FOXBOROUGH — Practice No. 11 is in the books. Here’s what went down:
FREE PRACTICE REPORT FROM LAST SATURDAY
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Tested by the elements: It started with really nasty heat, eventually hitting 90-plus degrees. And then, about an hour or so into practice, there was absolutely apocalyptic rain. There was some standing around and wondering just what was going to happen, but Bill Belichick simply had them line up and keep going. It rained from about 2 p.m. until just before 2:30, when the Patriots eventually called things off. It was a strange day -- it was a closed camp practice, which was unique in and of itself. The fact they were in pads the day before a game was different. And the extremes in temperature and conditions were also rare.
Practice is done. Wild rain here the last 20 mins or so. pic.twitter.com/SRVI3ozspG
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) August 8, 2018
- None
- Nice early connection between Brady and Gronkowski and Brady and Dorsett.
- Gillislee and Hill got a lot of run in the rain in 11-on-11 work, and didn't put the ball on the ground when things got sloppy. (Hill's fumble happened before the rain came down.) They showed good burst. The jury is still out when it comes to Michel's availability, but my guess is that it's going to come down to one or the other when the regular season rolls around.
- With Flowers limited, Derek Rivers got reps with the starters on defense. In addition, with Cannon missing, LaAdrian Waddle got the bulk of the reps with the starters at right tackle.
- Gillislee mentioned to me the other day that he wants to get more involved in the passing game, and he received his fair share of targets on the afternoon.
- Cyrus Jones spent time receiving punts while he was on the field in limited work. Nate Ebner spent time with him on the other field. The two left practice early when the rain really started to come down.
- McCarron and Berrios saw time as kick returners.
- While there was some special teams work going on, Wise, Clayborn, and Flowers spent a lot of time working in a small group with pass rush consultant Joe Kim.
- In that same special teams window -- usually an opportunity for Brady's Circle of Trust -- there was very little work from the skill position guys.
- No running of Bill's Hill after practice.