Patriots Practicing At Much Less Intense Pace Than in 2010 Due To New NFL Restrictions

FOXBORO, Mass. — Every team has been forced to change their training camp schedules with the revised rules of the new collective bargaining agreement, and the Patriots' philosophy was thrown off as much as any organization.

The full-pads double sessions are a thing of the past, but they have been replaced by longer practices that can span as much as three hours.

The Patriots had the day off Sunday, so it's a good time to reset things and compare this training camp to last year's.

Through 11 days of 2010:
Total practices: 17
Practices in full pads: 12
Practices in shorts/sweats and shells: 2
Walkthroughs: 3
Double sessions: 8 (four days with both practices in full pads)
Days off: 2

Through 11 days of 2011:
Total practices: 12
Practices in full pads: 6
Practices in shorts/sweats and shells: 3
Walkthroughs: 3
Double sessions: 3
Days off: 2

The Patriots opened their 2010 training camp with six consecutive days of double sessions, and they practiced for nine consecutive days (with eight double sessions) before getting the weekend off.

This year, the Patriots opened with two days of double sessions (none of the four practices were in full pads) and practiced for four days (with three double sessions) before getting a day off. They haven't had a double session since last Sunday.

Obviously, the pace of the 2011 camp has been far less intense, which is partly due to the NFL's new restrictions as well as the need to keep players healthy after a five-month lockout.