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Underwood understood Super Bowl release

August 22, 2012, 2:24 pm SHARE THIS POST0 COMMENTS

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TAMPA -- On more Saturdays than I care to count over the past few years, the Patriots have made some innocuous roster move ahead of Sunday's game.

Shrug. Tweet it. Write it up. Move along.

But when Bill Belichick and his staff stuck to that standard operating procedure before the Super Bowl in February, releasing Tiquan Underwood, SOP turned into The Sad Tale of Tiquan. By Sunday morning, Underwood's release had become another reason to beat the drum about mean Bill Belichick and the mean things he does because he thinks he's so smart.

Did it suck for Underwood? No doubt. Super Bowl's a big game. But his mature and professional insight on the situation shows why he's a player teams want around. Like Tampa Bay, where Underwood is having an impressive preseason.

Wednesday was the first chance to ask Underwood face-to-face about the Super Bowl release.

"Coach handles his depth chart decisions on Saturday the day before a game whether it's Week 1, Week 5, the playoffs and I just happened to be one of the latter guys on the depth chart," Underwood explained. "They brought up Alex (Silvestro) from the practice squad and I got released, but it's part of the business. I understand that. Now I'm trying to put myself in a better position so that when those decisions are made I'm not one of the guys that can be released."

So far, pretty good. Reunited with his college coach at Rutgers, Greg Schiano, Underwood is the Bucs' leading receiver in preseason with three catches for 76 yards in two games.

When it was mentioned that members of the national media felt the move was heartless, the 25-year-old said, "Not at all. The thing I love about Coach Belichick, he does what's best for the team every week for that game. The object in this league is to win the game. He did that and he's gonna continue to do that, day in and day out each week. As a player, you can't be on the back half of the roster because that's where tough decisions have to be made. I respect him because no matter what game it is, what week it is, he's gonna do that. ... I want to be one of the guys in the front part of the roster.

Underwood said there are, "a lot of similarities" between Belichick and Schiano, who are good friends. "They're tough coaches, they know what they want, they demand a lot from their players. Coming here helped me because it was a smooth transition (with their similarities)."

Despite the yo-yoing on and off the roster last season, Underwood's respect for his time in New England is apparent.

"They are a great organization," he prasied. "I'm just thankful to have played there for the time I did. I learned so much as a player and as a person. It's no secret why they're so successful. Those guys work so hard, the attention to detail and that's really helped me as a player. I've brought it down here and I'm trying to work on my craft."
 
Demps hasn't returned PR since he was freshman at Fla. and he only returned 6 or so then.

I wouldn't be counting on Demps to return any punts, guys.

Many are confusing Edelman's very good PR stats with the poor KR stats of all those put back there. MaineMan put up some stats the other day that showed Edelman is a top PR in this league.

Let Demps stick to KOR duty if he shows he can catch a new slippery ball.

KR = fast with good vision and a low IQ
PR = nerves of steel and good quicks along with a low IQ

Neither is anything I'd want to do, thanks just the same. :cool:
 
chevss454 said:
Demps hasn't returned PR since he was freshman at Fla. and he only returned 6 or so then.

I wouldn't be counting on Demps to return any punts, guys.

Many are confusing Edelman's very good PR stats with the poor KR stats of all those put back there. MaineMan put up some stats the other day that showed Edelman is a top PR in this league.

Let Demps stick to KOR duty if he shows he can catch a new slippery ball.

KR = fast with good vision and a low IQ
PR = nerves of steel and good quicks along with a low IQ

Neither is anything I'd want to do, thanks just the same. :cool:
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Florida. :coffee:
 
A world of difference
Comparing the Bucs and Patriots over the past five seasons:
Bucs Pats
Record35-45 64-16
Division titles1 4
Playoff berths1 4**
Playoff record0-1 4-4
Points scored1,567 2,457
Points allowed1,805 1,523
All-Pros *1 23
* First or second team ** Two Super Bowls
Click to expand...
Taken from the Tampa Bay Times. Schiano has his work cut out.

Remember back when the Bucs fired Tony Dungy? The Patriots won the Super Bowl that season.
Remember back when the Bucs gave Jon Gruden his last contract extension? The Patriots played in the Super Bowl that season, too.
Remember earlier this year when the Bucs fired Raheem Morris? The Patriots were in the Super Bowl again.

In other words, maybe the Bucs players should take a few notes.

Maybe the front office should, too.

If I was Schiano, this would be my advice to my players: Do what they do. Remember that stuff about playing Buccaneer football? Put that off until next week. For now, play Patriot football. After all, what's wrong with being Patriotic?
Click to expand...
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/foot...d-for-tampa-bay-buccaneers-to-emulate/1247215
 
More good writing from the Tampa Times

When Bucs defensive end Adrian Clayborn got into his pass-rushing stance and glanced into the backfield, he saw three-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

When guard Davin Joseph looked across the line of scrimmage and saw All-Pro defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, it was immediately clear this was no ordinary practice.


The AFC champion Patriots arrived Wednesday for two days of joint practices with the Bucs — the teams meet in a preseason game Friday night — and the players said the stimulation was just what they needed.
"When you're practicing against your teammates, you know each other well and your moves stop working on them after a while," Clayborn said.
"But this was fun. I think we should do it more often to give guys a reason to go out and practice hard. Ultimately, you always want to practice hard, but this was different."


The arrangement came about as a result of the relationship between Bucs coach Greg Schiano and Patriots coach Bill Belichick, whose son Steve played for a year under Schiano at Rutgers.


"I don't get nervous around a lot of people. But (Belichick) was walking through the hall earlier, and I was walking to the locker room, and I dang near turned the other way," defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said, joking. "(I thought) 'Dang, I don't want to look this man in his eyes.'


"There's something about him. He has a presence about him."


Other Bucs took note of Brady and his command of the huddle and tempo with which he practices. Actually, even Schiano was a bit in awe.
"The way he handled himself in the huddle … when you play them, you don't get to see that," Schiano said of the seven-time Pro Bowl quarterback. "When you stand out on the field and hear the way he handles things, that's good stuff."


The results of head-to-head drills were mixed, according to players. (Media members were permitted to watch only 30 minutes of individual work.) No one kept score, so there were no winners and losers.


The day was competitive, but the teams remained respectful of each other.
Except for the time Bucs linebacker Adam Hayward unintentionally decked receiver Julian Edelman, things did not get testy. It was a result, players said, of the Patriots' professionalism and the Bucs' effort to implement more of the same.


In the end, the two-day affair might be different, but the goals are no different than in practices.


"I don't think it's a vacation or a nice trip to Florida," Brady said. "This is for us to come down here and be a better football team when we leave."
Stephen F. Holder
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http://www.tampabay.com/sports/foot...iots-gives-tampa-bay-buccaneers-a-new/1247210
 
Jason McCourty harasses his twin. ROFL



Jason McCourty · 30,272 subscribers
7 minutes ago ·
Yall had some great ones (ill RT a few), but the winning nickname was "Evin McCourty cause he's got no D"... stay tuned for more giveaways! (J-Mac)
 
Schiano, "Hey, Bill, what do you think of these 3 guys?"

"I don't know, Greg. They don't seem to be able to keep up, do they?"

Schiano, "Ok, I've heard enough! Hey you guys! Come 'er a sec!"

The Bucs announced they waived 3 players: OL Mike VanDerMeulen, DE Quintin Anderson and WR Armahd Lewis.
 
Josh Boyer got the mike today:

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4727806/insight-on-d-backs-from-boyer

Insight on d-backs from Boyer

TAMPA – Patriots cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer answered questions from reporters after Thursday’s practice, and it was a good chance to gauge his thoughts on the secondary.

A few highlights:

Gregory has confirmed what Patriots thought. With 20 practices of evaluating safety Steve Gregory and his overall impact on the secondary, Boyer was asked if there was anything that has surprised him. “You saw on film for San Diego that he was a disciplined player and was able to make plays on the ball. That has carried over,” he answered. “He’s been real professional. I think what we thought is what we got. He’s done a great job of being professional. If there was any surprise, it was that he was able to step into a leadership role fairly quickly for us.”

'Good camp' for McCourty. Devin McCourty has been locked in at left cornerback and hasn't missed a practice this preseason, and Boyer said he's had a good camp. "He's put himself in a position to have some success and make some plays," he said.

Allen and position flexibility. Asked a question about longtime cornerback Will Allen and his performance at safety in the preseason, Boyer touched on how the team looks for players with flexibility. “One of the things we’ll look for is versatility with guys, with position flexibility. Obviously the more you can do position-wise, it’s going to be more valuable to our team. Will is a good example. Kyle Arrington is a good example. Sterling Moore is a good example. Those are guys we’ve moved around a little bit,” he said.

Good review for Wilson. Second-round draft choice Tavon Wilson received a favorable review. Boyer noted that similar to Allen, he is doing multiple things to add to his value. “He’s learning the system and has done a good job there,” Boyer said. “He’s worked hard, stayed extra, spent some extra time in the classroom. The good thing with Tavon is that if he makes a mistake, he usually corrects it and we’re able to move on from that.”

Benefit of joint practice – 1 on 1s. Boyer made the point that the joint practices with the Buccaneers were beneficial for the team’s cornerbacks in part because they had a 1-on-1 session Wednesday. “A lot of times at the defensive back position, you don’t always have opportunities to play the ball [in practice],” he said. “We get the 1-on-1s like we did yesterday, it’s really good for our guys, and to compete against other guys.”
Click to expand...


Cheers, BostonTim
 
Allen seems to be quietly having a good camp. From what I've seen of him in games, he's played smart coverage and tackles very well. He has experience playing both edges and was pretty good in the slot last season and has been contributing on special teams. He might be sort of a surprise inclusion on the 53.

Moore, OTOH, has been disappointing in games, and I have to wonder if he isn't on the bubble, in spite of his 2011 season.
 
Karen Guregian has a good article about Brandon Spikes' relationship with his 'sensei' Pepper Johnson. At practice, Spikes is often over with PJ having a private tutor session. It tells me Spikes finally recognizes his special abilities and wants to make the most of them.

“Just the smaller details of the game, something I never paid attention to, having him bring that to my attention. I have certain stuff that God gave me, instincts and stuff like that but just talking the smaller things. If I want to be the best, I have to put in the work. So that’s the main thing.”
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http://bostonherald.com/sports/foot...8&format=&page=2&listingType=pats#articleFull
 
Great article Chevss. Pep moving to LB coach might be the best thing that ever happened to Spikes.
 
HSanders said:
Great article Chevss. Pep moving to LB coach might be the best thing that ever happened to Spikes.
Click to expand...

I think you could be right, HS. I don't know if his newly found motivation comes from having Hightower as competition, from maturity or PJ's presence and I don't care so long as something has motivated him to become his best.

====================

From Reiss
Based on attendance and level of participation at practice over the last two days for joint sessions with the Buccaneers, here is a list of Patriots we don't expect to play in tonight's preseason game:

S Will Allen
S Patrick Chung
WR Jabar Gaffney
OT Matt Kopa
TE Visanthe Shiancoe
CB/S Ross Ventrone
OT Sebastian Vollmer
DL Gerard Warren
WR Wes Welker
LB Tracy White

Meanwhile, TE Jake Ballard and DL Myron Pryor remain on the physically unable to perform list, while OT Markus Zusevics remains on the non-football injury list.
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http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...ght?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

HS, I see your boy isn't playing again. :taptaptap:
 
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