FOXBORO, Mass. — Some notes and nuggets from Tuesday’s joint practice between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars:
— Patriots wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell hasn’t participated in team drills this week, but he left his mark on 1-on-1 drills at the expense of Jaguars cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste.
Mitchell got the better of Jean-Baptiste on two separate occasions, employing some slick route-running to leave the veteran defensive back in the dust.
Mitchell, who had one of the best games of his career in Super Bowl LI, has been present at nearly every Patriots training camp practice but has been limited in almost all of them as he recovers from an undisclosed injury.
If Tuesday was any indication, though, his recovery is progressing nicely.
— Julian Edelman also showcased some fancy footwork in 1-on-1s, using a series of quick cuts to evade cornerback Jalen Myrick.
— Edelman is known for bestowing nicknames — some creative, others more obvious — on his fellow Patriots wide receivers.
His moniker for Brandin Cooks, who’s been arguably the best player on the field in these joint practices? “Cookie.”
“B-Cooks, Cookie — he’s a great energy around us,” Edelman said. “He works hard, he’s disciplined, he’s fast and he does a lot of things, makes great catches, but more importantly, he’s just a great teammate. It’s exciting to have him in our room. It’s exciting to have him on our team because he’s going to make us better, so it’s been great.”
— Former San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly was in attendance Tuesday, as were Patriots legends Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi and Troy Brown.
McGinest, who now works as an analyst for NFL Network, made a cameo at coach Bill Belichick’s morning news conference…
… and conducted a lengthy interview with quarterback Tom Brady on the field afterward.
Brady, who has spoken to the general media just once since training camp began July 27, spent more than 12 minutes chatting with his old Patriots teammate about his family, his diet and his expectations for the upcoming season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBwf6vB1hyc
— Speaking of Brady’s family, the QB’s mother, Galynn, attended practice Tuesday.
Galynn Brady, who spent much of the 2016 NFL season undergoing cancer treatments, received a Super Bowl LI ring from the Patriots earlier this week.
— In one of the more entertaining moments from practice, Belichick finished the session by banging out 10 push-ups with the Patriots’ third-team offense after the unit lost a drill to the Jaguars’ reserves.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
