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New Orleans paper reports arrest of Pats' lineman

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported today that Patriots defensive lineman Johnathan Sullivan was arrested Sunday morning in Georgia and charged with possession of marijuana and running two stops signs, along with other charges.

The Patriots acquired Sullivan earlier this month in a trade with the Saints for wide receiver Bethel Johnson. He was the No. 6 overall pick from the 2003 draft, but underachieved in three years with the Saints.

Read an earlier story on Sullivan.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Dillon UNCUT

On 2005:

It is what it is, it was what it was. I dealt with injury the whole year. But that's last year. I'm healthy. I'm ready.

OFFSEASON

This is the best I've felt at this point in time in the past three years. I feel good about where I'm at. I'm still not close to where I want to be and hopefullu by training camp, I'll be ready to go.

ON BELICHICK CALLING HIM BEFORE DRAFTING MARONEY

He didn't have to. I think Bill's a good...a very, very great coach. I think out of respect he just wanted to give me the heads up. And that's what he did. We talked about golf. Any great coach would do that. Give his player a call and let him know the situation. I wasn't in the war room, I didn't know what was going on.

ON HELPING SHOW MARONEY THE ROPES

Why not? What kind of person would I be...I have all this knowledge and experience in this league ....(what kind of person would I be) if I didn't share it? I'd be a (jerk) and I don't want to be a (jerk).

WHAT KIND OF STUDENT IS HE?

A quick one. Great student. He's going to be ok?

DO YOU LIKE TO BE FIGHTING FOR A JOB AT THIS STAGE OF YOUR CAREER?
Fighting for a job? I been in this league 10 years. And it's an honor to be in this league 10 years. There's not too many players who can say, 'Hey, I've been a running back in the National Football League for 10 years. And pretty damn good. You guys want to bring up age, OK, 31. Though I'd appreciate it if you guys ain't gonna give me a gift, don't bring it up. Ain't too many people have been where (I've gone). I'm proud about it. It's an honor and a privilege.

WAS LAST YEAR PURELY INJURY
Well, due to the fact I was limping for a month and a half, I don't know.

DO YOU STILL HAVE PASSION FOR THIS GAME
I do. Or I wouldn't be here. I'm a straight-shooter. When I'm done, I'll let you know. I will be out of here.

WHEN WAS THE INJURY
I might get in trouble. We got a meeting at 1:15 and I don't want to hear about last year but it was sometime in October. That's the last I'll talk about last year. It wasn't good.

DO YOU FEEL THE MEDIA WAS UNFAIR TO YOU LAST YEAR?
They're unfair now. I feel real disrespected. I feel I have accomplished zero. Not even a grain of salt in this league. And that's terrible for a guy of my status. To be crossed up with...hey, I don't care. I sleep real good at night. I know who I am. Maybe other people can't gauge who I am.

WHY DOES ONE GUY GET PUT ON A PEDESTAL AND ANOTHER DOESN'T
I don't know. I don't get it. It's been this way since '97 since I started. I don't expect nothing different. I don't expect no love story from somebody, no family bio. I don't care about that. I've been dealing with it for 10 years.

DO YOU THINK YOU'RE MISUNDERSTOOD
What's not to understand about me. I come to work. I do what needs to be done and I go home.

DO YOU FEEL YOU'VE BEEN TREATED MORE HARSHLY HERE THAN IN CINCY
The way it's coming now, I don't know. Y'all are running neck and neck.

DID YOU DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT THIS OFFSEASON?
I switched it up a little bit. I'm getting a little bit up there so I'll switch it up and do some different things.

ARE YOU DOING MORE FLEXIBILITY?
If I give you that information, I gotta whack you. That's top secret stuff. I switched it up a little bit and this is the best I've felt in a couple eyears.

WAS LAST YEAR ONE OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING?
No. I think the last one in Cincinnati takes the cake. Last season wasn't good but it was bearable. I didn't like it though.

EVALUATE MARONEY
A nice young talent. He's gonna be ok. He'll be ok in years to come. He's gonna do big things for us.

DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE TO BRING HIM ALONG?
Hey. I got two daughters. That's enough teaching. I'll share what I know. If he has any questions, he can ask me. We have a good relationship and it ain't what people are making it out to be.

HOW MANY MORE YEARS OF PRO FOOTBALL WILL YOU PLAY
If you see me, you'll know I'm here. If not, you'll know I called it a day.

WILL YOU NEED TO BE TOLD WHEN IT'S OVER?
Nobody's going to need to tell me nothing. I'll walk away on my own.

DID YOU FEEL BADLY FOR THE WAY EMMITT SMITH'S CAREER ENDED IN AZ.
Man, he's a competitor. He felt in his heart, mind and body he could get it done. All you can do is tip your hat to that guy.

IS IT EASIER FOR YOU TO GET UP KNOWING YOU'RE ON A GOOD TEAM?

Why not? We're the Patriots. Long as I got Tom Brady, I'll be ok. I'm always energized and ready to go.

YOU SEEM PRETTY HAPPY RIGHT NOW.

What do I have to be down about?

DID YOU WANT TO COME IN A LITTLE HEAVIER THIS YEAR?
I want to come in about 270. And work my way down from there. Build up some strength. I'll be pretty quick at 270. Naah, I'll come to training camp where I need to be at 230.

SO THIS IS THE TIME YOU RATCHET IT UP, NOT MINI-CAMP.
C'mon man. We're talking about mini-camp. Mini-camp.

Posted by   at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

WEDNESDAY: Bill Belichick's press conference

The transcript of Bill Belichick's press conference on Wednesday:

BB: We're kind of pushing it along out there. We have a lot of people on the field and a lot of guys to work with. It's good. It keeps it moving. It keeps it fresh. A lot of different combinations of people. We're trying to work on a little bit of everything here -- passing game, running game, red area, two-minute stuff, all the special teams, blitzes. Just trying to just throw a lot out there and see what sticks.

Q: When a new linebacker comes into your system, what are some of the biggest challenges they face making the transition?
BB: Of course it would all depend on where the person came from, what his background was. Sometimes it could be like learning a new language. Sometimes it could be like learning an offshoot of another language. If you knew Spanish it would probably be a lot easier to learn Portuguese than Japanese. I think some of it just depends on what the background of the player was. I think the biggest thing are linebackers that play on the line and linebackers that play off the line. So if a guy is an off the line linebacker and he's trying to learn how to play on the line, that is more of an adjustment. Guys that are playing with their hand on the ground, to go from playing in a two-point stance, that is an adjustment. In some cases coverage is an adjustment depending on what level of coverage they been exposed to in another systems.

Q: You often talk about the year two jump for rookies. Do you ever see that same thing for a veteran who is new to your system in year one and in year two make the jump?
BB: Sure. I think any time a person is in one system and they have a year in it, they can grow a lot. Sometimes it's confidence and experience and just familiarity. Sometimes it's not as great because maybe the transition isn't as much. But, sure, I think that's second year is important at every level, both to a young player coming in and even a guy with a few years experience coming in.

Q: You always say that every year is a new year. What constants are there that you see in players every year and what constants as coaches do you use to help determine what a team is going to be like?
BB: I guess the constants are the things that are the same and the opponents that are the same. Again, just as an example of this year, there are so many changes in our division. A couple of new head coaches, six new coordinators, probably some new quarterbacks, it looks like it anyway. There are a lot of changes even if we didn't make any changes, just all those adjustments will be a lot. We changed the schedule to four NFC North teams. We picked up a couple of teams in the AFC, Houston and Tennessee, that we haven't played. Obviously there are a lot of changes at those places. There is some familiarity with some opponents and some of our players, but there's also a lot of newness with our players and a lot of new opponents, a lot of new coordinators, or new schemes. Even if it's the same scheme, like the Tampa scheme with a situation like with [Brad] Childress and taking his offense that we played against in Philadelphia but now with different personnel. That makes a difference. Those things are all different and I think you have to try to plan for them and try to prepare your team for them and as you get into the specifics of those game planning weeks then you fine tune it, but I think there are some things that we have to start getting ready for now that we know we are going to see. We know what we're going to see from Denver, Cincinnati and Indianapolis and teams like that, Jacksonville, that we've seen and we have some degree of familiarity with and there are some other teams that of going to be brand new. I think all of those changes start to interact a little bit.

Q: In terms of mini camp, you probably can't win a job in mini camp, but can you lose a job in this camp?
BB: I guess if it was bad enough you probably could. To me, the real competition starts in training camp. There is always a numbers issue, so I'm not saying that you couldn't have a personnel change and probably most teams will have a change between now and the start of training camp, but I think what you're really looking for in mini camp is to make sure that everybody is competitive and if you feel like going into training camp that for whatever reason a player wouldn't really be competitive on your team in a training camp environment, then you're better off trying to find somebody that is, whatever those combination of reasons are. I don't think maybe it's so much of a guy losing a job, but maybe it's a combination of circumstances that just lead you to feel that either it's not going to be competitive or in some cases sometimes the numbers are tilted such that we just don't have enough players in this position to be able to matchup against what we're going to have to work against in camp and therefore we're going to have to take one from this position where we're heavy and allocate another one to a position where we are light. Sometimes it's just kind of managing your team and managing your reps and your numbers.

Q: How is Matt Cassel progressing and is there a drastic change from where he was last year?
BB: Sure I think he's way ahead of where he was last year. He's working hard, making some progress. We'll see how it goes in the preseason, training camp, when it's real football. But again, there's a lot of teaching going on here. He's a smart kid. He learns things well. He picks up information pretty quickly. You don't have to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. He understands that. He has good comprehension. But when things start happening for real with pads on and a faster pace, the defense is doing different things and all that, we'll be able to measure that. He did a little bit last year at the end of the year in the Miami game, but it's a process that is far from complete. He's a kid that has some talent, but really hasn't had a lot of playing time. It's kind of unusual. We'll see how all of that works out.

Q: Is he ready to be a number two quarterback for an entire season?
BB:I don't know.

Q: Do you have a Plan B in place if not?
BB: Whoever the best players are, that's how it will go. The best player is in first and he plays the most. The next best player, second. The next best player, third. I don't know how that's going to turn out. I don't have any control over that. It's all decided on the field and that goes for every position.

Q: Since he is probably one of the most experienced guys currently on the roster behind [Tom] Brady . . . that is why I was asking.
BB: I don't know. I certainly wouldn't talk about any player that's not here as part of a roster because they're not on our roster. What's here is what's here.

Q: What do you think of Monty Beisel as a football player? What do you like about him?
BB: He's a smart kid. He works hard and is in good condition. I think he has a lot of positives and a lot of good traits and a lot of things going for him.

Q: You talked about constants. Troy Brown seems to be as close to a constant as you can get for player, especially for a guy that plays a skill position. Does he just continue to come back every summer and be what he was basically before?
BB: Yeah, well there are a lot of things to like about Troy. Troy has been a very consistent player for us and a very versatile one. We've asked him to do a lot of things and he's done a good job at those things. He's smart. He works hard. He's in good condition. He's unselfish. There's a lot of things to like about Troy. He's been productive in a lot of different areas. Every player has to reestablish himself, his performance, [and] his role each year. So there's nothing that's really any different for him or for anybody else this year or last year. It does matter, but in another way it doesn't really matter what happened last year. It really doesn't.

Q: He talked about having that feeling of he knows he has to make the team and he always has that every year. Is that one of the driving things that can keep a guy like him in the league a lot longer?
BB: I'm sure it is. I'm sure it is. Troy is very competitive and he works very hard. He stays on top of things. He makes very few mistakes. Football is really important to him and when he makes a mistake, he takes it hard and works hard to correct it. I think we all have a lot of respect for that. Again, he's been asked to do a lot of different things and he's done it with a great attitude and I think that's well respected too. He provides a lot of leadership. He may not necessarily be into team speeches, but just in his attitude and his work ethic and his unselfishness. Those are great examples.

Q: Defensively you've always said that you want to have a lot of flexibility on the line. Do you still have that or are you more heavy one way or the other, 4-3 or 3-4?
BB: I don't know. I think that's the type of thing you install in mini camp and even in training camp and see how you perform at it and see how flexible, not only your players are, but you are as a full team and how that comes together and that's kind of what training camp and some of the preseason games are for, is to see how versatile you can be. How much is too much and how much can the players handle, how many adjustments and different looks and when does it start running together, when does it work effectively as a changeup. Sometimes that varies a little bit from week to week depending on who you're playing. Just in general terms, I think the flexibility of your team is something that you have to kind of get a feel for in training camp and in the preseason and sometimes it takes longer than others. In our case, we don't build some of that flexibility until into the regular season and sometimes it happens earlier in camp. We'll give it to them. They'll learn it, how well we do it and how applicable it will be, that's something we're just going to have to wait and see on a little bit.

Q: Eugene Wilson was on the sidelines for quite a bit of stuff. Is he one of those guys working back from something?
BB: Well, we have some guys that are in different . . . I would say they are physically in different spots, so that's true for the entire team. Some guys are doing some things, other guys are doing other things.

Q: You never want to see anyone get hurt, but is there an upside to the injuries that now you have a lot of guys along the line that have experience, and a lot of guys in the secondary have a experience and maybe in a way that does build depth going into the season?
BB: When you're in a competitive situation you want to have all of your resources available, but what happens when somebody is not able to play, it provides an opportunity for somebody else and what they're able to do with that opportunity, that varies. But it does provide an opportunity for another player, sometimes a combination of players. What they do with that opportunity, Brady when [Drew] Bledsoe got hurt or whatever. There are other guys that get that opportunity and are not in the league. I don't think that ensures anything, but sometimes it does give guys a chance that maybe they would've have gotten but not as quickly as it happened or not in those set of circumstances. But we can't control that.

Q: In the team building phase, trying to create competition in training camp, that has to help there too because you have so many guys with experience both on the line and in the secondary now, where they all have experience playing and they're all going to be able to be in a competitive situation against each other.
BB: We hope that everybody on the team is going to be competitive and we'll just let that competition play out in camp. Like I said, if we don't think they'd be competitive, then we should get somebody else that we feel would be. The guys that we have we'll put them out there in camp and get them the reps and if they play well in practice and earn the opportunity to play in the preseason games, then we'll play them in those games and make our evaluations and go from there. But I don't think that's a right that anybody is entitled to. I think that's something that is earned, in the practice and the preparation opportunities that we structure prior to those competitive games.

Q: What is different about Tebucky Jones and his game now than when he first left after the '02 season?
BB: I don't know.

Q: Does anything jump out at you? Has he gained more experience?
BB: He had quite a bit of experience when he was here. I don't know . . . how long was the year? Four or five years? Whatever it was. It wasn't like he was here for just a cup of coffee. He was here and he played very competitively for us in a number of different spots, two safety positions, he played some linebacker spots in sub-defense, he played in the kicking game. We had a good background with Tebucky and I think that basically he's the same player that he was. I don't think too much has changed.

Q: He was an exceptional athlete. Have you seen that from your evaluation of him, that he is still very athletic?
BB: Well, I think he has pretty good athletic ability. We'll see how all of that matches up in a more competitive situation, but in the weight room and just watching him go through drills and that type of thing, I think that he pretty much looks like the same player that we had before. It hasn't been that long.

Q: I know every guy has that competitive fire in them, but are you ever surprised by a guy like Tom in that regard? Especially during something like this?
BB: Tom is a great competitor. He's a great player. I think there are a lot of guys that fall into that category. Tom is certainly one of them. I have a lot of respect for his preparation and his competitiveness on a day-to-day basis.

Q: Is there anyone you would compare him to that you've coached in the past?
BB: I think I've coached a lot of players that have a high competitive level. I don't know. How many players have I coached? Over a thousand. There are a lot of players that are high competitors. Tom is one of them. No question about it.

Q: Monty Beisel looks stronger. Was that something that you guys came upon from reviewing last year? Did he try to play too light last year?
BB: I don't think it's that much different.

Q: He just looks a little more cut than he did last year.
BB: He was pretty cut last year. I don't know. I don't think it's that much of a difference. It's not like he's 20 pounds heavier.

Q: He said he put on a few.
BB: I would have to take a look at it. We went through the player weights the other day. There wasn't anything that jumped out at me dramatically. It might be a few pounds.

Q: But it wasn't something that you told him to do?
BB: No. I'd venture to say that his playing weight is probably within five pounds of what it was last year, which would probably put it within one or two percent.

Q: On the roster, with guys like [Barry] Gardner, [Mel] Mitchell and Tebucky, would you expect them to contribute on special teams?
BB: I think anybody that makes our roster has to be a contributor on the team in some way. There's a lot of different ways for them to do that.

Q: Those are three guys who have had success in the past on special teams.
BB: I would think that would be a part of that, sure.

Q: How much does scheduling affect your team building process? Do you build your team according to who you will face this year?
BB: I don't it's so much building your team. I think you kind of build your team in a way that over the long haul, you feel like you have the best chance to be competitive against a variety of different opponents. But I think from a scheme standpoint, you want to have plays in your playbook and you want to work on them prior to the day before the game that are going to be applicable to the competition you're going to face. The most extreme example of that was the run and shoot offense. When we were in Cleveland and we played Houston twice a year and then ran a run and shoot offense, we had to put things in our playbook that were specifically designed to go against that and work on it, because like I said, you don't want to be pulling those out the day before the game and think that would work against Warren Moon and all the receivers that they had down there. You would put things in. Here we are a few years later and I wouldn't anticipate seeing that offense this year. That stuff is isn't in our playbook. I don't really see the need to put it in and I don't see the need to work on it. Not that we wouldn't see four receiver teams, but we are not going to see them run that style of play on an every down basis. So it just wouldn't demand that. When we were in Cleveland and you play a team like Pittsburgh that is a heavy blitz zone team, you better have some stuff in there that can handle those blitz zones because you're going to need it sooner or later. Offensively, you better have a way to protect it and you might need to design a couple of routes and then if you see that type of a defensive system along the way, then that's something you can draw from, but you know you're going to need it at least twice a year. But I think those are the kind of things that you want to at least, schematically, have a way to deal with. In your normal package of stuff, I'm sure you'll be able to deal with things like that anyway, but if it's something that you know you're going to see twice a year or more than twice a year, and you know it's going to be a problem, then you might as well start putting something in that's going to address that problem. Teams like the NFC North with Childress out there now, and Green Bay, teams that run the West Coast offense, defensively you better be ready for that system because you know you're going to see it a couple of times. When we talk about our defensive playbook, we want to make sure that we have stuff for those types of systems. It's the same thing offensively. Over and under teams, teams that run a lot of five-down type of look, some of the stuff that Denver did, things like that that you know you're going to see it, then you might as well have something in there to take care of it.

Q: That's more scheme, not necessarily personnel right?
BB: Yeah, and again, I think a lot of times your personnel, really, that is more driven by preseason and training camp as you see how everything is fitting together, who is going to be your sixth, seventh, eighth lineman. Who is going to be your fifth, sixth corner. I don't think you're going to cut your starting middle linebacker. If that is your best guy, that is your best guy. If your second tight end is your second tight end, then I don't think you're going to cut him. As you look to other positions on your roster and the depth of your roster, then you might try to decide what the best fit is for the team because you don't really know how much those guys are going to play anyway.

Q: What is your early read on Chad Jackson?
BB: I would put all of the rookies in pretty much the same category. I think they're working hard. We thrown a lot at them and I think they have a lot to try to absorb. But they're working hard at it. We had a couple of weeks with them where it was just them and that was good because it's more individual time and you can kind of take it a little bit slower. This week and last week things have gone at a quicker pace, more guys, fewer reps, more variables, more plays, more defenses, more stuff that can happen. But I think the exposure to that in the long run is good, but it's hard for all of them. But I think they're all working pretty hard to try to understand it and see where their mistakes are and try to correct them. It's kind of the normal teaching process.

Q: You said yesterday that it's the passing game that is the toughest thing for a rookie running back to adjust to. But for receiver, is there something in particular that you've seen generally they have a little trouble with?
BB: I would say generally speaking in college football you see very little press coverage. Most of the time you see the defenders well off the receivers, so they don't really have to deal with tight coverage at the line of scrimmage. You see a lot more that in this league and it's a lot tougher for the receivers to create separation and get open than it is in college where the defenders are starting so far away from them, in general. There are some teams that press, but generally speaking, the receivers see much tighter coverage in this league and also different combinations of coverage too, especially when you get to sub. You start putting five, six, sometimes seven defensive backs out there, there are a lot of different combinations and things that can happen. I think you see a lot more of that at this level than you do in college. In college some teams are still worrying about defending the option and stuff like that so it's not as applicable.

Q: What was your take on John Hannah's impact on a defense?
BB: We didn't play against John that much, but I think he's kind of a prototype guard, especially for that day. Not as tall as the tackles, but thick. Very hard to move. Had a lot of power. A lot of lower body strength. Had good movement in the running game. Of course when he played with [Leon] Gray it was hard to get much done on that side of the line. And that was a good offensive line that he played with. He was a strong, physical guy that could run, because he played left guard and a lot of teams like to run the ball off tackle to the right. And he was involved in a lot of pulling and trapping and he was very good at that. Again, he was a very explosive player, so on contact he could get movement and not just block a guy but actually create some movement and punch a hole open. He had great lower body [strength.] You couldn't power rush him. He was a strong player.

Q: How different are guards now? What has the progression been? Not that John was small . . .
BB: By today's standards. But, yeah, the size of the linemen has changed dramatically. I remember when I was at the Giants. We said we would never have a 300 pounder. The Jumbo Elliott's and Moore and all those guys. They were 285, 290. We would always say, 'Well, we're going to cap them at 299.' Now you can't find anybody under 300 on the offensive line, practically in the whole league. I think it depends. The guard is a position that really depends offensively on what kind of scheme you want to run. And those teams that run their guards a lot, that pull them, screens, pulling plays where they're blocking someone on the perimeter, stuff like that, those guards are much more athletic. They're usually a little bit lighter, they're quicker and they're asked a pull and play in space more. You see other teams that have the bigger guards, 330, 335, 340 and guys like that. There's always a handful of them that get drafted every year and to try to ask those guys to do the same thing that you ask a smaller, lighter, more athletic player to do is probably putting them at a big disadvantage. Those teams are usually more zone blocking and try to play in smaller space, play almost more like a tackle than a guard. I think it depends on what you're looking for. You look at Dallas and Jimmy Johnson and his lines down there. Those guards were enormous, but they never asked them to pull. They weren't a big screen team and the quarterbacks took short to medium drops and got the ball out of there on time and you couldn't power rush them because they were just too big. So if you're going to have a team that moves the pocket a lot and gets the ball on the perimeter and you want them to pull, you want them to run out and leads screens and stuff like that, then you better find a guy that's more athletic that can do that. So I think a lot of that depends on your system and that relates to the center position too because when you're playing a lot of over a and under fronts like a lot of teams are playing now it's hard to ask the guards to do it and not the center. If the guard has to pull, there's going to be times when they are covered and the center really has to be the puller and vice versa. If you're not going to pull your guards, then you're probably not going to pull your center either. I think there is some interaction there between those positions. So it kind of depends on what you're looking for. Chocolate. Vanilla. Depends on what your flavor is. What's hard is trying to mix and match them. That, I can tell you, is hard.

Q: You have to look at the sizes of both guards and center because you can't have them being different sizes?
BB: I think it's hard. I think it's hard to ask some 360 pound guy to zip out there in the flat and be the lead blocker on a screen and you're going to drop the quarterback short because you know you're not going to power rush and then have a 290 pound guy who is a really athletic guy but is going to have a hard time holding up against power guys and the quarterback is setting short. One plays into one guy's strength and the other plays into another guy's strength. I think those kinds of things are hard. I'm not saying they're unmanageable, but when I've coached in situations like that it's hard, because a play that helps one player's skills hurts the other player and then when you flip it and it's hard to find plays that play into both guys strengths. So it's a lot easier when you have a more consistent type of player.

Posted by Art  at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Step Right Up, We'll Guess Your Weight

FOXBORO - Day 2 of Patriots Minicamp brought another day of "That jersey makes him look fat..." conversations from those charged with chronicling the exploits of the great franchise.

During Bill Belichick's press conference, a writer asked Bill Belichick if linebacker Monty Beisel had put on some muscle during the offseason. Belichick said no, nothing worth noting.

The writer mentioned that Beisel himself said he'd put on more than a dozen punds. Belichick differed about said beefiness and said he'd check the weigh-in numbers but didn't think that was the case.

This was all very civil, by the way, it was just getting to be kind of funny. Then the writer said he thought Beisel looked a little more "cut." Which would be hard to tell because the fella was fully clothed. Instead of a shrug, though, Belichick said he thought Beisel was pretty "cut" last year.

At this point, i started staring at my shoes because the whole thing had gone two exits past amusing and entered into awkwardly hysterical.

Had the writer not folded his tent we might still be there talking about body fat and lats.

Ironically (or coincidentally...or maybe even interestingly) yesterday, I noted that Corey Dillon looked like he had something approximating his old explosiveness during practice. I thought he looked in fine fettle. My buddy from the Herald and Boston's ESPN Radio 890 thought Dillon looked out of shape.

Not only did Mike and I see Dillon differently, I commented on the fact that Johnathan Sullivan's 315 pounds were well distributed.

Felger called Sullivan a "fat tub of goo" (bonus points if you know what circumstance first made that phrase famous).

So I said to Felger today, "You thought he was fat?"

"Yeah, did you see his face?" he answered.

"Well his head alone probably weighs 44 pounds but other than that he didn't look fat to me."

Anyway, I pledge to cease all commentary on player physiques for the remainder of minicamp.

And "fat tub of goo" was used by David Letterman to describe Dodgers reliever Terry Forster way back when. You can Google it to get the right date, I don't feel like it.

Tom

Posted by   at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Working out the Kinks

Perhaps your loyal scribe needs a refresher on what constitutes full pads. For whatever reason, I said the Pats practiced with all equipment yesterday. They didn't. They had on shoulder pads, helmets and shorts.

As Robert de Vicenzo once said, "What a stupid I am."

Also, as my mother often said, ""Pay some (goshdarn) attention!"

Posted by   at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Transcript of Belichick's press conference / Photo

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick, in his trademark sweatshirt style, gives instruction today, the team's first day of mini-camp in Foxboro.

The transcript of Coach Bill Belichick's press conference after the morning workout today:

BB: Today is always an exciting, kind of interesting day, getting everybody out there and really doing full-team type of things after a lot of individual and segmented type of work during the spring. We had a good day for it, and I think we got a lot of work done this morning. We have another two-and-a-half days here, so hopefully we can get some things accomplished in terms of getting our plays installed, and getting a little work done on them, take a look at some new things, people at different positions, things like that. Mainly, we have a lot of short-term goals. Things we worked on this morning, we'll try to correct a few of those this afternoon, but we're also moving on to some new things. It's very much a teaching camp. There will be a lot of progression to what we do, so that by the end of it we'll try to get everybody introduced as much as possible to the things that they'll be doing later on, particularly in training camp and some things they can work on between now and then to improve a little bit. Some players, injury wise, are in different stages of rehabilitation than others. All of them are coming along in one way or another. Obviously, that won't really come to full evaluation until we get to training camp, so the guys that are out there are out there, and the guys that aren't are making progress to getting there. I'm not going to talk about anybody who is not here, other than I'll say that [Deion] Branch's absence is unexcused. That's basically it.

Q: What are your thoughts on [Johnathan] Sullivan and what he brings to the defensive line?
BB: Well Jonathan is a player that we had highly regarded out of college. He comes from a good program at Georgia. We think he can do a lot of things that we would ask our defensive linemen to do and we felt like there was fair value in the trade. We give up something. We feel like we got something and we have a guy that we can work with. He's primarily an inside player, but I think he has some position flexibility and we'll see how that develops.

Q: How do you feel about his conditioning? His weight?
BBI think it's June. I doubt that any player on the field is in top condition at this point. I think we've all got a long way to go to be ready for training camp and the regular season. I think that includes every single player and coach that is out on the field in terms of preparation. That's where we're all heading and we see how it goes.

Q: He said he's basically throwing out everything he did in New Orleans and this system is very different.
BB: I would agree with that.

Q: But does he have all the skill sets that you are looking for?
BB: Well, we'll find out. We think he does. So we'll find out.

Q: How would you describe the progress of Chad Jackson?
BB: Chad has worked hard. He's been here since the middle of May, when all the rookies were allowed to come and I think that during that time they've all gotten a lot of information, they've tried to go back and absorb it and study it. We've had a lot of walkthroughs and quizzed them on the material. I think that really overall, as a group, that they're picking it up pretty well. There is still a long ways to go and there's a lot of things that you actually have go out and experience on the field and work out the timing and the passing game and things like that. I think as a group they are all progressing along, in relative terms, as good or better than some other classes that we've had, just in terms of the learning. I'm not trying to evaluate them as players. I'm just saying the progression of learning and picking up the system.

Q: What are some of the specific challenges that a rookie running back has to deal with during this time of year?
BB: I think the biggest thing for any rookie running back is the passing game - routes, coverages protections. Most pro teams do a lot more than college teams do in that area. I'm sure that's true of us and I'm sure that's true of all pro teams and probably almost all college teams. We do blitz pick up everyday. The backs and the tight ends and the quarterbacks are all involved in that to one degree or another and trying to identify who the free players are and how to account for them or throw around them or whatever the scheme calls for.

Q: The competition at linebacker, obviously there is one spot vacated by Willie [McGinest] now. I saw you guys moving people around a lot. Is it kind of a competition between everybody on the roster and are you mixing and matching quite a big at that position in particular to see what the right fit it is there?
BB: No, I think there is personnel movement at every position. I think we have a lot of guys working at different spots, certainly not limited to that position. We'll see how it goes all the way across the board. We're not trying to just experiment or work people at one spot. We're doing that pretty much at every position across the board and that's one way to help build our own depth internally and it's also ways to identify players and how well they perform in different roles and also gives us some flexibility because sometimes in your system you want to have one guy do something that may not normally be his role, but on that particular play he can take somebody else's spot to give the opposing side of the ball a different look and it enables you to run your same basic plays but disguise them a little bit. That's different linebackers playing different coverage positions, different receivers running different routes, linemen and linebackers shifting their front seven alignment to some point, but where basically you're running the same thing but it provides the offense a different look. Those are all things that are part of the equation, so we've always done that in our spring camps and also in training camp and that certainly builds a base. Sometimes you end up needing to use those things as kind of an emergency thing during the year and sometimes you don't.

Q: How much more different a player is Monty [Beisel] today than he was when you first signed him?
BB: I think he has improved. I think he has improved quite a bit. He has a much better understanding of our system now than he did at this time last year and he has a lot more experience in it. I think that's true of a number of guys when they come into their second year here. Just going through the whole system for a year and really not just understanding it when it gets installed, but being able to picture how those plays would actually happen in a game or you talk about the situations, but when you actually experience those situations in games and can relate to them, I think it just makes the learning process a little bit easier. I don't think there's any doubt that the second year in the system helps the player.

Q: Can you talk about the progression of the kicking game and how it's coming along?
BB: It's probably just like everything else. We haven't been out on the field very long. Guys have been working on it on their own. This is the time to start bringing it together, field goals, the protection, punt protection, punt coverage, kickoff coverage, all of those things, start integrating it as a team. We want to introduce everybody to that because that is an important part of our game. We'll start here and introduce it and work on it more in training camp. It's kind of the normal progression of the way we would normally do it.

Q: Does competition for jobs and positions start now?
BB: Well I think that players are evaluated everyday they walk out on the field. You either get better or worse. You either know your assignments or you don't. But I think it's much more of a teaching and learning camp and instructional camp than it is an evaluation camp. We don't have pads on and we are not doing a lot of one-on-one type of competitions. We just want to make sure that everybody understands what they have to do, how to do it and how to communicate those assignments on the field with their teammates. When we get to training camp, then that to me is when the real competition starts. That's when you play football.

Q: You mentioned that it's June and every body is not up to the conditioning. Did Corey Dillon look like he is playing at a decent level?
BB: Again, I would say the same thing about every player. I think everybody has a long way to go. I think they all know it. It's June. I'm not saying it's February. A lot of players have been training, they've been working. They're at a certain point. But they're not where they need to be for training camp and that's okay. I don't have a problem with that. I'm just saying that's were the players are individually. I think that's where we are as a team and that's where we are as coaches. We still have a lot of work to too on our end. That's part of the preparation and it's part of what mini camp is for.

Q: Do you have to manage the numbers because you are short in some areas like tight end?
BB: Well, I think you're always trying to manage your team in practice situations. That's something you go through every time you walk out on the field. None of the positions are ever equally balanced. It just never works out that way. At this point in the season, I think we have enough numbers, enough players on our roster so we can deal with it in one way or another. Whether it's changing personnel groups, we're not running that many plays out there, so it's certainly manageable now.

Q: How much more confident is Ellis Hobbs strike you as being in the system?
BB: I think Ellis has always been confident, but again any player who has a year under his belts and can come in in year two in the system, I think it's to his advantage and that's certainly true of Ellis. I think he knows a lot more and has a lot better understanding again of the things that we're doing and how they would apply in game situations and how they would be specific in things down the line than he did at this time last year. I don't think there's any question about that.

Q: Does he seem more vocal?
BB: I think he's about the same.

Q: What kind of offseason has Tedy Bruschi had? Does he look the same to you?
BB: Yeah, Tedy has had worked hard in the offseason and in the weight room. He's certainly way ahead of where he was last year at this time. It's good to see him out there in camp. We didn't see that last year. I think that overall, our offseason program has gone well. I think that Mike [Woicik] and Harold [Nash] have done a good job with the players. They've worked hard. They've made improvements. You can see it statistically in their performance and hopefully that will show up incrementally with the team and in their performance and our team performance out on the field. But I think overall the participation has been good. Our effort has been good and I think the results have been positive.

Q: You have some new skill guys on the team. Is this type of camp more important to the passing game and that element of offense and defense than it is anywhere else on the field?
BB: Well, we work in all phases of it. We have a running drill. We have passing drills, kicking drills and all that. Without pads on in the spring camps it's probably a little closer to a real passing game than it is a real running game without contact. But I think we've made progress in the running game just in terms of, again, installing the plays, making sure that we know our different assignments and be able to communicate those and identify the different looks that we see and that's taking place in the passing game as well. Whatever timing you create now, even if it's good, in six or seven weeks you're going to have to start all over again with it anyways. So no matter how well timed a play is now, it's still going to have to be redone. Like anything else, you can learn from it and maybe you're a little bit closer to executing it well in the middle of August if you can get it in June, but you're still going to have to repave that road anyhow. I'm not as concerned with the specific execution of each play as I am with the overall understanding and people knowing what to do and knowing what their assignments are so that once we get the techniques straightened out then the play can be successful.

Q: So at the same time, somebody who is rehabbing maybe for example, would take precedence over them getting on the field right now at this time of year where if somebody is getting healthy and everything you might be a little more cautious with them at it this time a year than you would say in the middle of August.
BB: In all honesty, I would say it's pretty much the same all year round. There's nothing more important than a player's health. There's nothing more important than him being healthy in order to perform. So if it means that he has to have some limitations so he can become a healthier player and a more productive player, then that's the way we're going to go. Everybody has little bumps and bruises that they can work through and those come under a different category. Whether those bumps are in June, August or November, I would expect players to be able to work through those and I think they do. But when it comes to a more significant situation, that has to take priority and it's never really worth the risk putting somebody out there when they really can't do what they need to do. It's just not a productive situation. You're better off trying to get them to at least to a point where they can perform their skills at a pretty high level.

Q: Were you surprised at all that Deion did not show up?
BB: I think I've said all I'm going to say about that. I think I covered it. You want to talk about anybody that's here, I'll be happy to talk about them.

Q: Tom Brady said the accuracy and timing was a bit off this morning in part due to so many new faces. Do you see it that way?
BB: Yeah, we have a lot of new plays going in, but like I said, even if the timing was perfect on a play today, that doesn't mean it's going to be perfect in August. I don't expect it to be perfect out there. You always hope it will be done exactly right, but whether it is or isn't, that process is all going to have to be restarted in a few weeks anyway so I'm not overly concerned about that. What I'm most concerned about is the players understanding their assignments, learning what to do, being able to communicate them with their teammates so that we can see the plays on film and on the field run approximately like they're supposed to be run so that everybody can understand what their assignment and responsibility is on the play and we could be more aggressive doing it when we put it in the next time.

Q: Is Eric Warfield primarily an outside player? Does he have any experience playing the slot?
BB: He has had some experience playing inside. At safety as well. He played safety in college

Q: Do you believe in role models and the interaction between players, is that important now because there are so many new guys?
BB: Well, I think that ultimately everybody has to have accountability for themselves and their own performance. But I think it's always good to be able to look at other people and learn and take positive things from them. There's no question about that and I think we have a lot of great people on our team that do that and provide positive examples for other players. But ultimately everybody has to make their own individual decisions. That's what it comes back to.

Q: Is Deion the only player that has an unexcused absence?
BB: Yes.

Q: Is there a fine associated with unexcused absences?
BB: I've said all I'm going to say. Discipline is between the players and the team. I don't talk about discipline. It's between the players and the team.

Q: Is there greater competition this year than in years past?
BB: Well, you know, we'll find out in training camp. I think the big thing now is to try to level the playing field. We have a lot of new players on our team. Obviously you always have that with rookies, a lot of new players on our team, and you want to try to bring them up so they're at least in a relatively competitive position with the players who have either had more experience in the league or have more experience on our team so that they have a chance to compete. If you never close that gap then you really can't have a good competition. That will take its place in training camp and we'll see how it goes. I don't know how competitive some guys will or won't be. That's up to them and their performance. Hopefully it will be. That's what we're trying to get. We're certainly trying to provide every player with the opportunity to learn the system and be confident in what he's doing and understand his responsibilities and then we get to camp and go out there and do it and we'll see how that competition turns out.

Q: What are some of the adjustments for a guy like Sullivan who is moving from being primarily a 4-3 inside guy?
BB: Well, I think the biggest adjustment is just in the techniques and the scheme that he played both at Georgia and New Orleans. Just his responsibilities and his keys and all that. It was just a lot different than what we do. He used the words 'starting over'. I don't know if that's right or not, but there's certainly, I'm sure, some application to that. It's just a lot of things that are done in some schemes that aren't done in others and this is a good case where there is a contrast in systems.

Q: How seriously did you look at him before the draft?
BB: Well, he wasn't available when we picked. We evaluated him. We evaluated him, but he wasn't option for us when we picked.

Q: Was that Al Groh out there on the sidelines?
BB: Al is here. Yes. How did Al look? [Laughter]

Q: [Laughter] How was that?
BB: I talk to Al quite a bit. He and I go back a long way. It's good to have people like that, that are familiar with you and your system and how you can be able to exchange professional football ideas with and their experiences as well as the personal side of it. He's a good friend and I have a very high regard for Al and a lot of respect for him and his opinions. It's good to have him here.

Q: Did he bring a shovel?
BB: Yeah, dig in, dig out.

Q: Coach [Dean] Pees has obviously been on your staff but now he's in a new position. What are some of the things that he brings as a coordinator and how has the transition been so far?
BB: I think it's been good. I think it's been good. I think that Dean has a lot of experience on the defensive side of the ball, a lot of experience in the system that we run, whether it was with Nick [Saban] at Michigan State or what he ran at Kent or the last couple of years here. Dean has coordinated at several different levels, at different schools and has coached a lot of different positions on the defensive side of the ball, so he has an outstanding grasp and understanding of defensive football from the nose tackle to the free safety, all the positions in between. I think he brings a very comprehensive understanding as a coordinator to those responsibilities.

Q: How is Rodney Harrison coming along? Do you expect him out on the field anytime soon?
BB: I think that all the players that are rehabbing injuries are making progress and I would put him in that category.

Q: How heavily do you rely on the veterans to work with the younger guys?
BB: I think there is a natural mix there. It's not something that I think you can force as a coach. It just happens in some cases more than others. But I think that's a natural progression on a team, older players want to help the younger guys that can come in and help us play better and can help the team. I think we have an unselfish group of veteran players that are very willing to give their time and the benefit of their experience to the younger guys and help them learn what whoever helped them. Because that's kind of giving back from somebody that when they came into the league I'm sure that there were players on whatever team it was that helped them learn and kind of go through the ropes so to speak.

Q: How critical is that, especially when you are back filling some depth?
BB: I think it's pretty much the same every year. You're always going to have new players coming in and you're going to have some players leaving your team. That's the way it is. It's different players, different personalities it's a different mix, but it still kind of falls under the same umbrella of that transition taking place. That's pretty much true on every team and it's certainly true on ours. But I think our veteran players are very willing to help young guys who want the help and they are willing to give their time and like I said their experience and pass that information along.

Q: With the departure of guys like Willie McGinest, Christian Fauria and Matt Chatham, have you spoken to guys individually and asked them to step up as veterans?
BB: I think I've pretty much talked to the team this year in the same terms that we have in the past. The names are different, but those scenarios have been common. It's different guys, but you can find that kind of transition every year, again, on every team. Guys that have gained more experience that are a year older, they're going to have to take on more responsibility as they move up in seniority in one way or another. It doesn't mean that they have to stand up and give a team speech. In some degree, there's a form of leadership and setting an example or whatever you want to call it, there's a certain element of that.

Q: Is it nice to have Troy Brown around to teach some of the younger receivers?BB: Yeah, Troy has been here a long time and he's a great technician. He's a great example. He's an inspiration to all of us.

Q: What was your reaction to Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident?
BB: I hope the injuries aren't serious and I hope he has a full recovery. It's unfortunate.

Q: Is that a teaching point for your guys here, showing sensitivity to the situation but at the same time...
BB: I wouldn't try to evaluate a situation that I'm not familiar with. I really don't have any kind of first hand knowledge of it. I have a lot of respect for him and I hope that he's okay. That's all I can say I really. I wouldn't try to pass judgment on anything that happened or didn't happen. I don't know. I wasn't there.

Q: You have a number of motorcycle riders on your roster. Is that a concern for you in general?
BB: Again, I think we all have individual choices to make and that goes for every player and coach on this team and the responsibility that we have to the team. I think it's always in the team's best interests for all of us to make good choices, every player, every coach, everybody involved. So whatever those are, that's part of all of our day-to-day lives and that's in the best interest of the team.

Posted by Art  at 6:53 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Photo: Putting his arm into it

AP photo
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady throws a pass during the morning session of the team's first day of mini-camp today in Foxboro.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Belichick Press Conference

FOXBORO -- The Patriots mini-camp opened today with a 10 a.m. practice on the fields used for training camp.

Wide receiver Deion Branch was a no-show as expected.

Bill Belichick said during his press conference: "I'm not going to talk about anybody that's not here other than to say that (wide receiver Deion) Branch's absence is unexcused."

Belichick said there were no other unexcused absences and that he would not discuss whatever discipline was going to be handed to Branch for his absence.

On recently acquired defensive lineman Johnathan Sullivan, Belichick said, "He does a lot of things we ask our defensive linemen to do. We thought (Sullivan for wide receiver Bethel Johnson) was fair value in trade. We gave up something and got something -- an inside player with some position flexibility."

On his players' condition?

"I think it's June. I doubt any player is in top physical condition at this point."

On Chad Jackson:

"Chad's worked hard. He's been here since the middle of May. Overall as a group they're picking it up pretty well. (Players) have a long ways to go and things that can't (be practiced) until you see them on the field."

On Hurdles for Laurence Maroney to clear.

"The biggest thing for any rookie running back is the passing game. Routes. Coverages. Protection. We do blitz pickup everyday. It's (a lot different from college)."

On Monty Beisel: "He's much further along than he was last year. I don't think there's any doubt that the second year in a system helps the player."

Posted by   at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

7-on-7 defense

FOXBORO -- For what it's worth, here's the personnel the Patiots used -- and the positions in which they used them -- at various points in the first 7-on-7 drill:

OLB: Mike Vrabel, Rosevelt Colvin
ILB: Monty Beisel, Tedy Bruschi
CB: Ellis Hobbs, Eric Warfield
S: James Sanders, Tebucky Jones

-- TOM E. CURRAN

Posted by Art  at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Where's Daniel?

FOXBORO -- We can't seem to find tight end Daniel Graham on the practice field.

We have no idea why, or even if, Graham is missing. We'll investigate further and get back to you with more details.

-- TOM E. CURRAN

Posted by Art  at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Report from mini-camp: Tuesday morning

FOXBORO -- Quick hits from the beginning of Patriots' mini-camp on Tuesday morning:

-- Deion Branch, as expected, is a no-show. The veteran wide receiver is upset with the status of his contract negotiations, and is staying away in protest.

-- Two of last season's injured starters, safety Rodney Harrison and center Dan Koppen, are here but not practicing.

-- Another, offensive tackle Matt Light, is on the field and is practicing with the first unit.

-- Running back Corey Dillon, who played last year despite a series of nagging injuries that hampered his effectiveness, has been impressive in the early going, running hard and, in contrast to last season, running well to his left.

-- The first offensive and defensive units went through plays early in the workout, and have been replaced now by the second units. Tom Brady, of course, quarterbacked the first team; the second team is being led by Matt Cassel.

Check back for updates later.

-- TOM E. CURRAN

Posted by Art  at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Roethlisberger in surgery after motorcycle accident

The Pittsburgh Steelers report that quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger, seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, was undergoing surgery this afternoon at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh.

According to the Post-Gazette, station KDKA-TV says Roethlisberger lost teeth, broke bones in his face and suffered head lacerations.

A hospital spokesman says that Roethlisberger was talking, was coherent and was cognizant of the situation.

Police confirmed Roethlisberger, 24, was not wearing a helmet as he operated his 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa cycle.

Steelers president Art Rooney II released a statement this afternoon.

"On behalf of everyone within the Steelers organization, I want to express my concern for Ben Roethlisberger. I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery. So far, we have been encouraged by the early reports from the medical team at Mercy Hospital."

Posted by Peter Phipps  at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments 0