FOXBOROUGH – The end is in sight for the grind that is training camp.

The Pats held a brief hour-and-a-half practice on Saturday afternoon without fans for the first time, signaling the near end of camp ahead of the final preseason game in Washington next Sunday. While it was a short, non-padded session, there were still plenty of good nuggets coming out of it…

-No Calvin Anderson or or Nick Leverett. Austin Hooper got injured in practice (I think it was something to do with his left leg) and did not finish practice. Oshane Ximinies was in a hoodie with his practice jersey over it and was only strolling around the sidelines. On a positive note, both Marcus Jones and Jonathan Jones were out there, which Mayo said following Thursday night’s game that they were both ‘very close.’

-It was definitely a bit odd not having fans out there, cool but weird being able to hear what coaches and players are yelling.

-Speaking of yelling, Mayo got on the team early in practice for guys not being in the right spots or knowing where to go.

-Jacoby Brissett still took all first team reps (7-on-7 and 11’s) before Drake Maye. But, New England rotated Chukwuma Okorafor, Mike Onwenu and Caedan Wallace at right tackle. There’s either two takeaways with this: either they’re just trying to throw the media through a loop so we all can’t report the exact unit Maye is working with, or, they’re understanding of the spot they’re in right now and saying ‘screw it, everyone’s going to get a shot to play everywhere and we’ll see what the best 5 are.”

-Stretching and a lengthy indy period until the first bit of team stuff at 3:40…

*Brissett – run Stevenson, out to Jaheim Bell, deep PBU for Mikey Victor vs. Tyquan Thornton, crosser for Kayshon Boutte, run up the middle for Stevenson, incompletion to the right intended for Pop Douglas.

*Maye – completion to Thronton (found a hole in defense and sat down), sick catch by KJ Osborn while falling down (think Troy Brown back in the day), Mike Purcell run stuff, incomplete back shoulder on the sideline looking for Boutte, comeback to Javon Baker on the sideline, run stuff on a carry by Terrell Jennings.

-7-on-7 work up next, one ‘drive’ each…

*Brissett – crosser to Pop, intermediate throw to Ja’Lynn Polk, crosser to Antonio Gibson, incompletion.

*Maye – hitch to Mitchell Wilcox, absolute dime down the right sideline (about 45 yards) to Kevin Harris over Christian Ellis, two more short completions to Osborn and La’Michael Pettway.

-Back to a full team period a few minutes before 4:00…

*Brissett – out to Thornton vs. Gonzalez, run Stevenson, quick screen Pop, sack for Deatrich Wise on play action, trick run for Pop, deep crosser for Wilcox.

*Maye – runs by Harris and JaMycal Hasty, bullet on a deep-ish post corner for Osborn, run for Jennings, out to Polk, crosser to Polk with a blitzing corner in his face, another good throw.

-More team up next, but just outside the red zone (30ish yard line, or the ‘gray zone’ as Phil Perry called it)…

*Brissett – incompletion, hand off to Stevenson, slant to Pop, good ball by Brissett.

*Maye – Run for Antonio Gibson, quick screen for Jalen Reagor, PBU by Alex Austin against Pop on a crosser.

*Milton – handoff, run stuff, interception by Ellis on a ball over the middle on a throw that was unnecessarily forced.

-Walkthrough period and then another period that was half speed. Maye did rep with the “first” O-line here technically, but you can’t tale anything away from the different combinations both he and Brissett worked with until it happens in full pads and much more competitive situations.

The Pats practice again at 11 a.m. on Sunday after Eliot Wolf is scheduled to speak to the media at 10:30.