FOXBORO – We wondered if we could see a competitive scrum on the grass at Gillette Stadium on Friday afternoon. We wondered if undrafted rookies and unannounced free agents would have the opportunity to appear in a play situation to improve their chances of making the squad.
This does not happen. The Patriots have announced they will be hosting a “simulated game” late Thursday night. Less than 24 hours later, that’s exactly what happened. It didn’t look like a game at all. It was kind of a dress rehearsal, with players in blue and white jerseys – no pads – going through half a gear to mimic the playing conditions in their home stadium.
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Let’s move on to the postcard to give you all the details you need …
WHAT THEY WEAR
Blue jerseys for the Cam Newton team. White jerseys for the club of Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer. Shorts. Helmets but no pads. Officials present wore stripes. There were also headsets for the White and Blue coaching teams. Quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch called plays for Hoyer and Stidham. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels called games for Newton. Steve Belichick served as the defensive coordinator for the White team, while Jerod Mayo did the same for the Blue team.
WHO WAS OUT
There was no sign of Chase Winovich, Cassh Maluia, or Lamar Miller (PUP) during the walkthrough. Will Hastings was also missing and it was later learned that he had been released.
WHO WAS IN
Joe Thuney was on the field and participating but had his left hand wrapped. Beau Allen, whose journalists had not seen the practice, was also present at the debates but did not participate.
Jakobi Meyers was participating in the practice, but he was wearing a red non-contact jersey. Rookie tight end Devin Asiasi, limited this week since his lower leg injury, was active in practice – although it all went at half-speed.
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WHAT DID THEY DO
It was a real simulation game. Team White took to the pitch as visitors and actually booed themselves out of the visitors tunnel. The blue team took the field for Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” like the Patriots have done at Gillette Stadium for years.
There was ambient white noise – a low level crowd “buzz” – which was loud enough to make communication difficult. Music played between possessions and between neighborhoods. The foghorn sounded during most of the third descents.
QUARTERLY REPORT
There were no competitive throws during practice, but Cam Newton worked for six offensive series. Jarrett Stidham started for the White team and saw two and a half heats. Hoyer saw the same number.
Why a half-series? One of the situations Bill Belichick wanted his players to go through was a mid-series quarterback change. In the White team’s first offensive streak of the second half, Hoyer was ordered to fake an injury. He sold it well, hobbling all the way to the sidelines, allowing Stidham to take over.
KICKER REPORT
The only real assessment to take away from practice might have been with the kickers. No way to speed your way halfway through a 50 yard attempt.
Nick Folk started the afternoon with a 50 yards, which was true for the White team. Justin Rohrwasser responded with a 50 yards later in the first quarter.
Rohrwasser missed a 51-yard wide left to complete the first half, but the whistle sounded before his attempt. Free time. Rohrwasser missed his second try by the same distance just before the teams entered the locker room for half-time.
In the second half, Rohrwasser made an extra point to get back on track. But with the score tied, 13-13, and there were only a few seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter, he took over. He made one from 49 yards to win the game. . . only the whistle whistled before his kick. He was “frozen”. It worked. When he tried for 49 yards again, he missed the wide right.
Folk missed his only other kick in the “simulation”, snagging a wide left 48 yards. He went 1 for 2 that day with goals from the field, while Rohrwasser was 1 for 3.
