Jerome Solomon of the Boston Globe writes that Nick Kaczur has been somewhat of a surprise in camp. Rookie Logan Mankins was penciled in as a starter at left guard before camp and has been able to hold onto that spot. But surprisingly fellow draftee Nick Kaczur also seems to be holding his own at right guard as he is in competition with veterans Tom Ashworth and Brandon Gorin.
Chad Scott drew high praise from Bill Belichick during his press conference yesterday. "I have a lot of respect for Chad Scott and the way he's handled himself since the moment he's come into this stadium, whether it be in the weight room, the passing camps, training camp, meetings, the offseason program. When you say 'true professional,' then Chad Scott's one of the pictures that you see next to that name, from the experience I've had around him here in the last [four] months," said Belichick. Jerome Solomon of the Boston Globe, Michael Felger of the Boston Herald and Tom Curran of the Providence Journal all offer stories today on Patriots cornerback Chad Scott.
Michael Felger of the Boston Herald reports that Troy Brown has yet to take a single rep on defense which says alot about the Patriots defensive back depth as it appears Brown will not be used as an emergency defensive back this season. Brown can now focus on what he does best which is catching the ball. Tom Pedulla of USA Today also offers an article on Troy Brown.
*USA Today* offers it's 2005 player ratings in which Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning edged out Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for the number one spot for top ranked quarterbacks. Matt Pitzer of USA TODAY Sports Weekly and Derek Harper of The Sports Xchange cowrite this report.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal writes an article on Patriots second year safety Guss Scott who has come full circle as he returns to the scene where tore an ACL covering a punt against the Bengals in Cincinnati during preseason last year. "It's been a long time but it's been worth it. It was rough. I'm not going to lie. You want to be out there, you want to be a part of it, but it was something I had to deal with. It was just something that happened. I'm not the only player who got hurt. The more you look back on it, the more it will cause a problem," said Scott.
Michael Felger of the Boston Herald is looking forward to seeing how the offensive play-calling duties will be disseminated on game day. Josh McDaniels will be communicating the plays to quarterback Tom Brady, but will Bill Belichick in fact be calling the plays? We will find out this friday in Cincinnati as the Patriots take on the Bengals.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal also offers his daily Patriots blog with notes and commentary.
