Patriots Journal: Harris’ performance gets Michel’s attention

A lot can happen after a week of missed practices in the NFL.

For Sony Michel, missing the first eight days of training camp meant that second-year running back Damien Harris earned more reps in practice. Those repetitions allowed the 2019 third-round pick to shine and play so well that it wouldn’t be a surprise if he started for the Patriots in Week 1 of the regular season.

After 11 days of training camp, Harris was one of the [...]

A lot can happen after a week of missed practices in the NFL.

For Sony Michel, missing the first eight days of training camp meant that second-year running back Damien Harris earned more reps in practice. Those repetitions allowed the 2019 third-round pick to shine and play so well that it wouldn’t be a surprise if he started for the Patriots in Week 1 of the regular season.

After 11 days of training camp, Harris was one of the Patriots’ shining stars on offense. Meanwhile, Michel is working his way back after having foot surgery this offseason. It’s not an easy pill to swallow, but Michel said that Harris’ performance is going to elevate his game.

"He goes out there and he just runs hard and it's going to push me to run even harder," Michel said. "Him going out there and making plays would benefit the team, and [I want to do] whatever I can do to come in and do the same thing."

A first-round pick in 2018, Michel looked like the Patriots’ future at the running back position. As a rookie, he rushed for 931 yards and scored six touchdowns in 13 games. In the playoffs, Michel ran for 336 yards in three games. In Super Bowl LIII, he scored the Patriots’ only touchdown en route to his first championship in New England.

Last year, however, was a grind for the running back. The offense lost multiple fullbacks and the offensive line had a series of injuries throughout the season. Michel ran for 912 yards and scored seven touchdowns, but averaged only 3.7 yards per carry after averaging 4.6 yards as a rookie.

Now that he’s back on the field, Michel is trying to catch up and get physically ready for the start of the season.

"I'm just trying to improve on being a better football player," Michel said. "Being a better teammate, trying to manage expectations. Just trying to do my job as best as possible."

On the 11th day of training camp, the Patriots moved inside Gillette Stadium for the first time this year. On Friday, the Pats held a game-simulation walkthrough that saw the 80-man roster split into two teams — one blue and one white. The team also pumped in crowd noise, which was loud and created an eerie vibe throughout the stadium.

In the end, the two teams tied, 13-13, but the final score didn’t matter since the plays were scripted and noncompetitive. For example, defensive players allowed offensive players to make catches. On this day, the team worked through multiple scenarios. One included quarterback Brian Hoyer faking a leg injury mid-drive. That forced Jarrett Stidham to come in off the sideline and continue the series.

There were a few bigger takeaways from what could be the final day of media availability at practice.

First was the kicking competition. The game ended in a tie because rookie kicker Justin Rohrwasser missed a 49-yard field goal with three seconds left on the clock. It was another inconsistent day for the fifth-round pick. Rohrwasser went 2-for-4, hitting from 50 and 33 yards. He missed from 51 and 49 yards.

Nick Folk wasn’t perfect either. The veteran kicker went 2-for-3, hitting from 50 and 33 yards, but missing from 48 yards at the end of practice.

Although the offensive and defensive reps were simulated, it was noteworthy whom Cam Newton was playing with. The veteran quarterback was on Team Blue and worked with Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, N’Keal Harry and Damiere Byrd at receiver. It has looked like Newton’s been ahead in the quarterback competition and this day was just another example. Newton also had the more experienced offensive line on his team with David Andrews, Shaq Mason, Jermaine Eluemunor, Isaiah Wynn and Michael Onwenu.

Stidham and Hoyer worked with Jeff Thomas, Gunner Olszewski, Jakobi Meyers and Devin Ross at the receiver position. Their offensive line was not as experienced. Newton worked with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels while Stidham and Hoyer worked with quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch during the simulation.

mdaniels@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @MarkDanielsPJ