Quick-hit thoughts around the NFL and with the New England Patriots:
The biggest surprise to me through the first three days of Patriots training camp is that rookie guards Shaq Mason (left) and Tre' Jackson (right) have worked exclusively alongside starting center Bryan Stork. Most often rookies work behind more experienced players early in camp, but the coaching staff has moved Mason and Jackson to the front of the line at an unsettled position. Maybe that wouldn't have been the case if veteran Ryan Wendell was available (he's on the physically unable to perform list), but I still think it's significant at a position that was one of the team's biggest question marks entering camp. Would the Patriots seriously consider going into the season with an interior line of Mason-Stork-Jackson? There's still a long way to go, but that's a question I hadn't strongly considered entering camp, figuring only one of the two rookies would be in the mix.
Line them up side by side, and Mason (6-foot-1, 310 pounds) and Jackson (6-foot-4, 320 pounds) have a much different look and playing style. It's been fun to watch, especially as the pads came on Saturday. I chatted briefly with NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock when he was at Patriots camp Friday, and he raved about Mason's athleticism and balance, while noting he's obviously still figuring things out because he is coming from a triple-option offense at Georgia Tech and being asked to do things in pass protection that are new to him. One thing I noticed with Mason is that his height (6-1 is undersized for a lineman) almost works to his advantage at times because he plays with good leverage and has a strong base, allowing him to stonewall defenders.
Photo: Fitting that rookie guards Shaq Mason (left) & Tre' Jackson (right) align correctly for interviews. pic.twitter.com/QiAo41KmHR
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 1, 2015If the season started today, I think Malcolm Butler would be the Patriots' starter at left cornerback, and he's shown why at times through the first three days of practice with solid coverage and plays on the ball. He also seems to be carrying himself with more confidence, as his Super Bowl interception has perhaps been a catalyst in that regard. We were all reminded of what a difference a year makes for Butler on the first day of training camp when the media swarmed him after practice. Butler could have walked by the media horde after the first practice in 2014 and probably nobody would have said a word.
The Patriots' right cornerback spot remains a question mark to me, with third-year man Logan Ryan the leading candidate right now. I still think veterans Bradley Fletcher and Tarell Brown will give Ryan a strong challenge for that spot, with Brown impressing me both with his willingness to work on the scout-team punt return unit, and also how he conducted himself in a post-practice interview. Seems like the type of player Bill Belichick generally likes to bring aboard, and I think the Patriots will ultimately feel fortunate Brown was available to them when he was not re-signed by the Oakland Raiders last season.
As part of his goal of eliminating distractions, Bill Belichick has been reluctant to speak about second-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo when asked in news conferences. I chuckled a bit Friday when Belichick deflected any question relating to Garoppolo but at the same time offered up solid insight on cornerback Robert McClain, receivers Aaron Dobson and Danny Amendola, and rookie guards Mason and Jackson. He just won't go there with the quarterbacks, only hedging slightly when asked by NFL Network's Mayock in a one-on-one interview.
The battle lines have been drawn in the Tom Brady/Patriots vs. NFL Deflategate saga: It's integrity of the game (NFL view) vs. integrity of the league office (Brady/Patriots' view). The emails shared by the Patriots on their website Friday raise significant questions as to how the league handled everything relating to the investigation. It seems obvious that Patriots owner Robert Kraft feels betrayed by commissioner Roger Goodell for siding with NFL general counsel Jeff Pash, whose apparent indifference to correct the public record throughout the investigation was stunning. Then, to me, Pash's legal tactic to have the suspension confirmed in a New York court was viewed by the club as a low blow and the final straw that sparked the release of the emails.
As much as the Patriots and Brady have attempted to block out any distractions due to Deflategate, the latest developments in which Judge Richard Berman has set Aug. 12 and Aug. 19 as dates for the sides to meet creates a situation that Brady in particular hopes to avoid. The Patriots are scheduled to be holding a joint practice Aug. 19 with the New Orleans Saints in West Virginia, and Bill Belichick has spoken annually about the importance of those practices because they help offset the limitations teams have overall for preseason practices. The repetitions that quarterbacks get in those practices has been explained by some as better than a preseason game.
Bill Belichick repeats himself every year early in training camp, saying that camp is the time to prepare the team for the regular-season opener and 16-game regular season. Along those lines, here is something he's probably already mentioned to his offense about impressive Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward: His nine passes batted down at the line of scrimmage over the past two seasons is tied for third most in the NFL over that span, behind only J.J. Watt (15) and Sen'Derrick Marks (10). The Patriots have had coaches raising paddles in practice to disrupt the passing lanes, perhaps with Hayward in mind.
Did You Know: Jen Welter, hired by the Arizona Cardinals as a training camp intern and believed to be the first female coach in the NFL, earned a master's degree in sports psychology from Boston College. She played rugby while attending BC.
From the life-after-Vince Wilfork department for the Patriots, the differences between veteran defensive tackles Antonio Johnson and Alan Branch couldn't be much greater. Johnson, an eight-year veteran hoping to keep his career alive after missing last season, was a full-time participant in the club's offseason program and earned one of the awards given to the top performers. Meanwhile, Branch wasn't around and he's opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list. I spoke to Johnson after Saturday's practice and he said he's just thankful to have an opportunity. It looks to me like he's making the most of it, as he's getting quality repetitions at times with several returning starters.
