Training Camp

Tweets of Note: Patriots Training Camp Practice #13

August 14, 2016 by Mike Dussault

After a day off the Patriots were back on the field Sunday, getting ready for three days of joint practices with the Bears this week.

The injury news continues to be positive with Ninkovich at practice today, Edelman a full participant (granted it wasn’t a full-go pads practice) and the MRI results of Malcolm Mitchell’s elbow coming back clean.

So far the Pats have dodged some major injury problems, that luck has to continue into the season.

Here are the tweets that stood out from Sunday’s practice.

Brady’s Best Shot? A Look at Present and Future Patriots

August 11, 2016 by Nikolas Davos

Leading up to the first preseason game is always an interesting time to analyze what your team looks like. That being said, this roster will be very different opening night at ‘Zona, but for now let’s work with what we think we know.

On paper, this is arguably the most gifted Patriots’ squad since ’07. Forget about the Brady led offense for now; I first want to focus on the depth and talent on the other side of the ball. The defense is loaded with more than capable playmakers at every level. Up front, there’s about 1,000 pounds of force between the expected 3-man rotation at D-tackle, 2^nd year breakout candidate Malcom Brown, veteran Alan Branch, and newcomer Terrance “Pot-Roast” Knighton.

These are versatile and talented big men that will allow Belichick/Patricia to mix up 3 and 4 man looks up front. Rookie Vincent Valentine and/or ex-Giant Markus Kuhn should provide quality depth behind the aforementioned trio. On the edge, I’m not as worried about the loss of Chandler Jones as the next guy.

Tweets of Note: Patriots Training Camp Practice #12

August 10, 2016 by Mike Dussault

After Julian Edelman went down yesterday I went through a similar range of emotions as when Rob Gronkowski was writhing in pain on the field in Denver last season. You quickly run through all the stages of grief, accepting that Edelman was very possibly done for the year.

But then, just like Gronk, the news was actually better than expected. Then Edelman suddenly appeared at practice today, and though he wasn’t a full participant, it’s an incredibly good sign. Especially when I had already basically accepted I wouldn’t see him on a football field until the winter at the earliest, if not 2017.

The news wasn’t as great on Rob Ninkovich, but four-to-six weeks from early August is nothing. Just like the Jimmy Garoppolo experiment, Nink’s absence should ultimately be a good thing for the Patriots. They can develop Shea McClellin and Tre Flowers, while also giving looks to Geneo Grissom and Rufus Johnson.

Ninkovich is in the last year of his deal and is 32 years old. While I think he’ll return on a new deal next season, the end is coming, just like it is with Brady. Getting the chance to throw some young guys into the fire at this point will ultimately help the Pats in the long run.

Here are the tweets from Wednesday’s practice that stood out, and, oh yeah, THERE’S A GAME TOMORROW!!

Tweets of Note: Patriots Training Camp Practice #11

August 9, 2016 by Mike Dussault

By now you’ve probably heard, Julian Edelman left practice on Tuesday after throwing his helmet down in frustration with an apparent injury. Trainers were looking at Edelman’s left foot, the same one that he broke last season. Edelman did walk to the locker room under his own power, a better sign than if he was carted off, but it appears he’s suffered a setback, though Ian Rapoport is reporting that it’s not serious (phew?)…

That wasn’t the only injury buzzkill on Tuesday, as Rob Ninkovich also left practice with trainers looking at his upper arm. Arms are usually less worrisome than feet when it comes to injuries, however Nate Solder was lost to IR last year due to a torn biceps.

So we hold our breath and wait to hear what the prognosis on both is. Unfortunately, since it’s training camp, we might not get any immediate answers. Edelman and Ninkovich will likely be missing from practice tomorrow and we’ll have to wait for sources to leak what’s going on before Bill Belichick will tell us anything.

Here are the tweets of note if you want to re-live the first shitty practice of training camp.

Training Camp Update: Patriots Depth Chart Reset

August 9, 2016 by Mike Dussault

The Patriots and Saints will get underway with joint practices this morning. This is always a great way to get a new look at the players who have settled in over the last 12 days of training camp. It’s hard to believe it’s going by so quickly!

But in that time we’ve had some definite movement on the depth charts. The Pats have been fairly lucky so far with injuries, but that can change quickly. Still, the overall depth is promising, since there hasn’t been much juggling on the low end of the roster. That means we should see some quality performances out of the guys who are under-the-radar.

So before things get crazy with joint practices and games, let’s take a quick look at how the depth chart looks here as we stand on August 9th, just 33 days away from the season opener in Arizona!

Tweets of Note: Patriots Training Camp Practice #10

August 8, 2016 by Mike Dussault

The Patriots got in one last practice before the Saints come to town for two joint practices and the first preseason game on Thursday night. There should be a lot to take in over the next two days. Going against a new team after hitting the same people for the last week-and-a-half will be a nice change in pace for the players. It should also give us a chance to get a better sense of how some of our new guys are adjusting to the system.

And in just three short days we’ll get to see the Pats take the field in a game and things really start to get exciting.

Here are the tweets that stood out from Monday’s practice:

Tweets of Note: Patriots Training Camp Practice #9

August 7, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Julian Edelman was back at full-pads practice without a red jersey, meaning the Pats most vital receiver is off the PUP list. This is a good sign that Edelman’s broken foot, which required additional offseason surgery, is healthy. Or at least as healthy as it’s going to get.

Tre Jackson and Clay Harbor were also back at practice as the teams gets some reinforcements before two days of practicing against the Saints this week.

Things are about to get real.