Was planning on being there at the first day of camp today, unfortunately, a sick kiddo is keeping me home, but I’ll be there on Friday and can’t wait to get a first look at the 2018 Patriots.
Yesterday’s kickoff Belichick press conference was predictable as Dan Shaughnessy, claiming to speak for the fans, grilled the head coach about 2017. Of course, I saw this coming down the pike a mile away and Belichick’s parries were just as predictable. It gives rise to that group of Patriots fans out there who are eager to flush 18 years down the toilet because the coach didn’t play Butler in the Super Bowl, and won’t ever be true fans again until Belichick explains why or the Pats win another Super Bowl.
Yes, that’s how deep loyalty lies after five Super Bowl wins in eight appearances.
I stopped taking the bait from guys like Shaughnessy a while back so that’s enough about him trying to steal spotlight from what is usually the most exciting time of year — the opening of camp, when hope springs eternal and for the last time, most of the team is healthy.
Here’s a quick rundown of my training camp preview articles and some quick hits of specific positions and players I’ll be watching in the early days of camp.
I’ve written a ton about training camp, here are the links again if you want to brush up…
- Training Camp Battle Previews: Wide Receiver, Left Tackle, Running Back and Defensive End.
- A Pre-Camp 53-Man Roster Projection
And here are some of my best of the offseason links…
- 5 Most Intriguing Returning Patriots – Still very much believe in this list, though I am probably overestimating Damarius Travis.
- A Brief History of Patriots-Inspired Rule Changes – Pretty amazing the impact the Patriots have had on the NFL’s rule changes over the years.
- Patriots 2018 Draft Recap – Always exciting to get a new crop of promising players.
- Tom Brady Will Finish Career as Patriot, On Own Terms – Brady Ride or Die till the end.
- Tom Brady’s Helmets: A Retrospective – Brady will have switch helmets at the end of his career, likely starting in 2019. A look back at all he’s worn over the years.
- Stop Worrying and Enjoy the End of Belichick/Brady – My philosophy as the end of the Belichick-Brady dynasty approaches the end.
- Can Flores Fix the First-Down D? – Critical element of the defense that needs to be addressed.
- Brady: 2022 – Imagine a world where Tom Brady plays injury free until he’s 45. What records will fall? How many Super Bowls could he win? It’s Brady: 2022.
Now, let’s boil it all down into a few handy-dandy bullet points as to what are the key storylines of the first few days of camp and what I’ll be looking for immediately.
- Left Tackle — Who is at left tackle? Trent Brown? Is he fully healthy and how athletic is he? Does Isaiah Wynn get a look?
- Cornerback — Who is starting next to Gilmore? J-Mac? JC Jackson or Keion Crossen?
- Wide Receiver — Who emerges from this talented and deep group? The Britt-Patterson-Dorsett-Matthews vet group is particularly intriguing.
- Linebacker — How fast is the defense with an assumed starting trio of Hightower (SLB) – Roberts (MLB) and Van Noy (WLB)? Pats were weak in the middle of the field last year and need improvement. Does the overall communication look active with everyone on the same page?
- Running Back — Is Sony Michel making guys miss (once the pads come on this weekend)?
Five Players to Focus On
- Elandon Roberts — I think his level of play sets the ceiling for the defense as a whole.
- Jordan Matthews — My pick as breakout new player.
- Sony Michel — Ceiling-setter for the offense.
- Trent Brown — For the left tackle reasons, he’s a huge question mark. Literally.
- Braxton Berrios — Just behind Matthews for a legit punt returner/slot guy.
More to come later today with Tweets of Note and I’m also working on a review of Michael Lombardi’s Gridiron Genius which I received and read all yesterday. It’s a FANTASTIC read, immediately one of the best behind-the-scenes looks at Belichick’s coaching style. It is a focus on football and I can’t wait to share everything I learned from it.
