Patriots Training Camp: Pats' depth tested on first day of fully padded practices

FOXBORO -- OK. Now football is back.

After four practices without pads, the Patriots were in full gear on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Monday morning. The sun was shining, the bleachers were (mostly) full, and the distinct thump thump thump sound of football filled the air for the first time this summer.

Some of the absences and injuries, though, definitely put a damper on this being a full return.

--Trent Brown and Matthew Judon are the most recognizable Patriots on the end of their respective lines. But both started practice on the lower conditioning field. Rhamondre Stevenson later joined them down there as well. Ty Montgomery, who collided with Terez Hall last week, was absent again. Marte Mapu remained in a red non-contact jersey.

Bill Belichick was asked before practice if Judon would be participating more, but he only gave a "we'll see" for an answer.

--You've heard a lot about Demario Douglas over the past week, as he's gotten plenty of run with the starting offense. Early on in practice we saw evidence of just how much his teammates and coaches like him thus far, as they erupted after he threw a block on a wide receiver screen play. Everyone was pretty fired up when the 5-foot-8 Douglas threw his body like that on his first opportunity.

In other rookie receiver news, Kayshon Boutte returned to the field after missing Sunday's session. He made a nice spinning catch on a deepish pass during some of that early passing game work. He also made an impressive spinning catch near the sideline on an errant Trace McSorley pass. Might've been out of bounds but impressive ball skills nonetheless.

--Cole Strange got banged up during an early drill. He headed to the athletic training area, with a trainer stopping to let Bill Belichick know about it before heading in for some medical attention. Rookie Atonio Mafi filled in during Strange's absence. Right guard Mike Onwenu has also not been out there, so the depth players on the O-line are certainly getting their work in during camp.

Strange eventually emerged from the training area and got his helmet back, but he was a spectator during the 11-on-11 work that was ongoing.

--Depth was the story of the day, really. No Trent Brown or Cole Strange on the O-line, no Matthew Judon on the defensive line, no Rhamondre Stevenson in the backfield. There was a lot of Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong back there.

The offense didn't really do much in terms of spectacular performances, and it's easy to understand why.

--It also seemed like the full contact was very much an exercise in reacclimation. There were definitely some big bodies toppling over each other on the running plays, and the intensity of the receivers blocking definitely ticked up, but the defense wasn't exactly out there delivering hits on ball carriers or anything of the sort. 

--I'm going to give you exactly one note about the punting competition: Bryce Baringer kicked one booming punt that was simply breathtaking. Gorgeous. A beautiful spiral. A majestic arc. This punt had me FIRED UP. Not joking, either. It was such a beautiful punt that Myles Bryant muffed it. I don't blame him. Staring at that beautiful bird flying through the blue New England sky on a summer day, a fella is liable to get a bit dizzy for a moment or two. (Myles Bryant muffed another one later on. The free pass is only good for one muff, as everyone knows.)

And that is my punting note on the day.

--Nothing on the kicking competition though. There weren't any competitive kicking sessions today. Maybe tomorrow.

--Deatrich Wise jumped offside on the second play of 11-on-11 when the offense was working on the run game. He ran a lap, which seems like more of a chore with that big Guardian Cap on his helmet. 

--Kendrick Bourne hasn't been overly involved in the offense, but he caught a touchdown from Bailey Zappe during 11-on-11 work in the red zone. He hopped into the end zone and flipped the ball into the air, looking as swaggy as ever.

--At one point later in the practice, Bill Belichick announced that it was time for red zone work. Everyone headed to the red zone to start it ... and then Belichick called everyone back to the middle of the field for a full team meeting. It wasn't evident what might have inspired the meeting, but clearly the head coach wanted to deliver a specific message to everyone on the team.

Jabrill Peppers said after the practice that Belichick was reminding everyone to be careful out there. With all of the bodies dropping like flies, that seems like a sensible reminder for Belichick to have offered.

--After running some high red zone plays, the offense moved the ball down to the 2-yard line for some heavy-duty, mano-a-mano, macho man goal line plays. That's always an exciting part of camp, with the whole defense lining up on the back of the goal line. It was a competitive period for sure, with the offense winning some and the defense coming up with a few stops.

--This was certainly the lowest attendance of training camp thus far, and it was a huge drop-off from the enormous crowd that showed up on Sunday. Fans are welcome back to Gillette on Tuesday, with the team moving the practice earlier to begin at 9:45 a.m. It had been scheduled for 12:30 p.m., but with Beyonce in town on Tuesday night, the earlier practice gives everyone a chance to get out of the area before the pre-show hysteria begins.