Patriots Training Camp Blog: Haynesworth Out, No Pats Practice Sunday
FOXBORO (CBS) - Saturday was the 12th practice of Patriots training camp and here are some quick observations.
There was no Albert Haynesworth for the second day in a row. Mike Wright and Brandon Spikes also missed again. The defense is playing short-handed and for Albert, this is not good. There were rumors swirling that the Patriots went easy on the conditioning drill for Haynesworth, so he could pass it. On Thursday, he went up against Logan Mankins in a drill and we have not seen him since. Haynesworth needs to get back on the field as soon as possible.
Check: Patriots Training Camp Guide
I have been dogging Chad Ochocinco for dropping passes but on Saturday, he made the catch of the day. Tom Brady lofted a long pass down the left sideline and Chad made a great grab over two defenders, and he did it while falling backwards. This catch drew the biggest applause from the days crowd.
Apparently in a chance to win a day-off for the team on Sunday, rookie offensive lineman Nate Solder was put up to the task of catching a punt from Zoltan Mesko at the end of practice. Solder didn't disappoint, showing good form as he hauled in the punt and chest-bumped other offensive linemen in celebration. The Pats have Sunday off.
BILL O'BRIEN SPEAKS
Patriots offenesive coordinator Bill O'Brien held a question and answer session from the media today. One of the things that struck everybody, was his view of Tom Brady over the last couple of days.
"To be a good quarterback for us, just like he's been obviously, it's about decision-making and it's about accuracy. In this past offseason he's had, where there were no defenses out there, obviously there is a little bit of an adjustment period to when you come back to a training camp and now you have defense, different coverages, different fronts and different blitzes that you're seeing from the defense," O'Brien said.
"Just like everybody else out there, he's working to be more consistent. I thought the past two days have been really, really good practices for him."
That is just a changed from what we heard from Tom, who seemed very frustrated at camp. But now we have realized that is just Tom being the perfectionist. It's something that makes him great. Bill O'Brien shared some other views on different items. Here are a couple of them.
On WR Chad Ochocinco fitting in: "He's been very professional, works really hard, in the meeting room and on the field. He's a competitive guy, takes a lot of pride in it. I'd say that about the whole group of receivers. I think there are 11 of them working right now -- smart guys, competitive guys. Ocho is fitting in. I think he's progressed on a daily basis. Just like everybody else, there are ups and downs in this time of training camp. He's just trying to be as consistent as he can be, like everyone else out there."
On WR Taylor Price in Year 2: "It would be a similar answer to Ocho and the whole group. At this point of training camp, I think this is practice 12, there have been ups and downs. He's really trying to smooth it out. He's been there every day, he's working really hard, he's a competitive guy. It's really important to him. I believe that he will work to be consistent and we'll see how it goes."
On Backup QBs Brian Hoyer & Ryan Mallett: "I believe it's a really good situation. I believe you have three good quarterbacks. Obviously you have Tom, who is a proven guy. Then with Brian and Ryan, you have two guys there that obviously can throw the ball. Again, working for consistency, working to learn the offense. They are at different points in their career now; Brian is going into his third year, with Ryan being a rookie. So they are at a little bit different points there. Both of them have impressed as far as being able to throw the football. You got three guys there that can really throw the football. That's been good."
