Patriots: Quiet time, before the storm?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday in Foxboro, physicals were given to the players, conditioning drills were run, meetings were attended and equipment began to find its way into players’ lockers.
You might say, it was the “calm before the storm.”
Training camp begins in earnest for the New England Patriots, as well as nine other NFL teams today, as preparations for the 2011 season officially kick off. Ten new undrafted rookie free agents were brought into the fold on Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving the Patriots at least a little wiggle room for the roster (maximum 90 players allowed) should they begin deciding on veteran free agents, or other undrafted rookies.
While there might not be heavy hitting going on during the first couple of days of camp, expect quite a bit of roster shuffling, rumors and signing/trade talk about players to dominate the news. Certainly, with the expected departure of Tully Banta-Cain, the Patriots will look to defensive pass rush help through free agency – but only if they find “value” in another team’s leftovers. This process could take some time over the next few weeks - still, there will be much speculation on potential newcomers to the roster.
Perhaps the most surprising news from the re-start of football has come from Logan Mankins, who is accepting terms of the franchise tag placed on him by the team and expected to sign his contract tender and report to camp Thursday. Mankins, through his agent Frank Bauer, was said to have spoken with Bill Belichick Tuesday and both sides are “very happy to get started.” He held out the first half of last season in a contract dispute with the team, playing for a $1.5 million pro-rated deal. Mankins now stands to make approximately $10.1 million this season, the average of the top five salaries at his position. Mankins and the Patriots have until September 20 to work out a long term deal, as per the new labor agreement, and there is incentive on both sides to make this happen. The team could receive salary cap relief, while Mankins gains security in the form of a longer-term contract.
While the Patriots rumor mill on player acquisitions has yet to gain any real traction, the AFC East rival New York Jets are apparently interested in former Patriot Randy Moss. The Jets signed WR Santonio Holmes to a new deal, and because they may not be able to afford re-signing Braylon Edwards due to salary cap restrictions, Moss has become an apparent option.
Wednesday afternoon, the Patriots announced they had re-signed veteran running back Sammy Morris to a one-year deal. Morris played in all 16 games last season, his 12th in the NFL, in mostly a limited role as a back-up fullback. Two 2011 draft picks also signed - fifth round selection Lee Smith, a tight end from Marshall, and sixth round draft choice Markell Carter, an outside linebacker from Central Arkansas. Terms were not officially disclosed. Additionally, the Patriots announced two more undrafted rookie free agent signings, bringing the total number to 12 RFA's who will be in camp. Kicker Chris Koepplin from UMass and DE Aaron Lavarias from Idaho were added to the list of ten players from Tuesday. The team also announced that WR Tyree Barnes and RB Eric Kettani have been reinstated from the reserve military list. Barnes (6-0, 196) was originally signed out of Navy in 2009, and placed on the reserve military list on July 23, 2009. Kettani (5-11, 235), also from Navy, was signed and placed on the reserve military list at the same time as Barnes.
And, according to several published reports, the Patriots became the first team to vote to recertify the players' union, after meeting with NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith for more than 90 minutes. All 32 teams must vote to recertify the union, with all issues to be resolved by August 4.
Here is the updated schedule for the first two days of Training Camp at Gillette Stadium:
Thursday, July 28
Practices - 9:30-10:30 am and 2:30-5:30 pm
Patriots Experience open (interactive fan activities) 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday, July 29 - subject to change
Practices - 9:30-10:30 am and 2:30-5:30 pm
Patriots Experience open 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Photo courtesy: New England Patriots (Danny Woodhead, Patrick Chung)
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