The Patriots spent much of their afternoon practice Wednesday working on their passing game and three receivers, in particular, stood out. The guys who drew rousing applause were Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Buddy Farnham.
Obviously, that is great company for Farnham.
A year ago, as Moss and Welker were returning to form one of the best pass Randy Moss receiving duos in the NFL, Farnham was at Brown University preparing for his senior year. Now, he is running around with Moss and Welker and hauling in passes from Tom Brady, among others.
"Growing up watching him, it's pretty cool," Farnham said of being on the team with Brady.
Farnham is from Andover, Mass. At Brown, he caught 229 passes for 2,895 yards, both in the top seven in Ivy history. He had 1,003 yards in his senior year alone as he was named Ivy League player of the year. Still, the 6-foot, 185-pounder was not drafted and is a major underdog to make the Pats' roster.
If he has more days like the one he had Wednesday, his chances will improve. Twice he made one-handed catches in the passing drills, once as he entered the end zone. Since the stands and hill along side the Patriots' practice field once again were filled, Farnham drew big applause, just as Welker did when he hauled in the first long pass of the day and Moss did when he outfought a defender and pulled into another bomb.
"This is probably more people than we get at an average game (at Brown) just watching us practice," Farnham said. "It's fun."
Farnham, who also is being used as a kick returner, which is something he did all four years at Brown, is determined to give it his best shot.
"Playing in the NFL is something I've wanted to do since Randy Moss I was a kid," he said. "Luckily enough I was able to get this opportunity with the Patriots in my own back yard.
"I really don't pattern myself after anyone. I try to be my own player," Farnham said. "I look at great players and learn from them, but I try to have my own style. I really try not to compare myself to other people because I'm my own person."
But he loves to watch the guys he practices with every day.
"You just watch these guys, Torry Holt (who also had a nice end zone catch Wednesday), Wes Welker, Randy Moss, you learn from then. You watch how professional they are on and off the field. You learn so much from them. That's what I'm trying to do," Farnham said.
Inside job
One of the interesting competitions in camp has been at inside linebacker with Jerod Mayo. Gary Guyton, who started last year, remains out. Tyrone McKenzie, who missed his entire rookie season last year, and rookie Brandon Spikes both drew praise both coach Bill Belichick Wednesday.
"Tyrone is a smart kid. He really understands the defense. He's good with the calls and the communication and adjustments and really understands what we're doing," Belichick said. "He just needs the practice repetitions of actually doing it, taking on blockers, reading keys. Linebacker is a position that's so much dependent on a player's instincts and his ability to figure out where the ball is going, and runs, and play-action passes, and making those kinds of decisions and quick recognition as soon as the play starts."
Spikes, who stands out because he plays with red gloves on, needs to adapt to a new system.
"Our defense is a lot different than what they ran at Florida. Obviously, he's a big, physical player, but I'd like to watch him in our defense a little bit," the coach said. "I think he's got some unique skills. For a tall player, he's got probably more quickness than most guys, probably a little more leverage than a lot of other tall players. He does a lot of things well. It's kind of not by the book but (it's) effective."
That was close
Patriots owner Robert Kraft almost became a bit too involved in the practice. He had to duck to prevent getting clunked with a long pass.
Quarterbacks Brady and Brian Hoyer were working on a drill in which they take a snap, drop back and throw passes to a barrel placed on the goal line 50 yards away. Brady hit the barrel twice, once going around the rim.
As the drill was finishing, Kraft was walking onto the otherwise empty field, the one farthest away from the practice bubble. Nick Caserio, the team's director of player personnel, decided he would try to make the pass, too. He heaved the long pass down field, a bit too far. It went over the barrel.
Kraft barely caught sight of it at the last second and had to hit the ground to avoid the ball. The fans laughed once they realized Kraft was fine. Kraft playfully pointed a finger at Caserio.
Odds and ends
The Pats had only one practice. The morning session was canceled, with an announcement made just before 7 a.m.
Thirteen players missed the afternoon practice, which did not include pads. One is defensive lineman Ron Brace, who is out with non-football related issues. Brace did some conditioning work with others not on the field.
"He's day-to-day. Hopefully (he'll) be out there as soon as he possibly can. He's working hard to get back and we'd love to have him out there. We'll just take it day to day," Belichick said.
Myron Pryor, Mike Wright and Jonathan Wilhite were among the others who were present but did only conditioning work.
没有评论:
发表评论