As we kick off our 2010 season of Patriots covers, I’m hoping to start a daily feature here on Foxboro Blog called “Lunchpail Pats”. The plan is to have some quality Pats links in place every Monday-Friday by noon, so that you can catch up on the team during your lunch break. We’ll see how it goes…
Patriots want Schobel
via Mark J. Miller at Yahoo! Sports
Veteran outside linebacker got released by the Buffalo Bills last week, opening he doors for the sudden free agent to sign anywhere. The Texas native has interest in returning to his home state and playing for the Houston Texans, but CSN New England is reporting that the New England Patriots have a “strong” interest in snagging Schobel, who had 10 sacks last season for the Bills.
Schobel has been known to be a Patriots killer for a long time and the team would like to have the 32-year-old in their huddle rather than coming at them from the other side of the line.
Pats Missing Mankins More than Ever
via Mike Reiss at ESPN.com
The Patriots have survived, and sometimes thrived, in similar situations in the past. But through 17 practices of training camp, one wonders if Mankins’ absence might end up having the most crippling effect of all.
Left tackle Matt Light previously said that the goal was to become a more physical offense in 2010, and it obviously hurts that one of the unit’s most physical players is not present. This seemed to show up at the first practice of camp when the Patriots were working on the goal line and a run over the left side was stopped short of a touchdown, with nose tackle Vince Wilfork breaking through the line and stonewalling running back Sammy Morris.
It hasn’t helped that the Patriots are down to their third layer of depth at left guard, with Mankins’ projected replacement, Nick Kaczur, missing the past 11 padded practices and telling teammates that he has a significant back injury that could sideline him indefinitely and potentially threaten his 2010 season. Kaczur could seek another medical opinion, but the initial diagnosis is grim.
Brady and Kraft spend Sunday playing Golf
via Ian at PatsFans.com
If this report is accurate, it further reinforces the fact that if there is a rift between the two, we’re not seeing it.
Adam Schefter recently reported that a deal for Brady ‘is going to get done’, and with the two out there this morning playing golf together – one would have to believe that the negotiations are going well enough for Brady to want to be out there on the course with him.
Jermaine Cunningham keeps it simple
via Tom King of the Nashua Telegraph
When asked the other day if he considers himself a linebacker or defensive end, he had, well, a simple response:
“Like I told everybody, I feel like a football player out here on the football field with cleats on,” he said. “Just tackle the person with the football.”
Now, that sounds simple, but everyone knows the game – especially the way it’s played in Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s defensive system – isn’t that easy.
But so far, so good, Belichick says.
“Jermaine has picked up things very well,” he said. “I think each day you can definitely see him getting better, more confident, understanding things that happened the day before and being able to process that.”
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