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Friday Tweets of Note from Patriots Training Camp

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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…

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.

Swanson’s going to be one to keep an eye on this preseason

Tweets of Note from Thursday’s Patriots Training Camp Opener

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And we’re off! It’s an exciting time of year as the Pats are back at it in Foxboro and all is right with the world. 

Patriots Training Camp Preview: Safety

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The New England Patriots finally found an answer at safety in 2013 in Devin McCourty, after years of instability and inconsistency at the position. McCourty became just the third player to be named an All Pro at two different positions.

But with the release of Steve Gregory, McCourty will have a new starter next to him in 2014, with second-year player Duron Harmon the favorite to land the role.

But how do the rest of the safeties match up should injuries strike? Here’s our final training camp positional preview with the safeties.

Devin McCourty is one of the top young safeties in the game. Now entering the final year of his rookie deal, the Patriots have reportedly entered into contract talks and for good reason.

McCourty could only get more expensive as he reaps the benefit of having Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner at cornerback.

Duron Harmon was a surprising third-round pick in 2013, but showed consistency and strong tackling skills as a rookie. While he’s not one of the prototypical strong safeties of a past era, Harmon can play on the back end or in the box.

Is he the proverbial “enforcer” that many Patriots fans have been clamoring for since Rodney Harrison retired? No, but the Patriots prefer a balanced back end approach anyway. Harmon has good range and seems like a good fit for Belichick’s style. That’s probably why he drafted him so high, right?

The Pats also brought back Patrick Chung, who spent 2013 with the Eagles. Chung should contribute on special teams and has the demeanor to make an impact in the box as a safety if necessary. Chung gets into trouble when asked to play man-to-man or on the back end. But let him come downhill and make tackles and he’ll deliver some heavy hits. He’s also the perfect kind of off-the-field citizen the Pats love.

Tavon Wilson had some promise as a rookie in 2012 after being thrown into the fire early after Steve Gregory was hurt, but Wilson was relegated to special teams-only in 2013. He’s likely facing a make-or-break season.

Nate Ebner has been solid as a special teams player in his first two seasons, even being asked to occasionally fill in on defense. But that’s not his specialty and he should once again be a special teams mainstay.

Ebner’s most direct competition might come from Kanorris Davis, who saw spot duty in three games as an undrafted rookie who kicked around from the practice squad to the active roster throughout the 2013 season.

There are some promising rookies looking to make an impact as well, including seventh-round pick Jemea Thomas who has good versatility to play a number of different spots in the secondary.

Shamiel Gary and Travis Hawkins were signed as undrafted rookies and will likely need an injury to make the roster. Both are practice squad candidates. Hawkins is out of Delaware but had an impressive pro day.

Projection:

McCourty is the only lock, while most assume Harmon will get the first shot playing next to him. But if Harmon falters or there’s an injury at the top of the depth chart, things could get dicey rather quickly.

Chung is a good third safety, but if he’s thrust into the starting job he would be a target in coverage. 

There’s interesting unknowns who will likely get long looks. The competition between Wilson, Davis, Gary and Hawkins could be competing for one roster spot. Special teams performance might be what matters most.

If Harmon takes a solid step forward in his sophomore season, he and McCourty might make for the best Patriots safety tandem since the Super Bowl years. And their jobs will only be made easier by the high-quality cornerbacks on the roster.

And really, how much does it matter who plays next to McCourty given the talent in the secondary? But as always, the proven depth is only so thick.

Previously:

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Offensive Line

Tight Ends

Defensive Tackle

Defensive Ends

Linebackers

Cornerbacks

Patriots Training Camp Preview: Cornerback

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No other position got the makeover that cornerback did for the New England Patriots this offseason. Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner headlines the 2014 free agent class and instantly give the Pats their best secondary since the dynasty years.

But how will the trickle down effect play out for talented young corners like Logan Ryan and Alfonzo Dennard? And where does Kyle Arrington fit in?

Our training camp preview series continues with a look at a reloaded cornerback group.

Starting with Darrelle Revis, arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, seems like a good place to begin. The Patriots had plenty of battles with Revis from 2007 to 2012, with him being a big part of the Jets going 3-2 against the Pats from 2009-2010.

Revis enters 2014 with something to prove after spending 2013 getting fully comfortable  post-ACL tear. Some think Revis was a little misused in Tampa Bay as well.

Bill Belichick won’t misuse Revis. Now, a full two years removed from his ACL injury, Revis should lay claim to being the top cover corner in the NFL once again and that’s a very good thing for the Patriots.

Revis can effectively take any receiver out of the game and we can expect Bill Belichick will move him around to take away the opposing offense’s strength.

Brandon Browner coming to New England was somewhat unexpected, as Browner will miss the first four games of the season due to suspension. Together, he and Revis give the Pats their most physically imposing cornerback tandem perhaps ever. 

Browner’s superlative height makes him a good tool for the ever-growing array of big X-receivers. This year the Pats will face AJ Green, Calvin Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, Brandon Marshall and Demaryius Thomas among others. Browner and Revis will have their work cut out for them, however Belichick divides responsibilities up.

Kyle Arrington will once again return to man the slot, known on the Patriots as the “Star” position, one that has effectively grown into a starter’s role. Arrington is durable and physical and, though oft-maligned, did hold Wes Welker to just 8 catches for 69 yards in two games last season.

Alfonzo Dennard has put his legal problems behind him, however offseason shoulder surgery caused him to miss OTAs. Dennard is a tough pest, but with his lack of size he was powerless to stop Demaryius Thomas in the AFC Championship after Aqib Talib went down.

Dennard could be looking at more of a role in the slot, though he hasn’t seen any time there in his first two seasons. It’s possible he could even be part of a rotation with Browner on the outside depending on the matchups. Most pencil him in as the starter until Browner returns in Week 5.

Logan Ryan might have something to say about that. He led the team with five interceptions in 2013, and showed good awareness playing numerous roles in the secondary. He’s also spent some time studying the safety position this offseason, only further building the value he brings.

Ryan could be a real wild card, not only this season but going forward, especially with Revis on what could essentially be a one-year deal. Is there a world where Ryan’s development and rookie contract allow the Pats to let Revis walk in 2015 instead of giving him a monster deal? Perhaps.

Justin Green saw some time in 2013 but will be hard-pressed to find a roster spot this year. First-year player Daxton Swanson and rookie free agent Malcolm Butler stood out in OTAs but might need an injury to strike at the top of the depth chart to make the squad.

Projection:

Expectations for this group are through the roof and understandably so. The press man coverage the Pats have tried to employ the last two seasons now could be truly special in 2014.

Talib had his injury issues, while Dennard was undersized and those two elements held the Pats defense back from hitting the next level. Sure, when both were healthy on, the Pats shut down some good offenses.

But with Revis and Browner in the fold, that now becomes the weekly expectation.  

The Pats have never had this much talented cornerback depth. Yes, they can play press man, but perhaps more importantly they can mix-and-match coverages and responsibilities to their favor. This is when Bill Belichick is at his best.

Previously:

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Offensive Line

Tight Ends

Defensive Tackle

Defensive Ends

Linebackers

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Current #Patriots depth chart… PUP/NFI in red. Rookies in highlighted yellow. Italics on those with current known injury issues.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/current-patriots-depth-chart-pupnfi-in-red/

Patriots Training Camp Preview: Linebacker

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The Patriots lost two linebackers this offseason – Brandon Spikes and Dane Fletcher, and though they didn’t make a splashy addition to replace them this offseason, they still have a promising starting trio remaining. The headline is that defensive signal caller Jerod Mayo returns from a pectoral tear that ended his 2013 season early.

But the depth behind Mayo, Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins is still largely an unknown. With a collection of rookie and veteran free agents, the Pats could find themselves with some new faces at the linebacker position making an impact.

Here’s our preview of the linebackers.

We have to start with Mayo, whose return to the lineup should be a big boost, especially for the pass defense. Mayo makes all the calls and is the leader of the defense. It was surprising the Pats defense was able to hold the fort as well as they did without their captain, but selling out on the pass hurt their run defense.

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Dont’a Hightower was somewhat overwhelmed early on after Mayo went down, but late in the season Hightower settled in and started making plays.

Speaking of making plays, Jamie Collins was all over the place against the Colts in the divisional round. Collins had shown some potential in the regular season, but burst onto the scene in the playoffs.

Almost everyone is projecting Collins to be a breakout star of 2014. At this point it would almost be more surprising if he wasn’t playing almost every down next to Mayo.

The bigger question is how the Collins-Mayo-Hightower trio will fit together schematically. Mayo had been playing the Will linebacker spot since the 2011 switch to a 4-3 base.

While Hightower seems the best fit to slide to Brandon Spikes’ vacated middle linebacker spot, there were rumors from OTAs that it was Mayo manning the middle with Collins on the weakside and Hightower on the strongside.

How well will the Pats will defend runs up the middle with that personnel? Mayo is at his best in space, and the move would certainly help the pass defense up the seam, but can they hold up without a downhill physical presence like Spikes inside?

Regardless, the Pats have a trio of talented linebackers to start, but behind them are where the real questions come.

The Pats signed veteran James Anderson, a passing down specialist. He should fill some of Dane Fletcher’s former responsibilities and is good insurance for Mayo.

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Second-year player Steve Beauharnais was one of the many Rutgers rookies last season and showed some promise in the 2013 preseason. He will be under the microscope in training camp and could have an inside track for a bigger role in 2013.

Chris White and Josh Hill are experienced NFL special teamers and there’s always a spot for at least one of those kind of guys.

Ja’Gared Davis and Darius Fleming have pass rush skills and the Pats always have a need for those kind of guys. With some thin depth at defensive end and designated pass rusher, one of them could find a roster spot if they’re able to consistently get after quarterbacks this summer.

Cameron Gordon, Deontae Skinner and Taylor McCuller all have an uphill battle but there always seems to be an undrafted rookie linebacker like Fletcher or Gary Guyton who make the roster. 

Projection:

It will be interesting to see how Mayo, Collins and Hightower are split up situationally. Our best guess is that Mayo and Collins rarely leave the field. Hightower has some pass rush potential and could be used as a blitzer as well.

Behind them there’s a lot of question marks and there’s plenty of room for a couple unknowns to emerge and make an impact.

It will be an interesting area to focus on this summer.

Previously:

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Offensive Line

Tight Ends

Defensive Tackle

Defensive Ends