Levan Reid, Mike Reiss Preview Patriots Training Camp On Sports Final
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patriots training camp gets underway this week, as the team will begin to set the groundwork for their 2016 season.
This year will be a little different from years past, given all the unknown that goes with Tom Brady's four-game suspension. But that's why ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss joined Levan Reid on Sunday night's Sports Final on WBZ-TV, to help tackle all the big topics that we can expect to play out over the next six weeks.
The Big Questions On Offense
- Who gets the snaps -- Brady or Jimmy Garoppolo?
"I don't think we're going to notice a difference early in camp. Bill Belichick says this all the time that training camp is to get every player on the 90-man roster ready for the regular season. Tom Brady still has to get his work in, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's Brady first followed by Jimmy Garoppolo early in camp," said Reiss. "The key time is as we get to the third preseason game, and then they shift focus to rallying around the guys who will be there for the regular season opener. I can see them trending toward Garoppolo at that time.
"What's best for the team is Tom Brady needs to get his work. You don't want him throwing to receivers who probably won't be there when the regular season begins," added Reiss. "It's not like you can give all the reps to Garoppolo; 50-50 is what I predict."
- Will tight end Martellus Bennett break out, or bust out like Scott Chandler?
"A lot of us, including myself, got burned on the Chandler signing," said Reiss. "Bennett is a superior player: 6-foot-6, 273 pounds, a powerful blocker when asked to do so who can catch the ball and runs well. This has a better chance at happening, but shame on us if we go too far and hype it up after what we saw last year."
- What can we expect from receiver Chris Hogan?
"He reminds me of David Givens," said Reiss. "He's big and physical with the ball in his hands. He was a lacrosse player in college, so think of a guy running down the field with the lacrosse stick in his hands. He's a physical, run-after-the-catch guy, so I think he'll add a lot to that group."
- What will Dante Scarnecchia's return mean for offensive line?
"He brings a level of calmness to the staff, knowing that he'll take care of [the offensive line]. He can develop those guys," said Reiss. "Scar adds a calmness due to his experience and previous work."
The Big Questions On Defense
- Who takes Chandler Jones' place on defensive line?
"Jabal Sheard. If they didn't have him I'd be more concerned of how they go forward," said Reiss. "He played 51 percent of the defensive snaps last year. He fit in very well and I look for his playing time to increase as the guy to replace Chandler Jones at right defensive end."
- What can we expect from Shea McClellin?
"With the Bears, he was there for four years and he had four different roles," Reiss said of the 2012 first-round pick. "The Pats liked him as a hybrid guy [out of college], sort of a defensive end/outside linebacker, a Mike Vrabel type. He did that, was a sub-rusher, an early-down guy, a three-down guy, and his last year in Chicago he was an inside linebacker off the line. In spring camps [with the Pats] he was a defensive end. I am fascinated on how they use him; is he a linebacker off the line like a Jerod Mayo, or is he a defensive end like a Sheard, trying to fill that role with Chandler Jones no longer around?"
- Who plays opposite Malcolm Butler?
"It's going to be Logan Ryan… He had a solid year [in 2015], and not a lot of people saw that coming," said Reiss. "Butler and Ryan were durable, and the Patriots were fortunate neither of those guys got hurt and played the snaps they did. To me, it's Butler and Ryan, then Cyrus Jones, the top draft pick, as the No. 3 guy."
- Will the Pats sign any of their big-name defensive players heading towards free agency?
"My sense is that nothing is close, and that can always change in an instant. If there is one guy who hast he best chance to have it happen, based on his situation, it's Butler. He's two years away from unrestricted free agency, so he might be more motivated to strike a deal than the other guys," said Reiss.
"Jamie Collins, that is going to be big bucks territory, and I don't think the Patriots are at that level right now," Reiss said of the linebacker. "I don't think they'd let him walk, but they have the franchise tag at their disposal. Leverage is a big part of this, and they've shown the willingness to wait. Devin McCourty is a good example; at the last minute they ponied up when they could have done it sooner. They're OK waiting, because it's all about the risk. What if the player gets hurt? Then it's a different picture."
Reiss also breaks down New England's situation at running back, and what Chris Long can bring to the defensive line. Check out Reiss and Reid's thoughts in the videos above, and tune in to Sports Final every Sunday night at 11:35pm on WBZ-TV!
