8/2/07
Intensity heats up; afternoon notes
by Paul Perillo, Patriots Football Weekly
Three, two, one contact. That was the word of the afternoon as the Patriots put the wraps on a spirited afternoon practice that featured plenty of intensity.
...
Who’s hot:
Bam Childress – There are faster receivers on the Patriots roster and there are certainly bigger ones, but somehow Childress just keeps finding ways to make plays. He enjoyed a solid evening of practice while taking advantage of injuries to Randy Moss, Donte’ Stallworth, Troy Brown and Chad Jackson.
Who’s not:
Sammy Morris – Morris talked a lot in the offseason about his desire to assume some roles as a third-down back. He’ll need to improve in a couple of areas if that’s to happen. Earlier in the week he struggled with his blitz pickup against the linebackers, and Thursday evening he had a hard time catching the ball. He dropped at least two catchable passes during team periods.
Play of the practice:
During a 7-on-7 drill at the start of practice, Ellis Hobbs turned in an outstanding play when he dove around Jabar Gaffney and knocked away a Brady pass. Back judge Billy Smith was right there to make a call and decided to leave the flag in his pocket as he ruled the play incomplete.
Extra points
Matt Kranchick left the field about 15 minutes before practice ended with a member of the Patriots training staff joining him.
With David Thomas, Kyle Brady and Garrett Mills all out action once again, Kranchick was the only other tight end dressed alongside Benjamin Watson. … Moss missed his second straight practice with an apparent left leg injury. Rashad Baker, Mills and Kyle Brady also missed the practice. … Rookie cornerback Mike Richardson appeared to make a nice play to break up a pass from Gutierrez to C.J. Jones, but Larry Nemmers tossed the flag and called pass interference. One of the many boisterous fans on hand yelled “Let them play,” which drew a round of laughter. … Kevin Faulk made a couple of highlight-reel, one-handed grabs, although the second quite possibly could have resulted in an injury had it taken place under live conditions. Eugene Wilson closed fast as the ball was coming down and likely would have broken up the play with a big hit, but rather chose to let Faulk make the catch. … As a reminder, Friday’s practice time has been changed. The Patriots will be on the field from 10:30 a.m.-noon for their lone practice of the day.
