Patriots News 05-29, OTAs Begin, Teaching Not Evaluation<\/b><\/p>\n
Good morning; here are your weekly <\/span>Patriots news 05-29, <\/b>and some NFL notes this week.<\/span><\/p>\n We wish everyone a safe and happy <\/span>Memorial Day <\/b>tomorrow and let us not forget the thousands of men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Former Offensive Coordinator <\/span>Josh McDaniels <\/b>has learned from his first foray into being an NFL head coach and after coming back to the Patriots for a decade after flaming out in Denver in 2010. Now, he isn\u2019t going to try to emulate his former head coach but will play things his own way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not Bill Belichick and I can\u2019t be. I\u2019m just going to try to be myself and hopefully I can be a good leader for our team,\u201d McDaniels said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been looking forward to an opportunity like this for a couple of years now and I\u2019m so blessed to have the staff that we have and the group that we have working, and the support staff that we have around me,\u201d said McDaniels.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey make my job easy. I\u2019m just trying to keep us on schedule and on time and those kinds of things, but I couldn\u2019t say enough things about the staff here. Then our coaching staff is doing a great job. They\u2019re here real early, they\u2019re here late at night making sure all the information is prepared. I feel like I\u2019ve learned a lot. I feel like it\u2019s slowed down for me, for sure. Doesn\u2019t mean anything at this point in time of the year, doesn\u2019t have any bearing on what\u2019s going to happen down the road, but definitely feel a comfort level now in terms of understanding what my role is and how to do it better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Robert Kraft:\u00a0 <\/b>The Patriots owner surprised one of the last surviving members of the Tuskeegee Airmen on the celebration of his 100th birthday. SGT Victor Butler from Rhode Island was visited by Kraft and Long Snapper Joe Cardona who is a Lieutenant in the Naval Reserve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Kraft surprised Butler<\/span><\/a> with a Patriots jersey with the number \u201c100\u201d on it. The Tuskeegee Airmen were the first African-American pilots in the US military. They were distinguished by the red tails painted on their fighter aircraft and combined a stellar combat record.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Patriots Scouting Department: <\/b>The latest changes to the Patriots scouting staff has area scout D.J. Debick leaving the Patriots to take over a position with the Houston Texans. Debick\u2019s new position will be as the team\u2019s assistant director of pro scouting under GM Nick Caserio.<\/span><\/p>\n It has been reported that New England has brought in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers scout Tony Kinkela in a \u201csenior role.\u201d The team has also hired ex-Notre Dame defensive lineman, Marquis Dickerson, as a scouting assistant.<\/span><\/p>\n Matthew Slater: <\/b>The Patriots\u2019 Special Team\u2019s ace, team captain, and locker room leader was the subject of an <\/span>outstanding article<\/span><\/a> by Dan Pompei of The Athletic earlier last week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pompei conducted a deep dive on what continues to motivate and drive Slater, who Bill Belichick calls the \u201cgreatest special team\u2019s player of all-time,\u201d (more below). Slater has been named to 10 Pro Bowls and 5 All-Pro teams in his career. There has never been a player who has been named to that many Pro Bowls that has not been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Slater\u2019s work ethic and preparation are legendary are the team facilities in Foxboro. A 100-meter and 200-meter sprinter in high school, watching Slater perfect his craft during training camp running sprint after sprint down the field having a coaching assistant try to impede his progress with a blocking pad is something to watch and behold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As Pompei wrote in the piece, Slater practices for the entire session, usually on his own with the exception of the dedicated ST\u2019s drills, only about 15 minutes. He\u2019s been a team captain for 11 years, something he prides himself in.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I look back at my career, I think it will be one of the greatest honors I\u2019ve ever had is being a captain for all the years I have been,\u201d Slater said. \u201cI hope I\u2019ve served those guys well and loved them well and know I cared about them beyond the game of football.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Check out Pompei\u2019s piece, it is well worth it. Belichick said of Slater, that in the kicking game, he\u2019ll be up there with Tom Brady on offense and Lawrence Taylor on defense. That is some heady company.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Bailey Zappe: <\/b>An intriguing choice in the 4th round of last month\u2019s draft was the smaller, but very productive QB out of Western Kentucky with the #137th pick overall. Zappe\u2019s selection drew some criticism (as everything related to BB does these days) but makes very good sense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy did NE draft a QB after taking Mac Jones in Rd 1 last year?\u201d was the familiar refrain, leading some to question (quite foolishly) if this showed that the team wasn\u2019t sold on Jones. As an FYI, the Patriots drafted ten (10) QBs during Tom Brady\u2019s era.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But with the aging Brian Hoyer filling the mentor role, Jarrett Stidham never gave the staff confidence that he could step in and become the starter in the event of an injury. Zappe may not be that guy either, however, setting NCAA records for yards (5967) and touchdowns (62) a year ago, it was a smart move. While not the tallest player (6\u20191) that the Patriots have drafted at QB, he\u2019s much like Jones in that he\u2019s a great anticipatory passer who processes his reads quickly and delivers an accurate ball.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But don\u2019t believe us. ESPN hosted former Saints GM Randy Mueller who rated Zappe as the 2nd best QB behind Pittsburgh\u2019s Kenny Pickett.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “I wasn’t surprised. At that point in the draft, you’re trying to identify traits with players that maybe not everybody sees. And I think Bill Belichick and his crew have done as good a job at that as any, across the board at all positions,” Mueller said.<\/span><\/p>\n “I see a lot of positives in Bailey Zappe. When you get to the third day of the draft, I think it’s too much to turn your back on, regardless of position. Everybody seems to want to fill needs throughout [the draft], but I’m more about getting the best group of players and not bypassing good players to fill needs. And I think Bailey was one of those guys, although I don’t think everyone sees that.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “I think he’s a natural, throws with the right trajectory, with touch. A lot of second-and third-level things he does, Mueller added. \u201cI’ve seen pro quarterbacks after four, five years still not be able to do. So I think he’s further along the learning curve than most give him credit for.”<\/span><\/p>\n Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast:<\/b> If you haven\u2019t checked out our <\/span>PatsFans.com podcast, <\/span><\/a>\u201cPatriots 4th & 2\u201d, in a bit, please check it out. Derek Havens and I posted a video of the team\u2019s personnel and where we feel their strengths and weaknesses lie, albeit in May.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Later in the week, I was a guest on \u201cLocked On Patriots\u201d with my \u201cPatriots paisan\u201d Mike D\u2019Abate and discussed one AFC power ranking that had New England 13th of 16.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Russ Francis\/Chuck Fairbanks:<\/b> The former Patriot tight end and head coach both should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame…this will be on our Sunday posts until it happens.<\/span><\/p>\n The Patriots conducted their first OTAs this week and the media was on hand for the first session. Something to keep in mind is that A. there are no pads, hence no contact, and B. it is only May, and trying to peek too far ahead in May is a fools’ errand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, the beat guys report on what they see, and that\u2019s the thing to pay attention to, and seeing the players on the field for the first time in the 2022 offseason is always an exciting thing. OTAs are voluntary and as Bill Belichick has said every year, this time of year is for teaching and installing the system. The evaluation of the players on the roster will come later.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Several players were not spotted including Isaiah Wynn, Lawrence Guy, Matthew Judon, Adrian Phillips, Ronnie Perkins, Byron Cowart, Harvey Langi, Jahlani Tavai, Andrew Steuber, as well as both kickers Nick Folk and Quinn Nordin. Some of those missing players may have been due to injuries, and\/or offseason surgery. N\u2019Keal Harry was also not in attendance but his absence isn\u2019t considered injury-related.<\/span><\/p>\n Two rookies, Tyquan Thornton and Marcus Jones appeared limited on the field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A pleasant surprise was that James White was on the field and taking part in drills, which is a positive bit of news moving forward to training camp this summer. He was moving well, and better than expected at this point.<\/span><\/p>\n Mac Jones<\/b> was looking in good shape on Day 1. He was looking in better proportion and a tad more muscular which is a good sign to begin Year 2. This is now Jones\u2019 team and he\u2019ll get the majority of the 1st team reps this summer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jones said he worked with throwing guru Tom House this offseason and improved his diet. He\u2019s embraced an increased leadership role this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n DeVante Parker<\/b> stood out to most observers there and the most common description of his day was \u201csmooth\u201d. That should come as no surprise as the veteran wide receiver has been a productive player when he\u2019s healthy. Parker excels at making contested catches and is a good route runner with strong hands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jack Jones<\/b> got a lot of play with the top defensive unit and he showed some nice ability to stick with receivers. No surprise here, as I\u2019ve said since the draft, his draft position didn\u2019t have much to do with his on-field play, but off-field issues. If he keeps his head on straight, he could be a sneaky good pick for the team.<\/span><\/p>\n Ty Montgomery<\/b> was working with the receivers, but that is subject to change as Belichick will no doubt keep people guessing.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Raekwon McMillan<\/b> and newcomer <\/span>Mack Wilson<\/b> were garnering a lot of reps with the starting defensive unit at inside linebacker. McMillan seemed primed for a big role last summer before tearing his ACL in training camp. Wilson was getting some one-on-one time with Belichick. Both should provide some speed and athleticism at the off-the-ball linebacker position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n McMillan stated that he is full-go and is completely ready for this season. For the inside linebackers, he\u2019s the elder statesman being drafted in 2017, despite being just 25 years old. So the youth and athleticism movement is underway. McMillan spoke about the youth as well as chemistry in the linebacker room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of young guys. A lot of good chemistry, though,\u201d he said early last week. \u201cA lot of the old veteran guys that had a lot of Super Bowl runs, playoff runs \u2014 you name it. Those guys did a lot for this team and for this organization. But we have a young group coming up, and I like where we\u2019re at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The media will be back out there on Tuesday this week (May 31). The mandatory minicamp is slated for June 7-9.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n _______________<\/span><\/p>\n “He will go up there, in the kicking game, with Tom Brady on offense and (Lawrence) Taylor on defense,\u201d Belichick said. \u201cSo I feel very, very fortunate to have the opportunity to coach all the players, but I\u2019d say those three in particular.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n During a team meeting during the 2020 season, Belichick stood up before the team and said, \u201cIt\u2019s a shame if you younger guys don\u2019t take advantage of having Slate in the room and find time to talk to him. He\u2019s the greatest special teams player of all time.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on Special Team\u2019s captain Matthew Slater.<\/span><\/p>\n _______________<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo, how was your week?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at<\/span><\/i> stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n Listen to our<\/span><\/i> Patriots 4th and 2<\/span><\/i><\/a> podcasts on Stitcher and Streamyard as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens, and myself from<\/span><\/i> PatsFans.com<\/span><\/i><\/a> discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cIt\u2019s a shame if you younger guys don\u2019t take advantage of having Slate in the room and find time to talk to him. He\u2019s the greatest special teams player of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":41591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22766,10],"tags":[22991,34,1007,55,22864,256,22264,22805,459,44,1872,33,23029,1857],"class_list":["post-41696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2022-patriots-offseason","category-patriots-news","tag-bailey-zappe","tag-bill-belichick","tag-chuck-fairbanks","tag-devante-parker","tag-jack-jones","tag-josh-mcdaniels","tag-mac-jones","tag-mack-wilson","tag-matthew-slater","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-raekwon-mcmillan","tag-robert-kraft","tag-russ-francis","tag-ty-montgomery"],"yoast_head":"\nQuick Hitters For the Patriots and the NFL:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
What Can Be Taken From One OTA Session? Time to Teach:<\/b><\/h3>\n