New England Patriots training camp ups and downs – ESPN Boston

Good recap of who the ESPN Boston crew thinks are up and down so far in practice. One of my old favorites that hasn’t gotten much love here lately is Dane Fletcher, who they had as an “up”.

Fletcher is one of three players who have appeared on the first team of the Patriots’ core four special-teams units. A prominent special-teams role can be enough to earn a player a spot on a team by itself, but Fletcher has shown up as a linebacker, too. He displayed both power and shiftiness in a blitz pickup drill on Sunday, held down run fits during live 11-on-11 action, and hasn’t shied from contact. The Patriots have developed some depth in the linebacking core, but 2011 starter Brandon Spikes remains extremely limited in practice. That has opened the door for Fletcher to receive increased reps, and he’s answered the bell.