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Patsfans’ Ian Logue Has Notes on Crable
Some speculation why he might’ve been IR’d, but let me say this, if a guy known for his speed, who’s basically on his last chance to be an NFL football player fails a conditioning test it’s almost more unforgivable than if he was injured again.
It’s a sad and disappointing morning here at the Propaganda HQ and it has nothing to do with Wes Welker starting off on the PUP list. Welker can still return at any time during camp, and honestly I expected them to bring him along slowly. We all know what Welker can do, and the Patriots need him at the end of the season not at the start. This will give the young WRs to get a lot of quality reps and should help boost their development. Because as much as we need a healthy Wes Welker, we need some complimentary receivers almost as much.
No, my disappointment all revolves around Crazy Legs Crable, the player I picked as my most intriguing Patriot just last night. This morning I awake to find that Crable has injured himself for the third straight year. I’ve been pimping Crable all offseason. He was drafted two years ago to fill what is one of the biggest voids on the Pats and he’s shown flashes in limited preseason time. He’s a likeable guy, who seemed like he just got unlucky with injuries two years in a row.
Well this makes three years and I’m sure that Crable shares my disappointment and embarrassment. He can still be activated at any time, but every day that goes by where he’s not on the field is a day closer to being out of football. Would the Patriots put him on IR for a third straight year? That’d have to be some kind of record.
Oh and rookie Kade Weston was PUP’d too, that one ain’t really a big deal. Let’s be happy these were the only 3 guys on the PUP list though. The Patriots start camp as healthy as they’ve been in a long time.
Thanks to Kiribub for giving Crable the only thing he’s missing… calves.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/thanks-to-kiribub-for-giving-crable-the-only-thing/
For those who don’t know we’re really pulling hard for Shawn Crable to destroy the NFL this year. He’s been lost to injuries for the last two years, but now he’s healthy so it’s time for him to become the pass rusher the Pats need. It will be a long road for Crazy Legs, but with calves like that no one will stop him. No one!
https://www.patspropaganda.com/for-those-who-dont-know-were-really-pulling-hard/
The Patriots are scheduled to have mini-camp next week but I’m not sure if there will be media access, so this could be the last chance we have to hear about what’s going on in Foxboro these days until training camp.
First off, there’s a report from the Denver Post that the Pats sent Logan Mankins a letter notifying him that if he doesn’t sign his RFA tender by next week they will decrease his pay for 2010. Basically it comes down to this simple math for Logan:
Either way the Patriots hold all the cards. I’m sure the media will begin hammering the Pats for this, but look, they’re playing by the rules. I know everyone wants to live in a land where the best players get huge deals and are with the team forever but it’s far from that simple. If the NFLPA doesn’t like it, then they should negotiate to kill that, along with the Franchise Tag, in the next CBA.
It’s hard for fans to swallow when the team has power over a player, but that’s professional football. Get over it.
On to the OTA Huddle up after the jump…
Mike Reiss finally reports some news on Tyrone McKenzie, as well as a Ron Brace update:
Patriots followers haven’t seen much of Tyrone McKenzie, the 2009 third-round draft choice who missed his rookie campaign with a torn ACL. His reputation is as a Ted Johnson-type run-stuffer who could be a first- and second-down type option, and then coming off the field in passing situations in favor of more speed. But that might be underselling McKenzie, who at one point in this practice was the lone inside linebacker on the field in a sub package. He should be one of the more interesting players to watch in training camp as we learn more about his skill set.
With starting left defensive end Ty Warren not practicing, 2009 second-round draft choice Ron Brace stepped in next to Vince Wilfork when the team was working in its base 3-4. This was a reminder that while Brace didn’t see much time during his rookie campaign (approximately 50 defensive snaps all season), he very much remains in the team’s plans.
McKenzie played in three college programs and produced in all of them. His versatility is vastly underrated to this point, and he could even project as a pass rusher. Everyone wants to put the young Patriots linebackers in a box… a Ted Johnson-type, a Mike Vrabel-type, and so on… but the fact is that no two players are the same, and BB will use them each to maximize their strengths. What those are we’ll just have to wait and see.
As for Brace, a solid year on run downs from him would be greatly helpful to the Pats organization that could desperatly use a young, stout defensive lineman. He will be a player to watch in training camp.
Ian Rapoport has a Crazy Legs update:
It appeared that Shawn Crable got more looks with the big team, while Marques Murrell was with the scout team
It’s minor progress from last week for Crazy Legs, when he was running only with the scout team, but it’s progress none the less. Biggest question I have is whether or not he’s playing special teams.
Albert Breer (not FakeAlbertBreer) has an update on the one and only Patriot I can’t stand, Matthew Slater:
Matthew Slater, likely a player on the bubble, got some love from his teammates after making a great sideline catch on an out cut near the goal line (there was no defense for the drill); several receivers slipped trying to make the same catch on the wet grass.
Slater seems like a hard working, good kid, but I am DONE with him as a kick returner. It’s been two seasons of him catching the kick and running full speed into the closest oncoming defender, getting himself absolutely laid out, and thus firing up the other team. I get it. He’s fast. He works hard. He also never started at UCLA and there’s a reason. Lack of vision. I try not to be a hater, but I really would like to see the team say “Later Slater”.
Some other minor notes to pass along:
It cannot be a good early sign for Shawn Crable that he was with the scout-team defense when the first-team offense was going through run-game work – especially since rookie Jermaine Cunningham was with the first- and second-string defensive players on the other field working with the scout offense.
Boston Globe
There’s a long road ahead for Crable, but I have no doubt he will sprint down that road with his long crazy legs, unless he doesn’t and gets cut.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/it-cannot-be-a-good-early-sign-for-shawn-crable/
You had to be excited for media access day at OTAs today, but no one could’ve predicted that Wes Welker would be on the field. Of course Michael Silver had plans of his own today, deciding to turn “talks between Pats and Brady are going slowly” into “this might possibly lead to something but it probably won’t” article that of course every member of the Boston media had to hop on.
We stick to the positive propaganda here, we’ve read the recaps, and here are the non-Welker tidbits that we’ve found most interesting:
The linebackers split up during one segment that included seven-on-seven work. Crable, Mayo, Guyton, Eric Alexander, Pierre Woods, Williams, Banta-Cain and Spikes remained on the field with the defensive backs and worked on coverage. Burgess, Cunningham and Ninkovich went to work with the defensive linemen.
On the outside I saw many different guys get reps on both sides with a variety of groupings in different drills. I saw some with Tully Banta-Cain on the left and Derrick Burgess on the right. I saw Jermaine Cunningham on the left with Burgess on the right. I saw Burgess on the left. I saw guys like Shawn Crable, Rob Ninkovich and everyone else on the depth chart rotate through.
Maybe it’s reading into it, but I think this is very significant. Why? Because it says to me that Burgess, Cunningham, and Ninkovich are considered primarily pass rushers, while Crable, Woods, Williams, and Banta-Cain are those we could be seeing on early downs as run stoppers (i.e. “starting”).
Of course the Patriots linebackers are versatile, you’ll see all of them all over the place. But I’m surprised to see Ninkovich with the lineman. And I’m happy to see my boy Crable with the defensive backs.
With two-time Pro Bowler Logan Mankins not present for the voluntary session, veteran tackle Nick Kaczur was inserted at his spot at left guard. Second-year man Sebastian Vollmer took reps at right tackle, with Matt Light remaining at left tackle.
Ultimately when Mankins comes back we’ll be back to Kaczur and Vollmer battling it out at RT, but knowing now that Kaczur has the confidence and ability to play guard, we should have a better sense of why the Patriots gave him a contract extension. He’s versatile and could be the new Russ Hochstein.
TE Aaron Hernandez looks like he’s ticketed for a significant role as a rookie. We all know why he fell to the fourth round, and if the kid has his act together – as I’ve said in the past – he could be a big-time steal. The offense rotated a bunch too, but Hernandez was with Brady’s group a lot, and seems to be getting a lot of personal attention from the coaches. His fellow rookie TE, Rob Gronkowski, is working behind Alge Crumpler as the in-line tight end for now. Hernandez looks aware in recognizing coverage, sitting down in zones, and smooth running routes and catching the ball.
Aaron Hernandez once again looked very good. He has very good hands, moves well and shows pretty good route versatility. He was part of a five-wide set in group work that also included Moss, Julian Edelman, Kevin Faulk and Alge Crumpler.
Hernandez could be the offensive steal of the draft. If he can progress he’s going to be an excellent safety valve for Brady, especially against attacking defenses like the Jets.
LB Brandon Spikes is being coached pretty hard too, and with a purpose. Coaches seemed to be working on him as a signal caller. Told you back at the rookie minicamp that this guy’s ability to diagnose plays and react was uncanny. Well, this is another encouraging piece to the puzzle – The coaches feel comfortable enough with him, and his progress, to drill him on setting the defensive front. Not earth-shattering or anything. But worth mentioning, at least.
I would’ve like to heard something about Tyron McKenzie but he got no mentions on any of the blogs. Not sure if that’s good or bad. Regardless it’s full steam ahead for Spikes. Someone needs to emerge from the group as a playmaker, and it seems Spikes has as good of a shot as anyone. Especially after the reports last week that his hands are excellent, picking an interception out of the air effortlessly like he did many times at Florida.