Rookie backers on fast track Mayo, Crable make big strides with help from veteran Patriots
By Hector Longo
Staff writer
FOXBORO — As far as the Michigan alumni chain goes, Shawn Crable is a pretty darn popular guy.
"A lot of my friends are in different camps, they call every night," said Crable, New England's third-round draft choice last April.
Of course, maybe it's not Crable. His rookie teammate Jerod Mayo, a Tennessee man, deals with the same kind of daily interrogations.
Everybody wants to know what it's like to be king.
OK, the New England Patriots rookie linebacking duo, 12 days into training camp, hasn't quite made that climb to the pinnacle of NFL greatness. In fact, to paraphrase Tom Hanks in "Apollo 13", there are 1,000 steps on that road, Crable and Mayo stand at No. 7.
Talk about the perfect spot, though. Consider Gillette Stadium the land of opportunity for young linebackers.
Who sits better than Mayo and Crable right now? Not only are job slots open now with Rosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau (at least for now) having moved on, but three of the four starters, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas are 30-something, usually no-man's land in the NFL for linebackers.
While the vets are here, they are Patriots, doing it the Bill Belichick way, which means imparting knowledge to the young guns.
Among their vast talents, Mayo and Crable appreciate the tutelage.
"Other guys I talk to on other teams, say it's a different deal," said Crable. "Here, the guys are trying to get us ready to play. They're always open to us."
Through 10-or-11 padded practices, all systems are go.
"I couldn't ask for a better situation, having guys like Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas helping me out," said Mayo. "Bruschi's an all-pro guy, an all-pro man off the field. I would like to model myself after Tedy Bruschi. He's really shown me a lot of love since the first day I've been here. I wasn't really expecting that from an older guy like him, he's really proven me wrong."
About the only thing Mayo has done wrong since arriving in town was laying out punter Chris Hanson in practice on Thursday.
The rookie hungers to hit people, a requisite for linebackers. How long has it been since this team had a hit first, ask questions later kind of influence at linebacker? Vincent Brown in the mid-1990s?
Sure, Belichick has had his share of playmakers, but an Al Wilson, Keith Bullock type of hitter? Not in this millennium.
Mayo, at 6-foot-1, 242 pounds, oozes athleticism Bruschi could only dream about. One trip to practice here or even a couple minutes in Thursday night's preseason opener with Baltimore will prove that.
Playing inside, Mayo bounces off blocks. More appropriately, he makes blockers bounce off him.
Crable, at 6-foot-5, 241 pounder, is a longer, leaner version of Vrabel — with pass-rushing potential this defense (47 sacks last year) craves.
Thursday morning, long after the rest of the team had left the field, save for a few rookie free agents digging in for some extra work, Crable and Mayo sat with Bruschi in the center of the work area, stretching and absorbing.
Clearly, these two, and their development, are priorities.
"Most of the time when somebody is drafted that high, they get forced into the fire," said Mayo. "When my name's called, hopefully I'll be prepared to go out and make some plays."
Even at his length, Crable takes baby steps.
"Talk to my coaches right now. I don't really know what I'm doing. I play too high. I run around blocks," said Crable, obviously feeling the brunt of the heat. "I'm not comfortable, but I feel like I'm learning. The situations I get, I have to start capitalizing on. This opportunity is great. Now it's what I make of it."
Coming from such high profile college programs, especially Crable with the Wolverines, the two rookies understand how high the stakes truly are here.
"It's a different world in this linebacker room, but I think we're getting used to it, what's expected of us," said Crable. "This scheme relies on the linebackers to do a lot of things, a lot of calls and stuff like that. You've just got to know it. If you study it, you'll understand it. If you think you're just going to go home and watch TV, watch Shark Week, you're going to be in trouble."
Training camp update
The Patriots made some good news on the field as three more players were removed from the active-physically unable to perform list and deemed ready to participate.
Receiver Wes Welker, cornerback Ellis Hobbs and rookie linebacker Bo Ruud participated in practice yesterday with the full squad.
Training camp continues tomorrow with a double session.
The morning practice is open to the public at 8:45 a.m., weather permitting. The team will then participate in an in-stadium practice, open only to season ticket holders, inside Gillette Stadium from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
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