Observations from 10th practice <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'># 1) Potential springboard effort for Chad Jackson. If there was one play that stood out from the practice, it was a diving Chad Jackson catch on a laser of a throw from Tom Brady in 11-on-11 two-minute work. The offense was running out of time on the scoreboard clock in the back left-hand corner of the practice field, and was facing third down. Brady scanned his options but was forced to hold on to the ball a bit longer than he probably would have liked. Realizing that his time was running out, he unloaded a rocket about 10 yards down the field, along the numbers up the left side. The throw was to Jackson's back shoulder and required the third-year wideout to lunge in the opposite direction of where his momentum was taking him. It was the type of play that bailed Brady out, and could be a potential springboard toward the two developing more chemistry. Earlier in the practice, however, the two did appear to have a miscommunication as a Brady throw to the sideline sailed out of bounds, as Jackson had run his route down the field instead of out. # 2) NFL-caliber play from Terrence Wheatley. Nine-year veteran Jason Webster opened training camp with the first string at cornerback, but he's been held out of recent practices, opening the door for second-round pick Terrence Wheatley to run with the 1s. Wheatley has been competitive, winning some battles, losing some others, but his high point seemed to come today. There was one second on the clock and the Patriots offense had one more crack at the end zone in two-minute work. It was no surprise that Tom Brady looked in Randy Moss's direction in the back right-hand corner of the end zone. The ball was slightly under-thrown, which allowed Wheatley -- his back to the quarterback -- to stick his right hand in and knock the pass away from Moss. After the play, Wheatley leaped in the air along with safety Brandon Meriweather in a celebration similar to what Asante Samuel did last year. Earlier in practice, Wheatley was beaten on a long pass by Moss. # 3) Benjamin Watson can't haul it in. Some of the day's best work came in 11-on-11 drills with the Patriots forgoing a huddle and working in hurry-up mode. With 27 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock, Brady surveyed the field and lofted a beautiful pass down the middle to tight end Benjamin Watson, who had a step on rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo into the end zone. Watson got his hands on the ball, but while offensive players and coaches up the field prematurely put their arms in the air to signal touchdown, the ball came loose as Watson crashed to the ground. Had Watson made the catch, it would have been considered a tough one. At the same time, it's the type of grab that top-tier tight ends do come down with. # 4) Adalius Thomas and the pass rush. Whether in more individual-based drills or in 11-on-11 work, Adalius Thomas has been honing in on his pass-rush work. On the far end of the field, in a drill where offensive linemen go one-on-one against defensive linemen and outside linebackers, Thomas plowed through right guard Billy Yates in one sequence, which had Yates clapping his hands together in frustration. And in 11-on-11 work, Thomas was regularly pressing the pocket, slicing through the line of scrimmage from a variety of angles. Unlike Thomas's first training camp with the Patriots, when he was lining up mostly at inside linebacker and focusing on the run, he's been in more of an attacking mode this year and seems to be adding a different dynamic to the defense. # 5) Offensive linemen work on combination blocks. One of the more challenging aspects of offensive line play is when defenders slant or stunt while rushing the passer, which calls for an unspoken communication between blockers to make sure they pick up the right rusher. Along those lines, the linemen worked in a 2-on-2 drill against defensive linemen/outside linebackers. Bill Belichick was present at the drill -- he was often seen tutoring the rushers, and it was one of the better physical challenges of this session. Watching the drill can give one a greater appreciation for guard and tackle play, because the outside linebacker can be split pretty wide on the line of scrimmage, giving him a running start as he charges into the line. The drill finished with left guard Logan Mankins and center Russ Hochstein teaming up to stonewall defensive lineman Titus Adams and linebacker Gary Guyton, with Mankins extending his arms to authoritatively shove Guyton off the line before picking up Adams, who had been passed off by Hochstein.</div>
