FOXBOROUGH – Watching joint practices is a bit like watching a three-ring circus. Everywhere you look you’re bound to see something entertaining —but there’s always one thing that stands out.
On Tuesday, that one thing was the battle between Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks and Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler. It was act two in this play, as the combatants first locked up during last year’s joint sessions in West Virginia.
The 5-foot-10-inch, 189-pound Cooks set the tone early Tuesday when he beat Butler three times during 1-on-1 drills. During full-squad action, Cooks and Butler got physical on many plays. The packed house definitely picked up on the matchup and it drew some of the largest reactions of the day — both good and bad.
Butler’s best moment came when he deflected Drew Brees’s perfectly thrown end-zone fade away from Cooks. They battled again a few series later with Brees connecting with Cooks, who beat Butler, caught the pass, and tapped his toes in bounds.
“Owwwwww,’’ said Butler when asked about jousting with Cooks all morning. “Yeah, man. I got some work put in on me today. But you know, that’s the goal, to come out here each and every day and compete. You know, go against the best [and] no matter who it is, I’m gonna go all out . . . I say he got the best of me today, but I got another day to improve.’’
Butler said speed and strength are what separate Cooks from other receivers.
“He can run fast,’’ said the 5-11, 190-pound Butler. “He can stop on a dime, he’s strong. He’s got it all besides the height.’’
Earlier in the day Butler drew praise from coach Bill Belichick.
“He’s certainly way ahead of where he was last year at this time, which is way ahead of where he was his rookie year at this time,’’ the coach said. “His roles have expanded in terms of playing on both sides, playing inside, and I’d say his overall coverage and understanding and technique and the variety of things he can do at a proficient level has continued to expand and grow.’’
Informed of Belichick’s comments, Butler said, “It’s a great compliment . . . I’m going to keep doing my best to improve.’’
Welcome change
Brandon Bolden said the benefits of a joint practice are many, not the least of which is getting a chance to collide with new bodies. The Patriots running back/special teams ace was getting a little sick of all the friendly fire.
“You get tired of hitting the same linebackers, Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, you can give yourself a headache, it’s like running into a wall over and over,’’ he said. “So to go out there and get a chance to work against some other guys, get a couple of different looks, it’s quite refreshing.’’
Bolden said in addition to the physical part of the game getting ramped up, mental advantages can be gained by working out with a new team.
“We exchange some general information. I ask them what did you see? I give them what I saw, they give me what they saw and we compare notes,’’ said Bolden “It’s just all work and it’s great work. You learn so much from these joint practices. Drew [Brees] actually pulled me over to the side and corrected my route and he didn’t even know my route, so stuff like that, it helps everybody.’’
Lots of drops
It wasn’t the sharpest practice for the Patriots, particularly for the pass-catchers. Seven balls were dropped, including two each by Rob Gronkowski and Chris Harper, and one each by Bolden, James White, and Chris Hogan. Bolden said not to read too much into it. “I think everybody was just a little antsy today, that’s all,’’ he said . . . Gronkowski (two) and Martellus Bennett combined for just three receptions during full-team possessions. A bit of a surprise given their workload throughout camp . . . Tyler Gaffney got the majority of the carries and could be in line to start Thursday night. It’ll be the first game action of the tailback’s career after two injury-riddled seasons . . . Former Rams stars Chris Long (now with the Patriots) and James Laurinaitis (now with the Saints) chatted before practice and did some joint interviews following practice . . . Saints cornerback P.J. Williams took a few liberties with some late shoves . . . Devin McCourty caught up with former Patriots tight end Michael Hoomanawanui after practice . . . Belichick said former Saints Vinnie Sunseri and Ramon Humber have been “durable, dependable, been out there every day, working hard to get better, making steady improvement, very competitive. I’m glad we have them.’’ . . . With Nate Solder missing his first practice of the summer, LaAdrian Waddle took his reps at left tackle. The other starters on the offensive line, which worked with Tom Brady, were David Andrews (center), Joe Thuney (left guard), Josh Kline (right guard), and Marcus Cannon (right tackle) … Jimmy Garoppolo’s offensive line was from left to right: Chris Barker, Ted Karras, Bryan Stork, Shaq Mason, and Cameron Fleming . . . Throwback Tuesday winners: A classic Bledsoe 11 hanging out with a Michigan Brady No. 10. Also spotted was an Alabama Hightower No. 30.
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.
