Jerod Mayo stepped to the microphone to begin his pre-practice press conference on a rainy Monday morning and had a very simple message for the media.
"Hey, this is real football, right? This is real football. We're out here in pads today," he said, expressing his enthusiasm for his team's first foray into physicality of the summer.
The workout in overcast Foxborough featured more than its share of the running game, with mixed results, but there were some signs of contact and actual football on display so there was an energetic vibe to the proceedings. Each of the 11-on-11 periods saw at least a handful of runs with Rhamondre Stevenson getting the bulk of the work early on as Antonio Gibson and Kevin Harris filtered in behind him.
The offensive line, working without David Andrews, who missed his first practice of camp, was able to create some space and open holes at times. Stevenson found a crease over the right side on the first series, and Harris was able to run to daylight later when trying his luck off left tackle.
It wasn't perfect as there were a handful of runs that were blown up in the backfield as well, some coming on zone read looks and on toss sweeps. But for starters it was a decent start to the next level of camp.
"It's the old adage, it's never as good or as bad as you think it is," tight end Austin Hooper said. "You know, you might think you destroyed the guy in pads, and you realize you just moved them a few inches but it was just good enough to create a hole. So, it can be hard to judge without watching the tape. I will say there's some good things and there's some stuff, you know, it's not a part of our standard."
Hooper was referring not just to missed blocks or dropped passes, but more so the prevalence of mental mistakes that dogged the offense periodically throughout the day. There were at least a half dozen pre-snap penalties and a couple of instances where the offense had to re-huddle to get on the same page. Several linemen were sent on laps, and just before the practice ended Mayo sent the entire offense running.
"We had some pre snap issues," Hooper began. "That's the stuff that requires no talent. A lot to clean up and I'm sure if I watched the film I could tell you about 10 other things, but looking at a first impression it was a step forward. Was it perfect? No, but a step in the right direction.
"I'm trying to say what I can say to you," Hooper continued. "Just have to get locked in on the details. It's just about being mentally locked in, and I know the pads are on and everyone's ready to hit, hit, hit. But you have to calm your mind and remember the details like when the ball is being snapped. So, we just have to keep holding each other accountable and keep taking steps in the right direction. We just kept jumping offside. So, let's run until we figure it out. So, will it be a cross-country team or will it be a football team? I'd rather be a football team. So, it's good that Coach Mayo is doing that.
"But overall, it was solid first day."
Beyond the first impressions in pads, here are one man's observations of Day 5 of training camp.
*Mayo offered little additional information regarding Christian Barmore's health status. After practice on Sunday the Patriots issued a statement explaining that the defensive tackle is dealing with blood clots and will be sidelined indefinitely.
"Over the weekend, Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots. He was appropriately treated by the doctors at Mass General Brigham, who tested, evaluated and treated Christian. Our principal concern at this time is Christian's health and wellbeing. Fortunately, Mass General Brigham provides some of the best healthcare in the world. While there is no current timetable for his return, we know Christian is getting tremendous care and we look forward to his full recovery."
Mayo spoke before practice but didn't provide many more details.
"I just want to thank the medical professionals in-house and also Mass General as far as the care for Barmore," Mayo said. "Obviously, it's an unfortunate thing, but for me, it's not even about football. When you talk about things like that, it's about the man. He's getting tremendous care, and I'm anticipating him coming back."
Mayo said there is no timetable for Barmore's return and that when they spoke he said the defensive tackle was in good spirits.
The Patriots are no strangers to issues with blood clots as David Andrews was forced to sit out the 2019 season when he dealt with clots in his lungs. He was able to receive proper treatment and returned the following year. Hopefully Barmore's situation can be rectified as well.
*The PUP list remained intact with Kendrick Bourne (knee), Cole Strange (knee), Sione Takitaki and Jake Andrews all missing from practice. Shaun Wade continues to wear a red, non-contact jersey while Marte Mapu remains mostly a spectator. The safety once again arrived about 30 minutes into practice and mostly watched from the sidelines. In addition to David Andrews, rookie Jaheim Bell also missed practice. Bell was on the field but not in pads.
*One other player did not take part in the workout and that was Matthew Judon. Judon was among the first players on the field but not in uniform and with no pads in sight. He spent some time with fans early on and then had a long talk with Mayo on the side of the left practice field. Judon later spoke with Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh but did not practice. The linebacker is entering the final year of his contract and is set to earn just $6.5 million in base salary in 2024.
*Elsewhere on the contract front, Davin Godchaux was in full uniform and was at his normal nose tackle position at the start of the first 11-on-11 drill. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was on hand and watched the proceedings from the friends and family tent. The agent then spoke to Mayo for several minutes after practice.
*Jabrill Peppers, fresh off signing an extension of his own late last week, left practice early with an apparent injury. He spent some time in the rehab area at the far end of the field but was unable to continue practicing and eventually left for the locker room.
*With Andrews missing from the middle of the offensive line, veteran Nick Leverett took his spot at center. Otherwise the group was the same as we've seen the last couple of practices with Caedan Wallace, Sidy Sow, Mike Onwenu and Chuks Okorafor flanking Leverett. The continuity is a welcome sign for the guys up front, although Sow downplayed the importance of working with the same guys.
"In a way it's never really the same," Sow said. "We all have a job to do and at the end of the day we're all replaceable so getting used to one player is not always the best thing."
*Joshua Uche was involved in a tussle following an 11-on-11 rep and appeared to take a swing in the direction of Okorafor. The fifth-year linebacker was sent to the locker room shortly thereafter and missed the remaining 30 minutes of practice.
*Tyquan Thornton came up with a pair of strong catches during the practice. The first came in 7-on-7s when he ran a deep fade down the left sideline and came up with a tough catch behind Marco Wilson. Later in 11-on-11 he got open deep again, coming away with a nice diving grab near the right sideline. Both catches came on throws from Jacoby Brissett.
*Speaking of Brissett, the veteran quarterback enjoyed his best day of camp. He was able to find some rhythm early in practice and seemed to carry that throughout the day. He connected with tight ends Hunter Henry and Hooper on consecutive plays to start a team period, and later found Javon Baker in traffic on a play where the rookie did a nice job of high-pointing the pass. Baker later had a tough drop as well.
*The Patriots worked on kickoffs for the first time of camp. The new rules were on display but there were no wrinkles with regard to the actual kickoffs. All landed inside the 10 and were returned by Jalen Reagor, Marcus Jones, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn and Antonio Gibson. We won't likely get to see any innovated ideas with regard to new kickoffs until the regular season.
*In addition to Hooper, Sow, Osborn and Gibson, Chad Ryland and Armon Watts also spoke with the media after practice.
*The Patriots are expected to be back in pads for Tuesday's workout in Foxborough. The practice is set to begin at 11 a.m. with gates opening at 10 a.m. Once again the session will be open to the public.
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