Since Andy has set the precedent that these blog posts need to have lame names, I’ll kick off the first “Paul’s Calls” with some observations from the Patriots first OTA session open to the media.

With mostly young players and newcomers on the field we’ll have to wait at least another week (the next OTA practice open to the media is May 28) to see Tom Brady in action. Kevin O’Connell worked ahead of Matt Gutierrez and rookie Brian Hoyer running the offense during the 90-plus minute workout, and overall I thought he looked pretty good.

Evaluations are tough to make with players wearing shorts and helmets, but a couple of players I spent time watching were Shawn Crable and Vinny Ciurciu (pronounced Church-you). Crable is obviously in the mix at outside linebacker while Ciurciu arrives as a veteran free agent looking to find a home in New England – be it as a special teamer or as a backup inside linebacker.

Crable showed nice mobility working in seven-on-seven drills, dropping effectively into coverage and doing a nice job of sticking with receivers. The 6-5, 243-pound former third-round pick looked like he added some bulk to his frame during the offseason. After practice he said he worked on one area in particular that he felt needed some extra attention.

“A lot of training, a lot of leg workouts, trying to get my legs bigger and stronger,” Crable said when asked what his offseason has been like. “A lot of one-on-one with [strength and conditioning coaches] Harold [Nash] and Mike [Woicik]. A couple of meetings and watching film and things like that to try to learn.”

That has to be music to Andy and Fred’s ears. They have been constantly harping on Crable’s spindly legs ever since he arrived last spring, and his work in that area is sure to pay dividends.

“I have to learn,” Crable said when asked what the coaches told him to work on. “It’s my second year and I have to be more consistent and doing a lot of things better. They’ve voiced that opinion to me and I have to take that seriously.”

When asked what he learned from what in essence was a red-shirt year as a rookie, Crable’s eyes lit up.

“A lot of knowledge,” he said. “I sat through a lot of meetings and had a lot of workouts and things like that. Just hoping to be smarter this year.”

I’m sticking with my pre-draft analysis on Crable. I believe he’ll be a significant contributor with the opportunities he’s sure to receive in 2009.

Ciurciu is an interesting player who worked on the inside during drills. He’s been a special teamer for the most part during his stints in Carolina and Minnesota, and while he’s content to find a similar role with the Patriots he’s also open to whatever opportunities may arise on defense.

“I’ve been playing special teams for a very long time and I look forward to contributing to the team in that area and wherever else they need me – backup linebacker and whatever,” said Ciurciu, who played at Boston College with center Dan Koppen. “I don’t have any experience playing in a 3-4, but I look at every year as a learning process. Every year you go in and try to learn as much as possible and figure out as many ways to contribute as possible.”

Ciurciu is not likely going to steal a starting job away anytime soon, but if things workout he could fill a valuable role. At 6-0 and 240 pounds he’s bigger than Larry Izzo, who he ostensibly would be trying to replace as a key special teams cog and backup inside linebacker. But Ciurciu is big enough to potentially serve as a legitimate backup, unlike Izzo, and therefore could provide some depth at a spot that seems to have very little.

Then again, maybe he doesn’t make it out of training camp – how’s that for a Fred Kirsch-like covering of all bases!!!