The Patriots met for the second straight day of practice and we're starting to see some definite developments. Four new players were absent, and we witnessed the first potentially serious injury.
Rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett really seems to have settled down and had the highest completion rate of the quarterbacks. Rob Ninkovich continues to line up everywhere. A pair of players were tossed from practice.
With incumbent starters not at practice, a few back-ups have had a chance to shine. Receiver Aaron Dobson is making the most of his opportunities and is making a strong case to stick around, and cornerbacks Justin Coleman and Cyrus Jones are stepping into the starting line-up.
Notes compiled from NESN's Doug Kyed, the Herald's Jeff Howe, ProJo's Mark Daniels, the Globe's Ben Volin, ESPN's Mike Reiss, MassLive's Kevin Duffy, WEEI's Chris Price, and the CSNNE crew.
Absentees: (* notes new absences) WR Danny Amendola (knee), RB LeGarrette Blount (hip), RB Brandon Bolden*, S Nate Ebner (Olympics), WR Julian Edelman (foot), TE Rob Gronkowski (minor), TE Clay Harbor*, S Duron Harmon (?), G Tre Jackson (knee), LB C.J. Johnson*, G Josh Kline (shoulder), RB Dion Lewis (knee), G Shaq Mason (knee), WR Malcolm Mitchell*, CB Logan Ryan (?), T Nate Solder (biceps), T Sebastian Vollmer (?)
Returned: WR Devin Lucien returned after hurting his foot on Tuesday.
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady completed 28 of 36 passes (77.8%), Jimmy Garoppolo completed 24 of 32 (75.0%), and Jacoby Brissett completed 17 of 21 (81.0%). Brissett was a perfect 8 of 8 in full team drills.
Brady Fun Time: Brady worked with tight end Martellus Bennett and wide receivers Nate Washington and Aaron Dobson. Chris Hogan spent alone time with Brady at the end of the day, with ProJo's Mark Daniels calling him the best receiver in camp.
Rob Ninkovich, man of mystery: ProJo's Mark Daniels notes that Ninkovich has played with the middle linebackers for the second straight day.
Secondary watch: Rookie Cyrus Jones featured in the slot. Undrafted rookie Jonathan Jones picked off Garoppolo and defended another pass, after breaking one up on Tuesday. Fellow undrafted rookie Cre'Von LeBlance had "arguably the play of the day" with a pass breakup in coverage of Devin Lucien.
Punt players: Keshawn Martin, Cyrus Jones, V'Angelo Bentley, and D.J. Foster returned punts. Bentley muffed two punts, and Jones muffed one of his own. Rookie Kamu Grugier-Hill was asked to work to the side with the core special teams players like Brandon King, per WEEI's Chris Price.
Midpractice injuries: TE Michael Williams was carted off the field with an apparent knee injury. TE Martellus Bennett seemed to suffer a minor leg injury, but returned to practice after just a couple minutes with the trainers.
Misc Notes: Center Bryan Stork got into a fight with undrafted free agent rookie defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton and both were tossed out. WR Aaron Dobson had a second straight strong day and made another nice grab over CB Malcolm Butler, per ProJo's Mark Daniels. Linebacker Jamie Collins had a pair of pass deflections. Edge defenders Geneo Grissom and Rufus Johnson look bigger, per PatsFans.com's Derek Havens. Rookie offensive lineman Joe Thuney is seeing a lot of time at guard.
Play of the Day:
Nate Washington with the catch of the day so far. Acrobatic turning grab along the fair sidelines. Jimmy G with the throw. #Patriots
— Derek Havens (@PatriotsHaven) June 8, 2016
Videos and Pictures:
Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/igBHWqWrO0
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) June 8, 2016
More Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/sqcjKHYCSG
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) June 8, 2016
Here are some running back drills pic.twitter.com/jtppMcLZR6
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) June 8, 2016
Here's Tom Brady completing a deep pass to Martellus Bennett pic.twitter.com/ZHfHvIlgWY
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) June 8, 2016
Video: Tom Brady connects with Martellus Bennett pic.twitter.com/V4Xc86F6xk
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) June 8, 2016
.@SweetFeet_White & Donald Brown hard at work during Day Two of #Patriots minicamp: pic.twitter.com/7jwEbbcWG0
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 8, 2016
The Patriots Quarterbacks. pic.twitter.com/O1dMMVM3pu
— Russ Goldman (@Russ_Goldman) June 8, 2016