Tuesday's Training Camp Notes 8/2
AM Report
The teams were wearing full pads again this morning. Conditions were very hot
and humid.
Missing:
Kyle Brady, Rashad Baker, Garrett Mills, Randy Moss and Asante Samuel. Other
players from the PUP list were not on the main practice field.
No Mas:
without randy Moss on the field, the crowd seemed to cheer the incompletions
a little less. The hype factor surrounding moss had reached a level of the absurd
in camp just two days ago, to the point where fans actually cheered an incomplete
pass just because the ball was thrown in Moss' direction. Without Moss to available
to take reps with the first unit, Jabar Gaffney, Wes Welker and Reche Caldwell
spent time running routes with other players rotating in on occasion.
Without Moss in the mix, players were asked if it affected the offense. Tight
end Ben Watson poked fun at one question when he was asked what it was like
to lose a player with Moss' ability. "Lose him? Where'd he go?" Watson
responded. When told he wasn't out there today, Watson feigned a brief survey
of the field, poking fun at a question he had little intention of answering.
"We're out here doing kickoff returns," Watson replied. "What
do you want me to say? Ask Bill [Belichick]."
One thing is for certain, even if Watson isn't going to answer a question,
he's going to avoid it with a bit of humor in the process. In stark contrast
to that approach, head coach Bill Belichick was far less humorous in his response
to a Moss question. When asked about the availability of Moss, Belichick gave
his patented "He's day to day" response. Of course, Chad Scott was
labeled as "day to day" by the coach the same day the team placed
him on IR ending his season.
So when should fans expect Moss back on the field? Sooner or later would be
a best guess. According to the coach, he's not about to venture one of his own.
"My crystal ball is no clearer than yours," he said to the reporter
asking the question.
No Rest For The Weary:
Matt Kranchick and Ben Watson were forced to carry the load at the tight end
position without their teammates Garrett Mills and David Thomas. Starter Ben
Watson understood that sometimes things like that happen, and he just has to
bear with it. "It's an opportunity to get more reps, to get better,"
Watson said.
A quick look at the roster from 2006, reveals that injuries to the tight end
position are nothing new. The Patriots signed players off the street just to
field healthy bodies for practice. Some of the names were Chris Luzar and Walter
Rasby who were signed during training camp, with Rodney Trafford, O.J. Santiago
and Kranchick who were signed during the season. Mills spent the 2006 campaign
on IR.
Gostkowski Kicking Well:
Stephen Gostkowski, the team's only place kicker in camp, has been finding a
good measure of success during special teams drills at camp. Putting his early
rookie struggles behind him, the former Memphis baseball player went 8-for-8
on his kicks during the 2006 playoffs. He showed confidence in his kicks during
practice, striking the ball well. Gostkowski nailed each of his field goal attempts
in the session from roughly 30, 35 and 40 yards out. The kicks were accurate
and carried enough range to be good for at least an additional five to ten yards.
PUP Sightings:
A pair of players, who are on the Patriots PUP List, were spotted on the lower
practice area at Gillette Stadium near the conclusion of practice. Wide receivers
Troy Brown and Chad Jackson practiced agility drills in an area sectioned off
from the public. The players were put through the paces by a pair of team staff
members.
Both Brown and Jackson are coming off knee surgeries after being injured during
the season. Jackson missed much of his 2006 training camp with a lingering hamstring
injury and battled the ailment throughout the season.
The Patriots practice on Firday has been moved to 10:30am
Jon Scott has covered the NFL since 1995. He is a member of the Pro Football
Writers of America and a long time contributor to the Scout.com network. A New
England native, Scott has followed the Patriots for over two decades and covered
the team since 2001. He can be found in the Insider's
Lounge under the handle JSinCT.
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