FOXBOROUGH – Five observations from the Patriots’ 23rd training camp practice, which was held in full pads today on the upper practice fields behind Gillette Stadium (2:30 p.m.):
1) Tom Brady and intensity in the two-minute drill. Once again, the Patriots worked on their hurry-up, two-minute offense at the end of practice, and one could clearly see the intensity with which Tom Brady was practicing. With coach Bill Belichick calling out each situation, and the players reacting quickly by rushing to the line of scrimmage, Brady marched the team down the field. Facing fourth down at the 6-yard line – with two seconds left on the clock – Brady went for a hard snap count that drew left defensive end Ty Warren into the neutral zone. That gave the offense the ball at the 3, with a first down. Brady then went for another hard snap count, once again drawing Warren into the neutral zone. Belichick flagged Warren once again, sending him on two penalty laps. With the ball at the 1 1/2 yard line, Brady dropped back and found Randy Moss for a quick-strike touchdown. Brady sprinted up to Moss, banging his helmet as if it were a regular season game. The overall energy was high, with Brady the main catalyst.
2) Stephen Gostkowski quietly efficient. After drilling a 43-yard field goal to cap off the second-string offense’s hurry-up drill, kicker Stephen Gostkowski was called upon to kick seven field goals at the end of practice. He hit all seven of his attempts, from 27-42 yards, rotating hash marks each time. He hasn’t been a big topic of discussion at training camp, but Gostkowski has been generally solid.
3) Numbers shortage remains in the spotlight. The Patriots practiced without 19 players, continuing a recent trend. The numbers are particularly problematic on the offensive line (10 players dressed), where the club has endured a recent run of injuries. For the second straight day, Wesley Britt and Nick Kaczur were required to take repetitions with both the first- and second-string, which must be a concern among the coaching staff as situations like those can sometimes result in players being worn down. Newly signed Stephen Sene was thrown right into the mix in some drills, playing second-string right tackle, but when Sene was held back, that’s when Britt and Kaczur pulled double duty (second-string left tackle).
4) Keeping an eye on rookie free agent Gary Guyton. The Patriots spent a significant part of practice working on punt coverage, and it was notable that rookie free agent Gary Guyton was lined up next to long snapper Lonie Paxton with the top group. If Guyton is going to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster, he’ll have to first make his mark on special teams. His hustle tackle of Yamon Figurs in last Thursday’s preseason opener appears to have created more opportunity for him; now it will be interesting to see what he does with it.
5) More tipped passes at the line of scrimmage. Every practice, it seems, Patriots defenders get their hands on a pass at the line of scrimmage. Baxter Holmes wrote about this in today’s editions of the Boston Globe, and on cue, defensive lineman Richard Seymour and outside linebacker Shawn Crable delivered tipped passes in two-minute, hurry-up offense work.
EXTRA POINTS: Through 23 training camp practices, the Patriots have been in full pads 19 times, with four walkthroughs (hats, T-shirts). … Quarterback Matt Gutierrez returned to practice, but looked rusty in throwing two interceptions (snared by linebacker Eric Alexander & cornerback Terrence Wheatley). … Running back Sammy Morris was visibly upset with himself after dropping a screen pass from Matt Cassel with no defenders nearby in 11-on-11 work. … Receiver Chad Jackson was on the receiving end of a long touchdown pass from Tom Brady in 11-on-11 drills, with Jackson racing down the left side and Brady pump-faking before delivering a rocket as Jackson got behind cornerback Ellis Hobbs. … At one point in situational, two-minute drills, to further accentuate game-like situations, Patriots coach Bill Belichick called on the chains to be brought out for a measurement. … When the second-string offense came on for situational, two-minute drills, Matt Cassel salvaged what appeared to be a broken-down drive by hitting tight end Marcus Pollard over the middle to set up a Stephen Gostkowski 43-yard field goal.
Friday schedule: The Patriots have a single practice, scheduled for noon. It is the last training camp practice open to the public (weather permitting).
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Have we seen Gostkowski hit on any longer range field goals? I'm thinking obviously of the Super Bowl, where the Pats passed up the field goal in what would seem a reasonable range, but I haven't seen any training camp notes about him hitting or even trying some long-range (50+) attempts.