Patriots Training Camp: Notes From The Final Public Practice Of The Preseason
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Finally, some sun and dryness in Foxboro. But of course, the Patriots went right back to heat and humidity during the final public practice of training camp on Tuesday. They should be well prepared for when it cools off in the fall.
After a sloppy day on Tuesday, the offense had a bit of a rebound with Tom Brady once again getting the majority of the reps in team drills. There were still the occasional drops and some plays by the Patriots defense, and it ended with an injury concern for Phillip Dorsett. But the receiver says he’s “all right” and the hope is that the Patriots officially avoided any major injuries in camp.
With that said, here’s what we saw down on the practice field on Tuesday…
— Absent: RB Rex Burkhead, OT Marcus Cannon, LB Harvey Langi, RB Sony Michel, WR Matthew Slater
— Limited: WR Kenny Britt, CB Duke Dawson, DE Trey Flowers, CB Ryan Lewis
— No changes to the absences or limited players to start the day. But in addition to Dorsett, DE Trent Harris and LB Marquis Flowers had to leave early. RB Jeremy Hill didn’t take any snaps, but it’s unclear if he’s dealing with an injury himself.
— WR Darren Andrews, who landed on the Patriots’ non-football injury list after clearing waivers in May, warmed up with the team out of pads before departing to work on the lower field. He’ll spend the entire season on IR and won’t count toward the roster or accrue a season.
— Brady was 16-of-26 in 11-on-11 drills. He completed at least one pass each to Dwayne Allen, Jacob Hollister, Chris Hogan, Rob Gronkowski, James White, Phillip Dorsett, Julian Edelman, and Mike Gillislee. Dorsett and Hogan had a drop each.
— Brady practiced a QB sneak on one play, pushing into the line. Certainly a good sign for his back.
— There was some situational work later in practice. After Brady completed a short pass to Hogan, the offense rushed off the field while the field goal unit sprinted on for what would be an end-of-half kick. Stephen Gostkowski drilled it.
— They also appeared to be preparing for crowd noise and silent snaps at one point during 11-on-11s. The offense went to work while live versions of classics such as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” and Led Zeppelin’s “Over The Hills And Far Away” & “Kashmir” blared through the speakers.
— CB Jonathan Jones made the standout defensive play of the day on Brady’s second snap. He leaped in the air to bat away a pass intended for Eric Decker. Ja’Whaun Bentley, Eric Rowe, Jason McCourty, and J.C. Jackson each had a pass breakup as well.
— Bentley, by the way, made his breakup on a pass intended for Gronkowski. But it was with Brian Hoyer throwing. Bentley continues to get reps with the first-team defense.
— Rookie CB Keion Crossen got reps as the nickel cornerback. Jason McCourty continued to get his share of snaps with the top defense.
— LT Trent Brown had to run a lap after committing a false start. He’s mostly been dominant in camp, though. He again stood tall in 1-on-1 drills as well, at one point flattening LB Eric Lee.
That’s it for live training camp reports. We’re on to Philadelphia.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
