FOXBOROUGH, Mass — Friday is here and the biggest thing to talk about surrounding the New England Patriots is all the injuries, with many players' statuses being revealed for Sunday's game.
Here's what I'm hearing:
Game statuses revealed
Following Friday's practice, in which only cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Karon Prunty were not spotted, head coach Mike Vrabel announced that those would be the only two players who are definitely out for Sunday's game. As for WR A.J. Brown (ankle), RB TreVeyon Henderson (ankle), and OT Will Campbell (knee), they are all questionable.
"We won't make that decision until tomorrow, so we'll have to see how he responds from practice today and then go from there," Vrabel said when asked specifically about Brown. "Him, along with a couple
other guys."
Also listed as questionable are OT Marcus Bryant (ankle), CB Channing Canada (hamstring), LB Christian Elliss (chest), and S Craig Woodson (shoulder), S Kevin Byard III (chest), DT Cory Durden (illness), CB Christian Gonzalez (shoulder), LB Dre'Mont Jones (shoulder), CB Marcus Jones (ankle), QB Drake Maye (right shoulder), OT Morgan Moses (foot), and CB Charles Woods (shoulder) have no game designation, meaning they are good to go.
Alijah Vera-Tucker going up against his former team
For Alijah Vera Tucker, he told Patriots Wire that this is "just another game," but added that the emotions will certainly be felt once the clock hits zero. The left guard is playing against his former team on Sunday.
"I'm forever grateful just for my time there," he explained. "You know, everybody in the building got so much respect for all of them. You know, made a lot of friendships over there.
"After the game, I'm excited, like to chop it up and talk with all the guys," Vera Tucker added. "But for those like four quarters and 60 minutes, it's definitely all ball."
Preparing for Braelon Allen
The Jets have ruled out their No. 1 running back, Breece Hall, meaning the Patriots can expect to see a lot of snaps from Braelon Allen.
"I mean, a big back. Usually, the first guy doesn't tackle him, doesn't bring him down," Vrabel said. "A lot of his X play runs have been after contact where somebody's like, "Oh yeah, they've got him," and no, they don't. So again, he breaks a lot of tackles. He runs hard. I think he's a smooth runner and doesn't look very rigid. I’ve always liked him from even coming out of college."
So far this season, Allen has 236 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 57 carries.
New York has also ruled out WR Adonai Mitchell (finger), EDGE Joseph Ossai (ankle), and OL Dylan Parham (knee).
TreVeyon Henderson provides an update
On Friday, Henderson confirmed that he suffered a high-ankle sprain based on the MRI, but he added that he was very surprised he was able to take the field so quick after.
“I mean, honestly, yeah. I was surprised,” Henderson told reporters. “I felt a little bit different than what they diagnosed it as and what the MRI showed. I’m hoping that I’m able to be out there with the guys and try to help this team.”
However, when the injury first occured, Henderson recalled that he "couldn't put any pressure on my right side." But it seems like ESPN’s Adam Schefter's words rang true as he first reported news of the sprain while adding that the running back is a fast healer. Henderson got a kick out of that.
"I wouldn’t say I’m a quick healer,” he explained. "“Honestly, it’s just the grace of God. Nothing is guaranteed, though. God willing, I’m hoping that I’m able to play, but if I’m not, I trust what the Lord is doing in my life right now. I trust what he’s taking me through.”
...But if he can't go, all eyes are on Corey Kiner
However, if Henderson is unable to take the field, Corey Kiner will move up on the depth chart, slotting in behind Rhamondre Stevenson. That's exactly what happened last week as Kiner went on after Henderson was injured, but he had one unfortunate moment, fumbling the ball on his first carry.
"Again, we all have to take care of the ball, but Corey did a lot of really good things, so there's a high confidence," Vrabel said. "Nobody notices or really talks about the guy that comes back into the gap and hammers the ball out. You guys always fail to mention that. You guys always just put it on the guy who has the ball. We all share in that, and we'll be better. But I like the way Corey runs. Yes, he does have to hang onto the ball, and we've got to do a better job of protecting the guy and keeping people away from him."
Kiner finished the game with 52 rushing yards on six carries, including one gain of 32 yards.
"He works extremely hard," the head coach added. "It's a new system for him. He didn’t have the luxury of being here since April like a lot of guys. So, he works really, really hard with Tony Dews. Again, I just love his spirit, his energy. He's willing to do whatever it is asked of him to help this football team. I think he saw some good runs last week, and we'll see if we can get him some more runs this week and continue to develop him and see if he can play some special teams for us and things like that. But he’s a great person, and I love his spirit."
Other notes
- Vrabel on RB Rhamondre Stevenson: "He's a talented player that cares a lot about team. He's a great teammate. A good skill set, catching, running. I watched before I even met him and watching the tape, just the kind of pass protector he was, the way that he played without the football, his ability to try to make blocks for people when he didn't have the football were things that stood out to me. Those are usually a good indication that they care about the football team. They'll do whatever they have to do – the way they play without the football in their hands."
- Vrabel on Harold Landry: "Of course, the plan would be for him to return at some point, when he's ready to go. Harold has been around. He's working extremely hard, and he just isn't ready to go yet. So, we just have to be patient and continue with what he's doing, which is coming in every single day, doing his part to be around the team in the morning, and then go and do his rehab. He's just not ready yet, and so we're not going to put him out there. But of course, when he's ready, that would be the plan."
- Caleb Lomu didn't have his best performance in the Friday updates last week, but Vrabel said he turned things around this week. "Much better today. Yes, he had some good laughs. He came back strong this week."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: What I’m hearing at Gillette Stadium: Friday talk (Week 6)
