Patriots Minicamp Day 3 practice report – An eventful day in Foxborough, on and off the field

FOXBOROUGH — This will be a muted version of our comprehensive mini-camp/training camp practice reports. It’s only the third week of full-squad workouts, and they’re not close to having pads on. It’s hard to draw too many judgments from the Underwear Olympics.

HEADLINES

No Days Off: There were many teams around the league who decided to take a pass on the final minicamp workout, but not the Patriots, who really ramped up after what looked like a slow start. In 11-on-11 work, some sort of undetermined infraction caused Bill Belichick to send the entire offense for a lap. (Tom Brady and James White led the way.) He then called the offense together for a talk. It wasn’t clear what Belichick was upset about, but he was clearly steamed about something. The intensity stayed like that for much of the rest of the workout.

More kickoff work: For the third straight day, the Patriots spent a sizable portion of the workout on their kick return game, with Joe Judge, assistant special teams coach Cameron Archord and newcomer Bret Bielema running the show. Cordarrelle Patterson again got the primary reps at the kick return spot — it’s only June, but it’s clear he’s going to be the guy come the regular season. Riley McCarron and Sony Michel also got some work there as well.

Brady/Edelman in the news: Between the quarterback speaking and the update involving Julian Edelman, it was an eventful end to minicamp for the Patriots. First, on Edelman: It was hard to tell just what was going on with him through part of practice, but he looked a little off his game at times. Then, we saw owner Robert Kraft come out and chat with him for a bit during the workout. And then, once practice wrapped up, the news broke that he was going to be facing a four-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy.

Before the Edelman news broke, Brady spoke with reporters for the first time this spring. He said his absence from the early stages of the spring program was personal and had nothing to do with any animosity with Belichick. He wouldn’t talk about the possibility of a new deal, and added that he wouldn’t commit to showing up for the one final round of voluntary workouts that are scheduled for next week. So much for an uneventful end to the three-day minicamp.

ATTENDANCE

Notable absences: David Jones, Brandon Bolden, Kenny Britt and Joe Thuney.

Rehab group: Malcolm Mitchell was with the rehab group on Thursday, a good sign for the young receiver. Several others were limited, including Cyrus Jones, Nate Ebner, Braxton Berrios, Keion Crossen, Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
We’re not going to go off the deep end about anything, so don’t overreact to the stuff you read here. It’s like the third week of school. At the same time, you can’t completely ignore it (plus, we’re not entirely sure who is who thanks to the great number switching of 2018).

• In the first round of 11-on-11 work, Brady went 3-for-5. After an opening completion to fullback James Develin, he misfired on the second pass attempt. After Belichick’s pep talk, the offense was a little sharper after that, with Brady completing passes to Gronkowski (1 15-yarder over the middle) and Jacob Hollister. In the same sequence, a near-miss on a deep ball to Jordan Matthews that ultimately resulted in a drop sparked audible groans along the offensive sideline.

• Brady was followed by Brian Hoyer, who went 2-for-5 on his opportunity, including another completion to Hollister, who continues to look solid. Later on in 11-on-11s, Danny Etling went 5-for-8, a series that included a nice fingertip catch by Matthews but also had a false start from offensive lineman Cole Croston, who ended up running a lap.

• Overall, when it came to 11-on-11s, I had Brady 9-for-13, Hoyer 2-for-8 and Etling 5-for-7.

• Two quarterbacks miscues on the day: one came when Etling couldn’t handle a shotgun snap from backup center Luke Bowanko. (To be fair, Bowanko may have snapped it prematurely.) And two, Hoyer lost the handle on a ball when he dropped back to pass. Belichick ripped him afterward and sent him on a lap.

• Rookie defensive back J.C. Jackson did not look overwhelmed in the slightest. He had two nice PBUs on Thursday, and looks comfortable within the defensive scheme. No one is writing his Hall of Fame acceptance speech just yet, but he has the look and feel of a guy who belongs.

• The punter competition is a real thing. Rookie Corey Bojorquez has a big leg, and was booming it all over the field again on Thursday. No idea how he does when it comes to directional punting, but I’d think Ryan Allen is in a real fight for his job at this point.

• Riley McCarron spent a sizable part of the workout talking with Brady during breaks. He also got some work in as the primary punt returner.

• At one point during early drills, Etling was upbraided by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for a poor handoff.

• Referees were in attendance for the second consecutive day, and threw a few flags. They also proved helpful when it came to making calls on sideline pass plays.

• Tony La Russa, a longtime friend of Belichick, was in attendance. Some of the Iowa coaching staff was also here for a third consecutive day, and folks in Duke and Syracuse gear were spotted as well.

• In the middle of kick return work, a big helicopter landed on the field next to practice, and Jonathan Kraft popped out. Owner Robert Kraft was spotted at practice about 30 minutes later.

• At the end of the workout, the Patriots ran the conditioning hill as a team for the first time in minicamp.

• Eclectic playlist for 11-on-11 work on Thursday, one that ranged from Rick Ross to U2.

• Etling, Matthews and Braxton Berrios were among the last players on the field, getting in some extra work after practice ended. For what it's worth, Matthews has been one of the first players on the field consistently throughout the spring. I have no idea if it's going to help, but it's certainly a good place for a newcomer to start.