FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots conducted their final CBA-mandated shells practice before the pads go on Saturday. After a cool start on Thursday, the heat and sun was back for the second practice.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Receiver ranks thinned: There was no sign of Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell on the field to start practice. Cody Hollister exited with an injury early in drills, and both Matthew Slater and Devin Lucien were dealing with ailments at various points.
Ealy returns, Ninkovich does not: DE Kony Ealy, who was acquired in a trade with the Panthers in the offseason, made his debut but didn’t participate very much in team drills. Rob Ninkovich was again not spotted.
Defensive backs stand out: Whether it was Cyrus Jones providing blanket coverage or Eric Rowe having a day, the secondary had a very good day overall.
TAKING ATTENDANCE
Reserve/injured list: DL Corey Vereen.
Physically unable to perform list: LB Dont’a Hightower, DT Alan Branch.
Red non-contact jerseys: Just the quarterbacks, as usual.
Not participating: None.
Returned to field: DE Kony Ealy.
Not seen on the field: LB Rob Ninkovich, WR Danny Amendola, WR Malcolm Mitchell, LS Joe Cardona.
New injuries: WR Cody Hollister (upper body), WR Devin Lucien (lower body).
DRESS CODE
Shells.
TOP PLAYS
RB Rex Burkhead came out of the backfield and exhibited great quickness in dusting a linebacker for a touchdown.
WR Devin Lucien ran a great route and made a good adjustment on a well-thrown throw by Jimmy Garoppolo, but CB Eric Rowe still managed to come up with an interception before the ball hit the turf. Not sure how he did it, but he did.
Tom Brady and WR Brandin Cooks again hooked up on a deep pass down the left sideline.
Garoppolo threaded passes on back-to-back plays to WR Austin Carr and TE Dwayne Allen near the back of the end zone. Both plays were great throws and contested catches in tight coverage.
THREE UP
CB Cyrus Jones: Showed great coverage for much of the practice to the point that his constant presence annoyed WR Chris Hogan, who turned around after a catch and butted helmets with Jones. Jones swatted the ball away, punctuating the first semi-heated exchange of camp.
CB Eric Rowe: Continued his strong start with a couple more pass breakups (one on an underthrown ball by Tom Brady) and an interception. The secondary as a whole has been scrappy and playing with a bit of an edge through the first two days.
RB Rex Burkhead: With quickness and good feel for coverage, Burkhead looks like he’ll be a factor in the pass game, which is interesting considering the Patriots also have James White and Dion Lewis.
THREE DOWN
Jimmy Garoppolo: Certainly had his moments, but overall was indecisive, late with his throws and had a few batted/deflected. Has four interceptions in the first two practices, including a pair (once by Jordan Richards and another one by Rowe) on Friday in 11-on-11 work.
David Harris: Was more in the mix today but unfortunately for him, most of the drills forced him to lineup on the outside in man coverage against running backs. That’s not his forte.
Jacoby Brissett: Again was slow to pull the trigger, and his long delivery really stands out as a negative when compared to Brady and Garoppolo’s quick releases.
QUICK HITS
- The Patriots need to get the officials in here quick because the amount of shoving and holding with the ball in the air — going both ways — is off the charts and isn’t helping anyone.
- Maybe that’s one reason why the Patriots had the cornerbacks put boxing gloves on at one point. But the offense was just as guilty, as players like Rob Gronkowski got a little handsy as well.
- Add Justin Coleman to the list of defensive backs that made plays.
- Brady seemed to take a back seat in terms of his workload today.
- Dwayne Allen seems to be getting more comfortable in the Patriots offense. And he has shown a preference for wearing very tight and short shorts. Like 1980s John Stockton short.
- In a second round of 11-on-11s, the highlight was probably a 5-for-5 performance from Garoppolo, including two completions to Dion Lewis. While the passes were almost all check downs and dump-offs, it was a nice display of accuracy. When Brady took the controls, the biggest play of the sequence came when Eric Rowe delivered an impressive pass breakup on a ball for Edelman. And Brissett followed with a 3-for-4 effort, with a pair of nice connections with Austin Carr.
- U2 was on the playlist during 11-on-11 work, including "Elevation" and "Beautiful Day."
- Owner Robert Kraft made an appearance early in the workout and ended up sticking around for the rest of the practice.