FOXBOROUGH — As is customary, not much news out of Bill Belichick's press conference the day before training camp opens at Gillette Stadium.
The newsiest items:
- Jack Jones, who was arrested as the summer break started for bringing two loaded guns into Logan Airport, will be taking part in training camp. "Yeah Jack will be out there," Belichick said. "(It's a) legal situation that I can't comment on that's ongoing."
- Belichick even deflected a question about his personal reaction to Jones' situation. "Yeah, can't comment on it. Love to but ..."
- Trent Brown has been with the team for four days and should take part in practices. "He's been here the last four days, he looks ready to go," Belichick said. He also indicated that Juju Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton are also ready to go. "Expect all the players to go out there and work to perform to their potential and their best level. That's what we're all here for. I don't see it any different with any player."
- Belichick guesses Lawrence Guy will report, but the players were in the process of that when Belichick was speaking. "Hope so, we'll see. It's football season. Most players play football in football season. We'll see how it goes."
- Didn't really have much of a comment about DeAndre Hopkins signing with the Titans. "We talked to a number of players from the middle of June until now. Talk to other players now so a lot of roster movement this time of year," he said. "It's not like hundreds of other players we deal with through the course of the year. We have so many roster spots/ Some sign here some sign somewhere else. When there's an agreement, there's an agreement. When there's not ... there's 31 other teams."
- Called Aaron Rodgers a "great quarterback."
- Only Mac Jones question was related to the progress of the new offense. "Well, again, a lot of the spring was teaching and installation. So yeah, of course, you know, timing improves as we do things more. But again, we'll see, we'll see when the real competition starts, we'd have had a degree of that, but it's not what it's going to be."
- On DeVante Parker, Ja'Whaun Bentley extensions: "Well, you know, very year obviously talk to players on the team who are in the last year, their contract or RFAs or whatever it is ... So, we're able to reach an agreement with him, which is great. And Bentley. So two players that are two good players that are under contract into the future. So it's great. Glad we're able to work it out with both players."
- Belichick said "real camp" starts when the pads go on. "Once we can put on pads and start really competing against each other. It's minimal contact along the line of scrimmage, which for those guys is that's their whole game and, you know, don't have pads on and so even the competitiveness of the passing game is not what it will be: jamming receivers and you know, things like that. it's minimal."
BSJ ANALYSIS
A lot of this was expected. Would have been nice for Belichick to share something about the Jones situation that doesn't comment on his legal situation — he drafted him after a troubled college career, he finished his rookie season suspended by the team and six months later was arrested — but we knew that wasn't going to happen.
If Jones really takes the field like nothing happened — no demotion for a time, business as usual — you do wonder what message that sends to Jones, who has not always done the right thing as a professional in a short period of time, and the team.
Good news on Brown, Smith-Schuster and Thornton. The team needs all three of those guys on the field as often as possible and making steady progress. All three are very important.
As far as Belichick's comment about camp and pads ... Patriots camp is a slow burn. The first three practices basically don't mean anything, and the learning process could be even more delayed due to the 2 OTA practices taken away. A lot of people want to rush to judgment. Trust me, camp takes a while to get going in the modern NFL. Don't overreact to much the first week-plus. Just want guys on the field and healthy, and then real camp starts, as Belichick said.