Conor Roche Articles - Page 22

FOXBOROUGH — With most of the New England Patriots’ starters sidelined, the rookies got their chance to shine in Thursday night’s preseason opener against the New York Giants. Second-round rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton was the first to step up. He created separation on a nice move against Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson. Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer’s […]

FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator situation, at least the play-calling part, already appeared to be settled in the opening weeks of training camp. Offensive line coach Matt Patricia was the unit’s play caller for much of training camp, with Bill Belichick calling plays during a session while quarterbacks coach Joe Judge remained […]

FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots had their first preseason game of the 2022 season on Thursday, but that wasn’t their biggest news of the day. Long-time Patriots running back James White announced his retirement from football on Thursday. Playing all nine seasons in New England, White ranks as one of the franchise’s best pass-catchers with the […]

FOXBOROUGH – Patriots football had their soft opening for the 2022 season on Thursday. They hosted the Giants for their preseason opener. They didn’t play their starters though and lost, 23-21. Here are seven initial observations from the Patriots’ preseason opener: Tyquan Thornton shines The Patriots’ second-round rookie only played the first few drives, but […]

FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots will play in a real game on Thursday. Sorta. New England hosts the New York Giants for the preseason opener. Obviously, what the final result of a preseason game is means nothing come the regular season. But it can also be an indicator of what’s to come. Here are a few […]

FOXBOROUGH – Mac Jones has been under duress a lot in the unofficial start to his second season. Yet, he remains confident. The New England Patriots quarterback dealt with a major coaching change this offseason. Josh McDaniels, who was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator for the previous 10 seasons, left New England to become the head […]

FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots took the practice field one last time before Thursday’s preseason opener against the New York Giants. Here are four observations from Tuesday’s practice. Observations from Patriots’ final practice before preseason opener The offense looked much better If you’ve followed the news out of Patriots training camp through the first […]

FOXBOROUGH – Monday’s training camp practice was another rough one for the New England Patriots. In fact, it might have been their roughest yet. Starting left tackle Trent Brown committed a false start before the first snap of 11-on-11 drills, a sign that Monday wouldn’t be a good one for the offensive unit. In the […]

FOXBOROUGH – Patriots training camp is in full swing. New England has practiced nine times through two weeks, putting the pads on for four of them. Some of the likely suspects have performed well so far in camp, like Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore. On the flip side, there have been some areas of concern, […]

FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots held their annual Gillette Stadium training camp practice on Friday night. Bill Belichick treated season ticket holders and Foxborough residents to an intrasquad scrimmage, sorta. Six observations from Patriots’ Friday night practice #1 – It was a simulated game far from full speed Entering Friday night, the Patriots had yet to […]

FOXBOROUGH – Patriots second-round rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton is learning from one of the franchise’s greats. Troy Brown is the third-leading receiver in franchise history, making several big plays throughout New England’s first three Super Bowl runs. As Thornton put it, “his history speaks for itself.” Nowworking as the Patriots’ wide receivers coach, Brown’s […]

FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots put the pads back on for Thursday’s practice, their eighth so far of training camp. This came after going back to shells to work some things out on Wednesday, and it appeared to work — somewhat. Here are five observations from Thursday’s practice. Patriots Training Camp Observations Mac Jones […]

FOXBOROUGH – Christian Barmore was the consensus top rookie defensive tackle in 2021 with the New England Patriots. Barmore recorded 46 combined tackles and 1.5 sacks last season. Those stats might not be eye-popping, but his effectiveness goes beyond the box score. Barmore had a 17.2 pass-rush win rate (which determines how often a defensive […]

FOXBOROUGH — After two days of padded practices, the New England Patriots went back to shells on Wednesday, their seventh practice of training camp. Here are six observations from Wednesday’s practice. Patriots training camp observations Drills moved a bit slower New England took the pads off on Wednesday, and not only was practice less physical, […]

FOXBOROUGH — Bill Russell’s impact reached further than the basketball world. The Boston Celtics legend, who passed away at 88, was an inspiration to athletes and activists around the world, including New England Patriots veterans Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater. Following Monday’s Patriots training camp practice, the two veterans shared how the Boston sports icon […]

FOXBOROUGH — After four padless practices last week, the New England Patriots finally put the pads on for the first time in their 2022 training camp on Monday. The first padded practice didn’t bring many surprises as players got back into their natural playing element for the first time since January. A few players returned […]

The Patriots’ 2022 offseason likely won’t be one for the history books. New England didn’t make any major free-agent signings, unlike in 2021, when it spent a record-setting amount in free agency. The Patriots didn’t make any earth-shattering trades, either, or at least compared to the rest of the NFL landscape. A year after nailing […]

The Patriots already made a trade in the lead-up to training camp. New England shipped receiver N’Keal Harry, the 2019 first-round pick who struggled in his three seasons with the Patriots, to Chicago for a 2024 seventh-round pick. The trade of Harry was a long time coming for multiple reasons. Harry requested a trade prior […]

The Patriots’ 2022 offseason was a quiet one, especially compared to 2021. New England didn’t sign any Pro Bowlers in their prime, like Matthew Judon a year prior, or any up-and-comers, such as a Kendrick Bourne type of player. As a matter of fact, all the contracts the Patriots handed out this offseason were for […]

The 2022 NFL offseason didn’t bring the same fireworks the 2021 offseason did for the Patriots. New England spent just $26.9 million in guaranteed money in free agency over the offseason, much lower than the record-setting $163 million it spent in free agency in 2021. Of course, all of that spending in 2021 meant the […]

One of the biggest concerns facing the Patriots entering the 2022 season is the lack of star-level talent on the roster. New England had four players selected for the Pro Bowl in the 2021 season and just two players named to one of the All-Pro teams. Mac Jones was an injury replacement for the Pro […]

The 2022 offseason brought more of the usual in Foxborough after an unprecedented spending spree in 2021. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t talent on the Patriots roster. New England bounced back in 2021 after missing the playoffs in 2020, going 10-7 to earn a wild-card spot before losing to Buffalo in the opening round […]