New England Patriots
Ken Spade
6/30/2008

Here are some observations on the Patriots personnel going into the dead time before training camps open for the season:

1) Tank Williams catches the eye. In passing work toward the end of the practice, safety Tank Williams ran stride for stride with running back Kevin Faulk and intercepted a pass near the sideline. It appeared to be excellent coverage by Williams, who turned at the perfect moment to snare the delivery from quarterback Tom Brady. The play drew a favorable reaction from fellow defenders, with Rodney Harrison charging over to Williams to congratulate him. The 6-foot-2 Williams, who is listed on the roster at 223 pounds but is probably closer to 230, is going to be a player to watch come training camp. The feeling here is that he is going to help the Patriots. As a contact-type player, it will be easier to assess Williams when the pads are on in training camp, but he projects as another Harrison-type player, with some flexibility between safety and linebacker.

2) Opposite ends of the spectrum for Matt Cassel. In passing work, backup quarterback Matt Cassel had one throw that he seemingly would like to have back, but then bounced back with one of the nicest throws in the entire session. The first delivery was an over-the-middle throw that was intercepted by cornerback Mike Richardson. It was difficult to tell if the throw was in the right spot and the intended target wasn't, but Richardson gathered it in with ease. Shortly after, Cassel came back with an impressive over-the-middle toss to tight end Marcus Pollard that was lofted over nearby defender Adalius Thomas before dropping right into Pollard's hands. It was nice accuracy and nice touch on the pass.

3) Punt returners have their hands full. As part of punt return work, the Patriots put their returners in a tough spot by making them catch deliveries with a football already in their right hand. It was an example of how the focus on these mini-camp practices is really more in the teaching phase than the evaluation phase. Along those lines, the coaching staff seems to feel good about the level of installation/teaching that has taken place at this point. The idea is to get the installation to a point where the club can practice in training camp with players being aggressive, not hesitant, so the work can be conducted at a competitive level.

4) A chance to assess the punters. With the session being held outdoors, it was a good opportunity to watch the battle between veteran punters Chris Hanson and Scott Player. Hanson is a left-footed punter and Player a right-footed punter. This looks like it could be a competitive situation. Based on today's work, Hanson appears to have a little more power in his leg, but the decision will likely come down to which punter is more consistent, specifically with hang time and situational punting, over a stretch of time. Another factor to keep in mind is that carrying two punters might be a luxury the team can't afford based on this year's new hard 80-man roster cap in training camp. If the club has more pressing needs elsewhere, it could force a quick decision at punter.

5) Practice attendance. The same nine players who were not present for practice on Friday were not there today. That group includes WR Kelley Washington, CB Ellis Hobbs, G Stephen Neal, OT Oliver Ross, WR Wes Welker, TE Benjamin Watson, ILB Bo Ruud, DE Jarvis Green and DL Mike Wright. In addition, TE David Thomas was not present for today's practice. All of these players are at Gillette Stadium, but are likely being held back due to something health-related.

1) Tom Brady and the long ball. If there was one play that stood out from the entire session, it came in 11-on-11 work. Quarterback Tom Brady took the snap, rolled to his right, and then set his feet to unload about a 60-yard bomb to sprinting receiver C.J. Jones in the end zone. The ball was beautifully thrown, so that it arced over defensive back Lewis Sanders in coverage and dropped into an area where Jones could make the catch. The negative parts of the play were Jones being unable to corral it, and some shoddy protection at the line. But after watching the throw, and seeing Brady move his feet with ease, it seems clear that the ankle injury that nagged him in the playoffs is not an issue.

2) A hold-your-breath moment with Tedy Bruschi. There was silence during 11-on-11 work when linebacker Tedy Bruschi remained on the ground, apparently in pain after the play. It was difficult to tell what happened to Bruschi -- he might have gotten caught up in traffic at the line -- but it was enough to warrant the trainers coming to his aid. Bruschi gingerly walked under his own power to a makeshift sideline. It wasn't long before he returned, with teammates applauding and whistling as he made a jump-shot motion as if he were a basketball player (Paul Pierce, perhaps?). It was a situation where a potentially scary moment turned somewhat humorous.

3) Multiple WRs vs. multiple DBs. Much like last week's organized team activity sessions, the Patriots spent much of the practice working with multiple-receiver packages against multiple-defensive back packages. Our attention was primarily placed on the defense because that's where most of the new players are lining up. One aspect that stood out was the versatility among defenders. Is Tank Williams a defensive back or linebacker? Rodney Harrison -- linebacker or safety? Is Lewis Sanders a cornerback or safety? Is Shawn Crable playing an on-the-line linebacker role, or off-the-line? Is Brandon Merirweather in the slot in a cornerback-like role or back at safety? This will be one area to monitor in training camp, as it appears the Patriots have a lot of parts to move around, giving them a lot of options. It's early yet, but the defense could be laying the foundation to do some dynamic things when not in a base 3-4 set.

4) Offensive line shuffle. With right guard Stephen Neal and recently signed Oliver Ross (assigned jersey No. 76) not practicing, the Patriots shuffled the deck a bit. Kaczur spent the practice at Neal's spot, with third-year man Ryan O'Callaghan assuming the right tackle position. Last year, when Neal left the Super Bowl with a knee injury, the team inserted Russ Hochstein at right guard. In this case, it's probably a situation of building some more positional flexibility into the line, as Kaczur has worked at guard in practice before, just probably not extensively. Hochstein, who is best suited for either the center or guard spots, took some reps at right tackle.

5) Rodney Harrison the coach. For a player who enters the final year of his contract and has seen the Patriots sign multiple players in the defensive backfield, Rodney Harrison shows few signs of insecurity. Early in practice, after a 7-on-7 drill, he spoke with fellow safety/linebacker Tank Williams about what appeared to be a technique in coverage. At one point, Harrison put his hand on Williams' hip, almost as if he was coaching him. Later in the practice, Harrison was on the sideline, seemingly doing the same thing with veteran Lewis Sanders.

EXTRA POINTS: Nick Kaczur declined media requests to be interviewed, as did receiver Randy Moss. ... Quarterback Tom Brady is expected to address reporters at some point over the weekend. ... Head coach Bill Belichick, running back Sammy Morris, running back Laurence Maroney, safety Rodney Harrison, kicker Stephen Gostkowski and offensive tackle Matt Light were a few players who answered questions from reporters. ... Belichick said every player on the team was present, so those who aren't practicing are likely sidelined due to someting related to their health. ... As the practice neared its end, the team focused on situational work, with QB Matt Cassel handed the reins for the first trip down the field, then QB Matt Gutierrez. The defense seemed to have the upper hand.

LB Victor Hobson (6th year), S Tank Williams (7th year) and TE David Thomas (3rd year) were the "headline" attendees among veterans. Bill Belichick explained to reporters after the practice that the three-day passing camp was designed to give repetitions to players who haven't played as much in the team's system.

Here are five observations from today's session, which was held in shorts (no pads) on the upper practice fields:

1) Multiple WR vs. multiple DB work. One of the primary purposes of the practice seemed to be introducing pass-catchers to the team's multiple-receiver packages, and in turn, defensive backs to the team's multiple-defensive back packages. The offense would work on one field, the defense on the other, then the two would come together. We spotted rookie CBs Jonathan Wilhite and Terrence Wheatley with interceptions.

2) Victor Hobson runs better than advertised. Victor Hobson is making the transition from on-the-line OLB in the Jets' 3-4 defense to off-the-line ILB in the Patriots' 3-4 defense. In doing so, he will presumably be asked to run a bit more, and he appears to do so better than advertised. It's always dangerous to make judgments based on a late May passing camp without hitting, but the view from here is that Hobson is going to help the Patriots this season.

3) Junior Seau decision will be closer to training camp. In speaking with reporters after practice, Bill Belichick was asked if the possibility of Junior Seau's return was closer to reaching a resolution. "I'd say it would probably be closer to training camp than [early June's] mini-camp," he said.

4) Punter situation will not duplicate last year. Last season, the Patriots brought three punters to training camp (Josh Miller, Danny Baugher and Tom Malone) and Bill Belichick said at the time that the competition would be judged over a longer stretch of time, based on who was most consistent. The Patriots currently have three punters on their roster (Chris Hanson, Scott Player and Mike Dragosavich), but it's difficult to imagine a scenario in which all three will be at training camp. The reason is that NFL teams no longer have NFL Europa roster exemptions and are operating with a hard 80-player cap. That's why the next few weeks are especially important for Dragosavich, a rookie free agent, to show he's worthy of earning a coveted roster spot. From this vantage point, it is difficult to determine how well Dragosavich is doing.

5) OLBs bring impressive length to the field. The casual observer at practice can't help but take notice of the physical presence of OLBs Shawn Crable (6-5, 243) and Vince Redd (6-6, 260). While their true test will come when there is hitting and physical play, it is intriguing to consider the possibilities of what their sheer length could bring to the defense in terms of disruptive presences as pass rushers. They have long arms and long legs, and can make a passing lane seem quite narrow.

the role of the sub-linebacker is explored with safety Tank Williams.

Williams was lining up at linebacker during Wednesday's organized team activity passing camp, a role he would most likely assume in sub packages. Sub packages are seemingly called on more in today's NFL, as more offenses are spreading the field with three-receiver and four-receiver packages.

In putting together the article, it would have been nice to have a concrete number of snaps that the Patriots employed a sub package in 2007. Sub packages usually come on the field in obvious passing situations.

In hopes of generating some type of ballpark figure, second-and-8 or longer, and third-and-8 or longer situations were explored. Those seemed like the times the Patriots would most often call on a sub package.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Patriots faced those situations 220 times last season.

So that number alone provides some context as to how important a sub defensive package can be.

here are a few Patriots-specific thoughts from the offseason:

Attendance can't be overlooked. One of the big questions in the NFL is sure to be "how will the Patriots respond to losing Super Bowl XLII?" If the attendance at voluntary organized team activities is any indication, the club is as hungry as ever. Every player was present.

Areas on the roster to monitor for possible additions. With some uncertainty surrounding right tackle Nick Kaczur's off-field situation and starting right guard Stephen Neal still recovering from a knee injury that knocked him out of Super Bowl XLII, offensive line would be near the top of the list. The team hosted free-agent Barry Sims on June 11 (he ended up signing with San Francisco). The club has also met with a few free-agent running backs (Samkon Gado, Kevin Jones), but that might be for more down-the-road planning if Sammy Morris experiences a setback upon his return to full-contact work. Tight end would also be high on the list, with both Benjamin Watson and David Thomas looking to come back from injuries.

Defense -- faster and more diverse. After watching minicamps and a few organized team activities, the potential diversity of the defense stands out, and will be a story to monitor come training camp and the preseason. Through much of his tenure in New England, Bill Belichick has preferred the unit to be multiple, with the ability to play the 3-4 on one snap, and the 4-3 on another. That requires some special characteristics among players, and the Patriots seem to have injected the defense with various parts to help them be faster and more multiple.

The following chart shows each Patriots draft pick, the player's agent, a quick fact on the agent, and then an open space for the contract terms. Information is based on the latest paperwork filed with the NFL Players Association.

DRAFT PICK	AGENT	AGENT FACT	CONTRACT
1) LB Jerod Mayo	Mitch Frankel	Company is called Impact Sports; represents former Patriots WR Reche Caldwell, with Ravens CB Chris McAlister among its big-name clients	Unsigned
2) CB Terrence Wheatley	Jimmy Sexton	Memphis-based agent represents some of the game's top coaches as well; is the agent for Patriots K Stephen Gostkowski	Unsigned
3a) LB Shawn Crable	Adam Heller	DeBartolo Sports & Entertainment Co., also represents Lions first-round pick Gosder Cherilus, an offensive tackle from Boston College	Unsigned
3b) QB Kevin O'Connell	Eric Metz	Arizona-based agent has been in the business since '86; his group also represents Patriots RB Laurence Maroney and OT Nick Kaczur	Unsigned
4) CB Jonathan Wilhite	Jason Chayut	Represents WR Deion Branch; New York-based Sportstars also represents Patriots OT Oliver Ross	Unsigned
5) S/WR/KR Matthew Slater	Marlon Tucker	Agent began his college football career at UMass before transferring to Iona; now based in California, he works for Team Sports West	Signed 4-year deal
6) LB Bo Ruud	TBD	Has yet to officially file paperwork on his agent choice	Unsigned

Thats about it for now until training camp is ready to open....GO PATRIOTS