Either Belichick has lost it all the way or he's just messing with people.
Matt Patricia and Joe Judge have been trading off calling plays on offense during their first preseason game. Patricia last coached offense in 2005 when he was the assistant offensive line coach. Joe Judge has basically only ever been a special teams coach except for one year when he was the Patriots wide receivers coach.
It was a weird draft, and a lot of it's "success" will hinge on the success of over-drafted OL Cole Strange (round 1/29). Add insult to injury by over-drafting QB Bailey Zappe... everyone seems to agree he's a back-up in the NFL and would have gone much later. BB didn't have a 5th and snagged the guy in the 4th.
He did pick the fastest WR and fastest RB (combine times) in the draft this year. Almost seemed as if speed was a mission (also grabbed a very fast CB), besides that it just looked like he was throwing darts.
thats silly...injuries happen, doesn't matter if its preseason or regular season. As long as your starters are playing against starters and not against 3 teamers trying to make a name, I think getting hit before they count outweighs any benefit of a weak camp and no playing time in preseason.
True, but playing at full go w/out ever preparing to play at full go also increases the risk of injury.
It's a really complex and deep subject. I've thought a lot about it for quite some time. I played and coached in an era that went full go. It was awful to lose a player in practice or scrimmage. Thus, I understand why you want to limit contact. On the other hand, not dealing w/contact and full speed play also can lead to more injuries because you are not prepared for it and I believe that the amount of injuries has actually increased the more teams backed off.
However, that is not a conclusive report. Just opinion. I really don't know the answer and I can see the merits of both strategies. I do think it makes for an interesting conversation, provided one is speaking w/another intelligent individual.
Pickens has looked great in camp, also today. All 3 QBs looked good, especially Pickett at the end. He took a couple of nasty sacks, especially the first one. Run defense still looks awful, hopefully will be better when some of the starters get back. McFarland, Warren, Teague all looked good at running back.