FOXBOROUGH – Five observations from the Patriots’ fourth training camp practice, which was held this morning on the upper practice fields behind Gillette Stadium:
1) Running game an emphasis. With the Patriots in full pads for the fourth straight practice, this session seemed to be geared more toward the running game. Patriots coach Bill Belichick could be heard urging on players during an inside running drill, as the sound of pads crunching and helmets clanging filled the air. This was a physical test for both the blockers and defenders, as it was 7-on-7 work and which player could win each 1-on-1 battle. At the tail end of practice, the running backs stayed with interior offensive linemen and tight ends, and worked on a drill in which they read the block in front of them, and then exploded in the opposite direction in which the defender had been blocked.
2) With running game on the menu, defense focuses on filling gaps. This practice was especially physical for the front seven of the defense, specifically in how gaps are filled in the running game. Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork and Richard Seymour comprised the 3-man line, with Adalius Thomas and Pierre Woods at outside linebacker and Tedy Bruschi and Tank Williams at inside linebacker. One often hears that quarterbacks and receivers need time to get on the same page, and that is also true with defenders in the running game, as a trust needs to grow that each player will fill his assigned gap. Otherwise, defenders can tend to overcompensate and try to do more than their assigned role. Once again seeing Williams in a linebacker-role, which has been commonplace through the start of camp, was notable. Here is a Boston Globe story from spring minicamps on Williams and linebacker play.
3) More on the quarterbacks. For the second practice in a row, the quarterbacks led a two-minute offense in situational work, although this time the work was limited to just Tom Brady and Matt Cassel. Unlike Friday, however, the offenses didn’t look as sharp. Jabar Gaffney appeared to drop a pass a short pass from Tom Brady – it was difficult to tell if the cornerback in coverage got his hands on it – and Matt Cassel was late on an out-route to Kelley Washington and was intercepted by Jonathan Wilhite.
4) Tight ends and blocking. In past years, the Patriots have had a tight end whose forte was blocking, specifically Daniel Graham (2002-2006) and Kyle Brady (2007). While the top two tight ends this year – Benjamin Watson and David Thomas – are probably better known for their pass-catching, they also aren’t afraid to get dirty at the line of scrimmage. A good example of this came at the end of practice, when the tight ends were put to the test in a one-on-one blocking drill against defensive linemen, and the running backs read off their block. At one point in the drill, Watson executed his block as desired and drew praise from his position coach. As Thomas said after practice, the goal for all tight ends is to be complete players – able to contribute in the passing and running game.
5) Preparing for contingencies. Colleague Christopher Gasper wrote on the first day of training camp that Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known to use training camp to prepare for situations that might arise over the course of the regular season and an example of this came at the end of today’s session as punter Chris Hanson was called on to kick field goals. If Stephen Gostkowski was injured during a game, Hanson is one option the team might call upon (Wes Welker could be another). From our angle, it was difficult to tell if Hanson’s attempts – one of which clanged off the left upright – were successful.
EXTRA POINTS: Defensive lineman Richard Seymour took part in the practice after sitting out the prior two sessions. Afterwards, a reporter mentioned that there was worry as to why Seymour hadn’t been on the field. The five-time Pro Bowler responded by saying there was no reason to worry, as it appears he's simply being managed to remain fresh over the long 16-game season. … Quarterback Matt Gutierrez was the last player off the field, staying late to take extra throws with receiver Chris Dunlap. … Wesley Britt (right tackle) and Billy Yates (right guard) continued to work with the top offensive line, with Russ Hochstein at center with the second unit … Inside linebacker pairings in practice – Tedy Bruschi/Tank Williams with the 1s, Jerod Mayo/Victor Hobson with the 2s, and Eric Alexander/Gary Guyton with the 3s. ... The Patriots have opened training camp with four full-pads practices.
Cassel needs to stop throwing picks. Two practices in a row now that he's thrown to Wilhite.
dunno about you guys but i would rather hear wilhite is doing good than cassel is doing good.
Mike,
There is a report that the Pats will work out Mike Bell, will that be taking place in between practices today? What are your thoughts on him?
I'll be happier if Wilhite keeps catching them, he's a player I have high hopes for. I think the rookies Wheatley and Wilhite, along with Bryant, Webster and Hobbs will give us a better than expected secondary. Cassel may not be long for the team, I think.
Hi Nikos. I have not heard anything about Bell. The team is visiting with LaMont Jordan today, however.
--Mike
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