Letters from Patriots Camp, Vol. III: Stars are Being Born

With Tom Brady's statue unveiling, joint practices and the first preseason game at the end of the week, there was no way I could rest at my comfortable seaside villa after a glorious weekend. There's work to be done and Stately Thornton Manor will have to wait. I need to start getting into midseason form before it's too late. All I ask is that my selflessness serve as an inspiration to others. Here are some random thoughts about today's workout:

--First, the worrisome news:

Also, second year depth corner Marcellas Dial, who played 55 of his 61 snaps as a rookie in the final game of the season, left on the cart. But obviously the concern is all about the coordinator who Mike Vrabel respects so much he made him assistant head coach in Tennessee. And who led the Titans to the best run defense in the league in 2022. So I'm crossing all my crossable parts for the man's complete return to health. This stuff is scary. 

--One of the things that I mentioned jumped out at me during the last episode of the Patriots docuseries Forged in Foxborough was how Vrabel has established a culture that embraces the Dynasty he helped create. And not pretend it's irrelevant, the way Jerod Mayo seemed to. That shift back to having reverence for the recent past was in full effect before I even got to the stadium, as team workers were telling me Julian Edelman was at practice. That was interesting for a few reasons. Not the least of which is that the number of players still on this roster that he actually had as teammates could probably be counted on his hands. Without using his thumbs or pinkies. And aside from Michael Onwenu and Josh McDaniel, I don't there's a single one he worked with on offense. Which mad e it all the more rewarding to see him on the field during 11-on-11s, slapping hands with Hunter Henry and grabassing with Stefon Diggs and just being part of the fabric of the only franchise he's ever been involved with. I sort of get why Mayo chose to keep the good times at arm's length and build his own team identity. But the approach Vrabel is taking is the same the Celtics have used since the first number went into the rafters. And that all the top NFL franchises have tended to do with all their best players who didn't murder anybody. 

--I'll get to the sexy stuff shortly. But with the squad in full gear, today's focus has to be on the kids who wore t-shirts in the pool. The big lads. Padded practices are all about chasing the chunk. What I can tell you is that people around the team are very pleased with the completely gutted and refurbished offensive line. And that they believe their best blocker has been Will Campbell. Which, aside from the way Drake Maye has seemed to take right to the McOffense like a homeschooled Indian kid takes to a Spelling Bee, is the best news we could've hoped for at the beginning of August. It hasn't been perfect. Campbell was famously put on his ass a couple of times last week, most notably by K'Lavon Chaisson. But every time he gets beat, he seems to immediately bounce back. Early on in this one, both lines were down on the far end of the field doing 3-on-3 pit drills (I think; it was hard to count the bodies with so many guys forming a border wall between us). And Campbell stuck with his assignment trying the same inside rush move Chaisson beat him with. In goal line work he faced a lot of Christian Barmore lining up at right edge and fought him to a standstill. Campbell will be among the biggest story lines Friday night as he'll presumably be lining up opposite Dante Fowler. But so far, through give or take 10 workouts, he looks like the solution to 10 years of neglect at left tackle.

--Today also confirmed that Campbell will be elbow-to-elbow with another rookie. Jared Wilson might not have cemented the left guard spot, but the concrete has been poured and it's starting to set. Which leaves Cole Strange in the awkward situation of trying to save his roster spot just four years into his rookie contract. Today Doug Marrone had him toggling between center and left guard with the second unit, from down-to-down. Even moving Ben Brown to guard on occasions, where I don't think he's ever actually played in a game. Assuming Strange can't play well enough to ward off a visit from the Turk, he'll make history as the last example of Bill Belichick's tendency to be too clever for his own good in the War Room. 

--A major part of Strange fighting for his job - besides the fact he hasn't stayed healthy and hasn't dominated a single game when he was - has been Wilson's play. They've moved him around to all three interior line spots, and he's fit like a LEGO piece between Campbell and Garret Bradbury. In goal line work toward the end of practice, the defense ran a stunt with Robert Spillane from 0-technique, looping around the B-gap, which Wilson read and picked up, as Drake Maye hit Hunter Henry on the backside. At 6-foot-3, he's two inches shorter than Strange but the same 310 pounds. Seems to have much better feet and lateral quickness. And overall doesn't look at all like a rookie. But Strange still does.

--As far as the other bigs, the interior of the D-line is, as it always was under Belichick, a rotation. In obvious passing situations it's Barmore and Milton Williams. In short area/red zone, it's Khyiris Tonga (335 lbs), Joshua Farmer (312) and to a lesser extent, David Olajiga (310), the exchange student they brought over from London, England. But it feels like the bulk of the reps will be going to Barmore and Milton Williams. 

--If the day belonged to any one player though, it was TreVeyon Henderson. Again. This frigging guy:

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That was last week. Today, his skillset and McDaniel's plans for him were on full display. He hauled in a back shoulder throw from Maye in the back corner of the end zone. He motioned out to Z-receiver outside Diggs on another corner route for the score. He motioned in on another with Maye in gun, who hit Pop Douglas in the flat. He took a pitch, got outside and beat everyone to the pylon. He beat Spillane deep on a wheel route and got over the top of Christian Elliss to haul in a bomb from Maye. And while I didn't see this on display today, his blitz pickup at Ohio State was elite. Which is critical in this attack. And took some guys like James White a few years to get good enough at that they could be trusted protecting Brady's perfectly spherical ass. 

--As the skill positions sort themselves out, it's worth noting that Javon Baker's chances of sticking around have gone from "Popsicle's Chance on the Equator of Mercury" to "Possible" in the span of a couple of weeks. He made the catch of the day on a pass from Joshua Dobbs and has generally been making the most of his limited opportunities. Douglas remains the best receiver in camp, and along with Henderson, is exactly the kind of guy McDaniels has always been able to maximize. (See the aforementioned Edelman.) And Mack Hollins, who came dressed as the middle part of a car wash:

… has made an immediate impact, even though he did get pushed out of bounds along the back line of the end zone by Marcus Jones. How those WR spots 4-6 or possibly even 7 will shake out will be the most interesting part of cut down day.

--In other culture news, for the first time we're seeing more official No. 10 jerseys with "Maye" on the back than duct tape with with "Maye" covering up the "Jones." Even more Mayes than Bradys. Though that's subject to change on Statue Unveiling Night. But there's no mistaking the fact the people of the region are putting their trust in the new face of the franchise.

--I'll end with something I've said before. The most obvious aspect of this camp is the way Vrabel runs it. Everyone is bought in. No one goes from one drill to another without at least a jogging pace. It's all about efficiency. No wasted motion. He's a constant presence. Front and center. Seemingly everywhere at once:

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At the end of this one he huddled up his entire defense for something. Pep talk. Instructions. Life lessons. TED Talk. I have no idea other than it seemed positive before they ended it with sprints and called it a day. Between the way things are being run and the emergence of some younger players who are going to have to succeed if we're ever going to get back to the Vrabel and Edelman eras and forget this 4-13 fuckery, The Summer of Hope continues. And it's glorious.