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Patriots’ veteran defenders make physical presence felt in first padded practice

Monday marked the first time this summer that the New England Patriots rocked full pads on the practice fields. For a player like Jabrill Peppers, it was music to his ears.

“As a physical player you hate days where you can’t get as physical as you want to be,” Peppers said after practice. “So, it was nice to feel a little thump out there and start playing real football again.”

Despite the pads coming on, New England’s practice featured more of a slower tempo as they primarily worked the ground game. However, the physicality picked up in the day’s final session as Bill Belichick moved the ball to the two-yard line for a full-contact goal line drill - something they did not do throughout last year’s camp.