New England Patriots Training Camp: Observations from 8/16 Practice

Tuesday's training camp session was an important one for the New England Patriots, not just from a talent evaluation perspective, but from a game preparation standpoint as well. 

This was, after all the Patriots final full practice before their preseason matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccanneers.

Who stood out? Who slumped? What happened? Here are just a few observations I made from my first-hand experience in the stands at the Gillette Stadium practice field.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz. 

Pecking Order on Defensive Line Clearing Up

This was the last full practice before the Patriots' next preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thus, this was a pretty good barometer for who will be seeing playtime and in what situations on Thursday night.

Defensive line is one of the deepest positions on the roster, but with 19 of them on the roster, someone's got to go. It's pretty clear who are the safest bets at both defensive tackle and defensive end.

Tuesday, the primary defensive tackles in the first team unit were Vince Wilfork and Kyle Love—the duo we saw in the beginning of the Jaguars game this past Thursday. Myron Pryor and Gerard Warren rotated in with the sub-package defense and occasionally in the 4-3 front.

At defensive end, Andre Carter and Eric Moore started off with the first unit, with Mark Anderson rotating in with the sub-package defense. 

Safety Shuffle

Reports out of Patriots camp yesterday were that Brandon Meriweather lost some snaps with the first-team defense to special teams ace Sergio Brown. That trend continued today, with Brown often utilized in passing downs and sub package defense. 

ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss gives insight as to why this is such a big deal, saying, "Much like a quarterback and receiver working to be on the same page, the two safeties in the back end of a defense must do the same. Developing that chemistry takes a lot of hard work."

Chung has been deprived of his "brother" in the secondary as the Patriots test out their options. 

Meriweather did a nice job intercepting a Brian Hoyer pass in drills, showing the playmaking ability that has helped him make a name for himself in the NFL.

Injuries Hurt the Depth at the Wide Receiver Battle

Wide receiver has been considered one of the deepest positions on the roster, but a rash of injuries have kept Brandon Tate, Taylor Price and Julian Edelman off the field. All three were in sweats today.

In their place, Jeremy Ross, Buddy Farnham and Matthew Slater got the reps. None of the three are terrible, but none make ideal options as a fourth, fifth or sixth receiver. 

Tate, Price and Edelman can't get back to practice soon enough.

Matthew Slater Continues to Scratch and Claw for One of Those Roster Spots

That being said, Matthew Slater did make a big play today in camp by leaping for a ball in 11-on-11 drills, and made another nice grab in 7-on-7 work.

Some have called into question the importance of special teams players now that the NFL is essentially trying to eliminate kickoff returns, but Slater is adding to his value by performing well on offense as well, even if just with the second team.

His continued presence on special teams is also worth noting, as he remains one of the primary players on the punt coverage unit as a gunner, and also finds roles in blocking on returns.

Make or Break Time for Darius Butler

Darius Butler played every defensive snap against the Jaguars, proving that Bill Belichick and the rest of the coaching staff really want to get a good look at him.

That continued in practice today, as the man we not-so-lovingly refer to as "DBut" spent a lot of time on special teams today in both punt coverage and punt return units.

Butler was playing left cornerback in the second team defense in 11-on-11 drills. With Ras-I Dowling still injured, Butler projects as the fourth or fifth cornerback on the roster. If Dowling can make it back before training camp is over, though, Butler's spot quickly turns into a bubble battle with Jonathan Wilhite—the man opposite him in those drills.

Butler did make one nice play, leaping to break up a pass from Brian Hoyer to Buddy Farnham. Still, he'll have to start proving his worth in game situations if he wants to make this roster. 

Stevan Ridley Remains One of the Most Impressive in Camp

Ridley was easily one of the biggest stories in Thursday's 47-12 triumph over the Jaguars. The rookie back rushed 16 times for 64 yards and two touchdowns, adding seven receptions for 47 yards and another score.

He's not done, though. Ridley continues to run hard in practice and continues to do many things well. His skills as a pass-catcher have been put to use for the entirety of training camp, but it's his between-the-tackles ability that really catches the eye.

He hasn't been bowling guys over—it is training camp, after all—but his quickness and burst are evident every time he gets his hands on the ball.

There's no doubt he'll make the roster, but now, he's just doing everything he can to earn more playing time in preseason.

Andre Carter a Force to Be Reckoned with

Andre Carter showed a great deal of pass-rushing skill today in camp, and earned the praise of Belichick in this afternoon's press conference.

Today, he had a couple of plays where he worked his way into the backfield by beating up on rookie tackle Nate Solder—even one play where he would have logged the sack were it a game situation.

Passing downs aren't the only way he will make an impact however. Carter looks more like a three-down defensive end than he was advertised, and Belichick endorses this:

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"I think handling the run is a strength of his...He's a pretty talented player. He was a seventh pick in the draft or whatever it was, so I don't think you stumbled into that spot. He's got good size. He's long—he's got some length. He's got power, plays hard, he's got a real good motor. [He's] a well conditioned athlete. [He's] strong, runs well, plays hard, good athlete. He's obviously been well coached—his family, his career at Cal and so forth. He's got a lot of things going for him: he's a smart guy, he understands football, concepts, [he] can make adjustments quickly, works hard. [There're] quite a few positives there."

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