Roche: Patriots Display Perfect Blend Of Trash Talk, Competitiveness In Intrasquad Scrimmage
FOXBORO (CBS) -- It was another spectacular weather day Friday in Foxboro as the Patriots held their eighth practice of training camp on the Gillette Stadium practice fields. Here are some thoughts and observations on what turned out to be a very entertaining two hours, as the Pats held an intrasquad scrimmage:
--Those missing include players on the PUP list: WR Danny Amendola, WR Julian Edelman, RB Dion Lewis, OG Tre' Jackson, TE Clay Harbor. Also, DB Nate Ebner is on the NFI (non-football injury list). Those not practicing due to injuries: RB Donald Brown, OG Jonathan Cooper, and C Bryan Stork.
--Those returning from injury included WR Nate Washington and WR Chris Hogan, although Hogan had a red non-contact jersey. Hogan looked very good -- I had him unofficially for eight receptions, including a TD -- as he worked with Tom Brady.
--The teams were split into a Blue and a White team. The Blue team won somewhere around 23-9 (there were some situations that ended with what could have been a score, but it wasn't certain from the view I had) with Tom Brady leading the way, who was fired up from the get-go.
--Brady was awesome. He didn't have an incompletion all day. He threw TD passes to Hogan, Brandon Bolden, and Matthew Slater. Slater's was a deep ball on a play where he beat Daryl Roberts.
--Brady was also quite vocal throughout the scrimmage. After the first TD pass he screamed something like, "Everyone's makin' plays today!" and then proceeded to high-five everyone on his team. There were some "Atta boy - let's go - let's go" chants and some encouraging words for the defense too.
--It's amazing how Brady turns up that competitive fire another notch in these situations. Players like Malcolm Mitchell were impressed, as they got to see it for the first time, while the veterans approved as well. I can only imagine a guy like Martellus Bennett just shaking his head, seeing it for the first time as a member of the Pats. I would think it would get those players pumped up for what lies ahead.
--As for Brady speaking for the first time ... as usual, he didn't really say that much other than saying his decision to drop his DeflateGate fight was "personal." Of note, he did thank folks for the support he got.
"My family's been everything to me, and obviously, the support of my teammates and coaches, Mr. Kraft and Jonathan [Kraft], the whole team and all of our fans," Brady said. "I said the other night, I think we've got the best fans in the world, and we do. Hopefully we give them a lot of reasons to cheer this year."
--The scrimmage started with a bang as Geneo Grissom popped V'Angelo Bentley on the opening kickoff. We didn't see much hitting beyond that, as the defense didn't go full tilt.
--I had Jimmy Garoppolo unofficially completing 18 of 34 passes. He looked OK and was under pressure quite a bit throughout the game. Meanwhile, Rob Gronkowski threw an interception, after which Devin McCourty, who picked it off, explained: "He has to live with now that the only pass he's thrown was picked off. He probably should've done a better job." Ha!
--The trash talk was flowing on both sides and McCourty said it began Thursday night when the players were informed of the scrimmage. I think it should be noted that this team does a great job of enjoying the trash talk while also ramping up the competitive spirit. To me, it's been a trademark of this group's success. Some teams take it too far or don't use it the right way. These guys seem to get it, and it starts with their leaders: Brady, Gronk, McCourty, etc..
--Some players on defense that showed up a bit - to me - were Malcolm Butler (who looks rock solid at CB again), McCourty, Chris Long, Jabaal Sheard, Jamie Collins (interception on a tipped pass), Trey Flowers, Vincent Valentine, Shea McClellin, Jordan Richards and Ramon Humber.
--The Pats are off Saturday and will practice Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and Monday at 9:15 a.m. Joint practices with New Orleans will be held Tuesday and Wednesday starting at 9:15 a.m. each day.
--The first preseason game is slated for Thursday vs New Orleans at Gillette Stadium. You can watch the game on WBZ-TV Channel 4 at 7:30 p.m. with yours truly, Christian Fauria, Matt Chatham, Andy Hart, and Paul Perillo.