The first day of training camp in the NFL isn’t completely unlike the first day back at school: There are some new people to meet, some new teachers, new lessons to learn, new accomplishments to achieve.
Only this isn’t the new girl from out of town trying to get the hang of Algebra I while accumulating new Facebook friends and figuring out how much she can get away with in Ms. Jones’s class.
This is Damione Lewis figuring out how to two-gap after a career of playing in a one-gap system.
This is Rob Gronkowski and Brandon Spikes discovering that dominating in the NFL isn’t as easy as dominating in college.
This is Corwin Brown coming back to his professional birthplace, this time as a coach helping to shape a talented group of defensive backs, and not as a fourth-round draft pick.
This is a young team trying to establish its identity and win in a difficult AFC East, and create its own legacy for a franchise that has become accustomed to tremendous success over the previous decade.
Whether they’re willing to admit it or not, the Patriots are in a time of transition. Gone are the players who answered the bell seemingly every time it rang, part of a run that is supposed to be impossible in a league built for parity. In their place are players who are largely unknown and seeking their own glory.
As with most teams in transition, roster spots are up for grabs, both starting slots and reserve roles. That will surely make for some interesting days in class — with practices serving as the proving ground for all pupils.
Which classmates will be vying for head-of-the-class status, and at what positions?
Outside linebacker — Tully Banta-Cain (eighth season), Derrick Burgess (10th), Jermaine Cunningham (rookie), Rob Ninkovich (fifth), Pierre Woods (fifth).
A position of great importance for the Patriots without a lot of quality depth, both slots might be up for grabs. Coming off a career-high 10 sacks, Banta-Cain would seem to have one of them. Burgess appeared to start putting things together toward the end of his first regular season in New England, but had just one tackle in the playoff loss to Baltimore (offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer was credited with two that day). Ninkovich played in 15 regular-season games last year, seven more than in his first four seasons combined, and Woods last year was seemingly relegated to special teams. Assuming he can quickly make the transition from defensive end in college to linebacker in the pros, Cunningham, a second-round pick, may be contributing sooner rather than later.
Starting safety — Patrick Chung (second season), Brandon McGowan (sixth), James Sanders (sixth).
