FOXBOROUGH - Mike Vrabel can't tell you he wants to fast forward to the first fully padded practice - that would be cheating the process - but holding a walk-through on day three of training camp is further proof that this build-up period is no more than a continuation of OTAs. Only three players brought their helmets to the session — the quarterbacks — and everyone was in sneakers, not cleats. Most players broke a sweat not because of the physical work they put in, but only from the heat.
"I didn't even know Boston really get hot like this, bro," said K'Lavon Chiasson post-practice. "I'm scared to step on the scale."
Vrabel promises more speed and a better tempo for Saturday's session, but this camp really gets going after the day off on Sunday. That's because Monday is almost assuredly in full armor, and that's truly when the real evaluation can begin. The players, especially those on the offensive line, are looking forward to it.
"It's real football," said center Garrett Bradbury. "In the spring, we come in and get some good work. Kind of a passing camp, so the D line's geared up, ready to rush the passer. But that's not what happens on Sunday.
"So, we get to run the ball, get to fit up some double teams. That's what O linemen love to do, right? It kind of wears on the defense. You don't want a fresh pass rusher for four quarters. You want to take your shots on them. So it'll be good. Iron sharpening iron, because we got a great D line, which only makes us better."
"Hell yeah," added Morgan Moses. "It's hard to block them when they just got jerseys on. We need something to grab."
(Just don't get caught, Morgan)
Beyond that, not a ton of observations to be made today. It appears that rookie Jared Wilson will get every opportunity to earn a starting spot at one of the three interior positions, or at the very least, be the first guy off the bench in that regard.
"I think that he's a quick learner," said Vrabel before a practice in which Wilson saw time at both guard spots and at center (all with the first team). "He's been able to learn two positions inside, as far as center and guard. I would say, to Karen [Guregian]'s question, he was one of those players that maybe wasn't out there as much on the field in the spring, but really was able to grasp it mentally and allow that to carry over when he had an opportunity to be on the field. So, he was able to show, for a young player, some of those things to be ready when he got his opportunity to be on the field."
The Guregian's question Vrabel referenced was about Ja'Lynn Polk. He was not placed on PUP to start camp, meaning that ship has sailed. Yet, after working out with players in the same boat as him on day one, Polk missed yesterday's session due to muscle soreness. While not considered major, Polk was absent from our view today as well, after not being a full participant in the spring. It's too early to say last year's second-rounder can't make up for lost time, but too much more of this and then it's a real conversation.
"At the beginning part of camp, there is installation," noted Vrabel. "It's a repeat from the spring. So, hopefully, any player that's not out here can stay engaged, continue to learn, and get the information that they need, and then be ready when they get back.
"I think that's the important thing, and that's what – just focusing on doing everything that you can to get back as quickly as possible, but also when you do get back, there's not a big drop-off of information lost when you get back."
For a player who struggled with the playbook - and we've since been told that perhaps he was given too much - that's not a guarantee. Plus, as you may have heard, the Josh McDaniels offense is not a piece of cake. And for all the talk about streamlining that playbook, well, it doesn't sound like that happened. First, it was Hunter Henry telling us it was the same as he remembered in 2021, and now Kendrick Bourne is the latest to confirm that when I asked him if there had been changes.
"Honestly, no, I think it's pretty similar," the veteran wideout said. "It's his system. He knows it. He's sticking to what he knows. And it's about us learning, like I said, what he wants us to do specifically. And Josh is very detailed, so fundamentals, details, and all those little things (are important)."
They're essential and necessary, especially for a team that has been lacking in this area for several years. But just to hammer the point home about McDaniels, Bradbury was asked about how hard this offense is to learn.
"I think the first time you hear it, you're like, 'What is this?'" he said. "I played - this is year seven and this is unlike anything I've ever - I mean it was funny, during the spring, I ordered flashcards and I was literally studying flashcards like I've never done this, but it's helping."
Bradbury had only played in a West Coast system before signing with the Pats this spring. In McDaniels' offense, the verbiage is different and, it has been argued, cumbersome from years and years of building out the playbook.
"Generally, everyone in the NFL runs the same plays, right?" Bradbury said. "So, it is the verbiage. It's how you call plays. In a lot of systems, there's a rhyme or reason. Like, if there's an 'R', if there's an 'L' in it. Some of these (in McDaniels' system) got no rhyme or reason. That's where the flashcards come in, like, I'm just studying, so, yeah, that's the big difference, and there's a lot of verbiage."
Bradbury didn't say this as a critique. He was honestly answering the challenges he's faced since coming over from Minnesota (and did it good-naturedly). But that raises the question of how well the young receivers and recent draft picks will pick up what McDaniels is putting down. Again, too early to get a sense of that, but certainly something worth watching.