It's slightly overcast in Boston, but the New England Patriots held their first minicamp of the 2015 season.
They were thin at linebacker, with Jamie Collins, Dane Fletcher, Dont'a Hightower, Jerod Mayo, and Chris White absent, and they were weaker in the trenches with Sebastian Vollmer and Ryan Wendell missing on the offense, and Chandler Jones, Chris Jones, and Sealver Siliga missing on defense. Receivers Matthew Slater and Brandon LaFell were also missing. The Patriots had their scouting department on hand.
Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo were both in good form as they split time with the first and second units. Newcomer Matt Flynn was with the third team offense and fumbled a snap and to run a lap. Brady and Garoppolo combined for one interception on the day (Garoppolo had a pass deflected and picked off by Nate Ebner).
New tight end Scott Chandler made a few really good plays over the course of the day, but ended the day on the sideline with an apparent injury. The trainers didn't look concerned and Chandler stated that he was "okay" so he was likely held out as a precaution.
Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski looked productive as ever, and Danny Amendola is highlighted as also having a terrific day on the field, especially with LaFell sidelined. Other offensive players of note include Brian Tyms with a few fantastic grabs (WEEI's Chris Price states the receiver hasn't had a drop this offseason), running back James White running the trademark Shane Vereen Wheel Route with some success, running back Tyler Gaffney receiving the football out of the backfield from Garoppolo, and seventh round rookie Darryl Roberts with a pass break-up.
Hopefully the Patriots linebackers will be back on the field soon, but it's nice to see that the offense is clicking with better continuity than most years in the past.