In the past, training camp for veteran Patriots defenses were mostly about fine-tuning skills and readying for the season. This year should have different feel.
There are jobs at stake.
“I think training camp’s going to be interesting on the defensive side of the ball,” coach Bill Belichick said recently on Patriots All Access, as transcribed by Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald. “There’s a lot of young players that are talented and need some work on refining their techniques and reads and things like that, but once they get that down, it’ll be very interesting to see them compete against the players that we’ve had around here.”
Translation: most defensive positions are up for grabs. We count seven.
Rapoport notes that three of the four linebacker spots are open, with young players aplenty battling so-so veterans like Derrick Burgess, Tully Banta-Cain, and Gary Guyton.
Defensive end looks thinner than it has in years, while cornerback appears deep. A four-way competition led by first-round pick Devin McCourty will take place for a spot opposite Leigh Bodden. Three safeties will battle for the position next to Brandon Meriweather.
This Patriots unit contains more uncertainty, competition, and youth than it has in years. After three stale years for the Patriots defense, we suspect Belichick likes it that way.
good post. it doesn’t seem like they have many other options at OLB though, unless they wanna change fronts. crable is like the loch ness monster. is it really true we have a 6’5 260 OLB?
I swear if I read one Spygate, video tape, or steriod comment, I will give Ben Roethisberger your mother’s home address.
You,ve been warned.
Florio.
Out.
Plenty of spots open on Patriots defense…..and plenty of young talented guys that can fill those spots!
florio that has to be the best thing i’ve ever seen you write. and i’m talking about your comment, but the article surprisingly contained good information. oh and by the way…spygate.
im not even a patriots fan,in fact cant stand them at all,but calling banta-cain “so-so”,is way off,he is a very solid player,it wasnt his fault he didnt have any talent around him,could you imagine if seymour were still there.
didnt he have 10-11 sacks last year,those are pretty good numbers on a def,that had no other pass rush,,the end,,,GO RAVENS!!
Spot for sideline camera man is also up for grabs.
I am excited for the competition in TC on defense. The Pats have a ton of young talent on D, plus some decent vets. ILB should be deep. The competition there will be intense. Look out for a better, faster, younger Pats defense, not to mention, BB is running the show there now.
The Pats absolutely stole Brandon Spikes in the draft this year – several 3-4 teams should have taken him earlier (and he fits both styles of 3-4 at that), but he fell right into their lap. Put Spikes at the top of the list for DROY candidates…
@Nola5712
Florio didn’t write this; Rosenthal did.
@Matt Walsh
Get yourself some help. Your obsession is unhealthy.
Thanks, Gregg.
One correction: Cornerback is actually a two-way competition for the starter opposite Bodden, and it is led not by McCourty, but by 2009 draftee Darius Butler. But the position will be augmented often by nickel and dime packages in a defense that is always adapting to situations.
And I don’t think DE is as thin as implied. Richard Seymour is gone, yes, but there are three very decent veterans ready to take part in a typical Patriots rotation. The Pats will also use a lot of 4-3 in addition to the familiar 3-4. No problems foreseen here.
OLB is the only area of doubt in a defense that should regain some of its old stability and intensity.
@Mike_Florio
“I swear if I read one Spygate, video tape, or steriod comment, I will give Ben Roethisberger your mother’s home address.”
their fault for getting caught. You should know; you’re in the media and those stories are what you get hard ons for.
The only spots on that defense that should be safe are Mayo, Wilfork, Meriweather, and Ty Warren. The rest can fight for their spots.
There are 4 starting caliber safeties in NE, 2 can start and 1 should probably be traded. The OLBs played like trash last year. The DE opposite Warren was abysmal at times. Guyton is a liability at times as well at ILB.
It’s about time someone opened things up and started chopping heads.
@ I♥Patriots says
You Chowderheads crack me up.
You claim to “love” and be “longtime” fans of the Cheatriots, yet 70% have only been “fans” for about 11 years.
You know the jig is up and the Pansies will not be ruling the AFC East anymore but are holding out for a miracle before abandoning ship.
Most of the slightly smarter N.E. bandwagoners have already bailed. By week 8 the rest of you “longtime fans” of the Pansies will be jumping off the bandwagon faster than the “fans” ran for the exit in the middle of the beatdown the Ravens gave your “team” in the playoffs.
P.S. Florio you are a complete ass and a moron. Give some more love to Deb and the rest of the Shitsburgh Steelers crybabies on your site.
I’m OUT!!!!!
hail to the redskins….
You see this is why I don’t understand why people rank teams in the off season, Its all perception. If this was any other team that had seven spots open there would be concerns for that team. Despite the Pats defense sucking last season and the team as a whole was on a decline people still think they are a top ten team.
Mike, you only saying that because “Big Ben” did yo mama after she was caught holding the camera at the Pats/Steelers game. There was video to prove it but the Goodell destroyed it…….Or did he?
“This Patriots unit contains more uncertainty, competition, and youth than it has in years”
Read as: 6-10 record, and the beginning of the end of the Belicheat era. Sorry Patsie “loyalists”. It will be funny to see how empty Patsie stadium is in a couple of years after back-to-back losing seasons and the departure of Handsome Tom for Oakland and the firing of your “genius” cheater coach
Let the exodus from the bandwagon begin…
By the way, circle your calendars — November 14th – Disco Demolition …. errrrrr — SpyGate demolition night at Heinz Field.
I agree with ItalianArmyGay, November 14th will be a demolition, just not exactly the way he sees it.
Sincerely,
Steve Grogan
@italianarmygirl
Get out of your mama’s basement and just admit your gay!!!!!
Your mother’s gravy sucks by the way!!!!
Gregg, you might not be as well versed in translating BB speak as you might have hoped. Years of digesting BB’s lingo says the translation actually is:
“We scored big-time in this draft, and a couple other guys from previous drafts who have been hurt as rookies are looking great as well. This year’s crop is loaded with talent, and several of the young but marginal incumbents we have been using will likely be pushed out sooner rather than later.”
It appears that Florio’s warning didn’t work. My guess is that The Rugmeister should have threatened to give their DAUGHTER’S phone number to Rothlisberger, instead.
ItalianArmyGuy
I thought Spygate demolition night was 9th December 2007?
No?
Brady to Moss.
Moss to Brady.
Brady to Gaffney.
Anthony Smith to FAIL.
34-13.
Is anyone shocked about this after the Ravens offense went to Gillette and punched them in the mouth last Jan, Dropping 35 on them in there own house in the playoffs.
I would say every defensive starters job should be open for debate after that ass whoopin.
Plenty of holes in that defense too
- Ray Rice
The patzies are soft and no longer the media darlings… this should mean the games will be called more fairly.
Bad news for the pats as cheating and lucky calls are the only reason they won anything. Remember *** are next to your franchise posers.
6-10 sounds about right for the Steelers!
By the time Tomlin figures out who can play and what date, your season will be over!
Face it IAG your team is in disarray and the thugs and hoodlums won’t be around to bail you out. Remember the Bengals won that division!
Prepare yourself for disappointment this year!
The fact is that Brady, Manning are the best in the league. BB is a better Coach. Harbaugh has done good things with the Browns. (Ravens) Your guy is an azzclown and a criminal. On top of that he’s over-rated. Your secondary has gone backwards and you could win with out Polumalu.
Greg….?
Did you watch the show?
Butler will start opposite Bodden. Both players are in their second year of the defnse, big jump.
McCourty is still learning the playbook. Will contribute on ST’s this year. Wheatley is on the bubble. Chung has made significant progress and this will be his second year! Watch out for him!
MacKenzy is a wildcard but, athletically a monster. Spikes is still learning. Burgess was signed as insurance for Cunningham. TBC is a starter and had 10 sacks! Ninkovich will have his second year. Sorry to say this to competitors, last year was an anomaly, look for the Patriots to improve significantly on D! Ravens handed the Patriots their 1st play off loss at home. Sure enough. Go ahead and take a nap, c-ya in Nov.
patriotscpfc says:
June 27, 2010 5:00 AM
ItalianArmyGuy
I thought Spygate demolition night was 9th December 2007?
No?
Brady to Moss.
Moss to Brady.
Brady to Gaffney.
Anthony Smith to FAIL.
34-13.
———————————————-
Already bragging about games from the past. Good. That skill will serve you well for the next decade. It’s over
Onlymyopinionmatters:
If you were joking, that post still wouldn’t be funny, but at least it’s a decent shot at being a douchebag.
But the sad thing is, you aren’t. You really are a pathetic person.
Do yourself a favor, try rooting for your own team more and worry less about the Patriots. You might have more fun that way.
This will be fruitless but, here it goes.
In a 2006 playoff game, Patriots’ security prevented a Jets camera crew from filming. The crew was there in addition to the cameramen already recording game film from end zone and sideline angles. New England security didn’t confiscate the footage and turn it over to the NFL.(last time that happens!)
At a press conference, Mangini said the extra camera was there because he wanted game footage from both end zones.(Cheater!!)
The next meeting (2007), Mangini sells out the Pats.
Cheaters of the Past:
Tom Landry—a Giants assistant —tuned into the Browns’ radio frequency, allowing him to call the right defensive plays. Loss of a first round draft pick? 500k fine? Nope, they banned QB Radio helmets. Tom Landry CHEATS? No, this became a ‘Ha Ha put one up on the Browns’ stories.
Jimmy Johnson said teams could tape signals from the press box, but sometimes the press box was on the wrong side of the field. In that case, the cameraman filmed from the sidelines.
No worries it is the Cowboys, so It’s cool. Tx football is far better place for a Dynasty than those grumpy New Englanders..what do they know about football up there?
The Infamous memo misquotes the rules “Videotaping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent’s offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches’ booth, in the locker room, or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game.”
There is actually nothing in the rule book against stealing signals. Why? Because every staff has done it since the dawn of time. It is part of the game. Halas was known for subterfuge that bordered on criminal–or so the stories go.
The rule states this:”No video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches’ booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game.”
Yep guilty..but then the punishment? If the team does better –supposedly without ‘cheating’ it gets fined more?
If the Pats made the playoffs, they lost a first round pick. If they didn’t, they lost second and third rounders. Interestingly, Goodell based his punishment on how well the team did without the camera. The better they did without it, the worse the punishment got.
So why the issue? Simple really. Parity. It is not pretty but the league prides itself that worst can go to first, that .500 is what half the teams should be. Watch, some other team is going to go on a decade tear, and remember this, when some ‘scandal’ puts a dent in their armor.
OK you may now return to Cheateriots, and Rapelsburger. Cuz, that is very constructive football talk.
Veteran players competing for a job!??! So when is this news? This sort of thing happens every year in every camp. Unless, of course, you’re Brett Favre.
A waste of time to write this but what the heck:
I am 56 years old and served four years in the Army back in the early 1970′s as an infantry medic and paratrooper so I am not stranger to foul language.
Why can everyone be civil who comes here to post a comment? It’s like little kids calling each other names on a school play ground or far more personal. Disagree with each other is fine and part of the deal, but the names perfect stangers call each other here are so often below the belt.
I only post comments at one other site on the entire Net simply because wherever I go the comments just seem to get nastier and I scroll down.
What is this usage, I’m out?
Rome ? Makes you seem stupid, as if what you say is the final word! I saw some fool with a user name of nation, Raider fan I think? I’m out!
Out of ideas, out of toothpaste? What?
I think a period on the end of the sentence is enough. Is it for dramatic purposes? Certianly, anyone that post here saying I’m out has a grandious opinion of themselves. Only problem is that usually, they repost?
Go on a rant, say little or nothing. I’m out!
Could it be Jim Rome actually post here?
Don’t worry. Belichick will put some 90 year old guy in there and he’ll be a genius…or they’ll plug in an ex-lacrosse player who they plucked out of Junior College because they saw his hidden talent…or they will trade a 7th rounder for Terrell Suggs…or they’ll convert Welker to LB.
Don’t worry. It will be OK. As usual they will make great things happen from pure magic.
It’s like little kids calling each other names on a school play ground
Bingo.
When it occurred to me who/what I was arguing with, I felt foolish.
That’s why I mostly lurk now. I’ve been on a lot of boards since I started on a Flyers board in the mid nineties, and yes, they’re getting incrementally worse as time goes on.
Hey ItalianArmyguy…
on the ol’ computer at 11:30pm on a Saturday night complaining about a football team? Nice life. You should’ve be getting laid loser! Guess your boyfriend must have been asleep.
solomongrundy…Thank you
I can’t wait for the season when all these skirts go run and hide when the Pats are waxin teams left and right.
@ everyone:
I don’t think that user Mike_Florio is actually Mike Florio. But the post did make me laugh. Nice job.
Just got a call from Big Ben.
He’s a little freaked out
Ben said he stoped over at the Italian Army Guy mom’s house because IAG didnt listen.
Through the basement window, could see a computer, box of tisses, and a bottle of Mt Dew.
Big Ben crept into the house in search of some willing cougar meat.
Here’s where it gets real weird.
Big Ben thought Italian Army Guy’s mom was dancing around the kitchen in her house coat.
Big Ben tooka little blue pill, washed it down with a pull from his flask, and prepared to let the magic happen.
What he saw was a scene from Pyscho, Silence of the Lambs, and The Crying Game all rolled into one.
The Italian Army Guy had the house coat open, was wearing a ladies bedazzled jersey with the #80 in rhinestones, and nothing else.
Ben hit it.
He said he had to.
But it still freaked him out.
Matt Walsh – you are next…..
Hey Pats Fans!!!….Florio didnt write this one. Put down your cheat sheets!!…GO JETS!!!!
Hey! Dumbass Pats fans!!!…Florio did’nt write this one *LOL*…put down your cheat sheets and pay attention!………GO JETS!!!!!
robsterNY says:
Hey! Dumbass Pats fans!!!…Florio did’nt write this one *LOL*…put down your cheat sheets and pay attention!………G O JETS!!!!!
____________________________
Are you 8? You shouldn’t even be allowed to post on a big-boy site.