The Patriots will put on pads for the first time on Monday, and to prepare for that Bill Belichick put his troops through the most spirited practice of the week. The energy was high throughout, and that intensified during both 7-on-7 and full team work later in practice.
It was our first chance to see the offense and defense work together and against each other for any length of time this summer, and the competition level not coincidentally rose as a result.
There was plenty of talking coming from both sides following every play, each unit celebrating their successes with seemingly more vigor with each passing rep.