The Biggest Story Lines of Patriots Training Camp 2018
Happy training camp, indeed. It coudn’t have come soon enough.
Exactly one year ago we were coming into camp enjoying the post-coital high of a wild threesome between us, the greatest comeback in NFL history and the best offseason by any Super Bowl winner ever. This year couldn’t be more different. 2018 has been one long bout of ED thanks to a Super Bowl loss, bizarre decision making, rumors of bad juju at all levels of the organization and a weird kind of uncertainty like we haven’t experienced in forever. It says a lot when the best thing to happen in your offseason is that both coordinators left for other jobs, but one came back.
But now, starting today, that’s all in our jet wash. From here on out for the next six weeks or so, it’s all about actual football. Which is to say, it’s all about practicing actual football. Which is close enough. I’ll take it. So here’s one very relieved and happy man’s ranking of the top story lines for Patriots Training Camp 2018:
8. Is This the End of the Pliability War? This is low on the list only because whether the war ever happened or however serious is ever was, it’s not going to manifest itself in camp. Players will run drills. Belichick will walk around twirling his whistle and telling stories about working for Ted Marchibroda. Swear words will be screamed and laps will be run. Business will be done as it’s always been done. It’s not like Brady’s going to be running 7-on-7s with Alex Guerrero giving his legs a deep tissue massage or Gordie Gronkowski Sr. will be down on the field like a Pop Warner dad screaming at Belichick about how to coach his kid. If there are issues there, they’ll be dealing with them the way all families should. By ignoring them and hoping they just go away.
7. Who’ll Emerge as the Second Tight End? This is no small matter given how many 2-tight end sets Josh McDaniels likes to run. I won’t say Dwayne Allen because he’s been here a year and I’m not sure Brady would recognize him if they showed up at the same cocktail party. 10 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown wasn’t his best game last year, those were his season totals. Jacob Hollister is still around the coaching staff seems to have an affinity for him. But there’s also Troy Niklas, Will Tye and Ryan Izzo to try an recreate the magic of Zach Sudfeldmania.
6. Will Danny Etling Stick? Etling got a lot of reps at OTAs when Brady chose to stay home, mow the lawn, paint the kid’s room and finally fix that toilet that keeps running unless you jiggle the handle. He didn’t exactly make you run right out and buy his jersey. And to be fair, he was wearing No. 59. The whole two QBs vs. three QBs question is interesting every year. But this year with a 7th rounder out of LSU potentially being the next Matt Cassel (great pick) or the next Zac Robinson (did nothing) or somewhere in between, makes it especially so.
5. Will Brady’s Time Off Matter? Speaking of his skipping OTAs, will it show? The most laser focused, preparation-addicted practice junkie of your lifetime is hitting camp with the fewest amount of prep time in his career. With plenty of unfamiliar teammates to get used to. We’ve seen before how quickly he can tune a receiver out if they are not on the same page (“Tom, this is Dwayne. No, he was here last year. …”) It remains to be seen if that will manifest itself when he’ll have just a few mandatory spring practices and this camp to get used to these guys.
4. Who Replaces Malcolm Butler? The easy, obvious answer would be Jason McCourty. He’s a veteran who was picked up almost as soon as Butler left for Tennessee. He actually graded out higher than Butler on Pro Football Focus’s analytics last year. His twin brother is the third best player on the team. But still, he didn’t take part in team drills at any of the earlier practices for some damned reason or other. If there’s an issue there, we’re left with either third pick Duke Dawson – a projected slot corner – or your choice out of the bunch that played against Nick Foles like he was a Make-a-Wish kid they wanted to make happy. Guys like Eric Rowe and Jonathan Joseph. Cyrus Jones is still in the mix. But one would think that since he’s been a complete non-entity his first two years in the league thanks to injury and awfulness, that he better look like Night Train Lane or be the first guy cut.
3. What’s the Wide Receiver Depth Chart Going to Look Like? A secret, unknown substance in a sample that was mishandled by the NFL Piss Squad has Julian Edelman out for the month of September. But I’m not bitter. That leaves Chris Hogan and … what, exactly? Cordarelle Patterson will probably make team as a returner, but based on his career so far I don’t expect him to be much more of a Brady target than Mathew Slater is. I really like the pickup of Jordan Matthews, just as that veteran who needs a season of big production to cash in next year. But who knows? It’s almost impossible to know who’ll be able to grasp the McOffense. For every longshot like David Givens who gets it, there’s a supreme talent who gets lost, like Chad Johnson. The rumor sonar is pinging like crazy they’re about to trade Malcolm Mitchell, while also signalling that the coaches are high on Kenny Britt for some reason. Kenny Britt is still around. And if you don’t remember him you’re in good company. The bottom of the roster will likely be a battle between Riley McCarron and Braxton Berrios. And if it is Honey Nut Berrios – who’s listed at 5-9 but looks like he’s 5-7 in heels – I’m personally designing his Barstool shirt. Instant folk legend.
Advertisement
2. Who Replaces Dion Lewis? I wouldn’t ever have running back this high on a list of pressing camp issues any other season. Because to me, in this system, they are replaceable parts. Like I’ve said before, there’s always another BenJonas Grey-Ellis putting a notice up on a telephone pole saying, “RB Work Wanted.” And the Pats have always managed to pull the tab off the bottom, give him a call and get 100 yards out of him. But they didn’t have me in the war room on Draft Day when they used the 31st overall pick on Sony Michel. They must think he’s special. And he’ll need to be to replace Lewis, who actually led the NFL in rushing yards over the last half of the season. Lewis was durable, held onto the ball, ran around and through contact and had the best catch percentage in football. Other than Lewis, the band is still together, with Rex Burkhead, James White, James Develin and Mike Gillislee, who’s looking to reestablish himself after being a healthy scratch for long stretches of last year. Also add in Jeremy Hill, another potential one-and-done with a high upside. It’ll still be a committee, as it always is around here. They just all have a lot of lost production to make up for.
1. Who’s the Starting Offensive Line? Say what you will about Nate Solder (and there were a ton of mass demonstrations and outbreaks of civil unrest when he was allowed to leave), but there’ a lot to be said about continuity on your O-line. The last time the Pats went into a season with a starting left tackle who wasn’t Solder or Matt Light, his name was Bruce Armstrong. (Google him, kids. And prepare to be impressed. He was the best they ever had.) In left tackle terms, that’s like the Red Sox having two left fielders from 1939-to-1983. And it’s mission critical that someone anchor the line in Solder’s absence. To me the drafting of Isaiah Wynn with the 23rd pick was shocking not because he didn’t grade out well. He did. Some scouts consider him the best pass blocker in his class. To me, it was his lack of size. 6-2, 302 is just not the Patriots tackle type. When it comes to that position, they’ve been total size queens, obsessed with length and girth, not just technique. But then they swung the deal for Trent Brown, and the Wynn move made much more sense. Brown is massive. His every step will make a cup of water on your dash board ripple and leave a six inch deep footprint in the mud. Wynn played a lot of guard in college, where again, he was an elite pass blocker. Kyle Shanahan has called Brown one of the best pass-protecting tackles he’s ever seen. (Hyperbole, but I’m in no mood to argue with him.) Ideally, I’m hoping to see Brown at LT, Wynn at RG and the weakest link among Joe Thuney, Dave Andrews and Shaq Mason (who can move to center) on the bench. That will help address the problem of teams sliding edge rushers inside to create mismatches, like Brandon Graham busting past Shaq on the strip sack that effectively ended the Super Bowl.
Bonus story line: Will This Be the Year Belichick Finally Recognizes My Coaching Genius from All Those Years of Being a Low Level Defensive Assistant For a Youth Football Team and Put Me on His Staff? I ask it every year. Just to make sure he knows I’m still available. And I’d know how to handle a football dad like Gordie Gronk Sr. Now blow the whistle and let’s get this season started.