New England Patriots training camp: recapping Day 2
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Another day of New England Patriots training camp is in the books. As Mike Reiss noted, today was the first practice this offseason in which players actually wore jersey numbers.
#Patriots players have jersey numbers for today's practice after going without in the spring and first day of training camp.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 31, 2015
The main story of today was the play of the secondary, perhaps the most heavily scrutinized positional group entering 2015 (besides the fluid situation at quarterback, of course).
"Veteran cornerback Bradley Fletcher stood out for the first time this offseason and made one pass breakup. He was close in coverage and prevented catches on other attempts.Safety Tavon Wilson and cornerbacks Robert McClain and Malcolm Butler also made nice plays during the two-hour session. Head coach Bill Belichick looked particularly fired up after McClain broke up a Garoppolo pass intended for receiver Jonathan Krause."
After a dominant Day 1 of Patriots training camp for the quarterbacks, it’s good to see the pass defense rebound. Belichick getting excited about good cornerback play this early in training camp is a good sign.
But today wasn’t completely dominated by good plays on defense. According to Oliver Thomas of 247Sports, the Patriots’ twin tower tight ends impressed once again:
"Rob Gronkowski and Scott Chandler are not fair to have on offense in a 7-on-7 end-zone drill. Both tight ends, at 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-7, respectively, caught their share of touchdowns by going above the rim against smaller defensive backs and linebackers. The longer it took for Brady or Garoppolo to throw their way, seemingly the harder it got for the pass coverage to stop them."
Here are some other odds and ends from the second day of Patriots training camp:
- Jake Bequette was seen sporting the No. 85 jersey for the first time, a change from his old defensive end No. 92 shirt.
- Rookie guards Shaq Mason and Tre’ Jackson saw a bunch of action. At least one of those guys will start in Week 1, possibly both.
- Fans chanted their embattled quarterback’s name at the beginning of the day.
- D.J. Lynch and Derek Cox left practice early and did not return.
Stay tuned as Patriots training camp begins Day 3 tomorrow morning.