Thanks to the coronavirus and the many safety protocols in place to allow the NFL to open training camps this summer, limited media has been attendance for the Patriots practices in Foxborough.
Less than two-dozen reporters, cameramen and photographers are on hand each day to watch Bill Belichick’s team prepare for the Sept. 13 regular season opener at Gillette Stadium. The few, the proud, the privileged.
That’s left the rest of us – fans and most of the media alike – to lean on those limited eyeballs and their reports to pass along the flavor, competition and tidbits from New England’s training camp.
Making the process even more difficult from afar is the more strict reporting policies the NFL put in place this summer that limits the amount and type of information that media can disperse.
Still, daily ingestion of WebEx calls with players and coaches as well various blogs, notebooks and Twitter nuggets, has produced a relatively decent amount of information from which some big-picture Patriots predictions and pontifications might be made.
So, despite not having seen a single training camp snap in person, here are one man’s Patriots Training CAMp (see what we did there?) 2020 takeaways from far! Enjoy.
Cam is Da Man – Cam Newton was the biggest story coming into camp and has remained such throughout the two weeks of practice action. His “energy” has been noted almost daily by his teammates and coaches. He has nicknames (Doughboy!) and individual handshakes for each of his Patriots pals. Though his on-field work hasn’t exactly blown anyone away, Newton has proven himself healthy. Despite what Boomer Esiason might think, it seems quite clear that it would be a massive upset if anyone other than Cam opened the season as the Patriots starting quarterback. He’s Da Man to replace Tom Brady. Maybe only Superman is capable of stepping in for a GOAT.
Tight end and wide receiver remain major questions – While the QB question seems to have been answered, figuring out where Newton is going to throw the ball remains very much in doubt. Julian Edelman and James White should be top targets, as they’ve been for years with Brady leading the charge. Beyond that, who the hell knows? Both tight end and wide receiver appear to be lackluster groups of talent unable to build much momentum on the training camp field. N’Keal Harry missed a couple practices and has done little to stand out after an offseason working on his body and footwork. Similarly, Mohamed Sanu could still be a potential surprise veteran cut as he apparently continues to fail to consistently catch the football. The best receivers on the field have been Gunner Olszewski and Devin Ross. Good for those guys in taking advantage of their reps, but that’s bad news for the Patriots offense. At tight end rookies Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene have flashed potential. But the former has also missed practice time and lacked consistency as the would-be No. 1 option. The Patriots passing game has a long way to go before it’s going to scare an opposing defense. Don't be surprised if the Patriots look to add veteran talent at either tight end or wide receiver -- or both -- in the coming weeks.
Good D or bad O? – Speaking of opposing defenses, New England’s unit has had the better of the practice field battles more often than not. Despite personnel losses and practicing for days without top dog Stephon Gilmore, the defense has had the advantage in camp. Is that the veteran-based unit showing that it can still be a top group in the NFL even without Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Duron Harmon and Dont’a Hightower or is the group that remains just taking advantage of a New England offense that’s far from being ready for prime time? It certainly feels like the latter, but we’ll all find out for sure in a few weeks against the Seahawks and Chiefs.
In the running – Given all the questions surrounding the quarterback, wide receivers and tight ends, it’s probably a safe bet the Patriots are going to look to run the ball early and often in 2020. This is no surprise, given the veteran offensive line and depth in the backfield. As Josh McDaniels looks to maximize his personnel that should mean lots of runs against Miami – both traditional carries and scheme-based looks utilizing the newfound athleticism he has to work with at quarterback.
Damien Harris’ Year 2 Jump – After spending his rookie season as primarily a healthy scratch, it appears running back Damien Harris is going to be very much in the offensive mix this fall. He’s taken advantage of extra reps afforded him with Sony Michel on PUP and Brandon Bolden having opted out of the season. Virtually every reporter has raved about Harris’ work this summer. He also might be a more versatile option than Michel, showing some ability to catch the ball as well as run with it as a lead back candidate. Harris could be a key spark and extra option for an offense that needs all the added weapons it can find right now.
Belichick’s one happy camper – Analyzing Belichick’s moods and emotions is a fruitless endeavor. But, it does seem that the GOAT coach is enjoying himself this summer under unique and theoretically trying conditions of a coronavirus-controlled training camp. Belichick has never backed down from a challenge. There are plenty of challenges for him and his team this year. So far, Belichick appears to be attacking those challenges with, dare we say, a smile on his face.
Young and old alike – The Patriots got old as an overall football team in recent years. Certainly this fall’s squad will have plenty of veteran leadership to lean on. Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater and Edelman will be key cogs – on and off the field. But New England also clearly has an injection of new blood that will bring youthful potential and energy. Harris, top pick Kyle Dugger, linebackers Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings, tight ends Asiasi and Keene and a handful of other first- and second-year players should be very active members of the 2020 Patriots. If the first year post-Tom Brady in New England ends up being sort of a bridge year to the future, it will be interesting to see how the young players develop and prepare themselves for increased roles in future seasons under the watchful eye of remaining, aging veterans.
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