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5 from camp

FOXBOROUGH – Five final observations from today’s minicamp practice:

1) Opportunity knocks. With some veteran players not on the field, it’s given some youngsters a chance to get some quality practice time. Seventh-round draft choice Oscar Lua is one example, as linebacker Eric Alexander is still recovering from a shoulder injury. Another is rookie cornerback Mike Richardson (6th round), whose load is probably a bit heavier with Asante Samuel not present. At safety, Rashad Baker and Willie Andrews seem to have expanded on-field opportunity with James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather being held back.

2) Don’t forget me. While much of the media attention has been focused on the Patriots’ new receivers, Reche Caldwell turned in one of the plays of the day. The play came during the two-minute offense portion of practice and quarterback Tom Brady threaded a long pass to Caldwell by the left pylon of the end zone – with Caldwell making the catch between cornerback Chad Scott and Rashad Baker, who was closing in.

3) Quick hits. Running back Sammy Morris looks especially smooth in the passing game. … Wes Welker, Kevin Faulk, Bam Childress and Jonathan Smith worked on punt returns. … Cornerback Chad Scott had an interception. … Receivers Kelley Washington and Jabar Gaffney dropped passes in two-minute work. … Running back Laurence Maroney was present on the field for the entire workout, but was essentially a spectator. ... From a media perspective, it was again a packed scene, with 70 credentialed members of the media present, including Sports Illustrated’s Peter King and The New York Times’ Clifton Brown.

4) New perspective. Last year at this time, charting the kicking competition between Stephen Gostkowski and Martin Gramatica was part of the regular routine. Now Gostkowski is the lone kicker in camp, and while he missed two field goals at the end of practice, it seemed as if hardly anyone watching took notice.

5) Silent count. The team worked on the silent count in the red zone, with players creating the crowd noise. At one point, left guard Logan Mankins jumped early. He took a lap around the practice field.