The New England Patriots held a special practice session for season-ticket holders on Monday inside Gillette Stadium. However, several players did not join the session. Thes included running back running back Mike Gillislee and wide receivers Jordan Matthews, Kenny Britt and Malcolm Mitchell.
Aside from the four, cornerbacks Keion Crossen, Jonathan Jones and Cyrus Jones, tight end/fullback Shane Wimann, special teamer Matthew Slater and safety Nate Ebner also did not make it to the special session. According to NESN.com, six of the players are on the physically unable to perform list, including Britt, Mitchell, Jones, Jones, Slater and Ebner.
With their condition, the six are doing their daily practice routine on a separate field.
Matthews left Sunday’s practice early due to a hamstring injury, while Crossen and Gillislee missed the last two sessions with a back issue and the other due to an unknown reason, respectively. Wimann, for his part, missed practice for the first time since joining the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Illinois. The team will be off on Tuesday before returning to the field on Wednesday.
Bill Belichick plans to use Danny Shelton as pass rusher
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said he plans to use defensive tackle Danny Shelton as a pass-rusher, owing to his massive 335-pound frame and his quick feet.
According to Belichick, he is aiming to use Shelton more on third down this season. Shelton was taken by the Cleveland Browns 12th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft due to his versatility, but he tallied just 1.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits in his first 46 NFL games.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Belichick said of Shelton. “It doesn’t really matter.
We’ll see how he does with us in our packages.” In the first five days of training camp, Belichick has been using Shelton with the first tea, lining up next to Lawrence Guy at defensive tackle
Wideout not content with training camp performance
The Patriots traded with the Oakland Raiders for wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson in the offseason to give their receiving corps some versatility.
With Julian Edelman suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season, Patterson has a chance to make an impact with the Patriots.
However, Patterson said he’s not satisfied with his performance in the first few days of training camp. According to Patterson, he needs to build his rapport with quarterback Tom Brady so he can get into his good graces. The Patriots can also use Patterson as a return man in the regular season.
