WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — The sun came out in the Greenbrier Valley, and so did the competitive spirit of both the Texans and the Patriots as both teams conducted a heck of a joint practice ahead of their exhibition game on Saturday night in Houston.
Lets break it all down:
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Patriots brought it today: You could argue that the Patriots got pushed around the field by the Texans on Tuesday in just about every respect. The Patriots looked like a team that was a little bit in vacation mode at "America's Resort." Well, something changed in the interim (likely a brutal film session on Tuesday), because the champs showed up today and gave just as good as they got it. From the first snap of 11-on-11s, when rookie Derek Rivers busted through with a sack, to Cyrus Jones laying a big pop against WR Riley McCarron (a dead ringer for Wes Welker, down to the No. 83 jersey) in the final period, the Patriots were physical and the sideline was heavily invested in the play on the field. There was a ton of trash talking and cheering. It was a lot of fun to watch.
Rivers leaves practice with injury: Third-round pick Derek Rivers had continued to make progress after a slow start to camp but he had to leave practice with an apparent left knee injury. He did not return. DE Kony Ealy looked like he sustatined a left shoulder injury but he returned.
Help needed at left tackle: Nate Solder and Tony Garcia continued to be absent and LaAdrian Waddle didn't practice after being injured on Tuesday, which left Cam Fleming as the only left tackle with experience, and he took most of the first- and second-team reps. Cole Croston, a rookie free agent, took the rest of the snaps at LT. As you would expect, it wasn't pretty and the Patriots were forced to throw a ton of help Fleming's way in the form of RBs.
TAKING ATTENDANCE
Reserve/injured list: DL Corey Vereen.
Physically unable to perform list: LB Dont’a Hightower, OT Andrew Jelks (NFI).
Red non-contact jerseys: QBs, WR Cody Hollister, DB Damarius Travis.
Not participating: LT Nate Solder, WR Matthew Slater, RB Mike Gillislee, LB Shea McClellin, OT Tony Garcia, DE Deatrich Wise, LB Keionta Davis (CBA mandated), RB LeShun Daniels (head), OT LaAdrian Waddle (midsection), DB Brandon King, TE Matt Lengel.
Returned to practice: None.
New injuries: DE Derek Rivers (left knee), DE Kony Ealy (right shoulder, returned).
DRESS CODE
Full pads.
TOP PLAYS
- Tom Brady deep to Chris Hogan on a skinny post up the seam just ahead of tight coverage from top CB Jonathan Joseph.
- Malcom Brown channeling his inner Vince Wilfork and snuffing out a screen and making the play all the way near the sideline, to the delight of his teammates.
- Needing 6 yards to make a first down from the right hash mark, Brady threw a laser all the way across the field to Brandin Cooks to pick up 7.
- On back-to-back plays, rookie LB Trevor Bates carried a TE up the seam and then dropped into a throwing lane to break up a pass, and then blew up 6-0, 235-pound RB D'Onta Foreman before recording a sack.
- TE James O'Shaughnessy making a leaping grab over Benardrick McKinney to haul in a Brady pass up the seam.
- Brady to Cooks up the seam for a TD on the first play of red-zone work.
- Tom Savage hitting Jaelen Strong for a TD in the back right corner of the end zone over Malcolm Butler.
- Brady to Hogan for a TD of some 50 yards that beat both the corner and the safety.
- After taking it easy on Tuesday, CB Stephon Gilmore and WR Brandin Cooks were heavily involved.
- Ealy seems to be on the upswing, as he recorded a sack. But on the next play he got shoved out of his gap and opened it up for a big run by the Texans.
- Eric Rowe not only was the third cornerback for most of the practice, he was in the slot.
- Nate Ebner (who was planted in the turf on Tuesday), Julian Edelman and Cooks were among the Patriots jawing with the Texans.
- Cyrus Jones bobbled a punt, and then let once drop that appeared he could have fielded. Body language (uh oh ... alert the #bodylanguage police) shows a player with little confidence.
- Harvey Langi continues to be the starting LE/OLB and flashed in coverage.
- Kyle Van Noy made some nice plays against the run.
- Brady had a few bad misses today. Garoppolo had a few really dangerous throws that could have been picked one. One in traffic, another one throwing back across his body.
- Jonathan Freeney would have had a punt block if the play was live.
- Sacks for: Derek Rivers, Kony Ealy, Adam Butler, Trevor Bates 2.
- Sacks against: Cam Fleming 2 (Whitney Mercilus both times), Marcus Cannon (J.J. Watt), Team (Ufomba Kamalu).
- Favorite sideline quote of camp, from Steve Belichick to Van Noy after a kickoff return: "Yeah KV! I see you KV! Way to blow that (stuff) up!"
- Best Patriots jersey in the stands:
