Pats Pulpit
Cleaning out the notebook from the Patriots’ second practice of training camp.
The New England Patriots were back on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Thursday for their second training camp session of the summer. The 90-minute event in shorts and shells was again a lighter one as part of the league’s ramp-up protocols.
To recap the session, please make sure to check out Pats Pulpit beat writer Brian Hines’ Training Camp Notebook. Before we turn our attention to Day 3, however, let’s clean out that notebook to put an official wrap on Wednesday.
Practice recap | Performances of note | Christian Barmore on his shape | Kendrick Bourne on the receiver competition | Kendrick Bourne on Josh McDaniels | Patriots veterans on Will Campbell | Ja’Lynn Polk injury update | Pats Pulpit Training Camp Guide
Offensive line brotherhood keeps developing: The Patriots put a heavy emphasis on rebuilding their culture in the first offseason under head coach Mike Vrabel, and signing veteran offensive tackle Morgan Moses was a big part of that. Four months after bringing Moses aboard, the brotherhood Moses wants to build up front is starting to develop.
“We’re not going to dawn on the past because it’s a new year,” Moses said after Thursday’s practice. “We have an unbelievably talented room, and we’re growing every day. We have some guys that played a lot of football in that room and the young guys that are willing to learn and eager to learn. I think the change of the culture is the key. ...
“It starts with the foundation. It starts with the camaraderie and the brotherhood. When I first got here, there weren’t a lot of offensive line dinners and things like that. We’ve hung out a couple of times already, and that’s the key — just being able to know each other outside of the building. Coach Vrabel has done a great job of allowing us to get up in team meetings and share our stories. That allows us to come back together, because if you know your brother off the field you’ll definitely love him on the field.”
Whether the new culture will lead to newfound success for the unit after several years of subpar performance will be seen. So far, without full pads, the offensive line has not been able to showcase its potential.
However, Moses is optimistic that the unit will come together nicely — both veterans like himself and the youngsters that are part of the mix.
“I think in our room, we have a great group of guys that are willing to ask questions,” he said. “And when you have veterans like Garrett [Bradbury] and me in there, you’re able to share the knowledge of the game, whatever you need. It makes those guys rise, and it makes you rise with them because they’re coming.
“At the end of the day, that’s what you want: you want a battle in the room....
