FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Patriots offense has been sharp throughout training camp, but it was at its best during the team's final play on Thursday, the last day that the public was allowed to watch practice.
Quarterback Tom Brady brought his offense to the line, took a snap from center Ryan Wendell, and handed the football off to a young man, Eduardo Martinez, who had his dream come true courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Patriots Charitable Foundation.
Martinez spent time with Brady on the game field at Gillette Stadium before practice, and watched the team practice in front of a capacity crowd outside of the stadium. His touchdown run, sprung by a lead block from fullback James Develin, capped a week of joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was a highlight for everyone involved.
"That's incredible," safety Devin McCourty said. "Just to see, he got to come out and like you guys were just talking about, taking a handoff from Tom Brady and got to score a touchdown. I think that was great of him. He actually got to break down the team for our last day of training camp."
The memory is one McCourty says will last for not just Martinez, but the players as well.
"I'm sure it's a memory he'll always have, and us as players, we remember that too," he continued. "It was just good to be a part of that."
After practice, Martinez spent time catching passes from quarterback Tim Tebow.