Archives for July 2012
Source: Mankins among six to Active/PUP – ESPN Boston
Source: Mankins among six to Active/PUP – ESPN Boston
From our article last week “Predicting the Pats PUP’ers” numbers 2, 3, and 4 of the top 5 have been PUP’d.
Still not ruling Mankins out for the opener, but maybe it’s best to go easy on him.
Pryor is big disappointment, just lost a little more faith in him being the interior pass rusher this team so badly needs. Did the door just open for Justin Francis a bit more?
Vollmer’s inability to get healthy is really starting to concern me. Is Marcus Cannon capable of being the starting right tackle? Because right now heading into camp the O-line looks like this:
Solder-Connolly-Koppen-Waters (?)-Cannon
or even…
Solder-Gallery-Connolly-Wendell-Cannon?
Not exactly the veteran crew we’re used to. Dante Scarnecchia has yet another chance to prove his worth, which I’m sure he will. But yeah, a little bit nervous about all the turnover.
Finally with Spikes he must still be recovering from knee surgery, but this isn’t going to help him in his looming battle with Dont’a Hightower for playing time. At least we’ll get a lot of looks at Hightower. I wonder if he leaves the field in preseason.
But hey, no Gronk on the list is a huge plus. He was my number one guy needed healthy and it looks like the Gronkle has finally been put to rest.
Rapsheet says Gronkle is good to go…
Four days into 2010 camp, @WesWelker was on the field and off PUP. #Gronk could follow suit. But “no concerns” about the #Gronkle, I’m told
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 23, 2012
New England Patriots: Can the Patriots get any production from their secondary, in terms of general coverage, pass breakups and interceptions? New England defensive backs simply must get their hands on more balls.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/new-england-patriots-can-the-patriots-get-any/
Already, word inside Gillette Stadium is that Hightower is showcasing a veteran’s know-how and a let’s-get-to-work attitude. That’s no surprise. He comes to New England from Alabama, where former Bill Belichick assistant Nick Saban is the coach, and has already said it has made the transition smoother than it might have been elsewhere. Hightower fits in any defensive scheme, and Belichick has already compared his football smarts to Mayo’s, and his versatility to Mike Vrabel’s. When Belichick talks like that, as he did on SiriusXM NFL Radio in April, you know he’s excited about the possibilities.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/already-word-inside-gillette-stadium-is-that/
Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen rush to fill void – BostonHerald.com
Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen rush to fill void – BostonHerald.com
Two questions surround Ridley and Vereen. First, can Ridley make more of an impact in the passing game? Second, is Vereen better between the tackles than anyone realizes? If the answer is “yes” to either question, one of the young backs would have a chance to monopolize the in-game reps. Otherwise, it could turn into something of a split, with Danny Woodhead and Joseph Addai getting their reps, too. And if Ridley and Vereen see a similar amount of reps, the Patriots could have two backs with at least 100 carries in the same season for the first time since 2006. But if Ridley takes the lead role on the ground and Vereen garners the reps in passing situations, each player will have plenty of opportunities to leave his mark on the offense. It also will fall in line with the Patriots’ multi-back philosophy, and the pair has complementary skills to make that an effective strategy.
