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Carroll Has Key To Future Success. Just recently, former Patriots FB/TE Keith Byars uttered the words "Pete's a good coach, but he's a work in progress." Pete Carroll elected not to comment, but anybody would agree that those comments were out of line. Those words exactly paint the picture that was on mostly everybody's mind the first time he stepped up as the Patriots head coach. "This is Pete's team, no question," said strong safety Lawyer Milloy. "Bill Parcells is gone. The philosophy is different. It's changed. It is what it is now. It's not like the Parcells days. These are the Carroll days now." Pete knows we can succeed here in New England and we have all the potential in the world. TV commentators have spoken negative about the Patriots because of the loss of our backfield. A few weeks ago, Dave Meggett's agent, Tony Agnone complained to the NFL Players Association that the Patriots released Meggett because Carroll was making a move to replace all the players Parcells brought in. That is not true. The Patriots are acquiring players Carroll thinks will be more productive in the long run. They are losing valuable experience and leadership in the process, but its better for the Pats to have a more successful future. Some preseason publications already have the Patriots third behind the Jets and Dolphins. The Patriots lost Curtis Martin, Keith Byars, Sam Gash, and Dave Meggett - Our whole backfield. Now we have a roster full of young running backs. The bottom line Carroll points out is that with Martin, Gash, Byars, and Meggett, the 1997 Patriots didn't have a good offense (except for the first four games). Now the Patriots will get to start fresh. Pete's key to success? It can be said in just 3 words: Young, fast, and strong. That's the type of team Pete wants and it can be proved by a glance at the roster. "Hopefully, after we've gone through training camp and we start the season, we'll find that we've upgraded the athleticism of this team," Carroll said. "Our young guys are fast and strong. You hate to lose leadership, but in the end it's which team has the most talented players." With Carroll at the helm, the Patriots are better off without Parcells. Players say he is more of a laidback kind of coach. The Media comments that since Carroll is a laidback kind of coach, the players can run all over him and call the shots. That's not true either. "I like Coach Carroll's approach," said first-round pick Tebucky Jones. "I played for coaches who were constantly screaming. Pete is more laidback." Carroll is laidback, but he gets his points across. If you're not willing to pay the price of being young, fast, and strong, you're gone. An example would be Jimmy Hitchcock. Jimmy impressed fans at times while he was here in New England, but he didn't really fit the mold of young, fast, and strong. He actually is young, fast, and somewhat strong, but Carroll thinks someone can do better. DB Tebucky Jones is probably Carroll's favorite project. He is a rookie, he's extremely fast, and he is very strong. "I watched him on film and he caught my eye," said Carroll. "I thought to myself that he could be a player who could fit into our scheme and into our plans beautifully. He's big, aggressive, and he loves to play. I just knew that this is the type of kid who could help our football team." Eventhough if a player fits his style of play perfectly like Tebucky does, Carroll knows when to let the player learn. "Obviously, we'd love for him to play the right corner, and I think he could be a good NFL corner, but if he needs more time, I know Tebucky Jones is going to be a factor for this team somewhere on the field." Carroll's plans are great reasons for fans to get excited about the upcoming season. Fans shouldn't let the publications, the media, or the local newspapers tell them otherwise about the Patriots. All they have to say is negative. You know what is going on with Pete Carroll. He'll lead us to a championship no matter what! Don't listen to the media. Instead go online to fan pages like this. We tell you what you want to hear. Something Carroll regrets was that he didn't do enough to develop the young players last year. He thought to himself that he could have prepared Sedrick Shaw better to take over for Curtis Martin. "I think there was so much going on with my first year and trying to get things organized that one thing I didn't do as much of was develop the young players," said Carroll. "We're going to do that all through the year. What we want to accomplish is a situation where the young players can push the veterans and if a veteran misses some time with injuries we can bring a young guy in and we won't lose a step. That's what we're trying to create in everything we do." ------ Players in camp are stepping up and showing more urgency. That is good for the Patriots because the players will perform better. They have something to prove and they have someone waiting to jump in because of the added competition Pete has added in camp. The players are alright with that and they say that its better for them and the team. Carroll said, "The competition in camp is going to be greater than it's ever been. We have competition everywhere on the field. And it's the players who are for that competition who will benefit the most." The positions that will be the most exciting to watch is the offensive line, wide receivers, and cornerbacks. "I don't know if our young linemen can unseat the veterans, but they're going to get a chance to do it," said Carroll. "I know right now Heath Irwin is in his third year and he seems the best-equipped to step in and take a job. He's about 300 pounds, which is about the size of a Todd Rucci. Damon [Denson] could also be a guy who's ready. Scott [Rehberg] and Ed [Ellis] have worked so hard to improve and they'll get their shots." A chance. That is all the players ask for. Carroll wasn't pleased with Zefross Moss's conditioning at the minicamp and acknowledged that Bruce Armstrong was heavier than he expected. But Armstrong has a history of being in shape when the time comes to work, said Carroll, so he isn't worried. Moss, though, "doesn't have that history," said Pete. "He needs to come to camp in shape." ----- WR Terry Glenn is working hard in camp and doesn't have an injury to restrain him. "He needs all six weeks before camp to have a good offseason," said Carroll. "He doesn't have any more restrictions from his injury. At this point, it's all up to him." Carroll will go ahead with the offense with or without Glenn. He is not going to use Glenn or any other player as an excuse this year. Glenn is highly thought of by Pete, but if we rely on Glenn and he gets injured, we cannot succeed. It will be great to have Glenn back in the lineup this year healthy and energetic. After careful consideration, Carroll thinks he can fit in WR Vincent Brisby into the offense. The Patriots need a big receiver in the offense and Brisby needs to perform up to his $1.2 million salary. "Ernie [Zampese] is used to having a big receiver in his offense and they're hard to find," said Carroll. "We have one right here on our team, so Vincent will get his opportunity to assume that role." ------ When asked if he believes his defense will continue their monumental effort from last season onto the start of this season, Carroll said "We haven't played yet. We can't assume anything. We have to approach it with the right attitude." He also said that all the veterans the Patriots have on the roster right now are good enough to offset the loss of all the other veterans. One veteran that will be a substantial loss is RB/KR Dave Meggett. The top candidate to fill his kick return spot is WR Troy Brown. Chris Canty, Tony Gaitor, Derrick Cullors, and Brian Stablein can also return kicks. "Right now, Troy Brown is my punt returner," said Carroll. "I feel comfortable with Troy back there. But here's a case where this will be wide-open competition." Carroll also feels that younger and faster players will be better on special teams. He thinks Tebucky Jones, Harold Shaw, and Chris Floyd can be much better cover men than some of the veterans who left the team. |
