FOXBOROUGH – Five observations from the Patriots’ 22nd training camp practice, which was held in full pads today on the upper practice fields behind Gillette Stadium (2:30 p.m.):
1) Vince Wilfork earns the players a night off. At the end of practice, 6-foot-2, 325-pound nose tackle Vince Wilfork stood near the goal-line with two footballs tucked in his arms. If he caught a football, the Patriots would earn a night off. Wilfork accomplished the feat, as the players erupted, swarming him. “Everyone gets to go home and sleep in their own bed, which everyone is excited about,” quarterback Tom Brady explained. “Vince has been our go-to-guy on that for a few years.” For more on Wilfork's grab, check out this video, where Globe colleague Chris Gasper and Tom Brady comment on the play.
2) Tom Brady will play in the preseason. Quarterback Tom Brady answered questions from reporters after the session, and when asked how he would feel if he went through the entire preseason without playing, Brady said it wasn’t an issue. He indicated he will be playing in the preseason, and said he was looking forward to doing so, presumably Sunday night in Tampa Bay.
3) Numbers continue to be thin, especially on the offensive line. The Patriots had 20 players held out of practice, another indication of how Bill Belichick continues to manage the roster with both the Sept. 7 regular-season opener against Kansas City and the 16-game regular-season in mind. With just 60 players dressed, it once again had the feel of a regular-season type of practice. The numbers were especially thin on the offensive line, where just nine players were on the field. That meant Wesley Britt and Nick Kaczur took reps with both the first- and second-string at left tackle at different parts of practice (veteran Barry Stokes, the second-stringer of late, was not at practice).
4) Multiple-front defense in focus. In Bill Belichick’s tenure as head coach, the Patriots have taken pride in being a multiple defense, with the ability to shift from a 3-4 alignment to a 4-3 alignment from game to game, or even snap to snap. The Patriots spent some time working on their four-man line in this practice, which had Jarvis Green and Mike Wright at end, and Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren inside at tackle.
5) Situational football affects coaches too. Tom Brady mentioned that he was receiving plays through his helmet from offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in today’s practice. “We use it quite a bit, especially in the two-minute situations and four-minute offense,” Brady explained. “[Coach Belichick] tries to simulate whenever we do the situational stuff, that Josh has to look at his call sheet and call the play. You just don’t get to run over and have him call the play. You have to listen through the helmet and communicate the play to the team, and go out and try to execute it.”
EXTRA POINTS: Tight end David Thomas had a couple of drops in drills as the offense was working on one field and the defense was on the other. … The Patriots continue to have some problems on quarterback/center exchanges with Dan Connolly and Matt Cassel fumbling one. … Randy Moss, Mike Vrabel, Marcus Pollard and Wesley Britt were among the players taking “penalty laps” for false starts or jumping offside. … Receiver Ray Ventrone had one of the plays of the practice, rising high to catch a high delivery from Matt Cassel as two defenders closed in. … Rookie free agent Gary Guyton seemed to get more reps at inside linebacker when the second unit came on. … The crowd cheered when Tom Brady connected with Randy Moss for a touchdown in 11-on-11 situational work inside the 10-yard line, although back at the line of scrimmage, defensive end Ty Warren had burst through and would have had the sack if hitting the quarterback was an option. … Kicker Stephen Gostkowski finished by hitting 6 of 6 field goals from 27-42 yards.
Thursday schedule: The Patriots have a single practice, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The session is open to the public.
Friday schedule: The club also announced that Friday’s practice – originally scheduled to be closed to the public – will now be open. The time for that practice is scheduled for noon.
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But no video of the actual catch? BUZZ KILL
Hi Mark. Just wanted to point out that there are restrictions for media members on when they can film. When Wilfork made the catch, the cameras had to be turned off.
--Mike
Mike -
I've noticed Ryan O'Cal has been missing a lot of practices. I believe the last mention of him practicing would be July 30th and at the time, he was practicing as the first string RT. I thought Wesley Britt looked good the other nite against the Ravens at both tackle positions. Two questions - do you know what O'Cal's injury status is, and, if he were healthy, where would he and Britt fit into the depth chart? Has Britt passed him?
The video is posted on YouTube. Search for Wilfork. Then sort by date
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