8/18 PM notes: Gasper, Hart, Rapoport, Scalavino

[pats1]

Afternoon observations - Reiss' Pieces - Boston.com

Afternoon observations
Posted by Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff
August 18, 2009 06:07 PM

FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots wrapped up the day -- and the public portion of training camp -- with a practice this afternoon in shorts and light shoulder pads. The practice was the 28th since camp opened on July 30 (including a walkthrough prior to last week's exhibition opener against the Philadelphia Eagles). Coach Bill Belichick had his team in full pads 18 times.

Here are a few observations from the afternoon session, which featured red zone work, goal line work and punt team work.

1. O'Connell snaps to it -- Second-year QB Kevin O'Connell got a lot of snaps during the practice, a possible precursor to increased playing time against the Bengals on Thursday night. Conversely, Tom Brady did not take a lot of reps. O'Connell saw some time with the first unit. However, at one point O'Connell was pulled out of a rep and then was engaged in a conversation with quarterbacks coach Bill O'Brien.

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Official Patriots Football Weekly Blog Blog Archive From Hart: It?s all over (clap, clap?clappy, clap)

From Hart: It’s all over (clap, clap…clappy, clap)

Written by Andy Hart on August 18, 2009 – 6:17 pm

The Patriots just left the field following the 27th and final public training camp practice of 2009. The workout took place in shells, jerseys and helmets under hot, sunny conditions on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. The session was a spirited one, despite the lack of full pads.

–Those not seen on the practice fields included: Sammy Morris, Paris Lenon, George “Bus” Bussey, Sebastian “Sea Bass” Vollmer, Benjamin Watson, Tyson DeVree and Mike Wright. Brandon Tate remains on NFI, Mark LeVoir on PUP and rookie Tyrone McKenzie injured/unsigned.

Jonathan Wilhite wore his regular, blue No. 24 practice jersey. Wilhite had been wearing a red, non-contact jersey as he deals with a reported shoulder injury.

Those returning to practice action included Wes Welker, Rich Ohrnberger, Chris Hanson and Alex Smith.

Unofficially and by nothing other than my own memory this looks like the shortest list of missing players at this point this summer. That’s a good sign as training camp closes and the team starts to transition into a more regular practice/game preparation schedule.

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BostonHerald.com - Blogs: Rap Sheet Blog Archive The Patriots end two-a-days with a practice in shells and an appearance by the new guy…

August 18th, 2009
The Patriots end two-a-days with a practice in shells and an appearance by the new guy…
Posted by Ian Rapoport at 5:53 pm

A reporter asked Patriots coach Bill Belichick for his thoughts on camp ending. “Ending?” he asked like it was crazy. OK, maybe not. He views it like the beginning of the transition into the season.

But it is the final two-a-day and the last practice open to the public. Whew. Been a long few weeks.

Let’s see what’s going on:
– Practice began with a birthday song for LB Adalius Thomas, who turned 32 today. Belichick has praised Thomas for his leadership and versatility.
– The new guy was out at practice following his mid-afternoon signing. Safety Roderick Rogers wore No. 43 and mixed in as a reserve.
– And Rogers didn’t wait to make an impression. He batted down a Tom Brady pass intended for Randy Moss deep down the middle of the field. No worries. Moss paid him back later by toasting him for a TD on a long bomb later.

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Training Camp Notebook: Tue PM practice

8/18/09

Training Camp Notebook: Tue PM practice

By Erik Scalavino
News and notes from the final open session of the summer, including the addition of a new player to the Pats roster.

Who's Hot: TE David Thomas
He’s been active making some impressive catches in the passing game and throwing some great blocks in the running game of late.

Who's Not: WR Terrence Nunn
After a blazing start to camp, Nunn hit a rough patch on Tuesday. While he did make another of his signature tough catches at one point, he was also barked at by his coaches for what appeared to be a wrong pass pattern on one play, seemed to get banged up on another, and couldn’t hang on to a couple of other under-thrown balls.

Play of the Day: Hoyer to Moss TD
Rookie QB Brian Hoyer hooked up with WR Randy Moss on a deep post during team O vs. team D. Moss beat Rogers, who was playing corner most of the afternoon.

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