Some things you might have missed at Patriots OTAs
It’s Sunday, and the first week of Patriots organized team activities (OTAs) is in the books.
The biggest story of the New England Patriots’ first practice action of the 2015 has been Jimmy Garoppolo, the team’s starting quarterback for the first four weeks of the upcoming season pending a reduction of Tom Brady’s suspension.
But while Garoppolo may have dominated the headlines so far, there’s been a lot to digest. Here are a few tidbits you might have missed from the offseason so far.
Belichick finds a new perspective
The Patriots will do everything they can to get an edge, and this year have had a drone fly over the practice field on Friday to get a different angle on practice.
Asked about what the new tool does for him during a Q&A session Friday, the coach had a typical response.
“Oh, I don’t know,’’ Belichick said.
How’s the air up there?
Aside from the Patriots’ moves (and lack thereof) in the secondary, one of their biggest free agent signings was Scott Chandler, both in the sense of game impact and literal size. At 6’7’’ and 260 pounds, Chandler has an inch in height on Rob Gronkowski, though he’s a few pounds lighter.
This past week’s practices mark the pair’s first work together, and media reports say the titanic pair could be a handful in the redzone.
The other Chandler
While some players have stood out in practice so far, others have done so for their absence. Once of the most notable such players is defensive end Chandler Jones, who underwent surgery earlier in the offseason.
Jones missed six games last season with a hip injury though he did play in the Super Bowl. His absence from a May workout isn’t yet a major concern given the recency of his injury, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
Brandon LaFell gets some new agents
This isn’t really an OTA revelation, since it came a little over a week before the first practice on May 26, but it bears mention here: Patriots wide receiver Brandon LaFell has new agents.
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The firm has several high profile clients including Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, and… Darrelle Revis.
LaFell’s three-year, $11 million deal will continue to be a bargain this year if he can duplicate the 953 yards and seven touchdowns he secured in the 14-15 season. And extension for the 28-year-old won’t come cheap, and his new agents showed with Revis’ deal they don’t leave money on the table.
The plan at left guard
In the NFL, inaction can often be as telling as action.
With just over four months to go until their first game, the Patriots have yet to resign veteran left guard (and Super Bowl XLIX starter) Dan Connolly.
Instead, the Patriots seem to be letting 2015 fourth-round selections Tre Jackson and Shaq Mason fight it out for the starting spot. It’s still possible the Patriots bring back Connolly later in the coming months, but with Jackson now wearing his number, it’s looking more and more like a rookie will hold the spot come September.
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