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| July 13, 1998 Interesting News & Notes. • DB Chris Canty and RB Sedrick Shaw are said to be staying away from the media. The media is being harsh on the two players for what they think is lack of contribution. With the drafting of 1st rounders RB Robert Edwards and DB Tebucky Jones, Canty and Shaw are feeling added pressure. They know, especially Canty, that they're starting oppertunities are going by them in the blink of an eye. Sedrick Shaw is in a slightly different situation, though. RB Robert Edwards is being ignorant by giving the Patriots a hard time trying to sign him. Shaw is a ware of the oppertunity so he is making the best of it. He has been singled out by several of the Patriots coaches as being a hard-working individual who is serious about the oppertunity. Sure, everyone would like a one-two punch of Edwards and Shaw, but Edwards better get with the program soon or his oppertunity could be gone in a flash. With Canty, he really didn't play up to 1st-rounder mateial. He was featured on Special Teams and on some defensive situations. He must try to look for more playing time and challenge Tebucky Jones for the starting spot. Coach Pete Carroll thinks Canty is in better shape than he was last year as a rookie. Canty has also been loyal to his workouts with strength and conditioning coach Johnny Parker. The coaching staff has taken note of his work in the minicamps. Shaw was also faithful to the program and is stronger and bigger than last year. Running backs coach Kirby Wilson said Shaw made big strides throughout the year in practice, after a less-than-stellar exhibition season. • Patriots kicker Mark Gagliano, a training camp addition, might be a valuable addition to the Patriots. He might become the team's kickoff man if Adam Vinatieri's kickoffs don't improve. Gagliano showed some good leg strength on punts during the minicamps and might also do punts in preseason eventhough Tom Tupa already has that job. • Jim Murphy, a quarterback from Northeastern, has received a lot of praise from coaches. A Patriot official told the press, "H's a kid you'd want to go to war with." Now Murphy has to show during the exhibition season he can play quarterback in the NFL. The Patriots like this kid and they hope he can become the team's 3rd string quarterback, and possibly a future backup if Scott Zolak gets hurt or retires. • Ted Johnson's agent, Jack Mills, is making the contract situation for the Patriots harder than it needs to be. Recently, the Patriots haven't responded to the latest preosal. The proposal is similiar to the five-year, $28 million deal given to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Levon Kirkland. It seems that Mills is stuck to that kind of deal the Steelers rediculously gave Kirkland. Mills is only screwing the Patriots more than Bill Parcells tried to. Its greedy gold-diggers like Mills that make NFL contracts a real hassel and unfair to teams and fans. Mills would rather not discuss a long-term deal with the team after training camp starts Sunday at Bryant College in Smithfield, R.I. If the proposal is rejected, he currently has no counter-proposal planned. |