What to expect during Patriots-Packers joint practice sessions
BOSTON -- Wednesday is not just another day of practice for the New England Patriots. With the team in Green Bay for joint sessions with the Packers, the Pats get to finally hit someone else on the practice field.
The Patriots and the Packers will hit the practice fields just outside of the Don Hutson Center -- which is adjacent to Lambeau Field -- around 11:30 a.m. EST Wednesday morning, the first of two joint sessions ahead of Saturday night's preseason tilt. After a dozen practices against each other -- with a preseason loss to the Texans in between -- the Pats are excited to get out there and face (and hit) another team on the practice field.
"It's always fun to go against other people," safety Adrian Phillips said earlier this week back in Foxboro. "We're going out to Green Bay, we've got a job to do, we're going to test ourselves, see where we match up and what we need to do to get better. Just got to go out there and make the best out of everything that we can."
What can we expect from the two sessions? A lot of important football. These joint practices are invaluable for the teams since the sessions can be controlled by the coaches, giving them a great opportunity to work on the most important and finer details ahead of the regular season. The work done in joint practices is often seen as more important than playing in preseason games.
Wednesday morning will likely start with the two teams working separately before joining forces for some competitive 1-on-1 drills. Offensive lineman will battle it out with defensive linemen, linebackers will be trying to rip the ball out of the hands of running backs, and receivers will be going head-to-head with defensive backs. Earlier this week, JuJu Smith-Schuster expressed his excitement to go up against Green Bay's top cornerback, Jaire Alexander.
"Jaire, he's a really good player man. I'll give that to him," said Smith-Schuster. "He's probably, what he would say is, a lockdown corner. All I can say, I mean, he's a good player. I can't wait to go against him this week."
When the 1-on-1 work is done, it will likely be followed by more team-oriented -- and even more competitive -- 11-on-11 work. Those sessions will likely see starters from both sides squaring off, and are often the most important workouts of the summer. Expect a lot of situational football to be practiced and a lot of work done inside the red zone.
Wednesday should also mark the first time we see Ezekiel Elliot in a Patriots uniform after he signed with the team Monday. The running back is in Green Bay and is expected to take part in the joint practices in some capacity. That could just mean conditioning work, as the 28-year-old works his way into game-shape.
Bill Belichick will chat with reporters ahead of practice (at 11 a.m. EST), with Mac Jones, Rhamomdre Stevenson, Josh Uche, and other players expected to talk after the session wraps up.
The Pats and the Packers will practice again Thursday morning, leading up to Saturday night's preseason game at Lambeau Field.
