The New England Patriots were originally scheduled to hit the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium at 10 a.m. today, but the weather forecast forced the team to move the session up 45 minutes. The start time may have been different than initially expected, but a) the Patriots still had to practice in rainy and windy conditions with temperatures in the low 60s, and b) the intensity was what to expect during a session with full pads that it looked like a scare at times.
With that said, let’s recap what happened at the current two-hour practice through the attendees for the two-hour session.
Rise
Absent: DT Beau Allen, WR Will Hastings, LB Brandon King (Reserve / PUP), S Devin McCourty, LB Cassh Maluia, RB Lamar Miller (Active / PUP), LB Josh Uche
Available but limited: TE Devin Asiasi, LB Terez Hall, WR Jakobi Meyers
- While no players returned compared to yesterday’s practice, two more were added to the list of absentees: rookie linebackers Josh Uche and Cassh Maluia. Both have recently been full-fledged participants, and appeared to suffer no injuries on Wednesday.
- Devin McCourty did not participate in today’s practice, but he did see the final periods of the sideline.
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Yodny Cajuste and Kyle Dugger were again full participants after being recently among the disabled.
Injuries
- Start of left winger Joe Thuney was slowly rising at one point after apparently injuring his left wrist as an forearm. He left the field to see a team doctor and a coach, but it did not look like the injury was as bad as it first seemed. (source)
Offensive
Quarterback performance: Jarrett Stidham 4 of 11 (11-on-11s), 2 of 2 (7-on-7s); Cam Newton 11 of 23 with 1 INT (11-on-11s), 2 of 5 (7-on-7s); Brian Hoyer 5 of 11 (11-on-11s), 1 of 2 (7-on-7s); Brian Lewerke 2 of 4 (11-on-11s) (source)
- The first game of the Patriots’ 11-on-11 works saw Damien Harris take a handoff 65 yards for a touchdown. The sophomore was kicked open by an excellent front block by Joe Thuney and David Andrews, and was able to keep the football going, even with Jason McCourty chasing him and trying to knock it out. Another good moment for the camp. (source)
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Cam Newton was the first man in the 11-on-11s, and he completed three of his five passing attempts. While throwing an interception, he also found James White on a tight pass for a touchdown. On the next series, Jarrett Stidham went over and failed to complete any of his four attempts. However, the defense played a big role in that: three of Stidham’s throws were broken, including N’Keal Harry losing a 50/50 ball against D’Angelo Ross. (source)
- The second round saw Newton again take starter shots as he completed three of five throws. He almost had a concussion, but officials ruled him out of bounds. Brian Hoyer took over next in place of Stidham, completing two of six attempts. One of the two completions was a second-year touchdown pass to Gunner Olszewski. (source)
- Hoyer later also threw a touchdown pass to Devin Ross on a deep post route versus Jason McCourty – arguably the best offensive game of the day alongside Harris’ long touchdown run. Ross had been quiet after an impressive start, but made an impressive play to defeat one of the starter-level cornerbacks. Hoyer, meanwhile, was able to look out for deep safety before shooting the deep ball to second-year Patriot. (source)
- For the first time in any training camp, Brian Lewerke saw some reps during team practice. The first-year quarterback completed two of his four attempts at the end of practice, including a pass to fellow undrafted rookie Isaiah Zuber who made a nice adjustment to make the grip. (source)
Defense
- The statistics outlined above show how the extended 11-on-11 periods went: the Patriots’ defense got the better of the offense. Not everything was perfect considering the touchdowns mentioned above, but the unit as a whole was much more consistent, regardless of which quarterback was under center. Is this a sign of the overall quality of the team on this side of the ball, or more a reflection of the state of the post-Tom Brady offense? Probably a bit of both, but this question is for the coaches to answer. (source)
- For the second day in a row, security Terrence Brooks was able to intercept a pass from Cam Newton. That being said, the game would probably have ended differently in a live game setting: Deatrich Wise Jr. and Ja’Whaun Bentley would have registered a sack if they could take down the quarterback. Instead, Newton tried to save the game against a collapsing box, but threw the mark to the right where Brooks grabbed it. (source)
Special teams
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Justin Rohrwasser and Nick Folk both scored five field goals in full teamwork. While the rookie went 3-of-5, the veteran was successful on all his kicks. Rohrwasser appears to be trending in the right direction – he made two 50-plus kicks outside – but Folk is still the more consistent option of the two. (source)
Various
- For the first time all summer, the Patriots had officials present for the session. Given that NFL refs are not allowed to travel this offseason as part of the league’s Coronavirus protocols, the team had to go outside the league to find the current crew. Earlier in the session, it looked as if head coach Bill Belichick would continue the exercise with the officials. (source)
