Getting my fix

You know you are an NFL junky when the video below excites you.

Me, Shep, and Mark didn't get to practice our tailgating skills at Day 2 of Pats training camp at Gillette yesterday. Mr. Kraft wouldn't allow that. But we did get to watch Brady and co. (sans pads) go through a "workout" and run some drills.

I am ready for the season. Belichick looked ready too.

Impressions from an afternoon at training camp...

• Chandler Jones is bigger than I thought. As is Ryan Mallette. Gronk is bigger than everyone. And he showed no ill effects from his surgery. 
• Deion Branch is not going to retire because he's still having way too much fun. Brady throws the ball differently to Welker and Branch than the rest of the receivers. It's a comfort-level thing. 
• My friend Shep can go over the top of the defender to grab a free T-shirt thrown into the crowd like nobody's business. The guy in front of us said "If I were just an inch taller..." It wouldn't have helped.
• The players have to love the new CBA restrictions on practice rules. Not too demanding. 
• Young running backs Vereen and Ridley both looked quick.
• The Pats roster sheet that was given out at the gate is now my constant companion.
• New TE Vinsanthe Shianco is not a big beefy tight end. He's more the Tony Gonzalez type.
• Vince Wilfork's shorts are so big they come down almost to his ankles. And he doesn't like to take part in the running drills.

It's always nice to visit Gillette for football instead of a movie or dinner. The next time I'm there will be in about two weeks for the preseason opener against Drew Brees and the Saints. Preseason football in 80 degree weather. One of my favorite things.

Making camp

Heading to Pats camp at Gillette tomorrow. Can't wait. I guess I am officially over the Super Bowl loss.

Comings and goings

My ... people come and go so quickly here. It's that time of the year. Training camps are opening up all around the NFL this week and players will be added, dropped, added, dropped. I call it the "Ross Ventrone period" of the football year after the scrappy Pats defensive back who was dropped and re-signed more times last year than Ocho caught passes.

Today the Pats dropped veteran running back Joseph Addai and added veteran tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. I guess Belichick figures the Pats can never have enough good tight ends. Shiancoe -- if he doesn't get cut by the end of the week -- can play the Alge Crumpler mentor role to Gronk and Hernandez. And he has good hands. I thought Addai was going to play the mentor role to young running backs Ridley and Vereen but you have to make it through your conditioning test first.

So for the record ... Here are the veteran fee agents signed over the past few seasons that I was certain would help the team who never even made it to Week 1. Tory Holt. Anthony Gonzalez. Joseph Addai. And those are just the three I care to remember. Oh, and Shaun Ellis. He was a big disappointment. But he at least made the team. Belichick can't be right every time.

Here's hoping Gallery, Carpenter, Fanene, and Gregory aren't next on that last.

An original

Gino Cappelletti, already in the Patriot's Hall of Fame for his play on the field, will one day be enshrined again for his broadcasting career. The longtime Pats radio commentator called it a second career, retiring from the booth and opening the door for Zo to take over. (Zo. That's a topic for another day).

Gino has been broadcasting Patriots game for 32 years, since I was 18. He did some announcing in the '70s before taking a spot on the Pats coaching staff for a few years. He came back to radio in 1988, right about the time I bought my first season tickets. I've spent a lot of Sundays hanging in the parking lot with friends listening to Gino's voice echoing out of dozens of radios.

Before he became a radio fixture, Cappelletti was one of the greatest players in the history of the AFL. He was one of the stars that helped establish the rival to the mighty NFL and played for its entire 10-year existence. The mega-success that the NFL is today was built by guys like Gino. You've heard the term two-way player? Two wasn't enough for Gino. He kicked field goals, was a prolific wide receiver, played defensive back, returned kicks, and even threw a touchdown pass. He finished as the all-time leading scorer for the AFL with an amazing 1,100 points. In 1964 he scored a ridiculous 155 points in just 14 games. He was the league's MVP that year. I was too young to remember watching him play but there's a video of him walking off the field at either BU or Fenway after another great performance and he is surrounded by a swarm of adoring fans. Gino was as big a star athlete as they come.

He brought that celebrity to the booth where he teamed up with play-by-play man Gil Santos. The two made a great radio duo. They had to endure a lot of bad, bad football but they always brought insight and enjoyment to those of us listening. After years of frustration Gino and Gill got to experience -- along with the rest of us -- the unexpected joy of a Super Bowl championship. It's one of the greatest calls in broadcasting history. My favorite part is the sound of Gino laughing with delight in the background. No words. Just the kind of uncontrollable laughter that comes from disbelief that something great has finally happened. Gino's laugh captured the feeling of all Pats fans that day.

As he got a little older he started to become a little more goofy and forgetful. It happens to us all. But he still knew his stuff. He was a homer. No doubt about it. That's what you get with the local broadcasting team. Johnny Most. Tom Heinsohn. Derek Sanderson. But Gino was a little different. Sure, he was rooting for the Pats. Of course he was. He was the original Patriot. But he was not one to blame the refs or the fates. When the Past stunk -- and till about 10 years ago that was often -- he was quick to say so. His patience for bad football was evident in his voice. As a fan that was a good thing.

Gino's voice has been echoing through the parking lots in Foxborough for every game I have been to. I'll miss hearing that this fall.

Break it down -- defensive backs

What's the old saying? Saving the worst for last? Something like that. In the case of the Patriots, the defensive backfield is definitely the worst position on the team. But maybe that's about to change.

The Pats were last in the league against the pass for most of last season. They gave up yards in big chunks to an array of quarterbacks. There were two key reasons for that. First, Devin McCourty -- a sensation at the corner in his rookie season -- had the sophomore slump to end sophomore slumps. He went from being almost unbeatable to being almost invisible. So many passes were completed over his head that it was like he wasn't even there. Second, Patrick Chung got hurt ... again. That left it up to guys like James Ihedigbo, Sterling Moore, and Sergio Brown. And those guys actually held their own. Especially Moore.

Bolstering the secondary was a key coming into 2012. It looks like the Pats may have done that. The secondary should be better, and if Chung can stay healthy and reach his potential then the secondary could actually be very good.

STARTERS
Chung is at the center of everything. When he's on the field and making plays at strong safety the defense comes together. When he's out, there's a big hole. He hasn't had a reliable partner in the middle of the field at free safety although former Jet Ihedigbo surprised. The Pats signed free agent Steve Gregory to bring some stability -- and experience -- to the secondary. He might be this year's Andre Carter as far as impact goes. That pushes McCourty back to the outside. After struggling badly for the first three months of the season last year, McCourty started to play some safety and he played it pretty well. He seemed to get his feet back under him. Hopefully that will carry through to this year. The other corner position will come down to either Kyle Arrington and second-year man Ras-I Dowling. Arrington tied for the league lead in picks last year. I know, it's hard to believe. But it's like when Meriweather made the Pro Bowl two years in a row. It made no sense but the guy had to be doing something right. Arrington gets credit for making the plays. Dowling was a second-round pick who got hurt and did nothing last year. But the word is he has starter-level talent. I think Arrington starts the season with the job.

BACK-UPS
The Pats are starting to build secondary depth. A key in today's pass-first, pass-second NFL. Dowling or Arrington make a very good third corner. Ihedigbo and Moore go back to their more suited roles as nickel and dime guys. Josh Barrett will be back and the Pats added veteran Will Allen. I like it when the Pats have a savvy veteran defensive back. I hope Allen is that guy. The Pats also drafted three rookies this year. They drafted Tavon Wilson out of Illinios in the second-round ahead of some other more notable prospects. He's 6-0 and can play both corner and safety. The team then grabbed Alfonzo Dennard and rubgy player Nate Ebner in the later rounds. Dennard had off-the-field problems that caused him to slide way way way down the draft board. He could be a surprise. Ebner was a ruby sensation at Ohio State but will most likely be returning kicks, not picks

IN THE MIX
Role players Ross Ventrone, Malcom Williams, and Jets-castoff Marquice Cole fill out the roster.

The Pats were ugly against the pass for large parts of last year. A part of that is a lack of pass rush. But the other part is a solid secondary. The Pats are getting closer to having that.

Shake, rattle ... and fall

Norman A. Sas.

I had never heard of him either. But his obit came across the wires the other day.
Turns out he was the guy who invented the electronic football game. No, not the little handheld device from the late '70s that had a tiny red light that you moved across the screen to a series of beeps and blips avoiding would-be tacklers in the form of more little red lights.

I'm talking electronic table-top football. The closest a game got to the real thing ... before Madden.

I got my first (of three) electronic football games when I was 12. The "field" was a sparkling piece of green sheet metal with the NFL logo painted in the middle and all the yard and end zone markers perfectly recreated. The players were about the size of a pawn on a chess board. But so much cooler. My set came with the Dallas Cowboys (then America's Team to the media -- but no one else) and the Detroit Lions. Enclosed in the box was an order sheet to get more plastic players dressed as other NFL teams. It wasn't long before all my favorite teams (Pats, Chiefs, Browns) and uniforms (Niners, Vikes, Raiders) were represented in my growing collection of guys. Sometimes I would just set up the field (Pats vs. Niners usually) and lie on the floor and imagine the players runnning around the sheet metal field. Hey, I said I was 12.

Electronic football was one of those games where the set-up was as much or more fun than the actual playing. Like Stratego. Or Mouse Trap. Or Risk. The beauty of electronic football is that the set-up happened before every play. Each little guy sat on top of a green stand. Attached to the bottom of each stand was a little wheel with two prongs sticking out of it. The idea was that if the wheel was set straight then the two prongs would make the player run straight. If the wheel was turned to the right then the player would go right. If the wheel was turned to the left, then left he would go. That was the theory.

So when me and one of my friends sat down to play a game we would spend 15 minutes setting up the first play. This guy and this guy will pull right, and these two guys will pull left, allowing the running back to cut right and then straight through the hole created by the blockers. On defense it would be this guy will come up on run support while these two guys head back in coverage. It was a lot of strategery.

Then you would flick the switch. And all the strategery would go right out the window.

The field would begin to vibrate. And I mean vibrate. Loudly. A motor attached to the underside of the game would cause the sheet metal to rattle, causing the players to move around. The idea was that the players would move in the predetermined patterns that were set up before the switch was flicked. The reality was that the players would bounce all over the field. Some backwards. Some in circles. Some would begin to "run" and then fall over. Other players would come together in a pack for a group vibrate. Half of the time the little foam ball would fall out of the guy's hand and we would yell "fumble!" A fumble was recovered when another player would bump into the ball. Sometimes that would take minutes. Very suspense-filled minutes.

No matter how many times the flick of the switch created chaos instead of something that looked like football, me and my friends would faithfully gather all our guys up again and set up another play. All the while talking about the last play as if something had actually happened. And that's because every now and then a little plastic guy carrying a little foam ball would vibrate his way down the field with a bunch of other little guys chasing him and cross the goal line for a touchdown. I'm guessing the average score for electronic football was 6-0 (it was almost impossible to kick an extra point). They were some of the best 6-0 games I've ever seen.

Sometimes my mother would come into the room where we were playing and stop to watch as we placed each guy carefully in position. There was a hush of concentration in the air. Then the hush would be broken by the loud sound of the rattling metal and the players would jump around with no rhyme or reason and the runner would be "tackled" and we'd shut the switch off to get ready for the next play.

"Huh," my mother would say. "It's just like real football. I can't tell what's happening at all."

Thanks, Norman A. Sas. Great game.

Break it down -- defensive line

It all starts with the Big Man. Vince Wilfork. I can't remember a professional athlete playing better after signing a huge contract than Wilfork has the past few years. He deserves a lot of credit for not kicking back and being satisfied. A lot of well-paid athletes have done just that after hitting the contract jackpot.

Not Vince. And that makes him the perfect veteran to teach newcomer Chandler Jones exactly how to play the NFL game. It's been a few years since Wilfork was the anchor of a D line with Richard Seymour and Ty Warren. There's been a rotating cast of characters from Gerard Warren (still with the team) to Albert Haynesworth (soon to be arrested). Some of them have worked out, some not so much. Thus the trading up in the first round of the draft to grab Jones.

STARTERS
Let's pretend the Pats will play more 3-4 than 4-3 this year. But with Belichick, who the hell knows. In a three-man front it should be Wilfork, Jones, and third-year man Kyle Love. When the defense goes with a four-man front the other end will rotate between guys like Ninko, Jermaine Cunningham, Trevor Scott, and Brandon Deaderick.

BACK-UPS
The already mentioned Scott, Cunningham, and Deaderick are solid depth guys. As is Gerard Warren. Ron Brace was drafted as the next big guy in the middle but he hasn't been able to stay on the field enough to show what he can really do. Maybe this year? I would say I have high hopes for free agent pick-up Jonathan Fanene but every time I say that the guy either gets cut or retires the next day.

IN THE MIX
Fourth-year lineman Myron Pryor lost most of last year to injury so this may be the end for him. Rookie Jake Bequette comes out of Arkansas with a rep as a good pass rusher. The other rookies trying to make the team are Justin Francis (another Rutgers guy) and Marcus Forston. Marcus Harrison and Aaron Lavarias probably won't be around come September.

The Pats have been in search of a pass rush for a few years now. Chandler Jones will change that.

Break it down -- linebacker

This should be everyone's favorite position by the end of the season. With the drafting of D'onta Hightower the Pats now have the potential to have four impact linebackers on the field at the same time. It won't be Bruschi, Willie, Vrabel, and Johnson ... but it could be pretty darn close in a few years.

STARTERS
Jerod Mayo -- if he can stay healthy -- could be the best middle linebacker in the AFC this season. When Mayo is at the top of his game he closes the holes in the middle of the field with speed and ferocity. His return to health in the playoffs last year was a key part of the run to the Super Bowl. Next to him in the middle is Brandon Spikes. Another guy who can only be stopped by injury. Spikes showed his playmaking skills with a great pick in the AFC title game. A full year of these two in the middle will go a long way toward improving the defense. It's likely the Pats will play more 3-4 this year and when they do they have Ninko and  Hightower to man the outside. Ninko had a great year last year, recording big play after big play. He's looking more and more like Vrabel every week. Hightower should make an impact right away. He's that good. Nick Saban usually has his players ready for the NFL.

BACK-UPS
Bobby Carpenter -- the former Cowboy, not the former Bruin -- is like offensive lineman Robert Gallery ... a high draft pick who hasn't reached his potential. Carpenter is a good fit as a veteran back-up. Returning vets Dane Fletcher, Tracy White, and Niko Koutouvides along with linebacker/ends Jermaine Cunningham and Trevor Scott are solid depth players.

IN THE MIX
Young linebackers Jeff Tarpinian and Mike Rivera have good size (6-3 and 6-5 respectively) but they will have a tough time making the team.

Bruschi. Vrabel. McGinnest. Johnson. ... Mayo. Spikes. Hightower. Ninkovich. The rebuilding on defense is almost complete.

Break it down -- quarterback

There's no need for further analysis.

Break it down -- running back

Running back. The often overlooked position in the Patriots' offense. But it shouldn't be. Antowain Smith. Corey Dillon. Kevin Faulk. They not only carried the ball during the Pats Super Bowl runs, they also carried a big part of the load.

So who carries the load this season? That will be THE most interesting question in training camp and during the preseason. Watching second-year guys Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley battle for the starting spot will almost be worth the full ticket price for the two preseason games. Almost.

STARTERS
I'm going with Ridley as the guy who will win the job. Of course that means it will probably be Vereen. Ridley showed break-away potential last year, leading the team in rushes over 20 yards. But he had a few fumbles near the end of the season and come playoff time was banished to the bench. He'll need to fix that. Vereen was injured early last season and didn't get back on the field till the end. The California grad is a Kevin Faulk third-down type back. That's a key role. Danny Woodhead's play dropped off after his outstanding first season with the Pats but he's still a playmaker. Veteran Joseph Addai, the former Colt, is a player I have high hopes for. But I thought that about Tory Holt a few years ago, and Fred Taylor, and Anthony Gonzalez. Those guys didn't work out so well.

BACK-UPS
It has long annoyed me that Belichick, the great student of the game that he is, has not had a fullback on his roster for most of the past decade. You have to have a fullback. It's about hard-nose football. Well, I've changed my mind about tight ends so maybe the coach is changing his mind about fullbacks because there are currently three on the roser. Tony Fiammetta, Eric Kettani, and Spencer Larson. Hopefully one of them will see a lot of action this year. Rookie Brandon Bolden is a dark horse to make the team.

It won't be easy for any of these guys to fill in for Bennie. He was a rock. He may not have had a lot of long rushes, but inside the ten he was almost a sure thing. And he never fumbled. Very tough to replace.