What I’ve learned when it comes to covering Patriots' spring practices

Over the next two-plus weeks, we’re going to get a chance to see the Patriots practice four times — maybe five, if Bill Belichick doesn’t call off one of the days for a trip to Fenway or a waterpark or something. The first one is Thursday morning on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. We are going to be reading way too much into every snap, every formation, every completed and/or dropped pass, but honestly, you don't need to get bogged down in that minutiae. Instead, here are a few things we'll be keeping an eye on.



Veterans who look like they have no business on the field: Not so much the rookies — we'll get to them in a second. I’m talking about veterans. If there are guys who are theoretically on the bubble but who get winded running from one end of the field to the other, that's trouble. (Bo Scaife was a June pickup in 2012, but was so far gone over the course of a few practices, you could tell he wasn’t long for Foxborough. He was signed on June 7, and released after minicamp, 11 days later.) If there are guys who are consistently out of position. That same spring, Chad Ochocinco lined up in the wrong spot in full view of the media fairly consistently over the course of a couple of practices. At one point, he stuck out so badly Deion Branch had to come over, grab his shoulder pads, and steer him to where he needed to be. He was also cut soon after that. While Jared Veldheer sounds like he would have likely been a candidate here, we’ll keep out eyes open for some other possibilities.

Rookies who are overwhelmed: You don’t want to read too much into what first-year players look like the next few weeks. Sure, there will be guys like N’Keal Harry who come ready to make a seamless transition to the pro game. But for many of the rookies, working with the veterans and coaches will be their first real test of professional life, and it can be eye-opening. I once asked former Patriots offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger for his favorite rookie story, and he told us about his first real interaction with offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia.