FOXBOROUGH — For rookie quarterbacks, the drill is easy: Come in, work hard, keep your head down, and soak in as much as you can from the starter. And then carry his helmet and pads to the locker room.
Such is the life for Jacoby Brissett, the second of New England’s three third-round picks in April, who’s been pulling double duty lately: learing from a pair of starters and then hauling two sets of equipment after practice.
“It’s part of the rookie process,’’ Brissett said Thursday, seemingly unbothered by the daily chore, as he held Jimmy Garoppolo’s gear while answering questions. He got a respite from carrying Tom Brady’s stuff as the 17-year veteran stayed on the field for some extra work.
Brissett has been almost an afterthought during his inaugural pro camp because the two guys ahead of him are the two most talked-about quarterbacks in the league.
Brissett hasn’t dwelled on his place on the roster. Instead, he’s embraced his situation and tried to make the most of the opportunity to learn from the guys, particularly Brady, whom he called “obviously one of the greats.’’
The former North Carolina State star, who threw for 5,268 yards over his only two seasons in Raleigh, N.C., said he isn’t intimidated about asking Brady for help or advice.
“He’s still my teammate, so whenever I ask something he’ll pretty much give me a good answer,’’ said Brissett, who will be the backup for the first four weeks of the season before dropping to third string.
It would take a catastrophic series of events for Brissett to find his way to the top of the QB heap, but he’s been preparing for that very possibility all spring and summer.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 235-pound Brissett has a nice blend of size and athleticism to go along with a big arm. He’s had a hot-and-cold camp — completing roughly 55 percent of his throws in limited reps.
He spent some time working one-on-one with assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski Thursday and coach Bill Belichick seems pleased with his skill set and progress so far.
“He’s working hard, learning how to make progress,’ said the coach. “He’s a big strong kid that can run.’’
Boomer Sooner
The Patriots’ practice was shorter than usual — the first one of training camp to go less than two hours — but was one of the most physical practices of the summer.
Belichick even went old school during one period, having his players run the Oklahoma Drill, which has gone out of style in the NFL recent years because of its physical nature and higher risk of injury. In the drill, a defender tries to shed a blocker and bring down a ball carrier, a not-so-easy task.
Even 11-year veteran Rob Ninkovich participated in the drill, working against tight end Rob Gronkowski.
“There’s no difference between if I was a second-year guy or 11-year guy. You got to go do it,’’ Ninkovich said. “It’s fun. It’s like you’re in pee-wee football again. And I get to go against the best tight end in the league, so that’s always fun.’’
Ninkovich couldn’t remember the last time the Patriots ran the Oklahoma Drill, though he said they have done it in previous years.
“It works on your hand placement, works on the basic fundamentals of how to take on a block and check blocks,’’ Ninkovich said. “When it’s just man-on-man, it’s definitely a fun drill.’’
Report: Stork concussed
Center Bryan Stork missed his fourth straight practice with what the Boston Herald reported as a concussion suffered during Saturday’s session. Stork has a history of concussions and missed the first eight weeks of last season because of concussion and neck issues. David Andrews and Josh Kline worked at center Thursday . . . Brady was the last player working on the field, doing some resistance-band running after spending time signing autographs for a summer camp group and hanging out with Martellus Bennett’s family . . . There was lots of hands-on coaching Thursday, including one session where Belichick was working with veteran defensive end Chris Long. Asked about the tutorial, Long said, “A great coach. He knows the game, he knows defense, he knows defensive line play, so it’s always nice to have that as another voice as a head coach. That’s not the case everywhere, and he just knows football.’’ . . . Receivers Chris Hogan (shoulder) and Nate Washington (illness) stretched and ran without pads, but later were spotted in pads, but neither participated in the practice . . . Vincent Valentine lugged Jabaal Sheard’s equipment after practice, so Brissett didn’t feel lonely . . . Jamie Collins rose up like the Loch Ness Monster (seemingly out of nowhere) to intercept a Garoppolo pass during a half-speed full-team drill.
Ben Volin of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.
