Defense rules full-team drills
FOXBOROUGH — When left tackle Trent Brown jumped early before the first snap of fullteam work, it was a harbinger of things to come for the Patriots offense Monday.
As Brown ran a penalty lap for the lapse, the defense began what was an all-out assault on the offense on a sweltry afternoon. The first period included two would-be sacks (Raekwon McMillan and Carl Davis) on Mac Jones, a pair of run stuffs, a pass breakup (Marcus Jones), and an excuse-me knock down of Nelson Agholor by Mack Wilson.
Things got better for the offense during the 7on-7 work, but the full-team drills belonged to the defense.
All three quarterbacks, Jones, Brian Hoyer, and Bailey Zappe, were intercepted during the 11s, with Joshuah Bledsoe sealing practice with a goalline theft of a Hoyer throw.
There were miscommunications and frustration, with several players throwing their hands in the air and shaking their head after plays.
Long after practice was over, longtime captain David Andrews huddled with the offense to boost spirits and put the day in the rearview.
“That’s just part of it,’’ Andrews said of the frustration. “There’s ups and downs of training camp. You’ve got to go in, learn from it, and see what we can do better. We’ve got to come out here tomorrow. We can’t let today or any day derail anything. That’s just how it goes. Wins, losses, you’ve got to just stay steady.’’
ROLL CALL
Not participating: RB James White (PUP); OL Andrew Steuber (nonfootball injury list).
Rookie offensive lineman Chasen Hines was removed from the NFI list and was a full participant for the first time. He had been sporadically spotted on the conditioning field during the last two weeks.
Rhamondre Stevenson, Matthew Judon, Jabrill Peppers, and Jahlani Tavai returned to full participation after not participating Friday.
OT Isaiah Wynn and TE Dalton Keene were limited and did most of their work on the conditioning field.
INJURIES: Tight end Devin Asiasi left practice early for an undisclosed reason. He left the field with a staffer but didn’t seem to be in distress.
Full pads.
DRESS CODE: TOP PLAY
DeVante Parker has made a number of standout plays during camp and came up with his best during a 7-on-7 two-minute drill. With Jonathan Jones draped on him, Parker elevated and grabbed a Mac Jones fade. As he landed on his back in the end zone, Parker’s helmet popped off. The receiver jumped right up and then performed a dueling air guitar celebration with Nelson Agholor that would have made the late, great Eddie Van Halen proud. MORE HIGHLIGHTS
Tyquan Thornton put Terrance Mitchell in a blender during an early individual drill, spinning the corner and getting separation for a deep completion from Mac Jones.
Linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who was injured Thursday, came back strong with a pair of pass breakups on Zappe and Jones.
Sam Roberts, who blocked five kicks in college, got his mitts on a Nick Folk attempt late in practice. Folk hit his other four attempts with a long of about 40ish yards.
ODDS AND ENDS:
Jake Bailey spent one period booming punts with fellow punter Jake Julien acting as the de facto return man. The rookie did an admirable job fielding the kicks, especially considering the winds picked up later in the session.
Defensive end Henry Anderson showed good knee bend and speed in overpowering Arlington Hambright during the individual trench drills.
There were also nifty battles between Matthew Judon and Trent Brown and Cole Strange vs. Lawrence Guy.
Hoyer unveiled some blue high top Nike cleats that jumped to No. 1 on the camp fashion list.
The heat index (it was over 100 degrees) and the change in time were the likely reasons the crowd was the smallest of camp.
UP NEXT:
Tuesday: Practice, 4 p.m. (gates open at 3). Wednesday: Off day.
Thursday: Exhibition Game 1 vs. Giants, 7 p.m.