[ad_1]
FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts. – At this stage of the pre-season, established veterans are often fired by their teams to give them a chance to join another club before the regular season. This could explain why the punter holder Ryan Allen is no longer with New England.
The media said Monday night that Allen had been released by the Patriots and a number of his former teammates confirmed the move Tuesday before training.
At least one media outlet also reported that the Patriots had submitted a waiver request to Johnny Townsend, the scorer of the recently released Raiders, but the New York Giants, who were higher on the list of waivers, scooped him before New England. In all likelihood, this decision would have been an insurance policy for the Patriots in case something happened to rookie Jake Bailey by the beginning of the regular season.
So, for all intents and purposes, New England's pennettism work is now Bailey's, which is not surprising given that the reigning Super Bowl champions have invested a fifth-round pick. This reality, however, did not lessen the anger of some of Allen's former teammates.
"It's hard," said Joe Cardona, a long-time player. "Regarding … there will be a change in the dynamics of our group, from a professional point of view. A personal point of view, Ryan is obviously a friend and that will not change. I can not see him as often as usual, unfortunately. This is really the most difficult aspect. We need to build this chemistry [with Bailey] and he worked on that until now. He is definitely at work and we will continue to bet on that. "
"I do not care how long you play this game," said Matthew Slater, longtime co-captain of the special teams, "it's a part of the game you never get used to friends come and go. As is the case with Ryan, it is difficult to see him leave. You can easily say, "That's the problem. You can not forget the human side of the job … It's very difficult, certainly, when you have a relationship with a guy and you spend a lot of time with him, you have gone through life with him. It does not make things easy. "
Cardona spoke of the need to create a new bond with Bailey, who will take up both the punting task and the responsibility to hold kicker Stephen Gostkowski's placekicks. Bailey could also be asked to take over the housework. He started in the Detroit pregame, although Gostkowski resumed his usual role last week against Tennessee.
As difficult as seeing a friend leave, the Patriots teammates say they are ready to welcome a new one to Bailey.
"Jake is a young boy who came and was ready to learn, to receive coaching – obviously, extremely talented," continued Cardona, "but in reality, his professionalism in the building and the Exterior of the building was really impressive. He has obviously done enough work to make a good impression. I know he will continue to work hard.
"He got Joe's coaching [Judge, the special teams coordinator] and cam [Achord, the assistant special teams coach], as well as the indications he gathered from Steve and Ryan himself. I mean, Ryan was a professional in this whole process helping Jake become a better and more refined bettor. I do not think there is enough good to say about this guy. "
[ad_2]
Source link