Field Yates and
Mike Rodak of ESPNBoston.com report that wide receiver
Jabar Gaffney
suffered an injury during Wednesday’s practice while running a route. Yates and Rodak write that Gaffney “pulled up in the middle of Wednesday’s training camp practice and didn’t return, with members of the team’s athletic training staff working on his right hamstring on the sideline.” Yates and Rodak note that Gaffney did not go to the locker room after the injury, which is a sign that it may not be too severe. Yates and Rodak also note that tight ends
Rob Gronkowski and
Aaron Hernandez returned to practice Wednesday after missing two consecutive practices.
Greg A. Bedard of the
Boston Globe writes that offensive lineman
Logan Mankins participated in contact drills for the first time on Wednesday after being limited in earlier practice. Mankins had ACL surgery on his right knee just six months ago and was out of practice until earlier this week. Bedard observes that Mankins “strong-armed
Marcus Harrison in one-on-ones, and then was tossing reserve linemen in three two-on-two reps.” Bedard notes that Mankins is “far from season-ready…but his return was a welcome sight.”
Karen Guregian of the
Boston Herald writes that linebacker
Bobby Carpenter has seen significant playing time on defense so far in camp. Guregian notes that Carpenter has mainly been “a fixture on special teams” in previous years with other clubs, but this year he has seen significant action at linebacker. “He was there yesterday in the dime package,” writes Guregian. “In fact, he was the one calling the plays in the huddle with normal signal-caller
Jerod Mayo off the field.” Guregian adds that it remains to be seen whether Carpenter’s playing time will carry into the season, but it is still “interesting how quickly Carpenter has come in, picked up the defense, and asserted himself as an important part of it.”
Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com writes that part of quarterback
Tom Brady’s success in the NFL has come from making mistakes and correcting those mistakes in practice. “To be a good player you gotta make mistakes,” said Brady after Wednesday’s practice. "And if you're not in the situation to make mistakes, then when you do get the opportunity you're gonna make 'em.” Curran adds that Brady “went through a significant rough patch in 2002” and “was still in the learning stage of what he could and could not get away with.” He notes that these missteps are part of the process of improving and that there is a “learning aspect” to the position.
