The Patriots afternoon workout featured a low-key tone with the players donning helmets and shells. Given the lack of equipment, not surprisingly the team worked almost exclusively on the passing game.
Several individuals stood out during the passing drills, most notably the running backs. Corey Dillon, who showed no ill effects from an apparent injury that forced him out of a morning drill, displayed excellent hands. He beat Tedy Bruschi with a quick move into the flat, then made a terrific one-handed catch near the sideline as he turned into the end zone.
Shortly after, Malaefou Mackenzie made a pair of nice grabs, the first in front of Don Davis when he reached behind him to haul in an errant toss, and the second a one-handed grab in traffic despite tight coverage.
All four quarterbacks threw during the drill with Tom Brady and Rohan Davey tossing to the wideouts and tight ends while Kurt Kittner and Kliff Kingsbury worked with the backs. The highlight of the period came on a Brady-to-David Givens bomb. Givens beat rookie Randall Gay, who's been impressive otherwise so far with his physical, tight coverage, down the right seam and grabbed Brady's toss in stride.
Newly signed safety Guss Scott suited up for his first official practice as a Patriot. He and running back Cedric Cobbs agreed to terms earlier in the day but Cobbs spent the afternoon indoors with several others who weren't dressed for practice. Scott saw time with the first group at safety as Eugene Wilson didn't dress. Scott lined up alongside Rodney Harrison during 7-on-7 drills.
In addition to Wilson, Ted Johnson, Keith Traylor and Asante Samuel weren't dressed. They joined a large group of players, most of which have yet to dress thus far this summer, in the indoor facility once practice began. Christian Morton, who was forced out of action during the morning session after getting shaken up, was not on the field.
Even though camp is just three practices old, Davey turned in the best throw thus far when he uncorked a beautiful bomb to Givens. The ball traveled over 60 yards in the air and hit Givens in stride after the wideout beat both Ty Law and Harrison deep down the right side. Davey's arm strength was apparent on the play and his accuracy was equally impressive.
Terrell Buckley came up with at least his second interception of camp when he snared Kingsbury's overthrown toss over the middle during a 7-on-7 drill. The veteran has definitely maintained his nose for the football in his bid for a job as an extra defensive back.
An interesting element to the practice was Troy Brown's work on defense. The veteran took a turn covering his fellow receivers as a cornerback during the one-on-one period, then continued on that side of the ball when the team period began. With Samuel and Morton out of the lineup, it's likely Brown was simply adding some depth to a depleted corps, but it's worth noting.
The practice ended with the entire team doing 100-yard runs at roughly three-quarter speed. Working in three groups, the players made four jaunts back and forth before calling it a day and heading for the locker room.
