FOXBORO – LeGarrette Blount was back for 11-on-11 work on Saturday, his first full-team action since going down with a tweaked knee on Aug. 7.
Reported to have sustained an MCL injury, the immediate speculation began as to whether or not Blount would lose the rest of camp. By last Monday, Blount was seen working on conditioning and the long-term worry passed.
But the short-term concern wasn’t erased until Saturday. He missed a preseason game in the interim, but Blount said he understood why.
“I gotta focus on making sure I’m better, I’m healthy enough to play,” Blount pointed out. “But you always want to be out there with your guys [for games].”
Blount wasn’t sure the severity of the injury initially, he said.
“I just had to go in and get evaluated to see what was going on and it turned out to be minor,” he explained. “You never know. It’s a heat of the moment thing and it’s not a good feeling until you find out.”
Blount’s Saturday availability signals that he should be good to go for next week’s practices in West Virginia with the New Orleans Saints. The team leaves Tuesday afternoon for the joint work.
New England Patriots
“It’s good to go out there and bang against different guys than your own and me personally I like to get a feel for guys that we’re gonna play against,” said Blount. “It’s good to get a feel for what they’re gonna show us and it’s always good to get off your guys and beat up on some other guys.”
Speaking of beating up, Blount’s first practice back was marred at the end by a skirmish between offensive lineman Ryan Groy and defensive tackle Malcom Brown.
I asked Blount about the prospect of working against the Saints and Rob Ryan-coached defense especially after New Orleans weak performance in its preseason opener.
“Obviously there’s gonna be things that happen in camp,” said Blount. “We’re here all day, tempers flare You’re going against guys other than your own [in joint practices]. It’s not bad but at the same time you gotta be able to control your temper and know what you can and can’t do.”
The Patriots and Saints have worked together in the past and the days weren’t marred by fights and chippiness. Bill Belichick and his staff a zero tolerance policy for camp fighting, it seems. In 2013, a scrap between rookie Aaron Dobson and Eagles corner Cary Williams that was initiated by Williams [and barely responded to by Dobson] still got Dobson sat down for the day. Blount said you can’t be concerned with the opposition’s behavior.
“We’re gonna worry about how we’re coached and how we’re taught to play the game and we’re gonna have to trust that their coach teaches them the same thing,” he said.
The best news from Saturday as far as Blount is concerned is that he gets to mix it up at all.