In many ways Monday marked the official start of training camp. After four days of work in shorts and helmets, the Patriots donned pads for the first time and got the physicality started.
The 90-minute practice featured some extended work on the running game, most of which took place in the red zone. While it wasn't perfect, the offensive line consistently was able to get movement and pushed its defensive counterparts back on a number of occasions. That allowed running backs Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, TreVeyon Henderson and Terrell Jennings plenty of opportunities to pick up yards between the tackles.
Starting with some plays at the 32, the offense eventually took reps from inside the high red zone before eventually running several plays from inside the 10. The group that opened the team period consisted of Will Campbell, Cole Strange, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses while Jared Wilson (interior) and Trey Jacobs (right tackle) filtered in.
Campbell and Strange seemed to work well together, executing to open a nice hole over the left side on one Stevenson run. The fifth-year back also showed some nice agility, cutting back against the grain to find daylight on another productive carry.
Jennings picked up a chunk off left tackle with the second group behind Marcus Bryant and Caedan Wallace. Fullback Brock Lampe also took several reps and did a nice job of creating space inside with effective lead blocks on linebackers. It was a good start to the physical side of the game on both sides of the ball.
"You just can't replicate people putting hands on each other," linebacker Jack Gibbens said. "Everything changes how the gaps look, the speed of the game. Everything's different once we get pads on. So, your eyes have to speed up. Your decisions have to speed up. I tell a lot of young guys in a day like today, everybody's amped up and wants to play really hard. Go back to your technique. Slow yourself down. Good footwork, good hands, good eyes. That'll kind of get you through until your body kind of speeds up to the speed of the game once it goes live."
Drake Maye and the passing game didn't get as many chances to shine with the emphasis on the run. However, Maye did a nice job of stepping up in the pocket at times and connected with Hunter Henry on a nice tight end screen that was well-timed and executed. Maye closed his last series with an effective play action fake that followed several runs from the low red zone and found Ja'Lynn Polk in the back corner of the end zone. It was a nice way for Polk to return to action after missing the first days of practice.
Beyond the work in the running game, here are one man's observations from Day 5 of training camp.
*Aside from Polk, the news of the injury front was a mixed bag. In addition to the second-year wideout's return, safety Josh Minkins was back in uniform and was removed from the NFI list. However, linebacker Jahlani Tavai and cornerback Carlton Davis did not take part in practice. Tavai was limited in Saturday's workout while Davis has now missed three practices and only joined teammates during the walkthrough on July 25.
The worst news of the day came on the first snap of the first team period. Christian Gonzalez was trailing Stefon Diggs across the field and pulled up holding the back of his left leg. He limped to the sideline under his own power and eventually made his way down the training area in back of the end zone on the far side of the field. He did not return. Gonzalez' status will certainly be worth monitoring going forward.
*The morning got started with some 1-on-1 work between offensive and defensive linemen as well as receivers/running backs and defensive backs/linebackers. Strange did a nice job containing Milton Williams on his rep while Wilson controlled Jaquelin Roy on another. Sidy Sow may have turned in the most dominant rep, getting the better of rookie Joshua Farmer. On the flip side, Keion White was able to turn Campbell and caused the rookie to lose his footing. Campbell was quite effective against White during the team periods that featured a lot of running, however.
On the opposite field the cover guys did a nice job in what is normally a very difficult task. Playing with no leverage or help over the top can make life awfully tough on even the best cover guys but Marcus Jones (on DeMario Douglas) and Kyle Dugger competed well. Dugger was initially beaten by Hunter Henry but caused a fumble near the goal line. Without the benefit of replay it was tough to see if Henry's reach of the ball was enough for the touchdown, but either way Dugger came up with a solid play to knock the ball loose. Gibson ran an excellent route where he first cut to the inside before reversing course to the outside and got past Christian Elliss for a touchdown.
*The first defensive line saw Jeremiah Pharms inside next to Milton Williams as Christian Barmore worked on the opposite field with a member of the training staff. Earlier in camp, Mike Vrabel mentioned that the team would be monitoring Barmore as part of a plan and this work appeared to be related to that.
*There were a couple of sloppy plays during the team periods, one where Maye and Henderson had trouble on a handoff and another where the quarterback had trouble with a snap from Wilson. Both resulted in fumbles.
*After the first set of team plays, the field goal work saw Parker Romo attempt all six kicks while rookie Andy Borregales watched. Romo made all six field goals with the kicks ranging from 33 to 52 yards in length. Thus far Romo has been the more consistent of the two and perhaps Vrabel wanted to see how he would react with a larger workload.
*K'Lavon Chaisson continues to have a strong camp. He has consistently beaten the tackles off the snap, and on Monday that was Moses more often than not. Chaisson had a chance for multiple sacks under normal game conditions and has been a constant presence in the backfield every day.
*Members of the LaSalle (R.I.) Academy football team, coached by former Patriots center Dan Koppen, were on hand for Monday's practice. Vrabel had the entire team come onto the field after the workout for some pictures.
*With Gonzalez and Davis not available, the corners included Alex Austin, Marcellus Dial and Marcus Jones. Dial impressed with his physicality, blowing up one play with a nice should after beating his block from the slot and racing into the hole.
*Practice ended with another set of conditioning runs from the end zone on the field to the right. Vrabel clearly prefers to get the work done on flat ground rather than the hills.
*In addition to Gibbens, Kayshon Boutte, Douglas, Jaylinn Hawkins and Henry all spent time chatting with the media.
*Camp continues on Tuesday with a 10:15 a.m. practice in Foxborough. Gates are set to open at 9:15 a.m. and the workout is once again open to the public.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
