Tag: James Ferentz

Many familiar faces return to practice after initially being cut by Patriots

Multiple preseason fan favorites were back at practice on Wednesday.

There were plenty of familiar faces back at practice after initially being cut by the New England Patriots on Tuesday.

Like the rest of the league, the Patriots went through the tough process of trimming their rosters down to 53 players. On Wednesday, many of the players on the cut list went on waivers with the chance of being claimed by another team.

The Patriots were fortunate that tight end Devin Asiasi was their only former player that got claimed on waivers. So that paved the way for a slew of fan favorites to return, including Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Tre Nixon, J.J. Taylor and LaBryan Ray.

Even veteran cornerback Terrance Mitchell was spotted at practice.

There was also a reported “mystery lineman” wearing a No. 68 jersey. Could it be Drew Desjarlais?

The Patriots will lean on some of their practice squad talent to fill roles at certain points throughout the season for a team that currently has more questions than answers.

At the very least, there are several players within the group that showed they were up for the challenge during the preseason slate.

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Multiple players ejected after fight breaks out at Patriots-Panthers joint practice

Things got ugly on the practice field between the Patriots and Panthers.

The New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers are meeting on Tuesday for a joint practice, and it didn’t take long for things to turn into a full-on Royal Rumble.

Multiple players were kicked out of practice after a fight broke out on the field. A sideline play with Patriots receiver Kristian Wilkerson being tackled out of bounds led to some back-and-forth chatter before all hell broke loose.

Punches were reportedly thrown during the skirmish. Patriots wideout Kendrick Bourne and Panthers defensive back Kenny Robinson were involved in the incident as well.

Bourne, Wilkerson and Robinson were all kicked out of practice.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Another fight occurred after the initial one that led to more players being ejected.

Coach Bill Belichick was not happy with the extracurricular activities on the field. He even went as far as pulling the team together for a “long huddle” in an effort to diffuse the situation.

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Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz ‘very appreciative’ of family ties with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick

In an interview with Rich Eisen, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz reflected on his family’s history with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

Iowa Hawkeyes head football coach Kirk Ferentz tries not to spend a lot of time asking himself, “What if?” There is one piece of his past that he can’t help but ask that question about, though.

Ferentz joined SiriusXM radio host Rich Eisen on his program, “The Rich Eisen Show.” Ferentz was asked about recently getting to see his son, James Ferentz, at New England Patriots camp. James Ferentz has been a backup center for the New England Patriots since the start of the 2017 season.

Naturally, that led into Kirk Ferentz’s own history with New England head football coach Bill Belichick. Kirk Ferentz served as the Cleveland Browns’ offensive line coach during the 1993-95 seasons under then-head Cleveland Browns coach Bill Belichick.

“I don’t wonder an awful lot, but I always do wonder, I wonder every now and then what my life would have been if coach (Bill) Belichick hadn’t called me back in 1993. I think the truth of the matter is they had like eight or nine line coaches apply for the job. It just didn’t work out, so they truly got to the bottom of the barrel. I ended up in Cleveland. I’m just so appreciative of those three years to have a chance to work coach Belichick,” Kirk Ferentz said.

Of course, from there, Ferentz served as the Baltimore Ravens‘ offensive line coach in 1996 before being elevated to the Ravens’ associate head coach and offensive coordinator for the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Then, the rest is history. He’s been the head coach at Iowa ever since.

The family ties between Kirk Ferentz and Bill Belichick didn’t stop there, though. Kirk’s oldest son and Iowa’s current offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Brian Ferentz, got his professional start in New England.

Brian Ferentz started out as an offensive quality control coach with the Patriots in 2008 before eventually being named New England’s tight ends coach in 2011.

“My oldest boy has worked with him for five years for him and now to have another son be up there, I just feel very, very appreciative. He’s obviously an outstanding coach, but he’s just a tremendous person on top of it. I’m really appreciative of that part of it,” Ferentz said.

Now, James Ferentz is a longtime member of the Patriots and Kirk discussed what it has meant to watch his career unfold and how James has wound up sticking in New England.

“It certainly wasn’t any ever a thought would happen. Obviously, you hope good things happen all the time. It’s just great. I hate to talk about my kids, but his career is actually pretty amazing. He played here in ’12, that was his last year and couldn’t get any traction in the NFL. Never really put shoulder pads on once for a full calendar year. Bill O’Brien gave him a chance to try to make the team in Houston.

“Bill’s first year down there, so James made the practice squad and then ended up gaining traction in Denver. Unfortunately, Gary Kubiak couldn’t continue coaching. The new coach came in, took one look at James, James isn’t the biggest guy in the world and that was the end of his career in Denver. But, anyway, he’s fortunately been able to gain a little traction in New England, so it was a thrill just to be at practice period and then all of a sudden see James on the field is pretty cool,” Kirk Ferentz said.

Eisen also asked if Ferentz and Belichick ever talk shop when the two get together.

“Yeah, a little bit of schemes. Probably more just people and trends in the game, those types of things. Just maybe a little bigger picture that way, but, you know, pretty much anything he says, I know this: it’s worth listening to. I can tell you that from my three years in Cleveland,” Ferentz said.

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Report: Patriots, James Ferentz agree to terms on contract extension

The Patriots keep a player who serves as a backup in their interior offensive line.

The New England Patriots and interior offensive lineman James Ferentz have agreed to a contract extension, according to the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride.

Ferentz will return to the Patriots offensive line, where he’s served as a backup and scout team player since 2017. He entered the NFL in 2014 with the Houston Texans where he made the team as an undrafted free agent. He played for them in 2014 and 2015 before joining the Denver Broncos for 2015 and 2016. He has played in 48 NFL games and started six.

The team has a pair of important pending free agents on the offensive line: Trent Brown and Ted Karras.

Ferentz rejoins interior offensive linemen David Andrews, Shaq Mason and Michael Onwenu.

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Patriots make a flurry of roster moves ahead of IR deadline for Jarrett Stidham, Byron Cowart

And, yes, it’s also ahead of Odell Beckham Jr.’s waiver deadline.

The New England Patriots released offensive lineman James Ferentz from the 53-man roster ahead of a key deadline for quarterback Jarrett Stidham and defensive tackle Byron Cowart, who must both return from injured reserve by Wednesday — or they will revert to IR for the rest of the season. It’s likely Ferentz will land back on the Patriots’ practice squad.

Yes, the Patriots can also claim receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Tuesday. The Browns cut him this weekend and he hit waivers on Monday. The only issue is that he would be due roughly $7.5 million for 2021, if claimed. The Patriots have just $6.7 in cap space, per Spotrac. Surely, they could make a few adjustments to contracts on the roster. But there are a handful of teams that could claim him higher in the waiver order.

New England also released center Drake Jackson and fullback Ben Mason from the practice squad. It’s possible the team is opening up space for a running back, with both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson dealing with head injuries.

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Beau Allen, David Andrews and Josh Uche practice for Patriots in Week 7

A big group of returnees, which included 3 players off the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The reinforcements have arrived for the New England Patriots.

According to reporters on the scene, defensive tackle Beau Allen, center David Andrews and linebacker Josh Uche returned from injured reserve on Wednesday. Defensive tackle Byron Cowart, guard Shaq Mason and defensive end Derek Rivers also practiced, which meant they were no longer on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

It wasn’t all good news. Running back James White, offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and center James Ferentz were not present for practice. Eluemunor suffered an injury in Week 6. Ferentz has missed time for non-injury-related issues. White was not listed on the injury report last week, and did not suffer an apparent injury in Week 6.

Allen’s appearance is his first as a Patriot. He has not practiced since signing with the team this offseason. Uche, a 2020 second-round draft choice, went on the injury report this season, and missed a few games before landing on IR. He has yet to see action on game day. And Andrews underwent surgery, which he has apparently recovered from.

New England kicks off against the San Francisco 49ers at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

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Patriots are fortunate to have the ideal backup lineman with James Ferentz

When an NFL team’s second-string center leaves the game due to injury, it oftentimes leave the coaching staff in shambles.

When an NFL team’s second-string center leaves the game due to injury, it oftentimes leave the coaching staff in shambles. Especially if that second-string center exits the game in the final stretch of the regular season.

This happened to the New England Patriots in Week 13 when they lost Ted Karras to a knee injury. New England has been without its starting center David Andrews this season because of blood clots, leaving them with Karras as the starter for the year. He’s done an excellent job handling the ball and keeping Tom Brady upright.

Fortunately for the Patriots, James Ferentz was still around to plug in for Karras during that Week 13 matchup. The 30-year-old journeyman has had quite the interesting career thus far, and it’s likely that his NFL career would be over if the Patriots didn’t keep him. He ran out of practice squad eligibility last season, so he either made the 53-man roster, or he didn’t.

He made the roster, and he feels fortunate to play the role that he’s in. Ferentz spoke with reporters on Wednesday and discussed his current role.

“I’ve been really fortunate to have a role,” Ferentz said, transcribed by NESN. “It’s been a backup role and whether it’s left guard, center, right guard, it doesn’t really matter to me. My job is to make sure I’m ready to play anything I’m needed to do. I’m just really thankful to have a job.”

That’s the mentality that keeps the Patriots relevant every season, and it shows why having reliable backups make all the difference. Instead of shopping for a new center during Week 14, the Patriots can focus on other areas of the team.

“Every week you just kind of put your head down and just focus on preparing,” Ferentz said. “And for me, that’s been a backup role. I’m very grateful for that role. If you’re needed, you just hope that you’re ready to go, and that’ll be the same plan this week again. We’ll see what happens Sunday. And for me, I just need to stay in my routine and make sure I’m ready to go.”

As for Karras, his injury is considered minor and he’s expected to return within the next couple of weeks. Ferentz will hit the bench at that point and remain a constant player that provides security and depth for this team.

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Report: Ted Karras believed to have suffered an MCL sprain

The Patriots starting center could be out for an extended period.

The New England Patriots may lose center Ted Karras to an MCL injury, according ot NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Karras has been serving as the team’s top center after the Patriots lost starting center David Andrews to blood clots before the season started. He will not return this season, but it sounds like the Patriots are optimistic that Karras could be back. Rapoport did not provide a timeline for recovery, however.

Center James Ferentz filled in for Karras on Sunday night. Ferentz has been with the Patriots for the last two seasons on and off the practice squad after spending time with the Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos.

Karras seemed to grow more comfortable in his role as the season wore on. He has been a backup for most of his career while filling in for injured starters, but he seemed to be enjoying one of the best seasons of his career in the middle of the Patriots offensive line.

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