PatsBlog: A Patriots Blog

Patriot’s passing camp opened on Thursday and concluded Thursday as well.  Tomorrow, (instead of day 2 of camp), the Patriots are traveling to Louisiana for the wake of Marquise Hill.  Although many players were glum, they were able to come together and put forth a solid team performance.

• First off, several players were not in attendance:
  • Donte Stallworth
  • Laurence Maroney (shoulder)
  • David Thomas (foot)
  • Jarvis Green (funeral prep)
  • Randall Gay (funeral prep)
  • James Sanders
  • Brandon  Meriweather
  • Chad Jackson (torn ACL)
• Quarterbacks
  • Tom Brady: Back in control, looked in form
  • Matt Cassel: Threw a couple of picks but still looked good
  • Vinny Testaverde: Still not signed, but working out with team
  • Matt Gutierrez: followed up an amazing rookie minicamp with another amazing performance.  If the Pats sign Testaverde, they may end up keeping four quarterbacks so they wouldn’t risk losing Gutierrez via waivers
• Runningbacks
  • Justise Hairston: Once again looked explosive, making an argument for a roster spot
  • Sammy Morris: Wore a red non-contact jersey
• Receivers / Tight Ends
  • Randy Moss: The one everyone wants to know about.  Randy Moss had an up and down day.  He caught one deep touchdown pass from Brady, but on some plays, wasn’t able to create enough separation.  However, he did seem to be working on his chemistry with Brady, and seemed to be working hard.
  • Wes Welker: The way he’s looking, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a 100 catch season.  Welker looked tremendous, showing soft hands, and good speed.  With Moss and Stallworth drawing attention on the outside, Welker will be extremely affective.
  • Kyle Brady: Caught a lot of passes from Brady, and all ready looked like a player who has been on the team for years.  If he grasps a good knowledge of our system, he could be a pretty high impact player over the next two years.
• Linebacker
  • Adalius Thomas: Lined up at inside linebacker as well as outside linebacker
• Defensive Backs
  • Rodney Harrison: Good news here!  Harrison looked very health, very good, and ready to contribute.  At one point, breaking up a surefire touchdown pass near the goal line with a flying tip.
  • Mike Richardson: A big knock on Richardson coming out of school was his speed.  However, Richardson had a big break up on one of the NFL’s all-time fastest receivers, Randy Moss.
  • Chad Scott: Looked pretty good, at one point he intercepted a Matt Cassel pass.  If the Patriots don’t work things out with Asante, I wouldn’t feel too bad with Chad Scott starting at corner, as long as he can stay relatively healthy.
• Special Teams
  • Stephen Gostkowski: Didn’t miss a single field goal during practice, taking some from 50+ yards.  I wanted the Patriots to draft him initially (after watching the college skills challenge) and I believe he can be one of the NFL’s all-time greatest kickers.
  • Josh Miller: Seems to be past his shoulder injury.  Was holding kicks and had some nice tight punts.

The Patriots 3 day mandatory mini camp begins on Tuesday, so I can’t wait until then.  Be sure to check back tomorrow for updates on Marquise Hill, and next week for continuing coverage of the mini camp season.

Just hours ago, rescuers discovered Marquise Hill’s dead body.  Marquise, 24, went missing last night after a jet skiing accident cause by strong currents.

Patriots defensive lineman Marquise Hill has gone missing after a jet skiing incident.  In a report from Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe:

Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill is believed to be missing after a jet ski accident in Louisiana on Sunday.

“I’m just trying to hold out hope,”said Albert Elias, Hill’s agent. “We’re praying.”

The 24-year-old Hill, a native of New Orleans, and a young woman were both operating jet skis on Lake Pontchartrain yesterday when they fell off into a strong current, according to Elias.

US Coast Guard officials involved in the search said they received a call at about 9:30 p.m. last night reporting screams for help on the lake. People on a boat heard the woman’s screams and found her floating on a pylon. After talking with her, they learned that Hill was still in the water.

“They spotted him and then lost sight of him while trying to position the boat,”said Petty Office Third Class Tom Atkeson of Coast Guard.

The woman was taken to Tulane Medical Center, while Coast Guard rescue boat and helicopter crews searched Lake Pontchartrain near an industrial canal throughout the night and today.

“They’re still searching and we will continue searching until we find Mr. Hill,” Atkeson said.

“I spoke with the girl and her mother this morning and they said he helped her stay calm. He ended up saving her life, keeping her calm until she could grab onto a buoy,” said Elias said, who added that Hill can swim, but was not wearing a life preserver.

Elias said Hill’s mother told him that others have been missing in Lake Pontchartrain for as long as two days before being found alive, so the family was holding out hope that Hill was OK.

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Hill was a second-round draft choice of the Patriots in 2004, and has served as a backup for his first three seasons, appearing in 13 career games.

“We are all shocked,” said Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft in a statement released by the team. “We can only hope and pray that the search and rescue is successful. Our thoughts and prayers are with Marquise and his family. We know that Marquise is a strong young man and will remain optimistic while continuing to pray for his rescue.”

We all obviously wish the best for Marquise and hope he is found safely.

Randy Gay has signed his $1.3 million restricted free agent qualifying offer with the Patriots.  Gay’s deadline to sign with other teams had already passed, so he was expected to sign this deal.  This puts Gay back in the mix with Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Chad Scott, and others at cornerback.  Gay was originally signed as a rookie free agent back in 2004.

Well, as a diehard Celtics fan, I couldn’t help but post something on this.  My stomach is churning, and I couldn’t be more upset with what happened, as the Celtics were handed the worst possible scenario, landing the number five pick.  Why have a posted this?  Because it is now up to the Patriots and Red Sox to win Boston a world championship this year.  Don’t get me wrong, I still think the Celtics can have a great season, but as a Boston fan, this is truly the most disastrous thing to happen since Duncan (or lack there of), Superbowl XXXI, Buckner, and Superbowl XX.  GO PATS!

Vinny Testaverde has been seen around Gillette Stadium the past couple of weeks.  His locker remains in tact, and he was seen at passing camp (which opened today, more to follow).  It seems, for the mean time, that the 43 year old quarterback is going to try to be on a Super Bowl winning team, and will give one more year.  It most likely will be with the Patriots.

As reported last week, the Patriots have now officially signed Junior Seau.  This will be Seau’s 18th season, and he should still be high on the Patriots depth chart.  Last year he recorded 70 tackles in only 11 games.  His addition will add to the versatility of the linebacking corps, which is the primary reason he was resigned.

As reported last week, the Patriots have now officially signed Junior Seau.  This will be Seau’s 18th season, and he should still be high on the Patriots depth chart.  Last year he recorded 70 tackles in only 11 games.  His addition will add to the versatility of the linebacking corps, which is the primary reason he was resigned.

I, for one, cannot wait for the ‘07 season to begin. The oddsmakers have the Patriots as 2:1 odds of winning Superbowl XLII, and with the incredible off-season moves the organization has made I do not find this far-fetched.

They addressed the wide receiver problem in free agency, and through a mid-draft trade. They signed cornerback Tory James and drafted Brandon Meriweather to play Safety to help their secondary woes (remember getting burned by the Jets in their first meeting in Foxboro with long yardage plays?). Maybe Meriweather can’t play right away in first and second down , but we can certainly bring him in on third and long until he proves he can match wits with opposing receivers.

Every once in a while we get a report on the latest fashion no-no commited by Brady (wearing a Yankees cap or a handbag). We can watch how the roster unfolds, knowing many players may not actually play but be kept on practice squads so as to maintain depth. But mosty we wait until the games are played. At least our QB isn’t throwing tantrums for lack of receivers or playing with dogs too rough and at least our coach hasn’t been fired or retired and let us be thankful that our players aren’t in trouble with the commissioner.

My point is things look good in Patriot nation. As the Red Sox are winning let us hope the Patriots will dominate once again in ‘07.

According to South Coast Today, the Patriots are expected to sign linebacker Chad Brown.  In the report:

The Patriots and 15-year veteran linebacker Chad Brown, who spent the 2005 season in New England, have agreed to terms, according to a league source.

The signing comes in the wake of a report by the San Diego Tribune that the Pats have also come to terms with another vintage linebacker, Junior Seau.

After they were shredded by the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, linebacker was considered a position of need for the Pats to address in the draft. But instead of getting younger, they have gotten older. They only used one of their picks, a sixth-rounder on Southern Methodist’s Justin Rogers, to fill the gaps at linebacker.

For Brown, who will turn 37 in July, 2007 will be his 16th NFL campaign. Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Larry Izzo are also long in the tooth and Rosevelt Colvin will be 30 when the season starts.

Brown was signed by the Patriots in 2005 as a free agent and was credited with 54 tackles in 15 games (five starts). Brown was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1993 and played there until 1996.

Although this report sounds promising, Chad Brown’s agent declined that Chad had signed with the Patriots for now at least.  Brown was cut last year at the end of training camp, but should still make the roster this year.  Brown, 37, is still versatlile, and still has enough left in the tank to provide depth off the bench.