SB Nation - Shawn Crable

New England Patriots 53 man roster - some thoughts

MaPatsFan — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:04:36 -0000

by Stephan Savoia - AP

7 months ago: New England Patriots head football coach Bill Belichick looks over his rookies during football minicamp at the team's practice facility in Foxborough, Mass., Friday morning, May 1, 2009 (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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We stay with 2 QB's, LB is a bit weak, TE will be a position to watch, OL is stacked on the interior...let's break it down position by position (props to NESilver for his comment in this thread)

Offense: 25

QB: Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer (2) - Odd we keep only 2, but that could change when the season starts.
RB: Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, BenJarvus Green-Ellis (5) - Solid group.
WR: Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Joey Galloway, Greg Lewis, Saim Aiken, Julian Edelman (6) - Break out the air raid sirens. Edelman looked like "Little Welker".
TE: Benjamin Watson, Chris Baker, Michael Matthews (3) - Like this group, Matthews is a big man which must mean "blocking TE". Baker has good hands which we haven't seen in NE TE's for a long time.
OL: Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Nick Kaczur, Sebastian Vollmer, Rich Ohrnberger, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell (9) - Deep on the interior, Vollmer is the next stud.

Defense: 25

DL: Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Ty Warren, Jarvis Green, Ron Brace, Mike Wright, Myron Pryor (7) - Liking the depth, glad to see Pryor make the roster
DE/OLB: Derrick Burgess, Tully Banta-Cain (2) - Can you say, "4-3?" I knew you could. Here comes the pass rush.
LB: Adalius Thomas, Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton, Pierre Woods, Eric Alexander, Rob Ninkovich (6) - Might be considered a little thin, possibly why NE is experimenting with a 4-3.
CB: Leigh Bodden, Shawn Springs, Jonathan Wilhite, Darius Butler, Terrence Wheatley (5) - Wheatley barely hung on to his spot. I hope a "shutdown corner" emerges.
S: Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, Patrick Chung, Brandon McGowan, Matthew Slater (5) - Good group, although Slater will, most likely, be IR'd.

Specialists: 3

K: Stephen Gostkowski - What can I say? One of the best kickers in the league. A machine through the uprights and consistently boots kickoffs into the endzone.
P: Chris Hanson - Game changer. Massive hangtime and very good accuracy.
LS: Jake Ingram - Many laughed when Hoodie drafted Ingram. The rookie wins the long snapper battle.

Injured Reserve

OLB: Shawn Crable - Depressing. The dude can't catch a break.
RB: Chris Taylor
OL: George Bussey - Adds depth for next year.
LB: Tyrone McKenzie - Looking forward to seeing him inside for 2010.

Poll

What do you think of the roster?

Lovin' it!

524 votes

Too early to tell.

722 votes

Hate it.

66 votes

1312 votes | Poll has closed

New England Patriots Links 9/03/09 - Patriots take on Giants in Final Exhibition Game

Marima — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:58:34 -0000

Will QB Andrew Walter emerge as the number one number two?

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Christopher Price lists his five things to watch for against the Giants.

The No. 3 receivers job.

To this point, the expected battle between Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis for the job of third receiver has turned out to be underwhelming. With the understanding that you can’t measure overall ability based solely on game action -- instead, it’s a single piece in the overall evaluation of a player -- Galloway and Lewis have been sadly lacking: Galloway has six catches for 49 yards and Lewis has two catches for 26 yards.

It’s not like neither one of them has been given the opportunity to take control of the situation -- through three preseason games, Galloway has had 12 passes thrown in his direction, second only to the 14 passes thrown toward Randy Moss. (Lewis has been targeted seven times.)

Ian Rapoport offers his five things to watch for in tonight's matchup.

Who’s on outside at LB: Shawn Crable or Paris Lenon?

The linebackers found breathing room when Tedy Bruschi retired, but there is still a numbers crunch. Pencil in the four starters and pass-rush specialists Derrick Burgess and Tully Banta-Cain. Depending on the configuration, it could leave just two spots for Eric Alexander, Paris Lenon and Shawn Crable. Alexander has a niche on special teams, putting the onus on Lenon to show he can stuff the run. If he looks lost, the decision may be over. But Crable might need to show he’s healthy to stay on the team.

TEAM TIDBITS

Patriots close out preseason against the Giants tonight at 7:30pm. Broadcast info, game preview.
Patriots Today: Pats-Giants on tap. (7.46 min. video)
Bill Belichick Press Conference from 9/1 - Transcript plus 18.47 min. video.

LOCAL LINKS

Laura London offers this exclusive interview with Coach Belichick. London is creator and webmaster of All Things Bill Belichick -- a really nifty site with quotes, history, and everything you always wanted to know about Belichick.
Mike Reiss reviews and answers some blog comments on his 53-man roster projection.
Ian Rapoport will be watching Andrew Walter and Brian Hoyer both vying for the backup role tonight.
Mark Farinella reports on the several positional competitions that still have to be sorted out.
Shalise Manza Young interviews Matthew Slater, Titus Adams and Terrence Nunn, bubble players who may or may not make the team, on how they approach the week before the roster cut-down.
Ian Rapoport notes with cutdown day looming Saturday, rookie WR Terrence Nunn knows tonight is his last chance to make a good impression.
Kerry J. Byrne (Cold Hard Football Facts) Even with a healthy Tom Brady at the helm of the offense, the Patriots live and die on the strength of their pass defense.
Christopher Price Behind Enemy Lines: A view of how the NY media previews tonight's game.
Mike McDermott says lots of teams didn't think Kevin O'Connell was a bust.
Barbara Polichetti catches WR Terrence Nunn, and former Patriots Tedy Bruschi and Christian Fauria for a quick interview while getting their hair cut at a North Attleboro salon. (includes 2 minute video clip)
Mike Reiss reports the Patriots hosted former Steeler-for-life OG Kendall Simmons at Gillette.
AP Former Patriots RB John Stephens killed in highway crash. Stephens was 1988 Offensive Rookie of the Year for the New England Patriots.
Mike Reiss captures Andre Tippett's thoughts on John Stephens.

NATIONAL NEWS

Tim Graham (ESPN) Patriots defense will be youngest in many years.
Peter King (SI) Projects the 2009 Divisional winners, Conference winners and the Patriots to win the Super Bowl.
Ben Reiter (SI) New England Patriots 2009 Team Preview. Other NFL team previews can also be accessed from this link.
NBC Sports offers it's own preview of the NFL, key players and champs.
Trent Dilfer (ESPN) Trent Dilfer breaks down 49 quarterbacks from the elite to the rehab projects.
Jeffrey Chadiha (ESPN) As Tom Brady's injury showed last year, every NFL team needs a backup plan.
NFLN Crew (nfl.com) Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin and Steve Mariucci debate how important it is for the QB to be a leader. (5.06 min. video)
Tim Graham (ESPN) Rodney Harrison talks AFC East: Is skeptical of Patriots without Brady, and didn't think Jets head coach Rex Ryan needed to say what he did publicly.
Gregg Rosenthal (Pro Football Talk) Eagles keeping an eye on Patriots tight ends?
Peter King (SI) The Patriots braintrust and locker-room leadership on defense has taken a beating.
Ross Tucker (SI) Dead Men Walking: How NFL players deal with final roster cuts.
Shutdown Corner (Yahoo! Sports) Brett Favre throws a dirty block at Eugene Wilson's knees. Includes 1.10 min. video clip.
Matt Cherry (CNN) NFL is reviewing the controversial block made by Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre on Monday night.
Mike Florio (Sporting News) NFL preseason is a scam that needs to end.
Tom Curran (Pro Football Talk) Niners release Damon Huard.
Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) Cleo Lemon back on the market.
Alex Marvez (Fox Sports) Nothing easy for new Broncos coach McDaniels.
Mark Kriegel (Fox Sports) Diva WRs don't impress Jerry Rice. Michael Crabtree's stance is unfathomable.

New England Patriots Links 8/11/09 - Wilhite Looking Like A Starter

Marima — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:57:12 -0000

CB Jonathan Wilhite leaps for a one-handed interception at Training Camp.

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Andy Hart notes Belichick's assessment of CB Jonathan Wilhite; prepping for the Eagles and more notes from Monday's practice.

"Jonathan, I thought, made a lot of strides last year from the beginning of the year to the end of the year and then he followed that up with a real strong offseason, offseason program, and spring camps and got off to a good start here in training camp," Belichick said. "Jonathan has really worked hard. He’s become a very dependable player for a young guy. He’s smart. He’s quiet, but he definitely understands not only what we’re doing, but concepts and offenses and how they play. He’s a versatile kid. He plays in the kicking game, can play outside, can play inside on the corner. So he’s got a good variety of skills and that’s always valuable when you can do different things with the same player. That helps him match up against different receivers, some fast receivers, some quick receivers, different guys that can run after the catch - he’s a good tackler. I think he does a lot of things well and he’s gotten better. It seems like every time he walks out on the field, it’s been very, very steady."

Shalise Manza Young reports that the Defense is moving closer to full strength.

Shawn Crable is concentrating most on his hands and getting off the ball, working on his hand placement to help him rush the passer. He knows he is behind the other young guns at his position — Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton, who were rookies last year, and Crable’s good friend and former Michigan teammate Pierre Woods is a likely starter — and isn’t afraid to receive guidance from his peers.

"They’ve played; they’ve done a lot of things, so I have to make my mark and play and try to add to what they’ve already done," he said. "I feel like they’ve got a lot of game experience — it’s like they’re vets and I’m a rookie, so I get to take a lot of criticism from them, get to ask a lot of questions of them, because they’ve played."

TRAINING CAMP OBSERVATIONS

Erik Scalavino offers his assessment of the young DBs along with Monday afternoon practice notes.
Mike Reiss gives us his 5 points from the afternoon full-pads practice, with players starting to prep for the Eagles.
Christopher Price presents us with a few quick notes on Monday's p.m. session.
Karen Guregian says her highlight from the afternoon was Terrence Wheatley intercepting a bomb thrown by Tom Brady intended for Greg Lewis in the endzone.
Shalise Manza Young notes the D-Line trio of Seymour, Wilfork and Warren took the p.m. session off, but Crable was back.
Mike Reiss notes that unlike last year, Brady hasn't taken any time off from Training Camp.
Mark Farinella offers his Training Camp Audio Blog #9. Listen to Benjamin Watson talk about his efforts to get back on the playing field, and Bill Belichick's philosophy of practicing under challenging conditions. (5.42 min. audio/slideshow)

TEAM SHOTS

Paul Perillo feels that the additions at tight end may put Ben Watson's future in New England in doubt.
Andy Hart mentions that Michael Lombardi thinks the chances are high that the Patriots land Carter.
Patriots Today: Burgess on the field; restocked defense. (11.22 min. video)

LOCAL SHOTS

Chris Gasper and Mike Reiss Patriots Notebook: Patriots host DE Vonnie Holliday; Rookie OL Rich Ohrnberger removed from PUP list; Shawn Springs absence has given Jonathan Wilhite a chance to shine; and more.
Karen Guregian Patriots Notebook: No word on Tom Brady preseason plan; Greg Lewis called Derrick Burgess an animal; Jonathan Wilhite looks good; Belichick has been showing both 3-4 and 4-3 looks at camp; and more.
Chris Gasper talks with Ben Watson about the tight competition at TE.
Karen Guregian notes Ben Watson doesn't feel threatened by the new TEs brought in to camp.
Jeff Howe reports Jonathan Wilhite promises to be a critical asset for Patriots secondary.
Mark Farinella focuses on rookie Darius Butler, his adjustment to the NFL and competition at cornerback.
Cameron Martin touches on the competition among long-snappers Nathan Hodel and Jake Ingram.
Jon Scott has a piece about Brady's appearance on an Entourage episode Sunday night, and it includes a quick video clip (1.57 min.)

LONG SHOTS

Alex Marvez (Fox Sports) Pats target ex-Dolphins DE Vonnie Holliday.
Scott Kacsmar (Pro-Football reference) Quarterbacks and fourth-quarter comebacks Part I: Dan Marino and John Elway.
Scott Kacsmar (Pro-Football reference) Quarterbacks and fourth-quarter comebacks Part II: creating aclear-cut definition of what a 4th quarter comeback is, what a game-winning drive is, and how other QBs have been tracked.

Training Camp Observations for a Muggy Monday Morning

Marima — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:02:37 -0000

WR Terrence Nunn finds a hole and darts through it during training camp Monday. Photo courtesy of Chris Ferreira

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Mike Reiss offers five insightful notes from Day 12, first practice.

Eyes on the pass rushers. There was some solid one-on-one pass-rushing work to digest in this session, with the five offensive linemen lined up and one pass rusher isolated against one of the blockers at the snap. Richard Seymour looked un-blockable at times; on one snap, he bulldozed rookie Rich Ohrnberger back into the orange cone that was the "quarterback." Sixth-round draft choice Myron Pryor also showed some quickness when lined up over the guard, although he seemed easier contained when over the center.

Erik Scalavino presents his quick hits from the a.m. full-pads session.

The Play of the day was made by rookie WR Terrence Nunn, who continues his training camp hot streak. During 7-on-7 work, Nunn ran a go-route down the numbers on the right side, with fellow rookie Darius Butler covering. Rookie QB Brian Hoyer lofted a pass Nunn’s way, but it was slightly behind him. When Nunn looked up and noticed where the ball was, he adjusted by leaping and twisting his body counter-clockwise. As he secured the ball with both hands, his body nearly parallel to the ground, Nunn was crunched simultaneously by Butler and rookie safety Pat Chung. Nunn held on, however, and, for his effort, received a raucous applause from the crowd. Nunn made another spectacular catch on a pass thrown behind him in 11-on-11 action. He reached back with both hands and snagged the ball right before it appeared that it was headed for an interception.

Christopher Price offers his updates from camp, probably the hottest day so far with temps in the 90s.

The battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot rages on, but I have to believe based on what we’ve seen so far, Walter has usurped Kevin O’Connell for the role of primary backup. Walter looked smooth in drills (Coach Bill Belichick just remarked Walter "looks more comfortable in the huddle each day"), and O’Connell looked to have another tough morning. He overshot a wide open Tyson DeVree in 7-on-7 drills, and later had two bad throws that were easily picked off — one by safety Brandon Meriweather and another by cornerback Leigh Bodden. (In the interest of equal time, O’Connell did have a nice connection to wide receiver Shun White down the sidelines later in practice.)

Shalise Manza Young wraps up the full heat, full pads practice, noting "thus far in terms of camp reports from around the league, Bill Belichick is certainly holding one of the toughest camps in terms of physical demands on the players."

Ty Warren impressed, chasing Edelman downfield after a reception by the rookie, and showing that the extra two weeks the training staff had him wait before getting onto the field was well worth it; Adalius Thomas also flashed his speed, chasing down Nunn after a screen pass and pushing him out of bounds at the 5, about 30 yards from the initial play.

Ian Rapoport checks in after the morning's workout.

Tight end Benjamin Watson was back at practice after missing about a week. He needed to be, considering the competition at his crowded position.

LB Shawn Crable made his big return from the PUP yesterday, then wasn’t in the house today. So much for his claim to be healthy… (Bill Belichick didn’t seem to indicate there was a major problem. Wonder if he’ll be back out for the afternoon…)

Philadelphia Eagles 2009 Opponents’ Preview- New England Patriots

JasonB — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:12:44 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

4 months ago: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) stands on the field during their NFL training camp session at the team's football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Friday morning, July 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Browse more photos »

This is the next part in our series of previews of the Eagles 2009 opponents. Joining us for this feature is Dave Schwab, who writes about the Eagles at his site Eagles Lincs.

Previously Dave has looked at games later this season, but now it starts for real. Well, not for real... Preseason.

Today Dave previews the Eagles preseason opener against the New England Patriots.

The long wait is finally over as the Eagles’ 2009 pre- season gets underway this Thursday, August 13th when the New England Patriots come to town for a 7:30 P.M. start at Lincoln Financial Stadium. This is the first of four pre-season contests before it all starts for real on Sunday, September 13^th against the Carolina Panthers in the regular season opener.

The biggest story for New England is the return of quarterback Tom Brady. Brady went down in the first game of last season with a torn ACL in his left knee. Back to almost 100%, Brady expects to see action in this game. If so I would think he may run one or two series with the first team and then call it a night. While he is still wearing a protective brace as a precaution, it will be interesting to see what kind of mobility he currently has. The Patriots do not want to take any chances with Brady against and unpredictable Eagles’ defense, so I expect them to keep things very plain and simple in his limited time in this game.

If you are going to have to play the Patriot’s this season, this is probably the best game to do it, unless you plan on meeting again in the Super Bowl. Without Brady last season, a relatively unknown QB Matt Cassell stepped in and led this team to an 11-5 record just barely missing the playoffs. They still have a tremendous amount of talent on offense. Along with Randy Moss and Wes Welker, they added veteran WR’s Joey Galloway and former Eagles, Greg Lewis to the receiving corps. To shore up their running game the added veteran RB Fred Taylor. In case Brady’s knee isn’t quite ready, they recently added back up QB Andrew Walter who was previously with the Raiders to battle it out with Kevin O’Connell for the #2 spot. All in all this adds up to a very powerful offensive unit that will be that much better with Brady back at the helm.

The only potential weak spots for the Patriots are on the defensive side of the ball. They gave up veteran linebacker, Mike Vrabel as part of the Matt Cassell trade to Kansas City but are counting on either Pierre Woods or Shawn Crable to step up and fill the void. The Patriots brought in two veteran CB‘s Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden to help in the backfield and just traded with Oakland for former Eagle DE Derrick Burgess to help their pass rush. New England will be looking for Burgess to return to his All Pro form, as the defensive line struggled last season to consistently put pressure on the quarterback.

While there is always a lot of excitement for the 1^st pre-season game, you can’t expect to take too much away from this game other than keying on some of the new faces for both teams. If either side’s first team offense looks somewhat sharp in their first one or two series, it will be an early night for most of the starters. My only hope is for someone in green to get to Brady and hit him hard, just to see how quickly he jumps back up. Only then will we all know how well his left knee has healed.

Training Camp Observations for Friday

Marima — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:20:30 -0000

RB Fred Taylor takes the handoff during Friday morning's walkthrough practice.

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Paul Perillo recaps the very short Friday morning session, a 90-minute walkthrough in shorts, T-shirts and their new red Patriots hats.

As is normally the case, most of the players who have been missing recently were present for the walkthrough, including Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Shawn Crable, Ty Warren and Benjamin Watson.

Andy Hart reports the players were given Friday afternoon and Saturday off,and notes it came as a pleasant surprise to the players.

After what he deemed a "productive week," Belichick thought his team was ready for a break. At the same time, he and his staff will use players’ day off to "re-calibrate" where they’re at in this still very early point in the team-building process.

"This is new to me, getting time off from training camp. It’s pretty cool, but I mean it’s not a time to get away and just cut loose," WR Greg Lewis said. "The time is given to get your body back, get mentally prepared for what’s coming up for us and to hone in on the skills and the stuff that you’ve learned so far. And try to bring it back to you when we come back."

Christopher Price notes which players spoke to the media after practice about a variety of topics.

After the workout, Stephen Gostkowski, Pierre Woods and Vince Wilfork all talked to the media about a variety of topics. Woods addressed the acquistion of new linebacker Derrick Burgess, while Wilfork talked about his contract situation and the birth of his new baby boy, David. ("He’s going to be a golfer," Wilfork joked.)

Ian Rapoport says very little happened at practice this morning, Burgess was not present.
Christopher Price presents the transcript of Vince Wilfork's Q & A following practice.
Patriots.com presents Bill Belichick's Friday Press Conference. (18.02 min. video)
Mike Reiss offers a Derrick Burgess perspective, Today's Press Conference nuggets: Belichick's comments on Burgess, and the 2006 Belichick - Burgess Pro-Bowl connection.
Mark Farinella focuses on Brandon Meriweather, ready to step up in the absence of "Hot Rod."
Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) Handicapping the AFC playoff picture.

New England Patriots Training Camp Primer

MaPatsFan — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:55:56 -0000

via cachemediasrv.patriots.com

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This story is less about training camp battles and more about logistics, schedules, etc... For those of us within a reasonable distance of Foxborough, MA (I'm an hour north, near the New Hampshire border), this may be useful.

For all things Patriots Training Camp, check out the Training Camp section at Patriots.com
Look here for the schedule. Belichick's working the boys with two-a-day for the first seven days.
Current PUP list includes Shawn Crable and Ty Warren; don't panic. It could be nothing.
Mike Reiss reports Tyrone McKenzie and Jake Ingram are the lone two out of 12 draftees yet to sign.
Mike Reiss has put together a Fan's Guide to Training Camp. If you're planning on attending, this is a must read and the videos really helpful.
From personal experience, make a day of it. Watch practice in the morning, have lunch, and do some shopping. You can get your football fix in and satisfy the shoppers in the clan. Or, they can shop while you watch practice.
Buffalo is working hard on a no huddle offense. Look for the Patriots to spend a significant amount of time learning to defend against that formation. Props to anyone who knows another team that's big into no huddle. Anyone? Bueller? I'll give you a hint: Five Head

Patriots 2009: What would Norm and Cliff say?

MaPatsFan — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:43:24 -0000

Your remember Cheers, right? The sitcom that took place in a mythical Boston bar called Cheers? Every true Bostonian knows the bar is actually called Bull and Finch, but that's beside the point. The show mostly circled around owner Ted Danson and his love life, particularly with the flighty Shelley Long, but I thought Norm and Cliff were a hoot. So in my best Norm and Cliff imitation, let's talk about our favorite team, the New England Patriots.

Norm: Hey Cliff (burp). Whaddya think about the Pats this season?

Cliff: Ehhrrraaahh, Tommy Brayyddee bettah get his byutocks in gear, know wadimean?

Norm: No Cliff, I don't.

Cliff: Well, he's been too busy making googlie eyes at that model there. He's gotta concentrate.

Norm: I think he's professional enough to pull this off, Cliff. I mean, the guy's got three rings, right?

Cliff: Ok. But what about outside linebackah? I mean, what was Billie thinkin'?

Norm: He probably knows what he's doing. Besides, we got Adalius Thomas, Pierre Woods, Tully Banta-Cain and that dude with the long arms, Shawn Crable. We're good.

Cliff: Well, then why the heck wuz Billie Boy so hot on Jason Taylah, huh? I mean, the guys a pass rushing DE?

Norm: In Bill We Trust, Cliff. I mean, (whispering) don't question Belichick too much. You'll end up in a trash barrel on Comm Ave.

Cliff: I once dated a girl on Comm Ave. She...ohhh. Gotcha.

Norm: Besides, we're all set with Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders. Tank Williams will be good in nickel and dime packages. And that new guy, Patrick Chung, looks good, too.

Cliff: It's a good thing we got those guys aftah we lost Rodney Harrison. I mean, he was the haht and soul of that there defense.

Norm: Don't forget Randy Moss and Wes Welker have two years in the system. And we just picked up Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis, too.

Cliff: That there...ahhh...Welkah. Did you see that vicious hit by that Steeler Ryan Clahk? I mean, little Wes almost became paht of the terf!! He got up, though. He's one tough...

Norm: Easy. This is a family show. Let's not forget Laurence Maroney. Fred Taylor is going to get him jumpstarted.

Cliff: Man, "Fast Freddy" is gonna ROCK! I can't wait to see him hit the field in a Patriots uniform.

Norm: Whaddya think? Brady spanks more than 50 TD's and Moss more than 23?

Cliff: Woody! I need another brewskie.

Patriots Links 7/02/09 - Who Will Fill the Mike Vrabel Void?

Marima — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:23:25 -0000

Renaissance rookie George Bussey ready to cook up some tackles at mini-camp.

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Jeff Howe looks at who will fill the Mike Vrabel void.

Even though Vrabel’s exile seemed to have caused widespread panic across New England, the Patriots are still loaded at 10 other starting positions on defense. Not to mention, Pierre Woods and Shawn Crable should be more than ready to fill in. Vrabel, who turns 34 in August, has seen his skills diminish in recent years, but he was still more than capable on the field. He finished fifth on the team with 67 tackles last season, according to coaches’ film review.

Woods and Crable may be able to match Vrabel’s statistical production, but they can’t account for his leadership. That duty will fall in the hands of linebackers Tedy Bruschi and Adalius Thomas, along with a number of the other veterans on the defensive side of the ball.

Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa report on the renaissance qualities of the Patriots 2000 Rookie Draft Class.

First off, there’s defensive tackle Darryl Richard, picked in the seventh round of the draft, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech in three years and already has an MBA. Richard, BTW, is also an accomplished piano player. Show off . . .

Then there’s defensive lineman George Bussey, taken in the fifth round. He gave up a full scholarship to culinary school for a chance to kick it up a notch as a walk-on to the Louisville football team.

Top pick Patrick Chung, a safety from Oregon, loves to draw in his spare time. And snapper Jake Ingram, a surfer dude from Hawaii, is also a certified fork-lift operator. So he’ll never starve.

LOCAL SHOTS

Erik Scalavino catches up with Terrence Wheatley and his lifelong fascination with the weather. New England is definitely the place for him (and hey, what's up with all this RAIN?!?)
Mark Farinella notes that fans can vote for their Favorite Patriots Memories, and offers some of his own suggestions.
Jeff Howe says the Patriots are loaded with tight ends.
Mark Hurley offers some of the greatest lines from one-of-a-kind Bill Belichick.
All Things Bill Belichick This is the ultimate source to go to for any and all quotes either about or from Bill Belichick. Awesome site. Example: BB on Brandon Tate's injury: "Yeah, I'd really like to go into a lot of detail on that, about the injury and the rehabilitation and the timeframe. I think we could probably get it right down to the day, certainly the week, that he would be available."

LONG SHOTS

Eddie Matz (ESPN Magazine) Ultimate Standings 2009 - New England Patriots No. 19.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Pats top AFC East in Ultimate Standings for fans.
Ross Tucker (SI) Eagles, Pats, 'Skins, Bucs comprise best and worst offseasons of '09.
Adrian Hasenmayer (Fox Sports) NFL's Top 10 smurfs: The biggest little men in the league.
Steve Wyche (NFL.com) Colorful conclusion to NFL's Rookie Symposium. One player made the mistake of falling asleep.
Andrew Brandt (Nat'l Football Post) The importance of the symposium for drafted players.
Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) The game is more than gettin' paid: Rookies should pay attention or pay the price.
Don Banks (SI) Forgotten factor in Favre fiasco; Keyshawn rips WRs.
Peter Schrager (Fox Sports) Summer two-a-days: AFC South and NFC North; NFC East and AFC West.
Pat Kirwan (NFL.com) Smart teams find their starters in the Draft.
NFL Network Jason La Confora replaces Adam Schefter on NFL Network. So far he's had some good articles, but Adam Schefter will still be my go-to-guy when he officially joins ESPN on Aug. 1st.
Stephanie Stradley (NFL Fanhouse) All hail Roger Goodell...or else! A look at the NFL personal conduct policy.
USA Today Peyton Manning only NFL'er near top of SI's list of 50 highest-paid athletes.

Ten Patriots for 2009: No. 8, OLB Shawn Crable

MaPatsFan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:31:02 -0000

via cache.boston.com

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Watching the 2009 NFL Draft, many of us thought, and rightly so, that Bill Belichick and Nick Caserio would grab a pass rushing OLB after sending Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs in a package deal with Matt Cassel. BZZZZZZTTTTT!! Were we wrong. When questioning the collective sanity of the Patriots organization, I often try to remind myself that they're much smarter than me about this business called Professional Football. After all, I wouldn't want Hoodie building Linux networks with hundreds of clients now would I? Scratch that. Belichick probably co-wrote Linux with Linus Torvalds during an off-season. Moving on...

I believe we have lacked a serious pass rush since the 2007 season and I don't think I'm alone in this belief. Mike Vrabel will always be one of my favorite Patriots, but I am of the opinion he began to lose a step in 2008. At 34, age is certainly a factor and the trade to KC was a good one for the Patriots, who were looking to get younger, and the Chiefs, who needed a veteran presence on the field and in the locker room.

Speaking of sanity, you may question mine for not putting Adalius Thomas or Pierre Woods on this list. Patience, my friends. This is an organic process. ;-) Adalius and Pierre, I'm fairly certain, are locks at this position. They're the everyday workhorses of our 3-4's edges. While Thomas has shown flashes of pass rushing ability, I'm not convinced he's of the Jason Taylor caliber...yet.

On comes rookie Shawn Crable. I say rookie because he was IR'd with a shin injury for the 2008 season, so we have barely any info on the dude. That being said, he's on this list because I believe he is being earmarked to become the Patriots' main pass rusher. At 6-5 243 lbs, many have said he needs to bulk up to be effective at the position. That may be true, but I believe his greatest asset is something different: he has freakishly long arms and a torso to match. Those long arms will serve to wrap up anyone on the edges as well as block passes, something he did more than once in the 2008 preseason.

So, is Crable the dark horse? Is he the guy they bring in to terrorize quarterbacks? Or am I all wet putting him on this list?