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http://news.bostonherald.com/blogs/patriots/
August 1st, 2007
What happened at practice …
Posted by Albert Breer at 5:32 pm
Even the most physical practice of camp to this point was measured in contact. It reiterates the point that this has been, above all, a teaching camp. Here’s what else we saw:
– Randy Moss was as impressive as he has been all camp, and then he came up lame during 11-on-11 work. He left the field at about 3:55, and had his left thigh wrapped after being tweaked a little earlier on. It was a non-contact injury, but there is reason for concern: A thigh problem lingered through his final year in Oakland. That said, the potential that the Tom Brady-to-Moss connection carries. Probably most impressive was a post-corner route that Moss ran to perfection early in the passing skeleton. Moss dug in at 12 yards to make his in-cut, then shook Rodney Harrison on his move to the flag, creating separation and coming wide open in the secondary. At that point, Brady had already unleashed a bomb to the right sideline, which hit Moss in stride 50 yards downfield. That’s more than a training camp highlight. It’s a sign that the work the QB and receiver have put is starting to pay off, and they’re getting their timing down. No one was near Moss, but the way the throw dropped in, even if someone was, it would’ve been tough ro defend. In team drills, Moss leaped over Randall Gay and, as he hit the ground, garnered the brunt of converging and hard-charging Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison. The injury happened on a flea-flicker in which Moss came wide open and pulled up just as the ball flew over his head.
– Another guy who has been very, very good is Jabar Gaffney, and that doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of slowing. Bill Belichick said today he’s “having a real good camp.” No lie. Yesterday, it came in red-zone drills in particular. On one play, a comeback, Gaffney vaulted himself over Gemara Williams and stuck his hands over the corner’s chest to steal the ball away. On another, he set Mike Richardson up beautifully by the sideline with an in-out move in tight quarters. Though he was already playing to the boundary side, Gaffney was able to create enough separation and force Richardson to need enough recovery time to easily rope the ball in. You start to wonder what ever happened to Jabar Gaffney, Houston Texan. Then it comes. David Carr and that offensive line.
...
S’MORE: Yes, it’s just camp and the contact isn’t full, but the offensive line looks like it’s improved in pass protection. It’ll be particularly important that all of that continue on the outside. … In case you wonder how these things work, the blitz pickup drill was early in the session, and it was run concurrently with two other group drills – one-on-ones for the receivers, DBs and quarterbacks; And one-on-one pass rush drills for the lines. … Give QB Matt Gutierrez credit. In a lot of the periods, he stuck doing work no one else wants. Like in the blitz pickup drill, he’s the quarterback, simply taking a drop and shuffling and stepping up in the pocket. So he’s worked to find work, and is staying late at practice consistently.
