ATTENDANCE, PLEASE

RB Brandon Bolden, WR Malcolm Mitchell, DT Vincent Valentine were unexpected absences.

RB Dion Lewis and DT Alan Branch also were not spotted. Both are on the PUP list.

WRs Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, TE Clay Harbor, T Sebastian Vollmer, and G Tre’ Jackson, all of whom are on the PUP list, were present but did not pad up or participate.

WR Nate Washington was also present but did not practice or wear pads. He is recovering from a bad belly.

NEW INJURIES

G Jonathan Cooper.

DRESS CODE

Full pads

TOP PLAYS

■ Tom Brady hit Rob Gronkowski in stride with a beautiful, end zone fade with Patrick Chung in coverage during red area 11-on-11s. It drew the biggest cheer of the day and Gronk celebrated with a sky-high shoulder bump with Martellus Bennett on the sideline.

■ One play later, Brady zipped one into a tight window to Chris Hogan in the back of the end zone with Malcolm Butler in tight coverage. It also drew a roar of approval.

■ Free agent cornerback Jonathan Jones ripped an end zone interception out of the hands of Devin Lucien as they tumbled to the turf in an apparent case of rookie-on-rookie crime.

■ Cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc, another undrafted signee, had a nice deflection of a pass from fellow rookie Jacoby Brissett.

■ Tight end A.J. Derby showed some nice ups on a TD snag from Jimmy Garoppolo despite some pretty tight coverage from Chung, who was none too happy about it.

■ One play later, Garoppolo threaded the needle across the middle to Hogan, who had gotten a step on Logan Ryan.

■ Chris Harper made a nifty diving catch over the middle on a Garoppolo bullet.

THREE UP

■ Jimmy Garoppolo: The third-year veteran continued to show poise and an electric arm during 1-on-1s, 7-on-7s, and 11-on-11s. If he’s nervous, he’s not showing it.

■ Tom Brady: Don’t think TB12 didn’t notice JG10. He looked fresh as lettuce as he consistently showed crispness and zip on all his passes. The fire still burns.

■ Jabaal Sheard: Though he wasn’t allowed to hit the quarterback, the versatile defensive end was a terror off the edge and definitely would have had numerous sacks.

THREE DOWN

■ Jonathan Cooper: The right guard went down with an apparent right foot injury, though he needed only minimal help getting to the cart before being driven away.

■ Bryan Stork: The center wasn’t able to finish practice, though the reason was unclear. He’s in a battle with David Andrews and others for the starting spot.

■ Bryce Williams: The rookie tight end let an easy pass slip away, prompting a staffer to holler, “C’mon Bryce, two hands!’’

ODDS AND ENDS

■ Tom Brady waved to fans early on in practice after they serenaded him with chants of “Brady, Brady.’’ Brady was in high spirits, high-fiving staffers after passing drills and bellowing a few choice words to a teammate for chiding the QB for having a pass batted down at the line of scrimmage. Brady also left the field down the regular concourse rather than taking the backfield exit as he had on Days 1 and 2.

■ Malcolm Butler and Chris Hogan exchanged friendly helmet slaps after a particularly hard-fought blocking battle in which both ended up on the ground.

■ Penalty laps were run by Jabaal Sheard, David Andrews, and LeGarrette Blount.

■ Coach Bill Belichick spent some time on the stationary bike during stretching and wind sprints.

■ Kevin Faulk was on the field getting high-fives and hugs from many. He was later spotted playing catch with Brady — much to the crowd’s delight.

■ Rookie running back D.J. Foster was in full pads but didn’t participate in practice, instead joining Shaq Mason, Sebastian Vollmer, Tre’ Jackson, Julian Edelman, and Danny Amendola on the lower field, where players normally rehab.

■ Running backs Donald Brown and Tyler Gaffney showed some serious giddyup during the session. They took full advantage of the absence of Foster and Brandon Bolden.

■ Aaron Dobson continued to impress, and we’re not even counting his impressive juke of tight ends coach/cover man Brian Daboll (he was a college safety) on a long pass from Brady during an early drill.

■ Rookie rituals: Quarterback Jacoby Brissett left the field after practice carrying the helmet and shoulder pads of both Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. Tight end Steven Scheu was spotted carrying Martellus Bennett’s gear.

■ Outstanding show of support from the fans with a crowd of 21,781 for Day 3. “Winning franchise,’’ said Terrance “Pot Roast’’ Knighton. Not even the constant buzz of Coldplay’s sound check in Gillette could drive them away.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Sunday: Practice, 9:15 a.m.

Monday: Kevin Faulk Hall of Fame induction, 5 p.m; In-stadium practice for season ticket-holders and Foxborough residents, 7 p.m.

JIM McBRIDE

Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com