FOXBOROUGH — A full recap from Day Three of New England Patriots training camp. The pads were on for the first time, and Sealver Siliga seemed pretty happy about that.
BACK IN ACTION
**LeGarrette Blount's absence from camp was brief, as the running back returned to the field for New England's first day in pads. Blount reportedly failed his conditioning test Wednesday, landing him on the non-football injury list.
Second-year defensive lineman Dominique Easley came off the PUP list and was in full pads. He participated in a full contact drill tackling drill midway through practice.
INDIVIDUAL STANDOUTS: Malcolm Butler, Jordan Richards, Aaron Dobson
INDIVIDUAL PLAYS
**On the first play of full contact 11 vs. 11s, Tom Brady completed a pass to Aaron Dobson on a deep comeback route and Jamie Collins came from behind to knock out the ball. Devin McCourty scooped it up and ran it back the other. The whistle never blew, but the most of the team appeared to slow down.
After the play, Julian Edelman was sent to run a lap, and he was soon joined by the entire offense. This perhaps signals a message from Bill Belichick: Full speed at all times.
**In a goal line drill with three defensive backs and two receivers, Aaron Dobson made a nice snag in the back corner of the endzone, wrestling the ball away from 6-foot-3 rookie corner Jimmy Jean. Dobson added another spectacular grab, perhaps the catch of the day, on a deep corner against rookie Darryl Roberts. The seventh-round pick was in position on Dobson, but the ball was thrown perfectly to the sideline and Dobson made a diving grab, keeping his feet in bounds as he fell.
**Edelman vs. Malcolm Butler seems to be a great matchup so far. In a passing drill, Edelman made a catch on the sidelines, but Butler was shouting afterward, perhaps indicating that it was out of bounds. Butler also swatted a ball away from Brandon Gibson on a comeback route soon after. Later, he knocked one away from Brian Tyms.
**Defensive tackle Sealver Siliga blew up Tyler Gaffney on a full contact drill. Biggest hit of the day, easily.
**In a full-contact, competitive passing drill, Josh Boyce made a terrific grab on a dig despite tight coverage by Malcolm Butler.
**Jordan Richards continues his impressive camp. Matched up with Scott Chandler in a one-on-one drill, Richards was with the 6-foot-7 tight end stride-for-stride on a deep route up the seam. The ball arrived, and it was thrown high so only Chandler could get his hands on it, but Richards was able to knock it out of the tight end's grasp.
**One name to keep in mind: Antonio Johnson. The massive defensive tackle, a XX-year veteran, has received quality snaps next to Sealver Siliga on the defensive interior. On Brady's completing to Dobson in 11s (the one that resulted in a fumble and a disciplinary lap), Johnson beat his man and would have had a clean shot at Brady, had he been allowed to hit him.
**Nate Ebner has received snaps alongside Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung in the secondary. In one 11 vs. 11 drill, the Pats played with two linebackers—Jamie Collins and Jonathan Freeny—and the three safeties.
ABSENCES
**Free agent signee Derek Cox, who trotted off the field at the beginning of Friday's practice, was not spotted on the field Saturday. Neither was fellow cornerback Justin Green.
