Navy Reserve Lt. j.g. Joe Cardona will be staying put at his day job. The 2015 Naval Academy graduate has signed a four-year contract to remain the New England Patriots long snapper, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss and other reports. Drafted in the fifth round by the Pats in 2015, Cardona’s been the team’s long snapper ever since, making two Super Bowl appearances. He spoke to Military Times about his first title, where he ended up a spectator for one of the greatest sports comebacks ever: After snapping for Steven Gostkowski’s successful 33-yard field goal with less than 10 minutes left…
Browsing: New England Patriots
Former Naval Academy standout Eric Kettani beat the odds this summer: Despite two years away from football after graduating in 2009 and serving on active duty in the Navy, he managed to make the New England Patriots practice squad. That made him one of just three former service academy players in the NFL, and the only Naval Academy grad among the group. The Navy has rewarded this remarkable achievement … by denying Kettani leave and recalling him to active duty? Yesterday Kettani tweeted that he was leaving the Patriots, and today the Boston Herald reported the Navy had denied Kettani’s request for…
Former Navy wide reciever Tyree Barnes is back at his old job on the destroyer Gonzalez after getting cut by the New England Patriots in August, NESN.com reported today. Barnes can leave the ship if another team wants to sign him, according to the report. Barnes had left Gonzalez earlier this summer to tryout for the Patriots. He had served the mandatory two years on active duty required by DoD policy before being able to play professional sports, and reported to Patriots camp along with fellow Navy teammate Eric Kettani. Both players had been signed by New England as undrafted free…
The final three service academy graduates battling to make NFL teams were all released Saturday ahead of the league’s mandatory deadline for cutting squads to 53 players. The Eagles cut Air Force grad Chad Hall, New England cut Navy grad Eric Kettani and Detroit parted ways with Army grad Caleb Campbell. But the news isn’t all bad. Hall, who led the Eagles in receiving in the preseason, will be signed to the Philadelphia practice squad, according to Philly.com. And Kettani, who missed much of the Patriots training camp with an injury, is a strong candidate to be signed to the New…
A little late on this (what else is new?), but yesterday the New England Patriots released wide receiver Tyree Barnes and running back Eric Kettani. Both players are 2008 graduates of the Naval Academy who left active duty earlier this summer for the chance to tryout for the Pats. Neither player accumulated statistics in the Patriots’ first three preseason games. It’s not clear yet what’s next for each sailor Barnes. Per DoD policy, an officer may serve two years on active duty before being allowed to switch to the reserve and try out for a pro league. Caleb Campbell and Chad Hall, who…
The Boston Herald is reporting that two former Naval Academy standouts are expected to be joining the New England Patriots very soon. Wide receiver Tyree Barnes and running back Eric Kettani — each commissioned as officers in 2009 — will be reporting to Patriots headquarters in Foxboro, Mass., this week, according to the paper. Barnes and Kettani both served the mandatory two years on active-duty that the Defense Department requires of service academy graduates seeking to play professional sports. Both players, along with fellow class of 2009 grad Shun White, were kept on New England’s Reserve/Military list the past two…
Anyone who follows Navy football knows that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick loves to give talented Midshipmen a shot at the NFL. Belichick’s father coached and worked as a scout at Navy for many years, and the younger Belichick has signed a handful of Navy grads and kept them on the team using the NFL’s reserve/military. As far as I can see, the rules for list aren’t spelled out anywhere online, so it never fails to confuse folks. So here’s a very basic description of how it works from Patriots.com by Patriots Football Weekly writer Andy Hart: Can U…
