Tom Brady Showing No Signs Of Rust At Day 1 Of Patriots Minicamp
BOSTON (CBS) -- The reigning Super Bowl champs have been back at work for some time now, but the offseason activity ramped up to a new level with the start of minicamp on Tuesday.
Tom Brady was in attendance for the first time during offseason activities, and by all accounts, the soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback didn't show any signs of rust.
Here's a rundown of everything that took place on the practice field, according to reporters on the scene.
Tom Brady: Still Good
The #Patriots have taken the field for their three-day minicamp in Foxboro: https://t.co/lmaMIDqdWF pic.twitter.com/gBgdmdFFZs
— WBZ Boston Sports (@wbzsports) June 4, 2019
Being great at minicamp doesn't mean much. But it's better than being bad.
Tom Brady looked like Tom Brady. He was 12-15 in 11-on-11s and 21-of-27 overall.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) June 4, 2019
Tom Brady was 17 of 23 in competitive team drills during the first practice of minicamp. Jarrett Stidham took all third-team reps over Danny Etling.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) June 4, 2019
Here's how the QBs performed in full-speed 11-on-11s:
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) June 4, 2019
Brady 7-9
Hoyer 3-6
Stidham 3-6
In all 11-on-11s, this was the breakdown:
Brady 12-15
Hoyer 5-9
Stidham 5-9
Jeff Howe's note about Danny Etling stood out, as it could be an indication that the Patriots will be giving Jarrett Stidham the opportunity to leapfrog Etling on the depth chart.
Michael Benettt, who also didn't attend the optional portion of OTAs, was present as well.
Joe Thuney At Left Tackle
Isaiah Wynn is supposed to be the left tackle this year, but he's yet to actually man that position during team drills. Instead, guard Joe Thuney has been filling in. He continued doing so on Tuesday.
Joe Thuney was at left tackle again. Isaiah Wynn still isn't doing a whole lot at practice in his recovery from the torn Achilles. Ted Karras was the starting left guard today.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) June 4, 2019
Braxton Berrios Made The Play Of The Day
Does Braxton Berrios have a chance to actually make the team and contribute this year? Who knows? But he made a good impression on Tuesday.
Play of the afternoon was Braxton Berrios' diving catch down the right sideline vs Joejuan Williams. Beat him deep, laid out for the ball, and spiked it as he rolled into the end zone. Strong day overall for Berrios.
— Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) June 4, 2019
The standout play of the day belonged to Braxton Berrios, who laid out to catch a long touchdown from Brian Hoyer and followed it up with an emphatic spike. Solid day overall for a guy who needs to have a strong summer.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) June 4, 2019
N'Keal Harry Saw A Lot Of Action
In slightly larger names at the receiver position, first-round pick N'Keal Harry was heavily involved. The results were mixed.
Overall, Harry didn't flash the way he did in that first OTA. Stephon Gilmore covered him for much of today's practice. https://t.co/fjGLLNcKbk
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) June 4, 2019
Day 1 of Patriots minicamp wrapping up here. We'll have a Postcard from Camp with all our observations up soon.
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) June 4, 2019
Biggest takeaway: Brady not shying away from rookie first-round pick N'Keal Harry. Peppered him with targets. Mixed results.
Up and down day from N'Keal Harry. Didn't finish on a few difficult/contested catches.
— Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) June 4, 2019
Still No Sony
Sony Michel hasn't been a part of offseason work, for reasons unknown. His absence continued on Tuesday, which gave plenty of opportunity to third-round pick Damien Harris.
No Sony Michel again today. As a result, rookie RB Damien Harris got a lot of work, including a decent amount with Brady.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) June 4, 2019
The Boston Herald's Kevin Duffy noted that, despite Michel's excellent rookie season, Harris is a threat to take a good number of carries from Michel in 2019.
To be clear, I'm not saying Michel is going to get cut. Just suggesting Harris will push him for carries in "lead" RB role. The Pats are absolutely keeping Michel, Harris, White, Burkhead, and Bolden on the 53-man roster.https://t.co/N7aj7KHFak
— Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) June 3, 2019
Troy Brown, Deion Branch Helping Out
It's not difficult to find a voice from Patriots past out there, as Jerod Mayo is the middle linebackers coach, and former receivers Troy Brown and Deion Branch were offering their assistance for the session.
Hey look, it's Deion Branch. He and Troy Brown both are helping coach today. No sign of Kevin Faulk today, though. pic.twitter.com/25cXa8hvas
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) June 4, 2019
Other News And Notes
WR Maurice Harris was active all afternoon. Nice skill set. Brings great size (6-3) to the slot, high points the ball on throws down the field. He won a few contested catches today.
— Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) June 4, 2019
In one drill late in practice, coaching assistants were dunking balls in a Gatorade cooler and then handing them to QBs to throw. Never too early to start preparing for those bad weather games.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) June 4, 2019
First player on the field this morning: WR/PR Gunner Olszewski of Division II Bemidji State (Minnesota). pic.twitter.com/npw30UgSSq
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) June 4, 2019
The Patriots will be back to work on Wednesday.