Rookie CB Daxton Swanson had a stellar mini-camp, and he carried it over with a fine performance on Friday. He notched a pass break-up on a throw from Brady to LaFell, and made a difficult interception on an errant pass by Garoppolo. Swanson is a dark horse candidate for the roster.
Friday Tweets of Note from Patriots Training Camp
Looks like we have our first injury of the preseason as Greg Orton went down and was carted off. As I flipped on Sportscenter this morning (a somewhat rare occurance) I immediately noticed a player down and being tended to by the training staff. It was a tense few moments until someone said it was Orton. Nothing against him, just grateful it wasn’t someone at the higher end of the depth chart. Hope he’s okay.
Here are some tweets that stood out to me today…
Dan Connolly got a lot of time in at center. He certainly has versatility. I thought Josh Kline got some good looks, too.
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) July 25, 2014
Been saying that Connolly has an advantage over Wendell in that he’s versatile. Wendell’s only a center and it could cost him a job.
Not a good day for Garoppolo. Intercepted by Chris White and Daxton Swanson, among the many incompletions.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) July 25, 2014
Swanson’s going to be one to keep an eye on this preseason
Very active day for Vereen catching passes. White ran the wrong route and drew some ire for it.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) July 25, 2014
Kyle Arrington and Julian Edelman got into a brief shoving match late in Patriots training camp practice.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyedNESN) July 25, 2014
Thompkins just had another diving TD catch, this time while being covered by Revis.
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) July 25, 2014
Gronk said he’s not going to change his “smashing and dashing” physical style of play due to injuries.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyedNESN) July 25, 2014
Could 2014 secondary be best of Bill Belichick Era? – WEEI | Christopher Price
Could 2014 secondary be best of Bill Belichick Era? – WEEI | Christopher Price
Memmmmories…. How long ago does it seem when the Patriots had one of the absolute dominant defenses of the NFL? I don’t know how this group is going to come together. Sure, on paper, it looks like it could be great, but we all know how quickly injuries can derail things. Hopefully it all comes together like we think it could.
In First Patriots Training Camp Practice, James White Shows He Can Do a Little Bit of Everything | NEPatriotsDraft.com – 2014 NFL Draft
Really wouldn’t be surprised to see James White lead the team in yardage a couple times this season. Vereen and Ridley have had their issues and if they pop up again I think we’ll see a heavy dose of White in a variety of roles.
I think what [Bill Belichick] saw last year in the [AFC] Championship Game was we really struggled getting off the field against Denver. His answer was not only Darrelle Revis but Brandon Browner to couple that with some of the other pieces they have in the secondary. They’re going to try to turn a weakness into a strength, and with Browner and Revis and their physicality, I think it’s going to greatly improve their man-to-man defense.’
The Patriots were running a no-huddle drill at the end of practice, and Wilfork — in a jersey so soaked in sweat that the navy blue appeared black from the adjacent hill — participated in every snap, hurrying back to the line even as the offense hurried to beat the defense to the punch.
All signs are positive on Wilfork so far. Really quite impressive considering the injury and his size. Let’s hope there are no setbacks.
Vince Wilfork: Young Defensive Linemen ‘Grew a Lot’ in 2013 – Extra Points – Boston.com
Vince Wilfork: Young Defensive Linemen ‘Grew a Lot’ in 2013 – Extra Points – Boston.com