RICHMOND, Va. -- Observations from the New England Patriots 10th practice of training camp, which was held in full pads with the Washington Redskins and lasted almost three hours in hot, humid conditions with a focus on conditioning:
Siliga's hand injury; Williams gets rolled up and limps off: Third-year defensive tackle Sealver Siliga left practice about midway through the session, taking off the glove on his left hand to show athletic trainers. He later was seen with a black protective cast over the left hand. Siliga's status bears watching in the days to come, as the injury could affect his availability. Also, tight end D.J. Williams got rolled up while blocking in front of running back James White and stayed down briefly before getting up on his own and gingerly walking off. Williams came back for one play, but was clearly ailing as he ran into the end zone and didn't have another rep after that.
Wilfork's interception a highlight: We've seen defensive lineman Vince Wilfork rumbling and stumbling after an interception -- he had two in the 2011 season, with returns of 28 and 19 yards -- and there was a deja vu in this practice as he showed good hands to haul in a tipped pass before surging up the right side as the crowd roared. Wilfork had some fun with it, flipping the ball into the crowd afterwards with a minor high step.
Maybe Amendola's best day: Quarterback Tom Brady joked that he has two pygmies in receivers Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, and it should be noted that this might have been Amendola's finest day. He is running crisp routes, shaking defensive backs with sharp cuts, showing reliable hands, and has stayed healthy through 24 practices going back to the spring. This was similar to what we saw last preseason before things dipped when Amendola injured his groin. If he's healthy, a combination of "super pygmies" Amendola and Edelman will be fun to watch. While Amendola has been solid, no one has topped Edelman, who has developed a Wes Welker-like rapport with Brady.
Penalties will not be tolerated on the goal line: In a snapshot of how Bill Belichick will not stand for mental mistakes, especially close to the goal line, the Patriots were at the 2-yard line near the end of practice when tight end Justin Jones committed a false-start penalty. Belichick wasn't pleased, stopping the drill momentarily, sending Jones on a penalty lap, and calling for a new tight end (Asa Watson).
Keeping tabs on center/right guard competition: Arguably the top competitions in training camp -- center and right guard -- added another layer to analyze today with Dan Connolly getting the bulk of the top reps at center and second-year player Josh Kline as the top right guard. The team also had Marcus Cannon working at right tackle with that group. Kline had what appeared to be a strong pancake block in one-on-one drills against third-year defensive end Doug Worthington, driving him into the ground (it was hard to tell from far away if Worthington lost his footing). With rookie center Bryan Stork remaining out since the fifth practice with what appeared to be a lower-leg injury, the current snapshot has Connolly, Kline and Ryan Wendell as the top candidates vying for top roles. The Patriots are mixing the combinations and taking a long look at all of them, depending on the day.
Logan Ryan as the top slot corner: In an interview with Mike Mayock of NFL Network, Bill Belichick said that he feels the team's cornerback depth is as good as it's been in some time. We got a snapshot look at that Tuesday, with second-year player Logan Ryan taking top reps in the slot. Ryan, who had a team-high five interceptions last season, masterfully covered Santana Moss on one play in the end zone in red zone work, which had the Patriots sideline fired up.
Cleaning out the notebook: In one-on-one drills, Edelman shook rookie cornerback Bashaud Breeland with a sharp cut to the outside to create immediate separation. It was such a decisive win that the crowd "oohed" as it unfolded. ... Guard Logan Mankins was throwing people around, at one point crunching linebacker Keenan Robinson on a short pass to running back Stevan Ridley. ... Edelman practices with an edge. When he took a good pop from Robinson after catching a pass, he turned to him and in Ric Flair style let out a big "Woooooo!!" Asked if was channeling his inner Flair, Edelman laughed. "I don't know, but I was watching Wrestlemania a few days ago," he said. ... The special teams portion of practice focused on punts and field goals, after kickoffs were a big part of practice Monday. ... Cornerback Darrelle Revis had blanket coverage on DeSean Jackson on a pass into the right-hand corner of the end zone, diving as the ball was delivered. Robert Griffin III later said he thought it might have been a penalty on Revis. ... Receiver Brian Tyms was late to line up in hurry-up drills, drawing the wrath of coaches. He looked gassed. ... Big hit by linebacker Jerod Mayo on running back Alfred Morris over the middle. ... Defensive end Chandler Jones rushed off the right side for an uncontested sack in 11-on-11 drills. ... Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was present.
Who returned: None.
New absences: Linebacker/special teamer Ja'Gared Davis, who watched from the sideline after sustaining an undisclosed injury on Monday.
Who else didn’t practice: Running back Brandon Bolden (unknown, participated in first eight practices); receiver Aaron Dobson (foot/PUP), Stork (lower leg, left midway through fifth practice); offensive tackle Chris Martin (non-football-injury list), defensive lineman Dominique Easley (non-football-injury list), receiver Jeremy Gallon (unknown/PUP), defensive back Jemea Thomas (unknown, only practiced Day 1), linebacker Cameron Gordon (unknown, participated in first six practices), tight ends Rob Gronkowski (not yet ready for team drills/participated in first eight practices) and Michael Hoomanawanui (unknown, participated in first four practices).
Who’s talking with the media: Quarterback Tom Brady. Receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.