Patriots Put On Pads For First Time Of Training Camp

BOSTON (CBS) -- There is nothing normal about 2020. But on Monday, it will look a little more normal than it has outside of Gillette Stadium.

Monday is the day when the Patriots will toss on pads for the first time in training camp, and get down to some actual football. After weeks of walkthroughs and conditioning drills, it's time to line up on offense and defense and finally hit each other.

Hitting everyone but the quarterbacks, that is. And all eyes will be on quarterbacks, as the Patriots navigate through the post-Tom Brady era. The focus will be on Cam Newton, who is looking to claim the starting job in place of Brady, with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer filling out the depth chart.

It will be just as interesting to see how things shake out on defense, especially at linebacker, with Dont'a Hightower opting out for the season and Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins departing in free agency.

Bill Belichick will certainly have his hands full this season, but the good news is we're inching closer to that season. The Patriots kick off the 2020 campaign in less than a month, welcoming the Miami Dolphins to Gillette Stadium on Sept. 13.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we'll focus on the big day on Monday. Belichick had a brief chat with reporters before players hit the practice field, and praised his team for taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously. The Patriots are one of the few teams that has not had to place any players on the COVID list so far, and Belichick said that's a testament to players and the organizational approach to the matter.

"The team and the organization have addressed this very professionally, strictly, and we've changed quite a bit as more information or more techniques or products have become available. We've been very fluid with this and players have done a great job following protocol," said Belichick. "We've also had great feedback from players as far as suggestions. When you're a player, you see what you do on a daily basis differently and their feedback has been great. We've made a few modifications to our programs because of suggestions or concerns they raised.

"We're working together, but we have a long way to go," added Belichick, saying that travel during the season will add a new wrinkle. "It's constantly evolving and I'm sure we'll have more discussions and situations we'll have to deal with going forward."

Patriots players took the field ahead of the 10 a.m. practice, and reporters were on hand to watch the session, the first time they'll have that luxury this summer. So you know what that means -- plenty of pictures from afar!

There were a few notable absences from the session:

As far as the quarterbacks go, Brian Hoyer was still first in line when it came to leading drills.

The team is making several players available after the practice (via video conferences, of course) starting at noon, with Stephon Gilmore, Justin Bethel, Adam Butler, Terrence Brooks, Cody Davis and Chase Winovich among the players set to speak.

Stick with WBZ-TV, CBSBoston.com and CBSN Boston for all the updates on Monday, and we'll have plenty about the team ramping up training camp on Friday night with a special edition of Patriots All Access!

Update: From the QB watch to some shaky kicker talk, here's everything that stood out on the practice field on Monday.

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• New England Patriots