The Patriots concluded their eighth training camp practice on Friday morning in full pads, Bill Belichick ratcheted up the intensity level by running an old fashioned blue vs white scrimmage. Tom Brady ran the blue team while Jimmy Garoppolo ran the white team offense.<\/p>\n
Not Practicing<\/strong>: Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman, Dion Lewis, Tre\u2019 Jackson, Sebastian Vollmer, Nate Ebner (Olympic Games), Jonathan Cooper, Keshawn Martin, Donald Brown, Bryan Stork, Clay Harbor, D.J. Foster came out for warmups but left to work out with the training staff on what appears is a shoulder issue.<\/p>\n Nate Washington and Keshawn Martin were back at practice today. But they didn\u2019t participate in the scrimmage.<\/p>\n Blue Team Rolls<\/strong>: The team tried to break up the starters as best as possible. Garoppolo had Gronk and the starting offensive line while Brady had Bennett and Hogan. Josh McDaniels called the offensive plays for the White Team. Brian Daboll in what could be a harbinger of things to come in 2017 if McDaniels gets another head coaching gig, called the plays for the Blue.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t close, you\u2019ll read wildly varying scores today depending upon the writers and they\u2019ll all be correct. The teams didn\u2019t always try for an extra point, and didn\u2019t always kickoff but the blue team with Brady under center kicked the white team\u2019s behind.<\/p>\n There were all kinds of exciting and intense play out there. We\u2019re forbidden from mentioning everything we saw today as the Patriots Media policy prohibits certain reporting. Since we don\u2019t always get media credentials like we did today we aren\u2019t going to be the ones to break the rule.<\/p>\n But the blue team had a pair of interceptions, by Devin McCourty and on the final play by Jamie Collins that was returned for a pick-six. Jimmy G. only threw one. And Jacoby Brissett didn\u2019t play. So you can draw your own conclusions.<\/p>\n The butt kicking began from the opening kickoff. V\u2019Angelo Bentley was returning the kickoff for the white team from the left goal line and was absolutely tattooed by Geneo Grissom, who turned in a solid day all around on defense and STs. Grissom flew down the field and pushed his blocker, Elandon Roberts, back and the three players made contact at the same time. The audible pop was heard all over the field and drew oohs and aahs from the crowd.<\/p>\n Garoppolo didn\u2019t have a great day. He was constantly besieged by the pass rush, Jabaal Sheard was having his way with Marcus Cannon, even when the tight ends chipped him on the way out. Sheard is quietly having another outstanding camp.<\/p>\n Garoppolo\u2019s first pass was perhaps his best. He hit Gronk on a nicely thrown seam route with Brock Vereen in coverage. Four plays later he tried it again but Devin McCourty was able to block it away. On the next snap, he tried a deep fade to Aaron Dobson but Malcolm Butler who had a big day\u00a0swatted it away.<\/p>\n Brady Has Big Day:<\/strong> Brady was \u201cen fuego\u201d for the entire day. His first pass was incomplete as Chris Long blew past Cameron Fleming and hurried the throw. But not many of Brady\u2019s throws were hitting the ground on Friday morning. The only times he wasn\u2019t picking them apart was when the white team got a pass rush on him.<\/p>\n He hit James Develin on an out pattern and could be clearly heard exhorting his teammate and being glad he\u2019s back in the lineup for 2016.<\/p>\n Five plays later Brady spread Brandon Bolden out wide and had a mismatch on linebacker Kevin Snyder who was in single coverage. Bolden blew past him and Brady laid a perfect deep pass down the right sideline for the score.<\/p>\n