GREEN BAY, Wis. — On an up-and-down day for the Patriots offense Wednesday, veteran left tackle Trent Brown stood out as one of the positives.
In his second padded practice of the summer, the 30-year-old Brown went wire to wire in the first of two joint workouts with the Packers, and distinguished himself by the fact that he again was out there all morning working with a reasonable facsimile of the starting offensive line.
“For it to be my second day in pads, I feel pretty good. Definitely got a ways to go, but I feel good,” said Brown, who has been in and out of practice this summer because of an undisclosed injury. “Feels great to be back out there. Just dealing with what I was dealing with, fighting through it, because we obviously need it. I need it. I need the reps. And my team needs me out there.”
The return of a healthy Brown could help shore up a line that has struggled to maintain consistency this summer because of health issues involving him as well as left guard Cole Strange (out for more than a week with a lower-body injury) and right guard Mike Onwenu (on the physically unable to perform list after offseason ankle surgery).
On Wednesday, the massive Brown helped protect Mac Jones’s blind side against the Packers’ pass rush in the early going, but the offensive line’s play regressed from there.
“Just have to keep maintaining our focus for 60 minutes, or however long we’re asked to be out there,” Brown said of the struggles that included penalties and poor execution. “Whatever we’re asked to do, we have to maintain a level of focus and determination to get things done.”
In the end, it was an occasionally feisty workout with some competitive energy from the Patriots.
“I think it’s a nice thing to go against some other people,” Brown said. “Day to day going against each other, you probably lose sight of things. But I think when you see a different color across from you, it’s just a different mentality. A lot more grit.
“I think it was a good day. A lot to build on, but a good day. A step in the right direction.”
While it isn’t the only reason for optimism, the fact that the same group — Brown (left tackle), rookie Atonio Mafi (left guard), David Andrews (center), Riley Reiff (right tackle turned right guard), and rookie Sidy Sow (right tackle) — has been out there as the starting unit for multiple days can start to create continuity.
Whether it leads to long-term success is still to be determined, but it’s certainly enough to spark some confidence that the line is getting to where it needs to be.
“I have confidence in every guy in our room,” Brown said. “None of us would be here if they didn’t believe we could get the job done.”
“I think it’s good,” said Jones. “We’ve really addressed some things we want to work on, and those guys are doing a good job, getting better every day. A lot of experience with Trent and David and those types of players, and some younger guys there as well. It’s fun.
“I just want them to go out there and play and have fun. Don’t worry about making mistakes. Just go 100 percent. They’re doing a good job of that. It takes some time to mold together. They’re not going to get it on the first practice, so we’re working toward that.”
History class
The Patriots are taking time to enjoy the history of Lambeau Field.
“Third-oldest sporting field behind Fenway and Wrigley,” ” said coach Bill Belichick. “So it’s very moving to walk out of the locker room down onto the field when you think about all of the great, great players and coaches that have done that through the years.
“Great part of football, great part of tradition, and it’s an honor to be part of it and be here.”
“I think it’s really cool,” Jones said. “We talked a lot about that, the history here. It’s pretty cool.”
Kraft denied Hall
For the second straight year, Patriots owner Robert Kraft fell short in his bid for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One of 12 semifinalists in the coach/contributor category, Kraft lost out as the finalist to Buddy Parker, who led the Lions to NFL championships in 1952 and ‘53. Prior to the announcement, Belichick expressed hope that the 82-year-old Kraft would stay in the running for the honor. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we get the vote this year,” Belichick said prior to practice … Rhamondre Stevenson said he had some idea what was percolating in the days leading up to the acquisition of Ezekiel Elliott, as the two players share the same representation. “I might have had a little clue about it,” Stevenson said. “But I was just trying to focus on my team. The football field. But I had a little clue.” … Malik Cunningham has a fan in Jones. “Malik is a great athlete,” Jones said. “I feel like we have a good bond. He’s kind of like a funny guy. He’s got some good jokes and stuff. I like to talk to him in the locker room. He’s from Alabama — we talk about that. He’s doing a good job. I think it’s awesome to see him out there, running those plays. I’m not fast enough yet to try those out. Maybe one day.” … Thursday’s joint practice is slated to start at 10:30 a.m. Central time. The Patriots will have a walkthrough Friday.
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him @cpriceglobe.
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