It has been a while sense i wrote but here we go. With the on going saga of spy-gate and new a ligations of Belicheck using guys in practice that were on injured reserve, it just seems like a bunch of bull to me. some big mouth no name reporter decided to write about a story just to get himself known....I say who cares, so guys that were a little hurt practiced, this is football not ballet! Alright enough about that lets get to the real news in New England that actually has meaning to it. the 2006 second wrong pick out of Florida Chad Jackson is finally healthy, but is his days numbered in New England. As of this point Jackson had been nothing but a bust in his short tenure in the National Football League. Coming out of college Jackson was one of if not the best Wide Receiver in the draft, and was considered a steal for New England trading up to get him in the second round. I am sure that all New England fans had high hopes for him, i know i did . With Jackson finally healthy after numerous hamstring injuries in his first year and then an ACL tear in his knee its been a tough road. So with him being in camp and trying to show the coaches what he can do is there any chance he will make the team. With the departure of Donte' Stallworth there is a big void in the Patriots receiving corps from a year ago. Now i know most of you are saying to yourselves "what are you talking about Randy Moss and Wes Welker are still there." Yes they are but after what Wes Welker did to opposing defenses last season i think they will smarten up an cover him better. As for Moss..well he is just a beast its hard to cover him. So having another speedy receiver in the slot or out wide would not hurt. i personally hope Jackson earns a roster spot and i am sure most of New England does too.
if it is one thing Bill Belicheck likes in his players its versatility. one player that has shown flashed of that in his college days and so far in rookie mini camp is UCLA's Matthew Slater. Wide Receiver, Safety, Kick Returner, Gunner all of the positions Slater played in his college days. Slater is just one of many players on the Patriots roster through out the years that have been very versatile for them. Guys that come mind is Mike Vrable normally a Linebacker but sometimes when needed lined up at tight end in the red zone and was pretty damn good at it having every catch thrown at him going for a Touchdown. Dan Klecko also a Linebacker was converted to fullback. Troy Brown Wide Receiver converted to corner back, even Randy Moss on couple of occasions last season lined up in the Patriots defensive backfield to defend the deep ball considering he can jump above anybody. So Matthew Slater joins a pretty elite group of versatile player in the Patriots system, so do not be surprised if u see him all over the field in upcoming seasons. As of right now he will probably be on special teams as a gunner for his rookie season unless something happens to another player at anyone of them other positions. it will be interesting to see what he can do at the start of the season and in pre-season because that is where he will get some time at wide out or safety you can almost guarantee that
So Matt Walsh finally decided to come forward and talk to the commissioner of the NFL. Is it just me or is anyone sick and tired of all this spygate crap. Eight taped were send to Roger Goodells office, but there was nothing about the supposed taping of the rams walk through before the pats faced them in the Super Bowl a few years back. So what else is to b said, what other penalties can come the patriots way. I mean come on now they were fined five hundred thousand dollars for what they had done, Belicheck himself was fines two hundred and fifty thousand. On the upside though The patriots are still the best team in the National Football League. So what every other penalties come the Patriots way it wont change the fact they will still destroy everyone in there way. With a faster much younger defense and an offense that is pretty much still the same besides the fact the Donte Stallworth is no longer with the team. The Patriots were the favorites to win this years Super Bowl at the end of last season and i do not see anyone that can stand in their way.
So the secondary is a mess, what else is new? for as long as Bill Belicheck has been the coach of the New England Patriots the secondary has been like this. With the departure of Asante Samual, Eugene Wilson, and Randell Gay who was left. With some big names out there through trade and/or free agency you would think bill Bellicheck would pull of something big. Maybe bring back aging but still very good Ty Law to New England. Instead we ended up signing Antonio Bryant from Detroit and a few other "no names". going into the draft this was definately a position that needed help. As i stated in my last post the patriots made a wise choice in selecting Jerod Mayo with thier number one selections. So with there second selection what did they do? They selected Colorodo State cornerback Terrance Wheatley. A highly prized product to the New England patriots he is been said to impress immediatly along with fourth round selection Auburn Cornerback Jonathan Wilhite. i cant not speak for every New England fan out there but what I am looking for is a good shut down Corner like a Ty Law, so if Wheatley or Wilhite is anything like that i will be impressed. So is the secondary still a cause for concern.... only time will tell but all the hype going into this season is that these two draft selections will impress and being on a boston team they better hope they are because Boston fans want success an they want it immediatly
After having a 18-1 regular season how could you think the New England patriot have any weaknesses. Well there is always room for improvement, as Coach Bill Bellicheck would say. It is rare that a Super Bowl contender gets to pick in the top ten of the NFL Draft, but with a trade with the San Francisco 49ers in last Aprils draft the New england Patriots landed the number seven pick. A pressing need for the Patriots was simply Linebacker, it desperately needed to get younger. with an average age of over thirty two, the New England linebackers were the oldest in the league. So what did the Patriots do with that number seven pick? they did what they do best, they manage to move down a few slots to the number ten slot, an pick Tennessee Outside Linebacker Jerod Mayo. A speedy linebacker out of Tennessee That is virsatile, something that coach belicheck looks for in most of his player. with that pick they added significant youth to the ageing linebacking corps, along with there third round pick Shawn Crable From the Michigan Wolverines. Also Victor Hobson was an offseason free agent signing from the New York Jets. Another need for the patriots was on defense and that was in there secondary which took a big hit this offseason. With the loss of Asante Samual, Eugene Wilson, and Randel Gay they needed to adress that position. with there second round pick the patriots selected Terrance Wheatley, a speedy cornerback from Colorado. They also selected in the fourth round cornerback Jonathan Wilhite from Auburn. so they went in to the draft with definate needs an i personally think they addressed them very well each position has become younger and faster
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