[Sly Fox]

Have one of you guys been emailing the Boston fishwrap? From Globe Pats beat writer Mike Reiss' mailbag:

I attended Liberty University this past year and was able to watch Patriots rookie free agent Vince Redd play in person a half dozen times. Vince is 6-6 and has a history in basketball. What are the chances that he makes the roster as a special-teamer or even a coverage linebacker if the team were to go to a rotation like they did last year?
Colby, Orlando, Fla.

A: Colby, looking at Redd it's hard not to be impressed with his physical stature. He also seems to move pretty well. He's obviously a longer shot to earn a roster spot, but it appears he has some legitimate tools with which to work. As long as he shows the ability to retain information and work hard, I would think he's a likely practice squad candidate. Still, he's not a bad pick if you're looking for the next Randall Gay (2004), Mike Wright (2005), or Pierre Woods (2006) -- rookie free agents to make the 53-man roster out of training camp. Not to go overboard, but I like this rookie free-agent class as a whole, and Redd is one reason why.

Click Here for Full Story

[Knucklehead]

Another good Vince Blurb!
http://www.patriotledger.com/sports/x19 ... s-minicamp

I Like this line, haha:

Redd, who went undrafted, wound up at tiny Liberty University after sitting out 2006

[LUconn]

uhh, isn't UVA like 13k or something enrollment?

[thepostman]

that annoys me so much...people should really check their facts before saying this...10,500 is far from "tiny"...I know people who have left Liberty because it was too big for them...yep...tiny

[jcmanson]

But we are “tiny” in a football sense.

[Knucklehead]

I don't know Manson, Rocco has really done a lot to beef up the size on this roster. I don't know if I would call any of our players Tiny!

[jcmanson]

uhh, isn't UVA like 13k or something enrollment?

23,000+ last year

[Knucklehead]

OLB Vince Redd 6-5 263 Liberty--He played in a 3-4 in Virginia and is an explosive player. He's a bit undisciplined and has a bit of Rodney in him with drawing flags.

Undisciplined? Flags?
http://www.patsfans.com/12th/2003/story ... ry_id=6094

[Knucklehead]

Redd saw little playing time during his college career but he is very athletic for his size and is a good fundamental tackler.

What qualifies as very little playing time?

The only real knocks on Redd were the level of competition he played against at Liberty and his mediocre instincts in coverage (he was a defensive end for a good portion of his career).

Mediocre in coverage?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2187 ... rps-070508

[Cider Jim]

Knuckle, but there is good news in that link, too:

Vince Redd: This guy has fantastic size at 6-foot-6 260 pounds, and he has the talent to be at least a decent pass rusher in a 3-4 set, or a defensive end in a 4-3....He is very athletic for his size and is a good fundamental tackler. He is also quite versatile, which makes him all the more appealing to the Pats as a prospect...The Patriots could have gotten a real bargain here in Redd, whose superb athleticism could help him make an impact as a situational rusher and perhaps even a special teamer.

[Knucklehead]

I'm with you I just hat writers talking out of their buts!

[SuperJon]

Redd saw little playing time during his college career but he is very athletic for his size and is a good fundamental tackler.

What qualifies as very little playing time?

The only real knocks on Redd were the level of competition he played against at Liberty and his mediocre instincts in coverage (he was a defensive end for a good portion of his career).

Mediocre in coverage?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2187 ... rps-070508

Very little playing time means he didn't play for an entire year and didn't get a ton of time at UVA. He played a lot at Liberty, but for his college career, he didn't play much.

Mediocre in coverage is the truth. Vince is still learning the outside linebacker spot. Remember, at UVA, they wanted him to be a DE so he bulked up for that and was a pure pass rusher. We put him at OLB here and he's had to learn it. He's getting better, but he's not great in coverage yet. He'll work his butt off to get great, but he's not there yet.

[Knucklehead]

True SJ. He can and will get better. I just think the word mediocre is a bit stern.

[PeterParker]

Drop-in for a tidbit from Patriot land...Redd stands out to media observers:


http://www.boston.com/sports/football/p ... _obse.html

3) Don't forget Matt Gutierrez at quarterback. One of the surprise stories of 2007 training camp, when he made the club as a rookie free agent, Gutierrez appears primed to threaten Matt Cassel for the No. 2 job behind Tom Brady. Besides throwing a nice ball with apparent ease, Gutierrez continues to display a strong work ethic. He was the last player off the field, staying late to work with tight end Stephen Spach, and also the first player to finish in the end-of-practice sprints (along with OLB Vince Redd).

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/p ... l#comments

Outside linebacker:
Gary Guyton (also played inside)
Shawn Crable
Vince Redd


>hey Mike,
with regard to the other rookie linebackers Redd and Ruud - did anything stand out? Redd seems to have the ideal build for an OLB in this system - would be nice if he made the squad in the same fashion as Mike Wright and Pierre Woods.

>Hi Bob. It's tough to keep an eye on them all, but I thought it was interesting that Ruud continues to work at strongside inside linebacker alongside Mayo. And Redd caught my eye by sprinting ahead of most teammates at the end of practice, which I saw as a sign of top conditioning.

[jcmanson]

Top conditioning, eh?

[bozlady]

SUHWEEEEET!!!

http://www.patriots.com/mediacenter/ind ... rchstring=

[Cider Jim]

Vince looks SO intense; I'm really glad he's my friend.

[coolhandluke]

I think he's going to make the team. Atleast I hope he does.

[JDUB]

Vince looks SO intense; I'm really glad he's my friend.

he looks intense. when you hear him talk, you lose the fear lol

[PeterParker]

Additional insight from Reiss at the Globe.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/p ... l#comments

5 minicamp observations

5) OLBs bring impressive length to the field. The casual observer at practice can't help but take notice of the physical presence of OLBs Shawn Crable (6-5, 243) and Vince Redd (6-6, 260). While their true test will come when there is hitting and physical play, it is intriguing to consider the possibilities of what their sheer length could bring to the defense in terms of disruptive presences as pass rushers. They have long arms and long legs, and can make a passing lane seem quite narrow.

[Cider Jim]

their true test will come when there is hitting and physical play

Does everyone agree that this WON'T be a problem for Vince?

[LUconn]

I kinda hope he gets put on the practice squad so another team can grab him.

[bozlady]

I don't know how we missed this one.

Redd in the red
Rookie linebacker Vince Redd has found a way to stand out on the practice field, stealing a page from the book of a guy he’s trying to replace — Rosevelt Colvin. Redd wears a tight, long-sleeved shirt under his practice attire, much like Colvin used to during practice. Colvin was on the record admitting he wore the shirt simply to stand out among his teammates. I wonder if Redd is using the same theory.

Redd also stood out yesterday as the guy winning all the sprints and putting forth the greatest effort during the end-of-practice running.

I’ll say it again, his combination of size, speed, athleticism, effort — and now the red shirt — will earn Redd a spot somewhere on the roster. It also doesn’t hurt that his legs are twice the size of Shawn Crable’s.

This entry was posted on May 29, 2008 at 11:49 am and is filed under Passing Camp.
http://blog.pfwonline.com/2008/05/29/redd-in-the-red/

[TylerBakersGonnaBGreat]

WHOO HOO!

[PeterParker]

Vince with another of Cider's fellow alumni.




And, another side note about Vince's apparel.

http://cachewww.patriots.com/search/ind ... 31&pcid=41

Practice Notes:

Undrafted free agent linebacker Vince Redd went back to the red sleeves he adorned during rookie minicamp after choosing to go with the more conventional blue look on Friday.

Also, anybody know if Gado has some inside info here? Patriot's beat writer, Reiss, confirmed that Gado had an invited tryout with the team. Both Pats running backs went down with injuries last year, and Morris is trying to make his case in camp coming off a season ending injury last year...could be interesting to see if Gado gets a call for depth on the squad before the season starts if he hasn't been scooped up by another team by then.


From the Ask Reiss mailbag http://www.boston.com/sports/football/p ... 08/?page=3

Haven't heard any news about Sammy Morris. Has he been working out? What's the status of his injury? Do you think he'll be his old self anytime soon?
Paul


A: Hi Paul, Morris has been working out in the offseason program. He generally spends his weekends in his native Dallas, before traveling up to New England on Sunday nights to take part in the program (he leaves Fridays). I think he's progressing nicely, although even Morris himself acknowledged that he won't know for sure until he takes a hit. The Patriots did visit with free agent running backs Kevin Jones and Samkon Gado, so perhaps they are just covering their bases in case Morris' recovery takes a step in the wrong direction.

And from two days earlier (June 1) http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2 ... ts/?page=4

Depth receptions

One area on the Patriots' roster to watch for potential additions is running back, as the club recently visited with free agent Kevin Jones (Lions) and had Samkon Gado (Dolphins) in for a tryout. Representatives for both players confirmed the visits, which are likely designed as a security measure if veteran Sammy Morris experiences any setbacks in his recovery from a sternum/clavicle separation.