The New England Patriots started the day off with a couple of roster moves. They signed UDFA OL Zach Roth out of TCU. They also released OL Chris Morris and DL Steve Williams.
The newly signed Roth didn’t last long at his first practice as he was actually carted off the field. There of course was no word from the team on what the injury was.
Some other notes from the full pads practice, recently signed T Matt Light was on the field, mostly as an observer, he is no longer on the PUP list. The offensive line was little thin today with Roth’s injury, Light not being involved yet and having Dan Connolly and Ryan Wendell out of practice.
That gave rookie OL Nate Solder plenty of practice time and he looks really impressive with his blocking techniques he just needs to get stronger to be able to fend off the larger defensive linemen in the NFL.
Some of the others missing practice included WR Taylor Price who appeared to ding up his ankle in the game on Thursday. RB Danny Woodhead was also among the missing as his wife just gave birth to a baby girl.
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Quarterback wise Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett took most if not all of the reps as Brian Hoyer seemed to just watch. They may be letting his shoulder calm down after the game on Thursday. It may also be that Mallett will start in Tampa Bay and they want him to feel more comfortable in the offense. Brady looked exceptionally sharp, as there were far less drops and bad throws.
It also appears they have no one who can cover WR Wes Welker who appears 100% back from his ACL injury. He looks as quick as ever and it looks like he was never even hurt. This doesn’t bode well for opposing defenses.
The team worked on a lot of situational plays today especially the goal line and the 2-minute drill.
Rookie OL Marcus Cannon is progressing well and may get to practice soon. He probably will not see any game time this season as he recovers from cancer. He appears ticketed for the practice squad, which isn’t a bad thing.
The Patriots have a new Director of Player Development, Kevin Anderson. In his new position Anderson will help players prepare for their football afterlife. It’s important that with the short shelf life of the average NFL player that they decide what they want to do after they’re done playing. Maybe Patriots Hall of Fame member Drew Bledsoe has some openings in his successful winery and coffee roasting businesses.
Patriots S Brandon Meriweather is not a suspect in the March shooting at an Apopka FL party he was hosting that saw two of his former high school teammates shot in the face. The two former teammates both originally said Meriweather was the shooter but the police can not find any evidence to indicate that he was involved in any way. Meriweather has refused to be interviewed by police as a witness, due to the fact that he fears for the safety of his legal guardians if he were to cooperate. Police have said that without Meriweather’s help the case will most likely be removed from the active investigation list unless someone else were to come forward with information.
The Patriots also worked out a pair of players on Friday, K Rhys Lloyd and long snapper James Derth. Apparently Matt Katula needs to be looking over his shoulder after that horrible snap on a PAT attempt Thursday against Jacksonville.
The Patriots will practice on Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the Patriots Experience will be open from noon to 5 p.m.
For all the latest training camp information including updated practice times go to patriots.com/trainingcamp or call 508.549.0041.
