vasco75
Footballguy
Attended the first practice of the Patriots this morning. Had a really good seat and was able to observe quite a bit. Just thought I'd post some observations for those that might be targeting some Pats players. I understand it's VERY early, but might be helpful to those that draft in the near future...
Defensive Players: Pretty tough to gauge since they really weren't going full contact. Junior Seau was one of the first players on the field and looks to be in great shape and very enthusiastic about being there. Obviously Asante Samuel was absent and so was Brandon Meriwether. But apparently, Meriwether's contract was finalized some time this afternoon.
Randy Moss: Probably the guy that I was watching the most. I'm a die hard Pats fan but was not overly enthusiastic about this signing at the outset. But since the Pats gave up nearly next to nothing for him, I'll wait and see. He came out onto the field waving to the crowd and received a pretty good ovation. He was the first WR in line to do the WR drills. He caught just about everything that was thrown to him. He did drop a ball on an out route from Brady and slapped his hands in disgust. I personally thought he could have hustled a little more on some of the drills, but I understand it's the first day. He did outright BURN a DB on the first team ( I think it was Fred Sanders) for a bomb that would have been a touchdown. After practice, he went over to a crowd to sign autographs and then went over to the media for some comments.
Tom Brady: He looked pretty sharp. I only really saw him overthrow one receiver during his drills. He was particularly sharp when they did a fade route drill where he hit the receiver perfect almost every time. I think we'll see the typical Bradyesque performance this year, even with a newborn on the way (very shortly it seems).
Laurence Maroney: Wore a red jersey. Looked to be okay and the fact that he's not on the PUP list is a good sign that the shoulder is okay. But the red jersey might be something to monitor. Sammy Morris took most of the reps with the 1st team and he looked pretty sharp. He had good burst and cut pretty well.
Wes Welker: I can't get over how short this guy is. But he is very quick. Will be the 3rd down guy for sure in the slot. He was also returning punts and he took an end around for some yardage. I think he'll play a key role in this offense. He might be worth WR3 in PPR leagues.
Donte Stallworth: Did not participate in the morning practice.
Benjamin Watson: Overall looked pretty good. He was actually lined up as a wideout on a couple of plays and Kyle Brady lined up as the TE. I thought that was interesting. Watson does have the speed to line up to cause some problems for DB's.
Reche Caldwell and Kelley Washington: I thought both of these guys had the worst day for the receivers. Both dropped very catchable balls. (Looked like I was watching Caldwell in the AFC Championship all over again) They could have run better routes as well.
Again, I understand it was the first day of camp, but take this info as you wish...
Defensive Players: Pretty tough to gauge since they really weren't going full contact. Junior Seau was one of the first players on the field and looks to be in great shape and very enthusiastic about being there. Obviously Asante Samuel was absent and so was Brandon Meriwether. But apparently, Meriwether's contract was finalized some time this afternoon.
Randy Moss: Probably the guy that I was watching the most. I'm a die hard Pats fan but was not overly enthusiastic about this signing at the outset. But since the Pats gave up nearly next to nothing for him, I'll wait and see. He came out onto the field waving to the crowd and received a pretty good ovation. He was the first WR in line to do the WR drills. He caught just about everything that was thrown to him. He did drop a ball on an out route from Brady and slapped his hands in disgust. I personally thought he could have hustled a little more on some of the drills, but I understand it's the first day. He did outright BURN a DB on the first team ( I think it was Fred Sanders) for a bomb that would have been a touchdown. After practice, he went over to a crowd to sign autographs and then went over to the media for some comments.
Tom Brady: He looked pretty sharp. I only really saw him overthrow one receiver during his drills. He was particularly sharp when they did a fade route drill where he hit the receiver perfect almost every time. I think we'll see the typical Bradyesque performance this year, even with a newborn on the way (very shortly it seems).
Laurence Maroney: Wore a red jersey. Looked to be okay and the fact that he's not on the PUP list is a good sign that the shoulder is okay. But the red jersey might be something to monitor. Sammy Morris took most of the reps with the 1st team and he looked pretty sharp. He had good burst and cut pretty well.
Wes Welker: I can't get over how short this guy is. But he is very quick. Will be the 3rd down guy for sure in the slot. He was also returning punts and he took an end around for some yardage. I think he'll play a key role in this offense. He might be worth WR3 in PPR leagues.
Donte Stallworth: Did not participate in the morning practice.
Benjamin Watson: Overall looked pretty good. He was actually lined up as a wideout on a couple of plays and Kyle Brady lined up as the TE. I thought that was interesting. Watson does have the speed to line up to cause some problems for DB's.
Reche Caldwell and Kelley Washington: I thought both of these guys had the worst day for the receivers. Both dropped very catchable balls. (Looked like I was watching Caldwell in the AFC Championship all over again) They could have run better routes as well.
Again, I understand it was the first day of camp, but take this info as you wish...
I'll be at Bengals camp on Monday!!
Add two injury prone, underachieving WRs and everyone suddenly thinks the Pats made great offseason moves.
