FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ quarterbacks weren’t going to be made to look foolish in consecutive practices.
A day after cornerback Darrelle Revis picked off Tom Brady twice, the Patriots’ quarterbacks didn’t target Revis in team drills. Instead, they picked on fellow cornerback Brandon Browner and the linebackers.
Browner was beat by wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins on a 7-on-7 pass from Brady and by wideout Josh Boyce on an 11-on-11 completion from signal-caller Ryan Mallett. Brady, who saw a decreased workload, was 2-for-2 (completions to Thompkins and receiver Brandon LaFell) in 7-on-7s and 0-for-1 in 11-on-11s. Mallett was 3-for-4 (completions to running backs Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley and Brandon Bolden) with an interception in 7-on-7s. Rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler picked off Mallett on an attempt to rookie wideout Wilson Van Hooser.
Mallett was 5-for-7 in 11-on-11 with completions to LaFell, Boyce, wide receiver Julian Edelman and tight end D.J. Williams.
Rookie QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who looked much improved from Saturday’s dismal performance, was 4-for-4 in 7-on-7 (completions to receivers Danny Amendola and Brian Tyms, tight end Asa Watson and running back Roy Finch) and 3-for-4 in 11-on-11s with a scramble and fumble. Garoppolo completed a long pass to Williams over defensive end Michael Buchanan. He also hit Amendola and tight end Justin Jones in 11s.
Check out the rest of NESN.com’s observations from Sunday’s practice:
-Arena Football League coaches were on hand to scout players who might be released by the Patriots after training camp. The San Jose Sabercats were one of the teams on-hand to watch practice.
-LaFell had a nice one-handed catch during individual wide receiver drills. Van Hooser, Jones and Thompkins had drops during practice.
-Vereen and tight end Rob Gronkowski worked individually with the quarterbacks while the rest of the team was practicing punt returns. Tight ends coach Brian Daboll worked with Ridley and tight end Michael Hoomanawanui on some hands drills.
-James White continues to impress during training camp. He got through the defensive line for three long runs and also was able to score a touchdown during goal line drills. Rookie running back Stephen Houston couldn’t penetrate the defense for a TD, running behind fullback/linebacker Taylor McCuller.
-McCuller and Hoomanawanui got into a scrap during some live hitting drills. Hoomanawanui kept pushing McCuller well past the sideline.
-The Patriots pumped some loud music to imitate crowd noise during practice. AC/DC’s “For Those About To Rock,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” and Bon Jovi’s “This Is Our House” were among the songs selected.
-Second-year guard Josh Kline has had a strong training camp and is pushing to make the 53-man roster with a possible starting job. While Kline has been solid, rookie guard Jon Halapio has struggled in 1-on-1 drills.
Photo via USA Today Sports Images
