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FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots coach Bill Belichick (10:45 a.m.) and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (11:10 a.m.) held press conferences, while media members had access to the locker room (11-11:45 a.m.) this morning at Gillette Stadium. Here were a few nuggets of note:
1) Jerod Mayo in the spotlight. The Patriots' first-round draft choice has been on the field for every snap through the team's first two games, the only defender to do so. Mayo spoke with reporters about his early emergence, while Belichick touched on how Mayo has been consistent through six games -- the four preseason contests, and the two regular-season games -- in showing "speed, range, toughness and playmaking ability." Mayo has been credited with 16 tackles by the team's coaches, the second highest total on the team.
2) Signs pointing to Benjamin Watson's return. Tight end Benjamin Watson, who has missed the first two games with a right knee injury, looks primed for a return. Watson spoke with reporters in the locker room today, which is often an indication that a player will suit up for the next game. Watson, who is not on the team's injury report, was asked how his knee has responded the last two days in full-pads practices. "Each day is better than the last one," he said.
3) Defensive linemen share championship belt. Each week, members of the defensive line award one member of the group with a championship belt, which is given to the player with the top performance. This week, however, the entire line is sharing the belt because the feeling was that the line played strong across the board against the Jets. No sequence of plays seemed to reflect that more than the second-quarter stand in which the Jets were stopped on three straight runs from the 3-yard line.
4) Red-zone and goal-line a main focus today. Belichick explained that Fridays are usually a day in which the team focuses on the red-zone and goal-line. He relayed that he showed the team footage of other teams through the first two weeks of the season, such as Carolina's last-second victory over the Chargers, and the Broncos' win over the Chargers last week. Both games were decided by red-zone or two-point conversion plays. "Plays where the whole 59 minutes and 58 seconds comes down to one play," Belichick said. "Those are some of the things we do on Friday and talk about some of the other things going on in the league."
5) Where are Terrence Wheatley and Shawn Crable? Second-round draft choice Terrence Wheatley was inactive in Sunday's win over the Jets, while third-round pick Shawn Crable has been inactive for both games. Belichick was asked if both players have hit roadblocks in the learning curve. "No," he replied. "I think this is a good rookie class. I think they all work hard. They're all attentive. They've been out there on a consistent basis and they're getting better. I'd say Terrence and Shawn are smart guys, they work hard, and they're picking things up at a good pace. ... I think if you said this week we could activate 50 players instead of 45, the 50 we activated would all play."
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1) Jerod Mayo in the spotlight. The Patriots' first-round draft choice has been on the field for every snap through the team's first two games, the only defender to do so. Mayo spoke with reporters about his early emergence, while Belichick touched on how Mayo has been consistent through six games -- the four preseason contests, and the two regular-season games -- in showing "speed, range, toughness and playmaking ability." Mayo has been credited with 16 tackles by the team's coaches, the second highest total on the team.
2) Signs pointing to Benjamin Watson's return. Tight end Benjamin Watson, who has missed the first two games with a right knee injury, looks primed for a return. Watson spoke with reporters in the locker room today, which is often an indication that a player will suit up for the next game. Watson, who is not on the team's injury report, was asked how his knee has responded the last two days in full-pads practices. "Each day is better than the last one," he said.
3) Defensive linemen share championship belt. Each week, members of the defensive line award one member of the group with a championship belt, which is given to the player with the top performance. This week, however, the entire line is sharing the belt because the feeling was that the line played strong across the board against the Jets. No sequence of plays seemed to reflect that more than the second-quarter stand in which the Jets were stopped on three straight runs from the 3-yard line.
4) Red-zone and goal-line a main focus today. Belichick explained that Fridays are usually a day in which the team focuses on the red-zone and goal-line. He relayed that he showed the team footage of other teams through the first two weeks of the season, such as Carolina's last-second victory over the Chargers, and the Broncos' win over the Chargers last week. Both games were decided by red-zone or two-point conversion plays. "Plays where the whole 59 minutes and 58 seconds comes down to one play," Belichick said. "Those are some of the things we do on Friday and talk about some of the other things going on in the league."
5) Where are Terrence Wheatley and Shawn Crable? Second-round draft choice Terrence Wheatley was inactive in Sunday's win over the Jets, while third-round pick Shawn Crable has been inactive for both games. Belichick was asked if both players have hit roadblocks in the learning curve. "No," he replied. "I think this is a good rookie class. I think they all work hard. They're all attentive. They've been out there on a consistent basis and they're getting better. I'd say Terrence and Shawn are smart guys, they work hard, and they're picking things up at a good pace. ... I think if you said this week we could activate 50 players instead of 45, the 50 we activated would all play."
More...
