how to get better, for real,” said White. “Just what do I need to do on the field? What does he see? What do I see? And how to improve on that.”
4) One thing that’s been interesting is the contrast between Vrabel and former head coach Bill Belichick, at least when it comes to public comments about players.
Belichick was always someone who tried to limit his praise publicly during interviews, which was essentially his old-school approach and something we saw for the two decades he was here. With Vrabel, it’s been refreshing to hear a little more transparency when it comes to his thoughts on certain guys, with Drake Maye being someone he’s talked about quite a bit so far.
Maye’s leadership has been one of the biggest topics of discussion in the early going. That’s seemingly been a point of emphasis, and something Vrabel’s tried to bring out of the second-year QB.
During an interview with NFL Network on Saturday, Vrabel talked about the fact he and Josh McDaniels seem to have a plan in place. McDaniels is handling the teaching part of the offense, while Vrabel is trying to help Maye continue to grow as a player.
So far, he’s pleased with what he’s seen to this point.
“Well, I think that I can provide just… Josh is going to handle the details offensively and work with our offensive staff,” said Vrabel. “I’m just going to try to help Drake lead this football team and figure out the ways that he can do it best within his own personality and his own style, but understand he has to be an extension of me and the message and the identity that we’re trying to build. So it’s been fun.”
When asked if there have been any notable moments with Maye he’s seen, Vrabel simply pointed out some of the things in practice, and added that both McDaniels and Ashton Grant have been challenging Maye, and he’s responded well.
“Those are the things that you start to see,” said Vrabel. “He’s alerting things. He does a really good job of taking things that Josh and Ashton give him in the meeting and translating it to the field, and even in the walkthrough, he’s very intentional in the walkthrough, and he’s using all those reps to help himself.”
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
