An Independent Patriots Blog
BST&N/Desberg: Important time for Patriots wide receivers
Not a lot has been said about the Patriots wide receiver corps in the wake of a draft that many hoped would land the Pats a “deep threat”. I’ve always been of the opinion that they’d let their younger guys develop, and if they did make an additional it would be a veteran free agent.
Many smart football guys like Mike Lombardi do think the Pats should add someone, but I don’t necessarily thinks it’s a lock that they do.
With the Patriots not selecting an outside linebacker early in the draft, the spotlight will shine a bit brighter on second-year man Jermaine Cunningham’s development this season. Cunningham has been in town of late, where linebacker Jerod Mayo continues to show leadership in arranging workouts with teammates.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/with-the-patriots-not-selecting-an-outside/
The Foxhole: Top 10 Patriots of 2010
Good stuff from Kristen, hard to argue with her order, but it’s tough not to see Jerod Mayo on there.
What do we do with CB Ras-I Dowling? He is 6’1, 198. He ran 4.39 at his Pro Day. Dowling started for 4 years. In his first 3 years he totaled 8 INTs, 4 FFs, and broke up 27 passes. Go watch some tape. At least half the picks came with him jumping up to snag the ball. He has good hands, instincts, and ball skills. His value is hurt by the fact he was injured for most of his Senior season and then missed the Senior Bowl and most of the Combine. We’re talking about nagging injuries, not ACL type stuff, but teams hate when they can’t see a guy in his final season and then the normal postseason activities. While Dowling is talented, he’s not the same level of CB as the Big 3. He’s got their size and speed, but not the cover skills. Dowling doesn’t have great hips, but is a CB and not a Safety. One odd thing is that he didn’t press and jam receivers all that much. Mainly played off. Dowling is worth an early 2nd, but it won’t shock me to see him go late in the 1st. Gil Brandt said there were 25 teams and 11 DB coaches at Dowling’s Pro Day. That tells you what the league thinks of this guy.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/what-do-we-do-with-cb-ras-i-dowling-he-is-61/
Markel Carter looks like a pass rusher to me…. just based on looks alone…
Central Arkansas Defensive Coordinator Matt Williamson on him (via Reiss)…
“The first thing I’d say is that he wanted to be really good. At the same time, he wanted everyone else around him to know he was a good person. He always wanted to do the right thing, and he was always seeking help, and all the information he could, to become a better football player. He was always looking for whatever he could find to gain an edge on the offensive lineman he was going against. He is a great all-around person, and has the drive inside of him to make himself better every day.”
https://www.patspropaganda.com/markel-carter-looks-like-a-pass-rusher-to-me/
McCourty & Milloy to host football camp at Merrimack College
Here’s the link to the football camp that Devin McCourty and Lawyer Milloy will be hosting at Merrimack College from July 11-14. Unfortunately the cut off age is 18, which is too bad because I really need to work on my jams at the line of scrimmage.
Boston Globe: Weight lifted for Marcus Cannon
Great stuff from Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe about Marcus Cannon and his battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Cannon might get a little bit of a late start this season, but it looks like he should eventually be fine, and really what rookie isn’t going to get a late start this year. An optimistic projection would have a Solder-Mankins-TBD Kopper replacement-Cannon-Vollmer offensive line for the next 5-7 years. What a big, nasty group. Love it.
Here’s the video of Cannon doing a flip off a barge that was mentioned in the article. Crazy stuff.