New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady was given a rare day off on the second day of the team’s training camp. According to Patriots.com, Brady was present for the whole session but he did not participate in any drills. The day off has Patriots fans worried, thinking that the 41-year-old veteran quarterback was injured. However, Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald reported that Brady was simply given a day off and there was no injury, according to source. Brady even ran a penalty lap with the offense for a mistake late in training camp. Tom Curran of NBC Sports said it was simply a day off and there’s nothing to worry about Brady’s health.
Curran said a day off might also be connected to Saturday’s camp where pads will be on. According to Erik Scalavino of Patriots.com, Brady was in good spirits and didn’t have any obvious physical limitations as he watched his fellow quarterbacks -- backup Brian Hoyer and rookie Jarrett Stidham – take reps under center during the two-and-a-half hour camp. The Patriots’ third quarterback, Danny Etling, resumed his transition from signal-caller to wide receiver in the second day, but he also worked as quarterback during some drill periods between the offense and defense. Brady’s day off came on the heels of reports that he was frustrated with his contract situation with the Patriots.
Hoyer saw considerable action with the first team
In an interview, Hoyer, who saw more action with the first offensive personnel grouping, was silent about Brady’s day off, but expressed elation about his extra work. “It’s great. I love it,” said Hoyer, who is in his 11th season in the NFL. During the interview, Hoyer shrugged off reports that he might be fighting for the role of Brady’s backup with Stidham during training camp.
“Eleven years in, I think the one thing that I’ve always had a lot of confidence in is being able to throw the football,” said Hoyer, who admitted his part in the collective mistake by the offense that led head coach Bill Belichick to order a penalty lap around the practice field, where Brady also joined in. Stidham was also impressive on the second day of camp, going 9-for-12 with a pick during a competitive 11-on-11 work.
Andrews, Bennett skip camp for 2nd straight day
Veteran wide receivers Julian Edelman and Demaryius Thomas, safety Nate Ebner, running back Sony Michel and cornerback Ken Webster joined the warm-ups before conducting their own conditioning work in a separate field. Edelman will be out for three weeks due to a thumb injury while the Patriots placed Thomas, Ebner, Michel, and Webster due to various injuries. For the second straight day, center David Andrews, defensive end Michael Bennett and offensive tackles Cole Croston and Yodny Cajuste did not participate in training camp. According to Field Yates of ESPN, Bennett’s absence was connected with a personal reason but the reason behind Andrews’ absence was not immediately known.
