Mother Nature forced the Patriots to move things indoors but that didn't stop Mike Vrabel from keeping his troops in pads for the fourth straight practice. The team operated inside the WIN Waste Innovations Field House for roughly two hours, and after Sunday's day off the pace seemed to pick up a bit.

More importantly, the levels of competition and feistiness definitely were on the rise. There was a punch-counterpunch element to the morning as the sides seemed to alternate owning the upper hand, and each let the other know after it had made a big play.

"It was a very competitive day," safety Kevin Byard said. "There was a heavy emphasis in the red zone and we had some really competitive periods. There were a lot of situations and a lot of back and forth. Things are heating up and we're out there making some plays."

Offensively, the running game probably enjoyed its best day of camp. Rhamondre Stevenson found some creases in the defense working exclusively in the red zone. The screen game also enjoyed some success, particularly against the blitz.

Hunter Henry would have had a chance to score from the 20 when he found a lot of open space on one, and later Stevenson did a great job of faking a block against a blitzing Craig Woodson before grabbing Drake Maye's toss for what would clearly have been a touchdown.

"We're just trying to be consistent," tackle Will Campbell said. "We want to give our backs opportunities to make some plays. Our defensive front is so talented it's like getting game reps. It's not going to go for only one side all day. It's back and forth."

The defense made some plays as well, most notably on some dialed up third-and-1 scenarios. The coaching staff created the short-yardage looks on the third play of each of the first four sets of reps – two each for Maye and Tommy DeVito. As the offense broke the huddle, the support staff blared a siren through the sound system in an effort to simulate a hostile road environment.

The defense stuffed Stevenson on an inside run on the first one and Lan Larisen was similarly stopped on the second. When Maye returned, he rushed to the line after Romeo Doubs made a diving catch to set up the third-and-1, and Vrabel blew the play dead by whistling an infraction on the defense – likely due to a substitution issue. DeVito converted his final short-yardage attempt with a sprint out toss to Efton Chism in the flat.

The spirited competition did have some drawbacks, however. During some early 7-on-7 work, A.J. Brown and Christian Gonzalez locked horns on a couple of occasions. One saw Brown pull up after some physicality at the top of his route, allowing Gonzalez to make an easy interception. Brown removed his left glove and sought the attention of Jim Whalen and the training staff. After having his thumb taped, Brown returned and took part fully in the remainder of practice.

Brown later told NFL Network's Mike Garofalo and Brian Baldinger, who were on side broadcasting, that he dislocated his thumb during the exchange.

"It was tough. I tried to get back into that flow-state zone really quickly because obviously you're going through some pain," Brown said. "The game is what it is, you're going to get bumps and bruises, and you have to keep going. I know it's practice, but I'm not coming out of practice. Thumb out of place? You keep going."

The Patriots top receiver showed little signs of discomfort the rest of the way, catching a couple of quick slants near the goal line, one against a blitz inside Gonzalez.

Beyond the feisty nature of practice, here are one man's observations from Day 8 of training camp.

-- Another day, another change to the pre-camp lists as Terrell Jennings was activated off NFI. The second-year running back was in pads and took part fully in the workout, returning kicks and rotating in for a few carries during the team periods. Harold Landry and C.J. Dippre (left wrist) remain on PUP while Brenden Schooler is the lone player still on NFI.

-- Carlton Davis missed his fourth consecutive practice after leaving last Tuesday's workout with an apparent leg injury. Guard Caedan Wallace also was not spotted during practice. Kyle Williams, who appeared to be shaken up late in Saturday's session, was not present to start practice but eventually was in uniform and joined his teammates. He did not take any reps during the 11-on-11s, however. Fullback Reggie Gilliam also returned after missing Saturday's workout.

-- There was a new player wearing No. 96: Casey Rogers. According to Jordan Schultz, the Patriots signed the former Giants defensive tackle, who most recently played in the USFL. The 6-5, 305-pound Rogers played collegiately at Oregon and Nebraska before seeing action in three games for New York. Defensive tackle David Blay had been wearing No. 96 previously in camp.

-- Gabe Jacas was in pads for the first time in his career and saw an uptick to his workload. He took part in some 1-on-1s, getting the better of Lorenz Metz, and later was active for occasional 11-on-11 work. His fresh legs were evident as he seemed to get a jump on his teammates at times. He shot past Andrew Rupcich on one play, but the guard seemed to invite the move as he was able to keep the rookie at bay and moved him well past the quarterback. Outside linebackers coach Mike Smith also exacted a bit of revenge from their "battle" on Saturday when Jacas jolted his coach. This time Smith took down Jacas with a form tackle during positional drills at the start of practice. It was a good-natured moment between the two and drew laughs from the edge players.

-- With Davis still on the shelf, the coaches have used a variety of players at cornerback as they look to create depth at the position. Beyond the frontline players, Kobee Minor, Karon Prunty and Kindle Vildor have received the bulk of the reps. On Monday, Channing Canada saw an uptick in his usage and was quite active. The rookie out of TCU was around the ball frequently, breaking up a slant intended for Mack Hollins (he probably should have made the interception) and knocking another away from Kayshon Boutte. He allowed some catches as well, but he showed some competitiveness throughout.

-- Robert Kraft made his way over to the WIN Waste Innovations Field House and chatted with some players prior to practice.

-- Offensive line coach Doug Marrone was wearing a sleeve on his left leg after being sidelined by surgery during the spring.

-- The team spent some time late in practice working on kickoffs with Jennings, Chism, Larison, Canada, Jam Miller, Kobe Prentice and Nick DeGennaro all working as return men. They also worked on field goals, but rather than having Andy Borregales kicking indoors, he simulated the attempts while the boys up front blocked as normal.

-- Romeo Doubs, Byard, Campbell, Larison, Dell Pettus and Milton Williams were among those who spent time speaking with the media.

-- Camp continues for the Patriots on Tuesday with practice scheduled to run from 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and gates set to open at 9:15 a.m. The workout is scheduled to be open to the public but as always please check Patriots.com for all the latest updates throughout camp.

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