The New England Patriots took the practice fields in Minnesota on Wednesday for the first of two joint practices with the Vikings. The two-hour session featured plenty of good work and competition, especially for Drake Maye and Co. against old friend Brian Flores and his defense.<\/p>\n
Here is what went down on the practice fields at the TC Performance Center.<\/p>\n
Duration:<\/strong> ca. 120 minutes (1 p.m.-3:00 p.m. ET)<\/p>\n Conditions:<\/strong> Sunny, temperatures in the 80s<\/p>\n It was a sunny day out in Minnesota for the fully padded joint practice. As head coach Mike Vrabel shared prior to the session, the focus was on second-and-long situations following some 1-on-1 work across both rosters.<\/p>\n \u201cPlay second-and-long, which for us would be a get-back-on-track. We\u2019re trying to get back half the yardage to get in third-and-manageable and then play out whatever third down scenario comes of that,\u201d Vrabel explained.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019ll be a great opportunity for us to see if they blitz, if they play zone and what we need to do on both sides of the ball to try to keep them in third-and-long. Then offensively, we\u2019ve got to try to get some yards back to help our third down offense. So, that\u2019ll be something that probably will look a little different \u2014 2nd-and-10 and then it\u2019ll go to 3rd-and-2 or it\u2019ll go to 3rd-and-10.\u201d<\/p>\n Not participating:<\/strong> CB Christian Gonzalez, WR Ja\u2019Lynn Polk, LB Marte Mapu, RB Terrell Jennings, CB D.J. James, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, LB Jahlani Tavai, WR Kendrick Bourne, TE Hunter Henry<\/p>\n Limited:<\/strong> DT Christian Barmore<\/p>\n The usual suspects sat out of New England\u2019s first joint practice, although Mike Vrabel did leave the door open for Hunter Henry to return to the field on Thursday. The veteran tight end joined the likes of Christian Gonzalez, Marte Mapu, D.J. James, and Rhamondre Stevenson as rehabbing players in attendance working off to the side early in the day.<\/p>\n Christian Barmore did not partake in team drills as part of the team\u2019s continued plan for his return from blood clots, while cornerback Carlton Davis briefly traded the field for an exercise bike before being back in action for full team work.<\/p>\n Under pressure:<\/strong> It was no secret New England\u2019s offensive line was going to get tested by Brian Flores and the Vikings front. Early on, Minnesota found success getting after Drake Maye recording what appeared to be five to six would-be sacks in full-team work. That included Jonathan Greenard giving rookie Will Campbell some trouble along the left side \u2014 beating the tackle once to the inside \u2014 while Dallas Turner also blew by Campbell untouched for a \u201csack\u201d.<\/p>\n Things did start settle down up front which led to completions for Maye, who impressed with his ability to deal with the Vikings\u2019 pressure. Maye had a long touchdown to Mack Hollins on a coverage bust and a pair of completions to DeMario Douglas. The QB\u2019s best throw of the day came off platform, rolling to his right as he found Kayshon Boutte downfield \u2014 but pressure against Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses may also have resulted in a sack beforehand.<\/p>\n While it was an expected up-and-down performance from the top unit, it was promising to see a handful of chunk plays made overall.<\/p>\n Hurry-up finish:<\/strong> Two-minute situations have been a challenge for New England\u2019s top offense this summer. That changed with 1:15 on the clock needing a field goal against Minnesota: Maye needed just two plays, including hitting running back TreVeyon Henderson on a wheel route out of the backfield for a 70-yard touchdown down the left sideline.<\/p>\n