James Develin on Road Back for Patriots Following Broken Leg in 2015

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Joe Calabro, GoLocalWorcester Sports Team

James Develin

Patriots fullback James Develin is on the road back for the Patriots after suffering a broken leg in a 2015 preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.

Develin caught a pass and then was knocked to the ground early on in the fourth quarter. When Develin got up he was unable to put any pressure on his right leg and immediately went back down to the ground.

Nearly a year later, Develin is back at training camp and has been a full participant.

"You know last year was tough. It was a process and it took a long time to get going, but now i'm back out here and I can tell you one thing, it feels real good to be back," Develin said following Patriots practice.

During this particular practice, Develin put a big block on linebacker Dont'a Hightower during an 11 on 11 drill, which came after a session of work blocking defensive ends who were trying to set the edge.

Develin With the Patriots

Since joining the Patriots in 2012, Develin has been mostly used for blocking purposes but does have ten receptions for 105 yards and one rushing touchdown.

Develin helped the Patriots get to the Super Bowl in 2014 by catching a touchdown pass in the AFC Championship game and then had one reception for six yards in the Super Bowl which saw the Patriots beat Seattle 28-24

Develin on Jimmy Garoppolo

When the season does begin on September 11 in Arizona, Develin won't be taking the ball from or blocking for Tom Brady, at least not for the first four games.

Brady will serve his four game deflategate suspension, meaning that Jimmy Garoppolo will be snapping the ball for the Patriots.

"Jimmy has been great you know, he is out here working really hard, just trying to get as prepared as he can. He is doing all the right things right now. But everyone is out here working everyday, trying to get better and we are all trying to push each other," Develin said.

Following Brown Lax Closely

Earlier this summer, the Brown lacrosse team made it to the NCAA Final Four where they fell in overtime to Maryland. Brown's Final Four appearance was their first since 1994.

"I followed them, it was a good run for those guys and great for Brown as a whole, you know a lot of publicity. I was happy to see those guys make it so far," said Develin.

Develin at Brown University

James Develin played four seasons at Brown University from 2006-2009, but not on the offensive end of the ball. Develin was a defensive end and made the All-Ivy League defensive team.

Related Slideshow: 5 Takeaways From Patriots Training Camp - July 30, 2016

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Standing Room Only

More than 21,000 people attended Patriots practice on Saturday morning. In fact there were so many that Gillette Stadium opened up the ramps for people to watch from and all three ramps were full. Fans chanted for Brady and oohed and ahhed at every offensive play.

The Patriots had about 7,000 attend thier Friday practice, the threat of rain scared a few off, and just over 12,000 attend the first practice of the season on Thursday.

In other words, 21,000 is a pretty absurd number.

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Cooper Goes Down

Newcomer Jonathan Cooper, a guard, went down and had to be carted off the field about an hour into practice.

According to the NFL Network, Cooper is fighting plantar fascia.

Cooper came to the Patriots from Arizona as part of the Chandler Jones trade.

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Aaron Dobson

Aaron Dobson is in a battle for a roster spot at the receiver position and so far has looked good in practice.

On Saturday, he made an iimpressive catch and was congratulated by Brady, Slater and others on the play. He also worked with Brady, Garoppolo, Gronkowski and Bennett during a side session.

Dobson was a second round pick of the Patriots and 2013 but a combination of injuries and dropped passes have held him back to this point.

Will this be the year that his summer performance carries over to the season?

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Brady Not Thrilled Day 2

For the second straight practice, Tom Brady showed off his anger.

During a 7 on 7 hurry up drill against ball boys with paddles, Brady had one of his passes deflected for the second straight day. Brady proceeded to scream a few f-bombs before moving on with the drill.

On Friday, after a ball was deflected, Brady slammed his helmet to the ground causing all of the padding to come out of it.

On the day, Brady was 4 of 4 in 11 vs 11 and 21 of 24 overall.

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Jimmy Garoppolo

Jimmy Garoppolo and Tom Brady split first team reps on Thursday, after Garoppolo took every first team rep in the Patriots Thursday practice.

In 11 vs 11, Garoppolo went 2 of 3 and 13 of 20 overall.

During a portion of the practice in which the Patriots were running kick off drills, Garoppolo & Brady were on the other feild working with Gronkowski, Bennett and Aaron Dobson. Julian Edelman, who did not practice (PUP) was watching the drill closely.