Patriots Daily
Patriots Daily: Optimism Reigns to Start Training Camp
Regardless of preseason projections, I’ve always believed every team in every sport should have championship aspirations on Day 1 of the season. This is especially true for fanbases. After starting the season 1-3 and 0-4 reality can take over. But on the first day of training camp, there is no reason for folks not to feel good about themselves. The New England Patriots appear to agree with this sentiment. The mood was immaculate on Day 1 of training camp.
What Patriots Players Had to Say
“Felt great, really good feeling, first day. Energy was high,” defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. said of the first day of camp. “We have a great head coach, we have a great staff around us, we got great players that all came back. Pretty much have the same team. Have a good OC. All of the offensive players are happy and the energy is high, the confidence is high.”
“The sky’s the limit for us as a team,” said linebacker Jahlani Tavai. He added, “It’s exciting to see what we can create. Right now we’re just trying to build our foundation and we’ll take it from there.”
“We just got to keep building,” said safety Jabrill Peppers. “We know where we can take this thing. Got to do it bit by bit, can’t skip any steps. And starts with the hard days.”
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson was in a great mood entering camp with a new extension under his belt. “I’m glad I’m a Patriot for five more years,” he exclaimed.
Offensive lineman Mike Onwenu, also with a new contract in hand, was upbeat as well. “Feels good to be back. That’s what I’ve been waiting for,” said Onwenu. His position, guard or tackle, is not set, but Onwenu did not seem concerned. “Wherever the team needs me to play is where I’ll be.”
Even Matthew Judon, potentially an unhappy camper due to his contract situation, was in good spirits. He was excited to be back on the field after missing most of the 2023 season. “I just missed football,” said Judon. He stated that he feels great. Judon acknowledged it was hard heading into the final year of a deal without an extension done, but made his preference clear. “If it was me, I’d like to stay here forever, but it’s not up to me.”
A positive start to training camp from the Patriots’ perspective, as it should be.
Also in Thursday’s Patriots Daily:
Patriots Fact of the Day
Rhamondre Stevenson has a chance to move up the New England Patriots career rushing leaders this season. Stevenson currently sits at No. 18 on the list with 2,265 yards. If he has another 1,000-yard season he’d leap up to No. 7 on the list. The eight Patriots with over 3,000 yards rushing are:
5,453 – Sam Cunningham
5,323 – Jim Nance
4,647 – Tony Collins
3,799 – Curtis Martin
3,607 – Kevin Faulk
3,391 – Don Calhoun
3,249 – John Stephens
3,180 – Corey Dillon
Post of the Day
A look at Sam “Bam” Cunningham, courtesy of our friend Honest Larry:
More Sam Bam Cunningham: pic.twitter.com/XNc0KAhQNU https://t.co/QeMJExyVD2
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) March 27, 2023
Patriots Football Now Coverage
Dan Kelley’s 12 Greatest Patriots Players in Franchise History – The list of candidates got narrowed down to 30 and then 20. Ultimately, I had to decide on the Top 12 players in Patriots franchise history (the number representative of No. 1 on the list). Somebody is always unhappy with such lists, so who was the biggest snub?
Meet the 2024 New England Patriots Undrafted Free Agents– The New England Patriots have a proud history of undrafted free agents excelling with their franchise. Current Patriots UDFAs include David Andrews, Jonathan Jones, and Brendan Schooler. Meet this year’s crop of undrafted free agents heading to training camp. Is there another diamond in the rough?
Kelley: Pre-Training Camp Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection – Before training camp gets underway, I attempted to project how the Patriots would narrow their 90-man roster down to 53. How did I do?
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Boston Hockey Now – Boston Bruins trade target…New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom. The forward has struggled for the Islanders, but a fresh start in Boston could work out well for both sides. What would it take? It is possible? Does it make sense?
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