With the season opener in Arizona quickly coming upon us, we took a moment with a few of the PatsPropaganda contributors to reflect upon training camp and get some generally feelings about the Patriots heading into the 2016 campaign.
Here’s what everyone had to say.
What was your biggest surprise of training camp?
Niko Davos: Cruel surprise? The extent of Sebastian Vollmer’s hip injury, which is expected to end his 2016-2017 campaign before it started. On a related note, however, the most pleasant surprise was the play of his replacement, Marcus Cannon. Cannon looked good throughout camp and preseason, and it would be a major factor if he could continue to play at this level into the regular season and beyond.
Adam Magnacca: I’m thrilled that all of the surprises this camp were good ones but I definitely wasn’t expecting Joe Thuney come in from Day 1 and lock down the LG position. I thought he was gonna come in and be a good to great backup on the interior of the line but boy did he prove me wrong. The more I learn about him the more I wanna grab a beer with him. But more importantly, I want him to play out of his mind this year and I have a good feeling about that position for the next 10 years. *Honorable Mention: I loved watching Jacoby Brissett playing. I think if he keeps improving he could turn into a great Roethlisberger type player. I’m excited about his development.
Rick Starke: I had Bryan Stork as a starter at guard in my preseason offensive line projection, so to go from “penciled in starter” to “total free agent, picked up by nobody” is kind of a big surprise, especially considering the calming influence he had on the line in 2014, and that he started at center, guard, and tackle last year.
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