by Zack Cox on Tue, Aug 9, 2016 at 4:48PM 2,163 Share this: FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots play against one of the best quarterbacks of the last two decades every day in practice. On Tuesday, they got to square off against another — and they did not fare particularly well against him. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 21 of 25 passes in 11-on-11 drills against the Patriots’ defense during the first of the teams’ two scheduled joint practices. After the session, Brees received nothing but praise from Patriots safety Devin McCourty. “One of the best,” McCourty said. “That’s what I really like about this. In preseason, sometimes you get in the game and you don’t know how much you’ll get to see him,
Tag: patriots
Patriots Projected Depth Chart Reset: Defensive Line Competition Ongoing
Share this: The New England Patriots are just two days away from almost-real football. The Patriots will take on the New Orleans Saints in their first preseason game Thursday, but first they’ll compete in two joint practices. Let’s first take a look at the Patriots’ projected depth chart based on what we’ve seen at training camp. + Injured QUARTERBACKTom Brady/Jimmy Garoppolo Jacoby Brissett— Jimmy Garoppolo is the starter in Weeks 1 through 4, and Brady is the starter from Week 5 on. Thus, co-starters. RUNNING BACKDion Lewis+ (PUP)LeGarrette Blount James White Brandon Bolden Tyler Gaffney Donald Brown+ Joey Iosefa D.J. Foster+— Gaffney is above Brown because he’s been in the system for two years, and he already has a week’s worth of more practice reps. Brown is
Patriots Practice Observations: A.J. Derby, Martellus Bennett Standing Out
Share this: FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick wasn’t lying when he said the Patriots have their deepest group of tight ends since the head coach came to New England in 2000. Rob Gronkowski continues to dominate training camp, despite some issues with drops, and Martellus Bennett has shown smooth route running and soft hands this summer. Bennett caught three passes during 11-on-11s Monday. A.J. Derby, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft but was placed on injured reserve early last August, has stood out in three straight practices now. He caught two passes, including a contested grab over safety Patrick Chung on Monday. Derby could have an uphill battle to crack the 53-man roster over veteran Clay Harbor, who returned
Julian Edelman: Helping Young Patriots Receivers Is ‘Part Of My Job’
Share this: FOXBORO, Mass. — Julian Edelman’s first practice of the summer came Sunday, but he still was able to be of service to the New England Patriots in the first week and a half of training camp. Edelman praised the Patriots’ young receivers Sunday, and he feels its his duty to help them acclimate to an offense in which he has seven years of experience. “I tell them whatever they want to hear,” Edelman said. “I tell them what I would do in that situation. They’ve asked a lot of questions, and that’s part of my job, to help make this corps as best as possible. I’ll go down and we’ll talk about, ‘Hey, I would have done this; I would have stacked a little
Patriots Practice Observations: Tom Brady Perfect In Full-Team Scrimmage
Share this: FOXBORO, Mass. — Jimmy Garoppolo beat Tom Brady in a post-practice competition on Thursday. Brady got his revenge Friday in a full-team scrimmage, however. Brady was a perfect 25-of-25 passing in Team Blue’s 17-9 victory over Team White. Garoppolo was just 18 of 33 with an interception. Brady was fired up throughout the scrimmage, chirping at Team White and showing his typical passion during Team Blue celebrations. Brady also beat Garoppolo by throwing a football into a barrel first after practice. Garoppolo matched Brady on the next throw and won Thursday. It will be fun to keep track of their post-practice challenges. Here are some other notes from the scrimmage: — Cornerback Malcolm Butler deflected two passes from Garoppolo in the end zone during the
Patriots, Please Don’t Stop Martellus Bennett From Being Himself
Share this: FOXBORO, Mass. — There was a strong dichotomy between what two New England Patriots players had to say after Wednesday’s practice at the makeshift press conference wall alongside the Gillette Stadium practice fields. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo stayed on script, even conceding the Patriots’ “culture” keeps him from thinking about the possibility the four games he’ll play in place of Tom Brady could be a launching pad for his career with the potential for a giant salary. Then there was Martellus Bennett, who perfectly used profanity to accentuate just how “(expletive) good” Rob Gronkowski is. He also explained why people call him the Kanye West of the NFL and why it’s important for players to stand for something. Then there was the ESPN The
Coldplay Hangs Out With Patriots, Endorses Them To Win Super Bowl LI
Coldplay really knew how to work the crowd Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. The British rock band, which headlined the halftime show at Super Bowl 50, showed support for the New England Patriots, who are looking to return to the big game this season after losing to the eventual champion Denver Broncos in last season’s AFC Championship Game. Coldplay also hung out with some members of the Patriots backstage Saturday night. Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola were spotted catching up with the music icons. Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images