Patriots: Mini-camp opens, journey begins
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Is this the start of the NFL season? Or is it in another month?
Or did the start of the season already happen? The New England Patriots opened a three-day mini camp for all players Tuesday in Foxboro, signaling the "official" beginning of preparations toward the start of the 2014 NFL season. Organized Team Activities (OTA's) have already taken place at Gillette Stadium over the past month (10 practices over three weeks), and while those practices weren't mandatory - all players without an excuse (injuries, primarily) were expected to be there. And they were, including the newly-selected draft class of 2014.
But now, while OTA's were used primarily for evaluation, technique teaching and playbook learning...now is the time where those techniques and newly-found knowledge are put to the test on the field. Much of what will take place this week is a continuation of the players' learning process from OTA's. There is no live contact allowed, and the public can't watch, but plays, schemes and ideas are put into position, to become useful during the upcoming season.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAdd to this a slight sense of urgency on a couple of fronts - one, the Patriots didn't hold an official rookie camp primarily due to the lateness of the NFL Draft this year, so the newbies learning curve is a bit steeper than in previous seasons; and two, there is a month-off dead period following this three-day camp until the start of actual training camp. The coaches are anxious to see what they have...and the players are anxious to find that out as well. So for all practical purposes, this week signals the start of what the Patriots will have on the field when kickoff comes in September.
Mini-camp Notes
Bill Belichick met with a fairly good-sized contingent of media (Providence and Boston TV stations present, along with radio, newspaper and digital outlets represented), that is sure to swell once training camp begins in July. Nevertheless, the feel of football getting started was present, as Belichick deflected most questions on personnel issues with "we'll see..." There was one revelation, however, with Belichick giving his preference for the draft held earlier in the spring, rather than during the May date this year and the NFL's desire to lengthen the event. "The sooner you have your players, the easier it is to start not only getting (rookies) integrated into your team but also building your team. You can move the whole process up, but whatever it is, it is. It's not my decision, but I would vote for an earlier draft. absolutely." As for any of the injured players from last season (Vince Wilfork, Rob Gronkowski in particular) and where they presently stand, Belichick was his usual non-committal self. "Wherever they are, they are (in the rehab process). We'll give them a chance to participate out there and we'll see who does what. There's some things they can't do, but that doesn't keep them from doing the things they can do. They can still make gains in other areas." Among those not taking part in practice was backup QB Ryan Mallett, which allowed rookie Jimmy Garoppolo plenty of reps in 11-on-11 drills, and he looked sharp...including a 70-yard bomb to rookie Jeremy Johnson that was on the money for a score. Practice was spirited early, with the defense gaining stops and making plays against the offense, but Garoppolos' bomb helped push the offense forward...music was blaring from the practice field sound system, amped up as Garoppolo broke the huddle to simulate stadium noise. He never really missed a beat...DT Tommy Kelly returned to the practice field, after his knee injury sidelined him during the season a year ago. Without a specific update on his condition - as players traditionally withhold that information as per team policy - he did say he "feels as good as he has in a long time." The Patriots also on Tuesday signed undrafted free agent defensive lineman Seali'i Epenesa, from UCLA...
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