New England Patriots rookies are already giving it to one another.
The Pats have a team full of largely veteran players, but there are a fair amount of second- and third-year guys, as well. What they don't have a ton of are rookies, however those who are in their first round of NFL training camp seem to be getting along with one another.
The early stages of camp always are hard for players, especially young ones. It's been a while since they've played in a super-competitive and, for obvious reasons, they're not allowed to go out and start flattening guys -- especially when they don't have any pads on. Still, they have to find a way to separate themselves from the pack.
Rookie linebacker Ronnie Perkins is dealing with the lack of contact just fine. In fact, he's using it as an opportunity to talk trash to another fellow rookie: Quarterback Mac Jones.
"I mean, really, it's not bad (not being able to hit)," Perkins said Saturday. "It's just kind of funny because you'll be like 'bro I could have laid you out in a game.' We know it's practice. We know we can't really take a hit on them. But, you know, it's just cool to talk stuff to them, like 'bro I could have killed you' and stuff like that."
Fear not about Jones though, he gives it right back to Perkins.
"Just messing with Mac sometimes, you know, (expletive), we talk stuff to each other all the time, but also we walking through, we also greet each other, I ask him 'how you been doing, how you've been picking things up.' So there's building a relationship with him and also like messing around with him after that play that almost got him."
Part of the battle too is knowing when to stop, which Perkins wisely does.
"I should have grabbed him, but Bill would probably kill me," Perkins quipped.
Smart call.
